Neil Peart -- The Latest News

Cathy Rich, who is producing the Buddy Rich Memorial Concert on October 18, 2008, featuring Neil Peart, posted a promo poster on her MySpace page. Also note that Terry Bozzio has been added to the guest list.

Labels: Buddy Rich Memorial Concert

For all those drummers who have thought about what it would be like to fill Neil Peart's shoes--even for one song--Taylor Hawkins, drummer for the Foo Fighters, got to live that dream.

Alex and Geddy played YYZ with Taylor at the Foo Fighters' concert in Toronto on Saturday, March 22. I must say that Taylor impressed me with his ability to play Neil's parts.

Update - 3/26 - Foo Fighters website Toronto photos

Globe and Mail article

Jam Showbiz Music article

Like everything these days, you can watch this performance on YouTube:

Front Row (includes part of Taylor's drum solo, which is also cool)

Bird's Eye view

Labels: Foo Fighters

Neil has posted a new update on his website, writing about his love for winter in Quebec and posting many pictures from his cross-country skiing and snowshoeing expeditions. This almost seems like a companion piece to his February 2006 essay My Laurentian Soulscape, which appeared in Canadian Geographic.

Labels: neilpeart.net, written by NEP

The artist page for Neil Peart on Sabian.com has been updated to include:

• Photos from the first leg of the Snakes & Arrows tour
• A new artist set-up diagram, which includes drums and cymbals with interactive features and links
• A set builder page where you can open Neil's setup
• New wallpaper of Neil Peart, Chad Smith (Red Hot Chili Peppers), and Jose Pasillas (Incubus):
• 800x600
• 1024x768
• 1280x1024
• A new page for the Paragon Diamondback Chinese 20" cymbal

Labels: cymbals, drums, pictures

I've posted two new kits to the Replicas page. One is a wraparound Pearl kit from Gordie Howe, and the other is a beautiful model of Neil's Tama Artstar prototype kit from Domenic Nardone.

Thanks to both Gordie and Domenic for sending in pictures of their kits.

Labels: drum kit replicas

Workin' Them Angels single now available

The Workin' Them Angels single, from the forthcoming Snakes & Arrows Live CD, is now available at many online music stores, including:

Zune

iTunes

Neil Peart to perform at Buddy Rich Memorial concert in NYC - 10/18/08

On the Buddy Rich Drum Company MySpace page, there's an announcement that Neil Peart will perform at the Buddy Rich Memorial Concert on October 18, 2008. Here's the announcement:

2008 Buddy Rich Memorial Concert Hammerstein Ballroom NYC October 18, 2008. Starring Neil Peart John Blackwell Nick Rich with The Buddy Rich Band. More artists to be announced. Check our Ads in DRUM! and Traps magazines starting in early April. The Biggest concert event of the year.

Neil Peart's original Tama kit

I saw a post on Rush is a Band about Neil's 1980's Tama kit and where it is today. Adam Roderick won the kit as part of a Modern Drummer essay contest and is still using the kit today in his Rush tribute band Trilogy. Adam has a really cool page that shows pictures of the kit being delivered by Neil's then drum tech Larry Allen, as well as pictures of Adam meeting Neil backstage. He also got to sit behind the Power Windows kit during soundcheck!

Labels: drums, News updates