Something for Nothing: A RUSH Fancast: Recent Episodes
Something for Nothing
You've heard the whispered tales of memorabilia and appetizers in the Fifty Something Tour's Xanadu Lounge, and we have the inside scoop! Longtime friend of the pod Ray Wawrzyniak tells us about curating the exhibit and his Xanaduties as docent on many tour stops. We also welcome back Steve Bown and Paul Beaulieu to talk about the upcoming RUSHFest Canada at the El Mocambo in Toronto on August 6!
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Friend of the podcast David Calcano of Fantoons returns this week to tell us about his involvement in the 50 Something tour. I won't spoil it in the description in case you're still avoiding the setlists, but suffice to say Fantoons made a real cool video for a classic Rush tune!
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This week, we talk with Kevin Comeau, guitarist, bassist, and keyboardist of the Canadian progressive rock duo Crown Lands. Kevin and his bandmate, drummer and singer Cody Bowles, are unabashed Rush devotees, a fact reflected in their ambitious multipart epics. Join us as Kevin discusses the best way to learn Rush songs, working with his musical heroes on their new tour, and Crown Lands latest album, Apocalypse.
Rush is back! Kicking off the Fifty Something tour with 4 shows at the Los Angeles Forum, Rush ripped through a different set each night. Our LA correspondent, Mark Irwin, went to all 4 shows and delivers his report. Plus, the results of our setlist contest!
This week we're joined by one of our generations greatest bassists, the legendary Billy Sheehan! With us this week is also our resident bassist, Lex, who is such a huge fan we had to let him in on the interview action. Billy tells us about opening for Rush in the '90s, jamming with Neil and Alex during soundcheck, and his latest band, The Fell.
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This week, we're holding a contest: guessing what songs Rush will play at the first 4 shows of the Fifty Something tour in Los Angeles in June!
We've set up a form where you can choose 38 songs you think will make an appearance in any of those LA shows.
Each song you can choose from has a point value attached to it, from 1 for the songs Rush has played most often to 15 for the songs they've never played.
The form is set up to ask for a playing order, but we're not expecting anyone to pick every song in order.
The winner will receive a set of Rush bobbleheads, modeled after their 70s look. And, if you want to, we'd also love to have you on the podcast to brag about how prescient you are.
Good luck!
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This week we have our first guest who was recommended by two former guests of the pod, Ron Lipnicki and Brian Colburn! Sean Faust joins us to count down the top five songs we hope Rush plays on the upcoming Fifty Something Tour!
Sean is a regular on the New Jersey music scene, playing in the Bon Jovi tribute band Slippery When Wet, formerly in Money For The Toll, and doing solo acoustic shows. He's a huge Rush fan--his favorite song is Bravado--and he has opinions for days!
Learn more about about his music at seanfaustmusic.com
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Back in January of 2024, Steve appeared on an episode of My Weekly Mixtape, a great podcast from our friend Brian Colburn. The episode was alliteratively called "The Spirit of Rush: 20 Songs That Define a Band That Defied Definition." Brian and Steve build an amazing mixtape that is perfect for diehards and new fans alike. Enjoy!
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For decades, Paul Gilbert has been tearing it up in bands like Racer X and Mr. Big and on his own solo material. Paul joins us this week to talk about his love of Rush, what it was like touring with them with Mr. Big, and his new album, WROC. Go to www.paulgilbert.com to learn more about the album and buy a copy.
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40 years ago, we attended our first Rush concert. It's difficult to measure the impact of that show–and RUSH–on our lives. That's why, to celebrate this concert milestone, we asked the 2 other guys who went to the show with us to reminisce about that night: Tony Joslin and Ron Lipnicki. You might remember Ron from episode 79, where he talked about the band's influence on his career as a drummer. Tony though joins us for the first time.
We're also joined by past guest Derrick Bacharach, who details the crazy struggles surrounding his attendance at that same show.
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Dan Barracuda has a knack for dissecting songs that makes difficult music theory seem easy. Across his social media presence, you can find Dan breaking down what makes songs by your favorite artists tick--including Rush! So we asked him to join us this week to unravel the mysteries of what makes Alex Lifeson such a distinctive guitarist and why Rush sounds like Rush!
