Neil Peart -- The Latest News

New NEP News Update: "Fire on Ice"

2010-02-08T15:49:00.001-08:00

Neil has posted a February 2010 update to his website called "Fire on Ice."

Neil Peart interview in St. Catherine's Standard

2010-02-06T13:44:00.001-08:00

In this interview, Neil talks about fame, being a new father, the Hockey Song, and ideas for the new Rush album.

Click to read the interview: The Beat Goes On.

Article in The Walrus about Rush

2010-02-03T01:11:00.000-08:00

This is one of the better articles I've read about the rise of Rush in the mainstream.

The Walrus March 2010 "Living on a Lighted Stage" by Jason Anderson.

Interview with Neil Peart at GuitarCenter.com

2010-02-03T01:03:00.000-08:00

This is an interesting interview with Neil Peart from an unlikely source.

Interviews - Guitar Center

DRUM! readers interview Neil Peart - now online

2010-01-29T00:23:00.001-08:00

The June 2009 DRUM! magazine interview with Neil is now online.

Read the interview here.

List of all Bubba's Book Club books

2010-01-23T23:18:00.001-08:00

I thought it would be interesting to have a place where you could view all of Neil Peart's book recommendations -- so I set up an Amazon store with all the books he's reviewed so far (around 60 books).

There were a few books that I couldn't include, because they weren't available on Amazon.

Go to my page featuring all Bubba's Book Club books

I'll continue to update this page when Neil reviews new books.

Go to Bubba's Book Club on NeilPeart.net.

30th anniversary of "Permanent Waves" interview

2010-01-17T17:18:00.001-08:00

The interview that Rush did for the 30th anniversary of Permanent Waves is now online.

Click to go to the In the Studio website.

Poll: Neil Peart's "Hockey Theme"

2010-01-17T16:57:00.001-08:00

Neil Peart Studio Profile - Releasing soon

2010-01-16T00:27:00.001-08:00

Update: 1/24 - Listen to a sample of Neil Peart Drums here.

Neil Peart's Studio Profile by Sonic Reality, which was recorded in 2008, is going to be released in the first quarter of 2010. This release is called Neil Peart Drums Vol. 1: The Kit.

Here's the press release from Sonic Reality:

January 2010, Sunrise FL, USA - For the Winter NAMM show of 2010, Sonic Reality sound development company is proud to announce "Neil Peart Drums Vol. 1: The Kit", a sample library for BFD2 and Infinite Player, powered by Kontakt, as part of the Drum Masters series. Neil Peart, legendary drummer of the band "Rush", has collaborated with Sonic Reality and producer/engineer Nick Raskulinecz (Rush, Foo Fighters, Alice In Chains) to bring the authentic sound of Neil's "Snakes and Arrows" Custom DW Drum Kit into the digital domain. With advanced features such as deep level dynamics, humanized random alternating hits, discrete multiple mic mixing and more, this deluxe sampled kit is an ultra-realistic recreation of Neil's actual acoustic set as used live on tour and in the studio.

Now, for the first time, e-drummers, keyboardists and composers can play rock drum samples with the iconic signature sound of drum legend - Neil Peart and have a world-class, hard-hitting drum kit suitable for many styles of music from Progressive Rock to Heavy Metal! Producer Nick Raskulinecz engineered the sample sessions with over 20 channels of Neve mic preamps, deluxe vintage tube mics and multiple room positions for one of the most elaborate sampled drum kits ever. With the assistance of Don Lombardi and DrumChannel.com, every detail of "The Kit" was captured both in high-resolution audio and documented on video with a thorough explanation by Dave Kerzner of Sonic Reality on how the drums were sampled.
"To sample Neil Peart's incredible drum kit for our Drum Masters series was truly an honor and it fit perfectly with our focus on capturing the most desirable character drum sounds." Says Dave Kerzner, CEO of Sonic Reality. "We're also honored to be able to record it with 'Rush' producer - Nick Raskulinecz to help us capture the authentic, signature Neil Peart drum sound."
"The Kit" features 8 Toms, a vast array of cymbals including 3 Chinas, 4 Crashes, 3 Splashes, Ride, 2 Snares, Massive Kicks, Percussion - such as Cowbells and more. It comes mapped in GM, iMap, V-Drum and a Custom Map mode to be controlled by any electronic drum kit. It includes both discrete mic mixing and album-quality presets right out of the box for instant gratification.
"Neil Peart Drums Vol 1: The Kit" will be available in standard and deluxe size versions for FXPansion's BFD software and for Sonic Reality's Infinite Player software powered by Kontakt.
Shipping Q1, 2010
Price: TBA

Thanks to Rushisband.com for the head's up!

