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February 5, 2010
Rush Making Preparations For Next Project (They Mean It This Time!)
As we reported towards the end of last year, Rush had planned to get together in Los Angeles to begin planning their next project. Apparently, that meeting may not have come to fruition. According to the latest from Neil Peart, the group is on the verge of gathering to begin the serious work of writing and recording. According to Peart, Rush is “in action.”
More specifically, Peart revealed that he has sent some lyrical ideas up to Geddy Lee and Alex Lifeson who are said to be working together on the musical side of things; a process that is described as pretty much the norm for the group. “That’s what I’ve found in the past; if Geddy says, ‘I like these four lines,’ that to me is great. It’s not a rejection of the rest of it; it’s that those four lines happened to reach him. So I’ll build on that,” Peart explains.
The kind of project Rush will be working on still seems to be very much up in the air. Peart talked last year about how the group may go off in a different direction this time, and do something that reflects the changes in the music industry we have seen in recent years. That approach may steer them towards the production of a smaller-than-normal collection of new material followed by a tour.
Then again, they could also go in the opposite direction. Peart describes his thoughts about a band he recently saw that may lead them back towards more theme-oriented work. Perhaps it would be something more like 2112 or Hemispheres.
Peart continues: “I went to see a band called Porcupine Tree not long ago. And I was talking with (singer-guitarist) Steven Wilson. They just put out a 55- minute piece. That’s a finger to the whole iTunes shuffle thing, and he intended it as such. And I thought, ‘Yeah, that’s another way of rebelling against it — by just saying no.’ There’s too much lost in giving up the integrity of an album — what it represents to you as a musician, and as a human being, for that matter. So I like that approach. That’s very possible for a band like us. So there are no limitations; we might go big or we might go small.”
So at this point, things really are up in the air for Rush; leaving fans to wonder what’s coming next from the Canadian trio. Many will not care, as long as they are still working. Others may find themselves at odds with something that’s viewed as too much of a departure from the past. With such a loyal fan base, however, they might have to actually work at alienating any significant number of them.
This fan can safely be counted as someone who is happy to hear they are planning new material, and yeah, it would probably take something well outside the box for me to lose interest in them – you know, like switching to hip-hop or something. A pretty unlikely move for three hockey-loving Canadian boys.
Whatever direction they decide to go in, I think it will be something that does not disappoint, will keep fans engaged, and have them ready to line up for the next album, iTunes download or live show that’s available.
The full story can be accessed at The Intelligencer.
January 20, 2010
Rush To Be Inducted Into Canadian Songwriters Hall of Fame
Well, it is rather refreshing to see veteran rockers Rush recognized by an organization that has “Hall of Fame” as part of its name. My only question would be, what took them so long? Admittedly, the organization was founded only twelve years ago, a relative adolescent when compared to some of the other “halls,” so perhaps I should cut them some slack.
The work of Geddy Lee, Alex Lifeson and Neil Peart is set to be honored during the March 28 ceremony at Toronto’s Centre For The Arts’ George Weston Recital Hall. Well-known Rush classics “Tom Sawyer,” “Limelight,” “The Spirit of Radio,” “Subdivisions” and “Closer to the Heart” will be included.
In a somewhat ironic turn of events, a Canadian classic known as “The Hockey Theme” by Dolores Claman will also be inducted. This comes close on the heels of the release of a new version of the same song by Rush’s own Neil Peart. Surely it’s a bit too early to consider Peart’s version for induction – heck, I don’t even know if most Canadians like it, or what the original songwriter thinks of it.
I’m hoping that our neighbors to the north forgive me for any inaccuracies or omissions regarding “The Hockey Theme,” whether it be the original or new version. Not being a Canadian or a fan of the sport, I welcome any corrections from those more qualified to speak on the subject.
The bottom line is that it’s nice to see Rush recognized for their decades of work, and being such humble and decent fellows, I expect they will be happy to be in attendance at the ceremony.
After being snubbed for so long by the decision makers for that “other” music-related hall a bit further to the south for so long now, I kind of wish the guys from Rush would turn down any future invites to that particular establishment that might be – by some miracle – forthcoming. Being the nice guys that they are, that probably won’t happen.
Perhaps I should work more on being a nice guy myself.
Nah, that would definitely cut down on some of the fun I have here. Maybe I’ll work on being a bit less nice instead. After all, that’s the kind of stuff that always seems to get the most attention, right?
January 15, 2010
Rush’s Next Project May ‘Deviate From The Norm’
With changes in the music industry challenging the old way of doing things, Rush appears set to go with the flow. A recent telephone interview by the Canadian Press with drummer and lyricist Neil Peart confirms that the group is ready to shake things up a bit and ditch the traditional album release for something different.
As Peart puts it, “We feel very much liberated from the album format in a way right now, because in the three years since our last album (2007’s Snakes & Arrows), suddenly albums don’t mean anything.”
