Neil Peart -- The Latest News

Rush was inducted into the Canadian Songwriter Hall of Fame on Sunday, March 28 for their songs Closer to the Heart, The Spirit of Radio, Limelight, Tom Sawyer, and Subdivisions. Rush is the first band to be inducted. You can listen to the entire show on the CBC website.

Listen to Neil Peart's acceptance speech

Here are some articles about the event:

Toronto Sun

CTV article

Canadian Music Scene Site (photos)

CBC News video: Rush Inducted into Hall of Fame

Canada.com article

Canadian Press video (Neil Peart interviewed)

Jam Showbiz: Rush Inducted into Songwriters Hall

Jacob Moon's blog (he performed Subdivisions at this event)

Thanks to Rushisband.com and PowerWindows for the links

Labels: Canadian Songwriters Hall of Fame

This site has some photos of the Banger Films crew with Neil Peart. I also saw that tickets are still available for the Friday, April 30 (4:00 p.m.) show.

Rush Documentary Canadian Premiere | Banger Films Official Blog

Note: If you're planning on going to this, please let me know if you'd be interested in writing about the experience.

Labels: Documentary

I've added four new kits to the Replicas and drum kits inspired by Neil Peart page. Thanks to all the drummers for sending in their photos!

Also, feel free to leave comments or questions at the bottom of the replica pages for the drummers.

Carlos Elias

Ludwig's Roshambo Replica

Donald Jack

Steve Grala

Labels: drum kit replicas

Here's yet another interview with Neil Peart. Some really interesting stuff in this one. For example, here's what he had to say about Subdivisions.

"It's a very unusual song construction lyrically and musically that we managed to make work," he said. "It was written at a time when we weren't working, so to speak. We were mixing a live album and we just started playing around and wrote a song for fun. Although it's very serious in it's musical structure, one of the most complicated actually that we've had in terms of arrangement drum part alone, it's a really intricate drum part to play and consequently I still love playing it almost 30 years later and that's a good testament."

CANOE -- JAM! Music - Artists - Rush: Rush-ing into Songwriters Hall

via Power Windows

Labels: awards, Canadian Songwriters Hall of Fame, interview

The 15th Annual Drummies are now open for voting. Neil Peart has won Drummer of the Year for the past three years. To read more about the Drummies, see the following press release:

DRUMMER CAFE ~ Enter Music Publishing Rolls Out Voting For 15th Annual Drummies | News | Music Industry

To vote, go to this site:

Official voting site

Labels: awards, DRUM magazine

Here's a new interview with Neil Peart with the Canadian Press about Rush's upcoming induction into the Canadian Songwriter's Hall of Fame.

"Being in the Canadian Music Hall of Fame and the Canadian Songwriters Hall of Fame, that's 10 times - 100 times - more (important) than being in some critics' list."

The Canadian Press: Rush say Canadian songwriters' hall induction means more than Rock hall snub

Via John at Cygnus-X1.net.

Labels: interview, web article

I just received an e-mail stating that all three members of Rush will attend the Songwriters Hall of Fame Induction, and that there's a 20% discount on tickets available to Rush fans. The event takes place on March 28 at 8:00 p.m. at the Toronto Centre for the Arts.

For more information, see the webpage version of this e-mail:

Rush Songwriters Hall of Fame Induction

Labels: awards

You can now buy remastered editions of all Rush tourbooks at the Rush backstage club. According to the announcement:

Tourbooks dating back to 2112 have been brought back to all their glory (and then some) by modern printing technology and are all beautifully crafted with high-end laminated covers

The Rush Tourbooks Remasters series announcement

Link to Rush Backstage Club page on Rush tourbooks

Labels: books, Rush Backstage Club

Drum Channel has posted a nine-minute video about the making of the Hockey Theme.

Watch the Making of the Hockey Theme with Neil Peart

Via Rushisaband.com

Labels: Drum Channel, Hockey Theme, videos

Here's an in-depth article about Neil's drum tech Lorne Wheaton, who has recently been working with Jimmy DeGrasso of Alice Cooper:

Lorne Wheaton: Drum Tech with Jimmy DeGrasso and Alice Cooper

Excerpt:

"With Neil, the upper three toms are cranked up quite a bit, because we have to bring the old concert toms into play with Rush and he has his sound. You take these eight-inch, 10-inch and 12-inch toms out of the box, and we crank them up quite a bit from what they're pitched to at the factory. But that's only because that's Neil's sound from when he used to have the smaller six-inch, eight-inch and 10-inch concert toms in the old days. He's just got that sound and we have to reproduce that for him, especially when we start playing the old stuff."

Labels: drums, web article

John at Cygnus-X1.Net recently posted 28 new scans of old magazine articles about Rush. You can check them all out on John's website here:

Cygnus-X1.Net - A Tribute to Rush - Rush: A Brief History of Time

Thanks, John!

Labels: magazine article

Here's the announcement from the Rock Band website:

DLC Week of 3/9 - White Stripes, Shaimus, Neil Peart and more! - Rock Band Forums

Labels: Hockey Theme, Rock Band