Rush.com has added a video interview with Lorne "Gump" Wheaton, Neil's drum tech. In the video, Lorne goes over the entire setup, including the backstage area.
To watch the video, go to Rush.com and click Multimedia. The interview with Lorne is listed on the right side as Rush Backstage - Welcome to Bubba Gump. See screenshot below for more information.
Here are a few items I've been meaning to send out the past two weeks.
Postcards from Neil
I've created a new section called Postcards from Neil. This section highlights postcards that Neil Peart sent to people who wrote to him through Modern Drummer. I've seen a few of these postcards, but had never seen one that was handwritten like what Neil Peart had sent to Neal Scanapico. (Thanks for letting me post this, Neal.)
If you received a postcard from Neil and want to share it with other fans on this website, please send me an e-mail.
New photos in the 1980s gallery
I've posted five amazing photos that M. Hayden sent to me from the Hold Your Fire tour. (Thanks to M. for letting me post these to my site.)
Snakes & Arrows updates
As of this writing, Rush has performed 39 shows on this tour. The tour has been extremely successful so far, both financially and critically, and many fans have said this is the best tour they've ever seen. I would have to agree.
Here are a few links you might be interested in:
I've posted two stories about the Rush shows I attended on my personal blog. You can read them here:
I've continued to update the Snakes & Arrows section of my site.
I've continued to track and tag information about this tour using del.icio.us, a social-bookmarking site. I've turned a few of these tags (or categories) into feeds that are now available on this page.
New auctions
My friend has posted more Rush items to eBay. You can check these out at the Featured Rush Auction Items page. This week there are a few rare items.
Paragon Diamondback cymbal now available
I found the new Paragon Diamondback cymbal at one online music store location. The list price for this cymbal is $449, but you can buy it for $269. If anyone knows when this cymbal will be available in other locations, let me know.
Only four 30th Anniversary Commemorative kits remain
I saw on Guitar Center's website that there are only four of the 30th Anniversary kits left. According to the site, these kits are in the following Guitar Center stores:
For those of you using Firefox or Safari, you might have had problems reading The Latest News in HTML format. A few weeks ago I updated this blog so that it will now work with these browsers. If you have any other problems, please e-mail me.
Neil Peart and Sabian are introducing the Diamondback Chinese cymbal to the Paragon line. Neil has used this cymbal on both "Snakes & Arrows" and the songs he recorded with Vertical Horizon.
In the Sabian forums, CymbalBob says of a new Paragon cymbal (presumably the Diamondback), "All I can tell you is we are planning to introduce 1 new Paragon model next month at Summer NAMM in Austin TX. It should be available to the general public sometime in August."
Sabian and Neil Peart Add Diamondback Chinese Cymbal to the Paragon Series June 28, 2007
The 20" Paragon Diamondback Chinese is the latest collaboration between legendary Rush drummer Neil Peart and award-winning cymbal maker SABIAN. The thin, highly responsive model features a wide-flanged circumference punctuated by industrial cotter pins holding a total of four jingles that vibrate when the cymbal is struck. To increase the sound, the jingles are positioned in the shallow of the flange so they vibrate on both the bow and the edge, while a single rivet is positioned between each of the four jingle placements.
"While recording Snakes and Arrows," said Peart, "I was making good use of the two Paragon Chinese models I had developed with SABIAN's Mark Love a few years ago. The 20" had a sharp, tight attack, while the 19" had a warm, dark swell. However, a couple of the songs called for a different texture, something with a subtle stick sound, and a wispy, kind of ethereal voice, but with a sizzle...like a traditional rivet cymbal, but with more 'presence.'
Mark produced prototypes until we arrived at one particularly innovative combination, which I named Diamondback (thinking both of Paragon's diamond logo and the fact that it 'rattles'). I used the Diamondback prominently in such songs as 'The Larger Bowl' and 'The Main Monkey Business,' where it delivers a wispy, haunting ride effect with the sizzle of rivets and tambourine jingles. It also added a subtle accent in songs such as the opening track, 'Far Cry.'"
As with all Paragon models, the Diamondback combines various hammering and lathing styles including a hand hammered bell. Jumbo-sized HHX dimpling is applied specifically to the bow and lip after the lathing process in an effort to lower the fundamental pitch of the cymbal and give it a dark tone.
"Like the rest of our Paragon range," added Peart, "the Diamondback is a testament to the creative and uncompromising work of Mark Love and the other dedicated craftsmen at SABIAN. They share my vision that a cymbal company's ultimate product, after all, is music." The Diamondback Chinese is handcrafted from premium SABIAN B20 'cast' bronze and features the 'rich gold' logo markings exclusive to the Paragon series. To create a rich high-low response when the jingles and cymbal vibrate together, the jingles are of brighter sounding B8 bronze. This combination of B20 and B8 increases the complexity of sound produced. All Paragon cymbals are quality protected by the SABIAN one-year warranty. For more information, visit their web site at http://www.sabian.com/.