A statement like “suddenly albums don’t mean anything” may sound a bit strange coming from the man who penned the lyrics for epic albums like 2112 and Hemispheres, but one must give Peart and his two band mates credit for recognizing the way the music industry has changed, and for their willingness to adapt. Considering that we are now living in the age of digital downloads, file sharing and iTunes, Peart’s comment about albums probably make a lot of sense.
Pressed for details about the new music during the interview, Peart was unwilling to get too specific, but did say that Rush is “thinking of writing and recording a few songs and maybe releasing them, and playing them live, and then going back and doing some more later. We just feel really free (in terms) of what we might do right now.”
Work is currently underway, with Peart writing lyrics at his home in California and both Geddy Lee and Alex Lifeson are at work at their studio in Toronto.
The trio appears to be up for the challenge of making the adjustments demanded by the music industry’s evolution, and seem anxious to embrace it. “(It’s) a healthier reaction than getting mad: ‘Aww, things aren’t how they used to be — we wanted to make a 12-inch album with two sides!’ Those things ARE hard to give up, and every time now we make a side one and side two mentally and build the dynamics . . . so there is something lost,” Peart says.
Rush fans will likely be watching intently for more news regarding exactly what it is the group has up its collective sleeve. Considering the evidence that suggests they will be moving away from the traditional album model, perhaps a shorter wait is in order this time, although a few songs may not be quite as satisfying as an album for some. It will, at the very least, be an interesting experiment.
Having just finished up working on a project that put him in the precarious position of writing a new version of what some Canadians might consider their second national anthem, Peart may now be more focused on the new Rush project. The recent interview sounds like his way of saying that break time is over, and Rush is getting back to work.
As an American, and someone who is not a hockey fan, I can’t fully appreciate the magnitude of the work that Peart has recently completed on his new version of “The Hockey Theme.” It is the music that has been used during the opening of “Hockey Night in Canada” on Canadian TV for the last four decades, and was jokingly referred to by Peart as a theme that will be heard by “every man, woman, grandma, child, moose and beaver in Canada.”
For Peart’s sake, I hope they like it.
Video of Peart’s “The Hockey Theme” is below, but may not last if the copyright holders protest.
November 6, 2009
Rush Set To ‘Roll The Bones’ Once More
As many dedicated Rush fans undoubtedly know, the term “roll the bones” is a reference to throwing dice – a vital component in many well-known games of chance.
According to Neil Peart’s latest edition of “News Weather, and Sports,” the venerable Canadian trio appears ready to roll the bones themselves, by agreeing to meet sometime this month in Los Angeles to talk about the future of the group. Fortunately, the outlook is not as grim as it may appear for Aerosmith, but there is talk of change.
This time the changes may be partly in reaction to the way the music industry has evolved in the last few years. “The importance of ‘the album’ is not what it was, and there is currently a reversion to a musical climate rather like the 1950s, when only ‘the song’ matters. Radio, downloads, and ‘shuffle’ settings are inimical to collected works,” Peart wrote.
Although Peart reveals that they are not even sure what they are going to be talking about when they convene, he does share a few thoughts he has that may end up on the table in Los Angeles.
“We could write and record just a few songs, and release them some way. Or there were a couple of film-and-music projects we had discussed in the past. In any case, there are enough possibilities for future collaboration, and I am curious to see what we’ll come up with.”
Whatever the outcome, it seems likely that the group is poised to move away from the traditional sequence of writing a new album, doing a tour, taking a break, and doing it again. It appears they are ready and willing to adapt to the shifting sands beneath their feet by veering off in a new direction.
Rush fans, as dedicated as always, will likely be awaiting news of the group’s plans anxiously.
October 8, 2009
Rush In The Movies Again
For the second time this year, a movie is set to be released that features Canadian rock trio Rush. Their music plays a key role in the storyline of the film that is set for a New York release tomorrow. Adventures of Power is a story about a nerdy mine worker who has a passion for playing the drums, but never actually learned how. Instead, the lead character, whose first name is Power, embraced what he sees as the next best thing: Air drumming.
Power, played by Ari Gold, finds inspiration in a hit single by Rush, whose drummer, Neil Peart, is widely acknowledged as one of the world’s best rock drummers. The Sundance Film Festival Guide describes Adventures of Power thusly:
“If you’ve ever heard the classic Rush song ‘Tom Sawyer,’ you may have found yourself flailing your arms in a rhythmic motion known as ‘air drumming.’ Neil Peart, Rush’s legendary drummer, casts a wicked spell, but if you’ve managed to avoid it, or think air drumming isn’t cool, I give you – Power.”
Earlier this year, Rush figured prominently in the plot of a romantic comedy entitled I Love You Man, which starred Paul Rudd, Jason Segel and Rashida Jones.
The cast of adventures of Power is listed as Ari Gold (who also wrote and directed the movie), Michael McKean, Jane Lynch, Adrian Grenier, and Neil Peart.
A look at the trailer (below) suggests that this may be a funny and entertaining flick, and let’s face it, what Rush fan is going to miss a movie that lists Neil Peart among the cast members?