Neil Peart Hockey Theme video

2010-01-15T23:46:00.001-08:00

The video for Neil Peart's version of The Hockey Theme is now available on TSN.

Click to watch the video on TSN. (Unfortunately, you'll need to wait through an advertisement.)

Or you can watch a different version of the video on YouTube:

There's also a gallery of the photo shoot.

An official mailing from Rush included the following:

Peart's rendition of The Hockey Theme also available to fans on iTunes on January 19 and his custom drum kit used to record "Canada's second national anthem" to be donated to the Hockey Hall of Fame.

Thanks to Roman Dino for the head's up!

Neil Peart discusses Rush's new album and the Hockey Theme

2010-01-13T15:03:00.001-08:00

In an interview with the Canadian Press, Neil Peart discusses Rush's "liberated" approach to the new Rush album as well as his re-recording of the Hockey Theme.

Rush drummer says next project might not be album

Speaking of the Hockey Theme, the new version of the song will premiere this Thursday, January 14, according to this interview:

Peart's version (of the Hockey Theme) will debut on TSN during Thursday's broadcast of the Toronto-Philadelphia game and will then be used for the rest of the season by the network.

Neil Peart on Paragon Brilliant cymbals

2010-01-11T20:09:00.001-08:00

I've been hearing about Paragon cymbals with a "brilliant" finish for a little while, and it appears that Paragon Brilliant is now a finish available from Sabian.

Neil Peart wrote an article about the new cymbal finish for Sabian.com.

------------------------------------

Dec 22, 2009

- NEIL PEART SPEAKS UP ABOUT PARAGON BRILLIANT -

The evolution of Paragon Brilliant is about more than spit and polish. It began with the pursuit of the openness and responsiveness of an older cymbal, right "out of the bag."

I have always found that brand-new cymbals have a certain "tightness," both in their physical response and in their sound, and it takes a few shows to play them in. Then they loosen up and start to "dance" on the stand, and the swell of sound from attack to decay would become smooth and open.

When I was talking about that quality to the dedicated cymbal-makers at SABIAN, they took it as a kind of challenge: how can we build that "played-in" quality into the cymbals?

Wheels started turning in the imagination of Mark Love, chief designer and sound alchemist at the factory in Meductic, New Brunswick. He figured that because playing the cymbal creates heat in the friction among the molecules of the metal, then perhaps carefully-applied heat to a newly lathed-and-hammered Paragon could create the same effect.

Experiments began, and prototypes were sent to California for "field-testing" by me and Sabian's Chris Stankee. Each prototype was carefully weighed and played, with stick-tip, shoulders, and mallets; notes were collected on a (very scientific) clipboard then exchanged with Mark at the factory. Eventually the formula was perfected.

A careful application of the finished Paragon cymbal to a buffing wheel (a big old "steampunk" kind of machine, where a craftsman controls the force and time) brought it to a temperature of 400-degrees F, and produced a well-tempered instrument that danced on the stand, and sang out clear and bright.

- Neil Peart

Via Rushisaband and PowerWindows.com

A Chromey Christmas Card

2009-12-23T10:40:00.001-08:00

The new owners of Neil's Slingerland drum kit have a special Christmas greeting for everyone:

Click to view the Chromey Christmas Card

Happy Holidays, everyone!

Public Premiere on Sunday, 12/20: The Big Story of Small Potatoes - St. Catherines

2009-12-19T18:50:00.001-08:00

If you live in St. Catharines, Ontario, or the surrounding area, there's a free premiere of the film on Sunday, Dec 20, at 2:30 p.m. Here's the official announcement:

Jack and Holli Kizera are pleased to announce they will host the first public showing of filmmaker Paul Miil's documentary The Big Story of Small Potatoes: Niagara's Rock Music History 1964-1974 at The Golden Pheasant (244 Ontario St. St. Catharines) on Sunday, December 20th at 2:30pm. Admission is free.

The documentary focuses on the dynamic Niagara music scene from the '60s and early '70s, when the region was known as the "Liverpool of Canada." At the time, Niagara had more bands per capita than any other city across the land. The Big Story of Small Potatoes is an in-depth portrait of the kids who made the music scene happen told from the perspective of many of the same teenagers 40 years later.
"I grew up in the area in the '70s and '80s and I even played in some garage bands, but I never knew that there was such a thriving music industry in the streets of Niagara," said Miil. "These guys toured from the east coast to Thunder Bay...and they were sixteen years old. I mean everyone knew that [Neil] Peart came from here, but none of us knew about the scene that he came from."
Miil stumbled onto the lost Niagara music scene while researching a concept for a documentary on Peart, who went on to fame and fortune with Rush. Upon discovering the scope of the scene, Miil changed the subject of his documentary from the one kid to the many kids who were involved. For further information please go to www.miil.ca.