Places to find Dan:
www.danbarracuda.com
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/danbarracuda
YouTube: https://youtube.com/@danbarracuda
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/share/1KVKCkGuwR
Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/artist/2BsBe2MTlEaoozx0nnhDaR?si=5kIhA72_Q_KJXtBPSFoGZw
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Cory Marks is a North Bay, Ontario, singer, songwriter, guitarist, and drummer who cites two seemingly disparate seminal influences on his music: Merle Haggard and Rush. To him, they're both outlaws who bucked conventions and stayed true to their spirit, something Cory does with his unique blend of country and rock. Cory is a second-generation Rush fan--the band played at his dad's highschool!--and he joins us this week to talk about the indelible influence Rush has had on his life, the transcendent power of live music, and his latest album, "Sorry For Nothing, Vol. 2."
Go to www.corymarks.com for tour updates and links to all of his music.
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Back in December, Steve and I appeared on The Carr Stereo Podcast to talk--as unbelievable as this might sound--about Rush! Terrie Carr is not only a New Jersey rock radio legend, having worked at the iconic WDHA as program director and midday host for decades, she's also a huge Rush fan. She jumped into her new podcast venture in 2025, and when she wanted to talk Rush, she knew we would answer the call.
Follow The Carr Stereo Podcast:
Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/carr-stereo-podcast/id1841510749
Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/24wSY55Bzh1BJE1SpEKdYT?si=cAfjHEbfQMSlmrvgW4l5Ow
YouTube: https://youtube.com/@terriecarr-f4d?si=2Fkbh0zyD8OGlCBk
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Sebastian Bach, formerly of Skid Row, is a huge Rush fan--so huge that he was member number 2 of the Rush Backstage Club. Sebastian joins us this week to tell us the amazing story of how he secured that place in the Backstage Club, the demo he recorded for Alex Lifeson's 1996 solo album, and the Rush album with a strange title he bought at a used record store. His most recent album is Child Within The Man, which you can buy from his website (www.sebastianbach.com) and is available to stream anywhere.
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Raf Bagdasarian and Dan Fiden are lifelong friends who share a deep love of Rush. On the first season of their podcast Backtracking, they poured over the Rush discography. This week, Raf and Dan join us to geek out on all things Rush. Check out Backtracking--now finished with its second season, covering American Music Club--wherever you get your podcasts.
Backtracking: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/backtracking/id1723399651
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And now for something completely different: an episode of the podcast Primus Tracks in the feed! Primus Tracks hosts Josh and Frankie invited Gerry to discuss Rush's influence on Primus, the general excellence of both bands, and how easy it is to kill a good party vibe by throwing on a Rush or Primus song.
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Branding expert Andris Pone joins us this week to examine the branding of Rush's Fifty Something Tour. Andris first joined us way back in episode 123 to talk about his article "He Lived The Lives of 10 Men: Lessons I've Learned From Neil Peart." Now he joins us to give his unique perspective on how Geddy and Alex are navigating their return to the stage.
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This week, we're doing something we haven't done in 3 years: a Rush covers episode! But we're doing something different this time. We decided to focus our attention on one song, perhaps the most famous of all Rush songs, Tom Sawyer! We serve up 10 different versions of this classic tune, in styles ranging from bluegrass-flavored jazz to 8-bit arcade antics. So catch the mystery, catch the drift, and listen today!
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We've been talking a lot about our frustration with Ticketmaster, so we thought it would be interesting to talk to someone who could answer our questions about the ticket-selling world. Dean Budnick, co-author of "Ticket Masters: The Rise of the Concert Industry and How The Public Got Scalped," is that person. Dean tells us about the beginnings of Ticketmaster, how they became the juggernaut they are, and what the future holds for concert goers.
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It's our 200th episode, and what better way to celebrate than by having one of our favorite guests back for some Jedi-grade trivia! Ray Wawrzyniak, the preeminent collector of all things Rush, joins us to answer some of the toughest Rush trivia our listeners could muster. And Lex is here too, so you know it's a party! How did Ray do? You'll have to listen to find out!
