Neil Peart -- The Latest News

The Rush Tourbooks Remasters series

2010-03-13T10:55:00.001-08:00

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

The Making of the Hockey Theme Video

2010-03-12T21:47:00.001-08:00

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

Article about Neil's drum tech Lorne Wheaton in "Performing Musician"

2010-03-06T22:45:00.001-08:00

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."

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

2010-03-06T12:14:00.001-08:00

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!

Neil Peart's Hockey Theme coming to Rock Band

2010-03-06T12:09:00.001-08:00

Here's the announcement from the Rock Band website:

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

CBC: Rush might play closing Olympics ceremony

2010-02-28T17:38:00.001-08:00

Update: 11:00 p.m. - No Rush.

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

A report from CBC News lists Rush as one of the possible performers at the Closing Ceremony. After the Opening Ceremony rumors, I wouldn't bet on it.

Here's the quote from the CBC News story:

The closing of the Vancouver Olympics on Sunday is expected to be more light-hearted than the show that opened the Games on Feb. 12.
The big farewell celebration may even poke fun at Canada, according to Vancouver Organizing Committee head John Furlong.
Furlong promised some "pretty amazing Canadian talent" will make sure the party rocks.
Reports indicate Michael Bubl�, Diana Krall and rock band Rush may all perform at the closing, which gets underway at 5:30 p.m. local time.
Those names haven't been confirmed, but some features of the closing can be counted on -- the march of athletes into BC Place, the playing of the national anthem of Greece, the extinguishing of the Olympic flame.
Read more: http://www.cbc.ca/canada/british-columbia/story/2010/02/28/bc-vancouver-olympics-closing-ceremony.html?ref=rss#ixzz0gstzAODC

Via rushisaband.com

Replica kit updates - 2/24/10

2010-02-24T23:44:00.000-08:00

I've added three 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.

Chainsaw's Thunderdrums

Sander Viller's Premier Cabria kit

Jamie's Mapex Voyager kit

Rush expected to perform at Winter Olympics opening ceremony (updated x2)

2010-02-11T21:14:00.001-08:00

Update: 2/16/10 - 11:50 a.m.: Ed at Rushisaband posted a nice "post mortem" about how the rumors about Rush playing the Olympics Opening Ceremony got started. Still no official word on what really happened.

Update: 2/13/10 - 12:33 a.m. Pacific: The opening ceremony is over, and Rush didn't perform. Here's what Ed at Rushisaband.com said:

UPDATE - 2/13@12:32AM: Well, obviously no Rush tonight. Notice how the show was themed around the different provinces of Canada moving from east to west? Also notice how Ontario and the Great Lakes region were skipped over? What I'm now hearing is that this portion of the show was scrubbed due to nature of today's tragic events. Apparently it had a full rock and roll metropolitan vibe to it and was cut for sensitivity. The word is now that Rush may tentatively play at the closing ceremony. Sorry everybody - I'm as pissed off as you are.

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

It appears that Rush is indeed expected to perform at the Winter Olympics opening ceremony. According to this post at Rushisaband.com:

A week ago rumors started flying around that Rush would be performing at the 2010 Winter Olympics opening ceremony in Vancouver tomorrow. Dress rehearsals have been taking place all this week and according to this release from the Canadian Press, Rush is indeed expected to perform:

"In an age where news travels as fast as a sled hurtling down a skeleton track, the sustained secrecy surrounding Friday's opening ceremonies at the Vancouver Games is an Olympic feat in of itself.
Only in the past few days have small amounts of information dribbled out as Twitter-happy fans have leaked rehearsal information.
Recent reports indicate that Bryan Adams and Sarah McLachlan have been spotted rehearsing for the show.
Meanwhile, Rush and 16-year-old Montreal jazz singer Nikki Yanofsky also seem to be involved. A publicist for the veteran Toronto rock trio and Yanofsky herself both responded to questions from The Canadian Press with no-comments, citing non-disclosure agreements.
"NDA, non-disclosure, we're not allowed to say anything," Yanofsky said when asked if she would perform. ... "

American Motorcyclist Article now on NeilPeart.net

2010-02-09T13:37:00.001-08:00

The September 2009 article on Neil Peart that appeared in American Motorcyclist is now on NeilPeart.net.

Click here to read the American Motorcyclist article: "Rocker & Roller"

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).