New articles about the new Neil Peart DW NHL Logo drum kit

2009-12-19T18:28:00.001-08:00

DW posted an article about building the new DW NHL Logo kit for Neil Peart.

DW Builds NHL Logo Kit for Neil Peart's Rendition of the League's Official Theme Song

According to the article:

The set will be seen before each "Hockey Night in Canada" telecast and will also follow around the Stanley cup as it travels from arena to arena. Eventually, the set will wind up in the Hockey Hall of Fame in Toronto, Canada.

Sabian artist rep Chris Stankee, who helped "tech" the sessions for the new Hockey Song, as Lorne Wheaton is on the road, also posted an article:

Neil Peart Records New Hockey Theme

There are some additional photos of the sessions on beyond20khz's Flickr account.

Finally, I found an interesting website that details the long negotiations between Delores Claman, composer of the Hockey Song, and CBC. After the negotiations collapsed and CBC announced a contest for a new song, CTV bought the song. The story is also detailed in this article in MacLean's.

Here's an excerpt from the MacLean's article, written on June 11, 2008:

Why the CBC would let (the Hockey Song) slip away is a puzzle for the ages. After years of trading on the cultural significance of its broadcast, the corporation appeared determined last week to jettison the hymn that called their fans to communion. On Friday, executives breezily announced a $100,000 contest to come up with a new theme, as if 41 years of tradition could be replaced in a summer jingle-off. A barrage of 1,500 calls and emails from angry viewers gave them pause, and on Monday they announced they wished to reopen talks with the help of a mediator. Yet, in words and in actions, CBC managers rejected the notion that the soul of the broadcast could be tied up in a few bars of music. "What Hockey Night in Canada is really about is hockey," Scott Moore, the executive director of CBC Sports, told one reporter. "Everything else is just window dressing."

Thanks to Rushisband.com for the head's up.

Bubba's Bar 'n' Grill Update: Turkey Daze

2009-12-15T23:11:00.001-08:00

Neil Peart has updated his Bubba's Bar 'n' Grill section of his website with Turkey recipes.

Bubba's Big Bird

Cranberry Jelly

Brutus's Turkey Stock

Brutus's Turkey Chili

In addition, there's a pre-order for Bubba's Hockey Jersey (the same one Neil wore while taping the new version of the Hockey Theme for TSN).

Video: Neil Peart and John Good discuss DW shell technology

2009-12-11T20:49:00.001-08:00

Neil Peart and DW Drum's John Goode talk about DW shell technology.

SSC - Specialized Shell Configuration Part 1

SSC - Specialized Shell Configuration Part 2

Video: Sneak peak of "The Hockey Theme" drum kit

2009-12-10T00:34:00.001-08:00

There's a short video on the TSN website that shows Neil Peart recording his new version of "The Hockey Theme" with a new drum kit. This DW kit is white and has logos from all 30 NHL teams.

Watch the video

Story about the recording and the drum kit

Thanks to RushFan19 on The Rush Message board for the head's up.

Bubba's Book Club - Issue 14

2009-12-09T23:38:00.001-08:00

Neil has posted a Bubba's Book Club update to his website for 5 books.

Bubba's Book Club - Issue 14

Peart to record "The Hockey Theme"

2009-11-21T10:40:00.001-08:00

Neil Peart will record a new version of The Hockey Theme. From the "Globe and Mail" story:

The theme, originally composed by Dolores Claman in 1968, was best known as the music that opened CBC's "Hockey Night in Canada" for 40 years.

Peart's theme will be used on TSN and RDS broadcasts later this year.

Globe and Mail: Peart to Record "Hockey Theme"

Press Release

Thanks to Eric at PowerWindows and Ed at Rushisaband for the head's up.

Neil Peart and John Good discuss DW's latest shell technology

2009-11-18T20:14:00.001-08:00

There's an article in the latest DW Edge magazine, where Neil Peart and John Good discuss DW's latest shell technology. You'll need a PDF reader to read the article, which appears on page 15.

PDF article (4.94 MB)

Thanks to Eric at Power Windows for the head's up!