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The moment we were all waiting for happened this week: Tickets for Rush's Fifty Something Tour went on sale! OK, there were 3 different sales in the span of 7 days: the Citi Bank credit card presale, the artist presale, and the general sale. This week Steve and Gerry talk about the frustrating ticket-buying process, why Ticketmaster has been ruining the fan experience for decades, and how we fared in our quest to see our favorite band.
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It's an emergency episode of the podcast! The unthinkable has been thought: Rush is going on tour! Today, Geddy and Alex announced a 7-city, 12-show tour, scheduled for summer 2026. Our excitement is unbridled! Let the fray begin!
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This week in our second of two parts live from Henderson Brewing's Rush Day 2025, we speak with Ivar Hamilton. Ivar has had a long and celebrated career in the music business and is well-known as the man who Neil Peart delivered an advance copy of Permanent Waves to at CFNY--the station whose tagline inspired the song The Spirit of Radio. Rush superfan Ray Wawrzyniak also joins us for another round of Rush Trivia.
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We were invited back to Henderson Brewing in Toronto for Rush Day 2025 to record live from our perch in the Crow's Nest, and this year we wanted to know your favorite Rush song! We met a lot of great people and had a lot of wonderful conversations with Rush fans from all around the world. Follow us on our socials below to see pictures from the day!
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We're back with the second of two episodes with multi-instrumentalist singer-songwriter Maiah Wynne breaking down the new Envy of None album, Stygian Wavz. This time we talk to Maiah about her solo album, Out of the Dark, and side B of Stygian Wavz: the songs That Was Then, Raindrops, New Trip, Clouds, The End, and Stygian Waves.
Purchase Maiah's album Out of the Dark: Maiah Wynne Archives - VISION MERCH
Purchase Envy of None's Stygian Wavz: HOME - Envy of None
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Maiah Wynne, singer/songwriter and the voice behind Envy of None, joins us for an in-depth examination of the band's sophomore album, Stygian Wavz. In this episode, we discuss the album's first 5 songs: Not Dead Yet, The Story, Under the Stars, Thrill of the Chase, and Handle With Care.
Purchase Envy of None's Stygian Wavz: HOME - Envy of None
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In episode 182, we detailed our failed attempt to rank all 165 Rush album tracks, and we put out the call for listeners to submit their own lists. This week, John Take of Rush Graphs (who first joined us way back in episode 32) analyzes the data--including the lists Steve and Gerry finally got around to completing--and finds some interesting trends, all of which are presented in amazing graphs. You can listen along with the graphs, which we'll be posting on X (formerly Twitter; @RushFanCast) and Instagram (@therushcast). Oh, and which is the top Rush song as voted by our listeners? Listen to find out!
And after that, we talk with author and entrepreneur Ben Wiener, whose new novel, Fever Pitch, is both a guide for creating great business pitches and is simply packed with Rush references! You can buy Fever Pitch on Amazon or at https://feverpitchbook.com and listen to a curated Rush playlist that accompanies the book at https://open.spotify.com/playlist/0rVJZL9JchyI9WsmITNpjz?si=IgfcFBPjTWaYebARTQjHIA.
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This week we're talking to author Andy Faulkner, who has recently published a travelogue called "Finding My Way: Half a Lifetime in Pursuit of Rush." Andy tells us about his early obsession with Rush, the impetus for traveling the globe to see the band, and what it has all meant to him. You can order "Finding My Way: Half a Lifetime in Pursuit of Rush" here: Finding My Way by Andy Faulkner
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All things must end, and this podcast is no exception. After much thought and discussion, we've decided to make this our final episode. Listen along as we go through some of our more memorable episodes, praise everyone who came on the show, and thank everyone who made the past three years and change some of the most interesting of our lives--including you, our listeners.
This week, were tackling Rush's final concert tour, R40. One of the most ambitious tour concepts, R40 saw the band presenting a career-spanning setlist in reverse chronological order. It was a gift to every fan who saw the tour and has listened to this live collection. What a way for the band to go out!
