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The Drums of Snakes & Arrows article excerpt now online
Neil Peart wrote an article for the August 2007 Modern Drummer, entitled "The Drums of Snakes & Arrows." In the article, Neil tells the story of how "Snakes & Arrows" came to be, and he also analyzes his drumming in each song. He writes a lot about other drummers he admires, too. One of my favorite quotes is about Terry Bozzio (who also likes to play large drum kits): "During a visit to the DW factory last year to check out the drums I would play on this album, I saw one of Terry's massively intricate drumsets under construction. When I sat behind it with all those chromatically tuned drums, the fantastic array of unique cymbals, and multiple pedals (eleven, I think), I looked around and up and down at that dizzyingly complex instrument and thought, "This is the guy's mind I'm looking at." An excerpt of the article is now online at DW Drums: 
Labels: magazine article, Rush SnakesArrows, written by NEP
posted by AndyO @ 7:42 PM
White River and Clark County photos
posted by AndyO @ 12:51 AM
Rush - White River Show - 7/20/07
Last night I attended the show at White River Amphitheater near Seattle, WA. The miserable, rainy night didn't stop the 9,000-10,000 other excited fans (there were probably more people there, as I heard it was sold out). It was an amazing show and the band seemed to be having a lot of fun. The new songs sounded incredible. I'll be writing up a more detailed review of this show and the Clark County show I'm going to today (near Portland, Oregon). A friend of mine got front row tickets and took some amazing photos. Here are a few samples (I'll post many more soon). 
Labels: pictures, Rush SnakesArrows
posted by AndyO @ 1:20 PM
New NEP News update (7/13/07)
posted by AndyO @ 3:02 PM
NEP and Richard S. Foster go for a drive
Recently Neil Peart met up with Richard S. Foster, the author of the short story, "A Nice Morning Drive." As most Rush fans know, this story was the inspiration for the song "Red Barchetta." It turns out Richard is a BMW motorcycle enthusiast, and he, Neil, and Michael (Neil's security man) drove around the countryside in West Virginia -- a landscape not unlike the one in "Red Barchetta." This is a must read with many great pictures. The Drummer, the Private Eye, and Me (Rush Fans Take Note) 
Labels: NEP motorcycling, Rush SnakesArrows, web article
posted by AndyO @ 9:30 PM
Replica drum kit updates (7/12/07)
For this replica drum kit update, we have five new kits and two updates. Thanks to all the drummers for sending their photos and write-ups. Update 7/13: When I originally posted this, the links to specific kits were broken. I've now fixed these links. Replica home page Labels: drum kit replicas
posted by AndyO @ 7:25 PM
Neil Peart article on Sabian.com
posted by AndyO @ 5:31 PM
New Diamondback cymbal added to Paragon line
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." Here is the Press Release: PRESS RELEASE
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/. Labels: cymbals, press release, Rush SnakesArrows, Sabian
posted by AndyO @ 1:43 AM
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