More PASIC 2009 pictures and drummer updates

2009-11-18T07:19:00.001-08:00

I've added more pictures from Pierre Martin and Doug Foley to the PASIC page.

Thanks to everyone for sending in your pictures!

PASIC 2009

Site updates and news - 11/14/09

2009-11-14T19:15:00.001-08:00

I've recently made a few updates to the website:

It's only fitting with Neil's drums being on display in Indianapolis, that we have three replica or "inspired" kit updates:

Thanks to all the drummers for sending in the photos of their drums. Feel free to leave them a comment at the bottom of their pages.

Next we have a new Neil Peart postcard from Brian Andonian from the Snakes & Arrows timeframe.

Product updates

The new documentary The Big Story of Small Potatoes: Niagara's Rock Music History 1964 - 1974 is now available for purchase. Neil Peart was a part of this music scene, although he wasn't interviewed for the documentary. The director of the film, Paul Miil, told me via e-mail, "any Peart fan would enjoy this unique insight into the background of such an interesting and by all accounts 'great guy.'" I'm ordering a copy and will write up more after I've watched the film.

Rush: Rock Music and the Middle class: Dreaming in Middletown was released in October, and I've been reading it. The writer, Dr. Chris McDonald, is an ethnomusicologist, who uses this book to explore Rush's influence on the middle class. While it's definitely a scholarly book, it's also very readable. So far it's very interesting.

Ultimate Drum Play-Along Rush: Authentic Drum (Book & CD) (Alfred's Ultimate Play-Along) was also released in the past few months. I ordered a copy and have been reading the book and listening to the CD. There are two sets of tracks: One with a drummer (not Peart) and one without. A lot of attention is paid to getting the drum, bass, and guitar parts in most of the songs (especially on Anthem) -- but don't expect 100% accuracy on the drums. I'm assuming that the music is written from the drummer's performance (not from Neil's parts). What could be helpful -- especially to anyone trying to learn Rush drum parts -- are the tracks that don't include drum tracks. Instead, there's a click track to help guide you.

New NEP snare

All Pro Percussion announced a new Neil Peart Snakes & Arrows snare drum.

Here's the information from the Drummers Connection website:

Finishes
1. Birdseye Maple w/ Walnut Inlay (pictured above)

2. Vertical Walnut w/ Birdseye Inlay

3. Waterfall Bubinga w/ Figured Sycamore Inlay

List Price: $1,499.00
Our Price: $899.99
*Place your order by October 30th, 2009 and get an extra 5% off.

Learn more...
All Pro Percussion
10101 East Adamo Drive
Tampa, FL 33619
(813) 341-3786
Website: http://www.allpropercussion.com

Thanks to Rushisaband.com for the head's up.

Drummers test drive Peart's 1974 Slingerland kit in Indianapolis

2009-11-13T00:03:00.001-08:00

Now that the PASIC drum show has started, drummers have been trying out Peart's 1974 Slingerland kit. Michael D.F. Lowe of NeilPeartDrumsticks.com, who supervised the restoration, has affectionately named the kit "Chromey."

To play the kit, drummers are giving donations to the American Cancer Society. But you don't have to be in Indianapolis to donate as part of the Rush Fans team. I donated. Scott Whalen of Drumsunderpressure.com did too. Let's help the team raise $10,000. Click to donate now.

I've started receiving e-mail from people who have taken "Chromey" out for a test spin.

Mark Gausel was the first drummer to play the kit, and took a bunch of pictures. He wrote of the experience, "This is the best a drummer could hope for. Had to play Fly by Night and 2112."

Doug Foley also tried out Chromey and stood behind the Snakes & Arrows kit for a nice picture.

See the pictures on the new PASIC show in Indianapolis page. And if you attend the show, send me and e-mail with your reflections on seeing the kits, as well as any pictures you want to share.

See two of Peart's drum kits at PASIC

2009-11-11T00:09:00.001-08:00

If you're in the Indianapolis, Indiana, area this week, you have a rare opportunity to see two of Neil Peart's iconic drum kits.

Where: Percussive Arts Society Show (PASIC) in Indianapolis, Indiana Convention Center

When: November 11-14, 2009

Cost: $15 admission to Expo Hall

Kits:

1. Neil Peart's first Slingerland kit - Booth #1254

$10 donation to play the kit for 1 minute for American Cancer Society.

See NeilPeartDrumsticks.com for more information.

2. Neil Peart's Snakes & Arrows tour kit at the Guitar Center Booth #620:

If you attend the show and take pictures, please send them to me and I'll post them for you.