This week, we're deviating from our normal format and answering questions sent in by our listeners. Some are about thee podcast 8n general, some are about us, and some are actually related to Rush! I hope it's as interesting to listen to as it was to record.
This week on the podcast we're discussing the Clockwork Angels Tour live set realized in 2013. The setlist leans heavily on songs from Clockwork Angels and the 1980s--18 of the 27 songs are from either the band's last album or from 1982 to 1987. It's an eclectic group of songs that's a real treat for two guys who became diehard fans during the Power Windows tour.
Join us this week as members of The Matt O'Ree Band--singer/guitarist Matt O'Ree, vocalist Erin, drummer John Hummel, and our resident bassist Lex Lehman--talk about their raucous cover of Rush's "Making Memories" and their new album, Hand In Glove! You can watch the video for "Making Memories" right now at https://youtu.be/uw2nfgLR770.
Nancy Peart Burkholder--Neil's younger sister--joins us this week to talk about her older brother, her first Rush concert, and the upcoming Peart Family Memorial Golf Tournament.
Nancy Peart Burkholder--Neil's younger sister--joins us this week to talk about her older brother, her first Rush concert, and the upcoming Peart Family Memorial Golf Tournament.
Bob King is literally one of the most recognizable figures in the Rush world. Not only was he the model for the world-famous Starman logo from 2112, he also posed as the man in the bowler hat on Hemispheres and one of the movers on Moving Pictures, a role he reprised on the cover of Exit...Stage Left. Bob talks to us about growing up in St. Catharines, his long-time friendship with Hugh Syme, and how he feels about being the symbol of defiance for Rush fans everywhere!
Music journalist Paul Beaulieu has been covering the Canadian music scene for years and is a die-hard Rush fan. This week, we talk with Paul about his favorite band, his immersion in their world, and how he always seems to end up at the right place at the right time. Visit Paul's website at www.thecanadianmusicscene.com/
Music journalist Paul Beaulieu has been covering the Canadian music scene for years and is a die-hard Rush fan. This week, we talk with Paul about his favorite band, his immersion in their world, and how he always seems to end up at the right place at the right time. Visit Paul's website at www.thecanadianmusicscene.com/
Steve Otis is an comic artist, illustrator, and sculptor--and a huge Rush fan. So it was a dream come true when his comment on a post by author Kevin J. Anderson turned into a job illustrating Drumbeats, Anderson's first collaboration with Neil Peart, and then Clockwork Destiny. We're glad that Steve could join us this week as we choose our favorite Rush album covers!
Steve Otis is an comic artist, illustrator, and sculptor--and a huge Rush fan. So it was a dream come true when his comment on a post by author Kevin J. Anderson turned into a job illustrating Drumbeats, Anderson's first collaboration with Neil Peart, and then Clockwork Destiny. We're glad that Steve could join us this week as we choose our favorite Rush album covers!
On October 22, we attended the Night For Neil Memorial Celebration in beautiful St. Catharines, ON. We met with friends both old and new and rocked out to Rush in memory of our favorite drummer--and in this episode, we tell you all about it!
In 2010, between the Snakes & Arrows and Clockwork Angels tours, Rush hit the road to play Moving Pictures in its entirety. The Time Machine tour hit 11 countries over the course of a year and was the resulting live album was the only one to be recorded in the city that broke the band outside of Canada, Cleveland, OH. This week, we talk about about this great tour and the two songs the band debuted from the then-unreleased Clockwork Angels, Caravan and BU2B.
We're back with another episode that wants to know how you got into Rush, and how did you become a fan? It's more stories from three fans just like you whose musical lives were completely changed when they first heard Rush!
Leoni Jane Kennedy's acoustic version of Kid Gloves--included on Songs for Neil, Vol.3--is an ambitious take on the fan-favorite song, and she nails every second of it. We talk to Leoni about her love of Rush, being awarded the Freddie Mercury Scholarship, and seeing Geddy and Alex playing at the recent Taylor Hawkins memorial concert in London.
Liza McLellan is the founder and cellist is the string ensemble the Devah Quartet. She's also the quartet's writer and arranger, who, among many musical achievements, arranged the group's cover of 2112. This week, she joins us to talk about the beginnings of the Devah Quartet, the challenges of arranging rock songs for strings, and the quartet's upcoming performance at A Night For Neil.
Liza McLellan is the founder and cellist is the string ensemble the Devah Quartet. She's also the quartet's writer and arranger, who, among many musical achievements, arranged the group's cover of 2112. This week, she joins us to talk about the beginnings of the Devah Quartet, the challenges of arranging rock songs for strings, and the quartet's upcoming performance at A Night For Neil.
As vice president of the Overtime Angels, Lance Kasten is no stranger to organizing charity events, but the upcoming A Night For Neil concert is something else entirely. This week, Lance joins us to talk about his charity work with Overtime Angels, organizing A Night for Neil with the Peart family, and who will be appearing at the show.
This week we welcome Bradley J. Birzer, Professor of History at Hillsdale College, Michigan, and author of Neil Peart: Cultural Repercussions. In the recently revised edition of Cultural Repercussions, Brad examines the life and career of Neil through the lens of indivuality and philosophy and paints a portrait of an exceptional writer, a dedicated artist, and inspiration to many.
One of our favorite guests, Steve Brown of RushFest Scotland, returns to talk about his latest for-charity tribute album, Songs for Neil, Vol. 3. It's another crop of excellent covers by some of the best artists around. You can order Songs for Neil from the RushFest Scotland website, http://www.rushfestscotland.co.uk.
In 2008, filmmaker Ari Gold released Adventures of Power, an inspirational story about a young man who finds his calling as an air drummer. The dramatic comedy has since become a cult classic and features the music of Rush and a cameo by Neil Peart. Ari joins us to talk about the movie and his friendship with Neil.
In 2008, filmmaker Ari Gold released Adventures of Power, an inspirational story about a young man who finds his calling as an air drummer. The dramatic comedy has since become a cult classic and features the music of Rush and a cameo by Neil Peart. Ari joins us to talk about the movie and his friendship with Neil.
Rush superfan and lead singer of the tribute band The Spirit of Rush, Vicki Flier Hudson, recently went to Toronto and Willowdale to visit every band-related sight she could see. Call it a Rush Pilgrimage! Join us this week to hear all about it!
Rush superfan and lead singer of the tribute band The Spirit of Rush, Vicki Flier Hudson, recently went to Toronto and Willowdale to visit every band-related sight she could see. Call it a Rush Pilgrimage! Join us this week to hear all about it!
It's been awhile since we've showcased covers of Rush songs, so we decided it's about time we shared some of our recent favorites. And if you have a favorite Rush cover that we haven't featured yet--which means you'll have to listen to Rush Covers parts 1 through 3--that you'd like to send us, please do! We're all ears!
It's been awhile since we've showcased covers of Rush songs, so we decided it's about time we shared some of our recent favorites. And if you have a favorite Rush cover that we haven't featured yet--which means you'll have to listen to Rush Covers parts 1 through 3--that you'd like to send us, please do! We're all ears!
This week, we tackle the R30: 30th Anniversary World Tour live set. Also serving as the tour in support of the covers EP Feedback, R30 finds the band in fine form as they take the stage with the the R30 Overture, a blistering sample of six early songs. Join us as we celebrate Rush's 30th anniversary 18 years too late!
This week, we tackle the R30: 30th Anniversary World Tour live set. Also serving as the tour in support of the covers EP Feedback, R30 finds the band in fine form as they take the stage with the the R30 Overture, a blistering sample of six early songs. Join us as we celebrate Rush's 30th anniversary 18 years too late!
This week, philosopher Liz Swan returns to discuss our favorite Rush lyrics. You might remember Liz from episode 33, when we talked to her about a piece she wrote for Psychology Today about Neil Peart and how his words shaped her life. She was the first person we thought of to talk lyrics with, and we're thrilled to have her back on the podcast!
This week, composer and educator Iain Carnegie joins us to talk about his favorite Rush song, Chain Lightning. Iain dissects Chain Lightning in a manner befitting his teaching position at the Royal College of Music in London--which is to say you'll learn how the song is arranged, why chord voicings are central to the song's tone, and about something called "the devil's interval." Iain also hosts a great podcast called Politics of Sound, where he interviews Members of Parliament and other well-known political figures about their favorite albums.
This week we speak with Bill Wallace, who founded the Sunlight On Chrome Initiative to raise money for the American Brain Tumor Association. Bill talks about how Neil Peart inspired his love of motorcycling, the beginnings of his fundraising efforts, and how Rush fans everywhere can take part in the Sunlight On Chrome Initiative by doing the most excellent thing you can do on Friday, July 29.
Randy Jackson is the vocalist, guitarist, and main songwriter for the band Zebra. He joins us this week to talk about the beginnings of Zebra, Alex Lifeson's guitar playing, and what it takes to be in a band for decades.
To celebrate our 150th episode (!), we've invited back Derek Bacharach to act as quizmaster for a few rounds of Rush trivia! Who will emerge victorious--Steve or Gerry? The only way to find out is to listen!
We've listed our favorite Geddy Lee basslines, Alex Lifeson guitar solos, and Neil Peart drum parts, and now we're tackling our favorite Geddy Lee vocal performances. And to help us out is New Orleans—based singer/songwriter and enormous Rush fan Beth Patterson. Join us, won't you?
The Moving Pictures 40th anniversary box set contained a time capsule of sorts: a full concert from the Moving Pictures tour. Recorded on March 25, 1981, Live In YYZ documents a moment in Rush history that saw the band finally breaking into the mainstream rock world. How does Live In YYZ stack up against Rush's second live album, Exit...Stage Left? Listen and find out!
We've reached the end of our Hold Your Fire revisit, and we have two more special guests. Jared Shofar talks about climbing Tai Shan, and Vicki Flier Hudson tells us about her love of High Water! Join us!
It's back to our Hold Your Fire revisit this week, and that means we have two more guests! Rush FAQ author Max Mobley helps us out with Mission, and YYNOT bassist Tim Starace gives us a hand with Turn The Page! Join us!
We take one more unexpected detour from our Hold Your Fire redux to talk with writer Kevin J. Anderson about the final chapter in the Clockwork Trilogy, Clockwork Destiny! Kevin tells us about plotting the book with Neil Peart, the long road it took to write it, and how it finally came to be. Join us for this interesting conversation!
Our revisit of Hold Your Fire continues with discussions of Prime Mover and Lock and Key. And to help us out are returning guests John Take of Rush Graphs and Steve Holmes of House of Drumming!
We're back with the second installment of our Hold Your Fire revist! With us to discuss Open Secrets and Second Nature are musician Katie Cole and DJ Daniel Paulus. Join us for some great conversation about these two classic songs!
We interrupt our scheduled Hold Your Fire Redux for one week to bring you Morgan Woolsey, the specialist at Julien's Auctions who researched and catalogued the upcoming Alex Lifeson sale! Morgan tells us about the months of research that went into writing the catalog descriptions and finding photos and video stills of Alex with his guitars! It's a fascinating discussion!
This week, it's the first in a series of episodes re-examining 1987's Hold Your Fire--with special guests! Helping us handle Force Ten is friend of the podcast and frequent guest Nathan Santos. And taking on Time Stand Still with us is US Army Band director and arranger Tim Whalen, who's rendition of the song captured the hearts of Rush fans everywhere in the weeks following Neil Peart's passing.
The Moving Pictures 40th Anniversary Box Set was recently released, so we thought, why not unbox the super-deluxe version on the podcast? (Follow us on Instagram and Twitter--@therushcast and @RushFanCast, respectively--to see pictures of all of the goodies inside.) Then we talk to uber Rush Fan Ray Wawrzyniak about the archival research he did for the set!
In 2008, Rush released Snakes & Arrows Live, with songs pulled from two concerts in Rotterdam, Netherlands. The 27-song set contains an unprecedented amount of new material: nine songs are from the Snakes & Arrows album. So join us as we dive into another great live Rush collection.
Singer/songwriter Maiah Wynne returns to guide us through the back half of Envy of None's self-titled debut, including the official favorite song of ours, "Old Strings." If you haven't already, dive into the first part of our discussion, episode 137.
This week, singer/songwriter Maiah Wynne returns to give us track-by-track insights into the Envy Of None debut album! She is absolutely one of our--and our listeners'--favorite guests, and we go through the first five songs on the album in the first of our two-part conversation.
Tim Durling is the author of a great new book on 8-track cassettes, the much-maligned but incredibly collectible short-lived music format. We talk to Tim about his book be also how the limitations of the 8 track resulted in some truly odd song rearrangements of some of your favorite Rush albums.
Way back in episode 114, we talked to listeners about their Rush origin stories: how they first heard about Rush and how they became fans. And this week, we're doing it again! More tales of Rush fandom from our listeners! We hope you enjoy!
This week, we continue our discussion of Alex Lifeson's 1996 solo album, Victor. The eclectic nature of the disk continues, with an appearance by Primus' Les Claypool and an excellent reading of a W.H. Auden poem about the album's titular character.
In 1996, Alex Lifeson released his first and only solo album, the eclectic Victor. Filled with great riffs, programming, and spoken word pieces, Victor is definitely as unique as Alex himself. Join us this week as we take on this unusual album!
Toronto's Massey Hall looms large in the world of Rush. Not only is playing the legendary theater an unmistakable sign that a band has made it, it's also where Rush recorded their first live release, All The World's A Stage, over a three-concert run in 1976. Massey Hall devotee David Binks joins us this week to talk about That Night At Massey Hall, his beautiful book celebrating the musical history of the hall with never-before-seen photos of artists who've played there and fan recollections of their favorite concerts.
The Rush-fan community first became aware of Patty PerShayla's talent when she posted a ukulele cover of Closer to the Heart to her YouTube channel. Since then, we've all loved her material, both solo and with her band The Mayhaps, and now she's added her voice to YYNOT's lineup. This week, we talk to Patty about her love of Rush, her own music, and her future with YYNOT.
Last week, we had such a great time discussing Rush in Rio that we asked the DVD director and producer Daniel Catullo to give us all the background on this amazing show. Let me tell you, we're so glad we did! Daniel has a ton of behind-the-scenes stories of the Rio show and shares with us the stress of thinking that maybe the should would not go on!
Recorded on final stop of the Vapor Trail Tour at Maracanã Stadium in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, Rush in Rio is a live concert like no other. Raw, loud, and raucous--thanks to the 40,000 rabid Brazilian fans in attendance--Rush in Rio comes the closest to documenting what it felt like to see the band live. Why did we wait so long to discuss this gem?
Our friend Curtis Lanclos of the RetroZest podcast joins us to discuss our favorite examples of Rush in pop culture. From a 1977 Marvel comic to TV and movies, we examine how the band slowly bubbled up into the world of popular culture seemingly overnight.
In early January, drummer, educator, and author Brandon Toews released a twenty-four minute video on Drumeo's YouTube channel in which he played parts of all 175 Rush ever recorded. Called, appropriately, Drumming to All 175 Songs by RUSH, the video has gotten hundreds of thousands of views and nothing but praise from Rush fans everywhere. This week, we talk to Brandon about the genesis of the video, the painstaking process of creating such a tribute, and his love for the genius of Neil Peart.
This week, we're continuing our tradition of making impossible choices for your entertainment by creating our ultimate Rush setlists! Joining us in our endeavor is Ted Asregadoo of the great Planet LP podcast. Our lists follow the Evening With Rush format, meaning it should run around two hours and forty-five minutes. Wish us well!
Is there such a thing as a Rush deep cut? To the diehards, no. But we're making lists anyway! And to help us out we have Brian Colburn of the great Playlist Wars podcast! Together, we wrack our brains to come up with five no-so-popular-but-definitely-should-be Rush songs each. Email us at therushcast@gmail.com and let us know who created the best list, and send us your own list of five deserving Rush deep cuts!
The Grace Under Pressure Live album is a bit like the forgotten live Rush album. Initially released in the 2006 box set Rush Replay X 3 and then given a stand-alone release in 2009, the CD is the audio-only version of a live video from 1986. How do we think it stacks up against the heavyweights in the live Rush catalogue? You'll have to listen to find out!
Following the death of Neil Peart, branding expert Andris Pone wrote a short piece on his LinkedIn page called "He Lived The Lives of 10 Men: Lessons I've Learned From Neil Peart." In it, Andris lays down five ways Neil's life influenced his own. This week, we talk to Andris about his article and how he uses Rush as example to his clients about the value of being true to oneself.
Rush FAQ author Max Mobley returns to discuss the iconic guitar work of Alex Lifeson. We limit ourselves to only our favorite five Alex guitar solos--which turned out to be a difficult task! Do you realize how many truly fantastic solos Alex has played throughout the years? A lot, that's how many! So tune in to hear us apologize for leaving so many great solos off the list!
Multi-instrumentalist songwriter and producer Ben Mink has won two Grammys, three Juno Awards, a Genie Award, a Gemini Award, and a Leo Award--but Rush fans know him best for playing electric violin on Losing It and co-writing and producing Geddy Lee's solo album, My Favorite Headache. Mink joins us to tell us about his family's passion for music, his earliest gigs, and playing the only violin solo on a Rush album.
The gift-giving season is upon us, and that means one thing: Rush stuff! This week we're talking to Something for Nothing alums Ray Wawrzyniak and Mark Irwin, the main contributors to Rush Gigs: Found on the Studio Walls and In Concert Halls. The book features selections of gig posters and ads promoting Rush concerts throughout the decades.
We're back this week to discuss the remaining songs on Geddy Lee's 2000 album, My Favorite Headache. This batch of songs sees Geddy weighing in on some heavy topics with aplomb and, as has been par for the course for the album, a deft use of melody and songwriting. If you heard part one, this isn't a spoiler: My Favorite Headache rocks!
In 2000, Geddy Lee released his first and only solo record, My Favorite Headache. Geddy wrote the music with Ben Mink, best known in Rush circles for playing the electric violin on Losing It, but handled the lyrics himself. In this episode, we discuss the first five tracks of My Favorite Headache, and we can confidently saw it doesn't hurt a bit!
It's something that we've touched on in many previous episodes: what are our favorite Rush albums? And when we a list like this, we like to bring on a guest to share our pain with. This time, it's Michael Citro of the great Michael's Record Collection podcast. We were guests not too long ago on Michael's show to talk about Signals, so we wanted to return the favor! Drop a comment to tell us what you think of our favorite Rush albums lists.
Way back in episode 93, we talked about the amazing live set Different Stages. Soon after, the emails and comments came in: what about a breakdown of the February 20, 1978, Hammersmith Odeon concert that was on disc 3 of Different Stages? So this week, we're doing one better: we're talking about the full Hammersmith concert that was included in the 40th anniversary A Farewell to Kings box set, which includes 4 more songs than the Different Stages disc. Spoiler: it's excellent!
In August of this year, Henderson Brewing Company in Toronto released Rush Canadian Golden Ale. This week we speak with Henderson Brewing Company co-founder and GM Steve Himel about the first phone call with the Rush team, the rounds of beer tasting with Alex and Geddy, and the satisfaction of drinking the first beers to come off the production line. And Steve answers the question of when the beer will be available outside of Canada!
We hear it all the time from listeners: we love it when you ask your guests their Rush origin stories. It seems that every Rush fan has a story, so this week, we hear from listeners about when they first heard Rush and how they became a fan.
Earlier this month, the Ohio State University marching band performed a halftime show featuring the music of Rush. Rush fans everywhere were delighted with the show. So we invited Dr. Christopher Hoch, Director of Marching and Athletic Bands at OSU, to talk about the show, the difficulty of performing Rush songs, and the positive feedback the performance received--including from the official Rush social media accounts!
A year ago, we spoke with RushFest Scotland founder Steve Brown about the album of Rush cover songs he put together to raise money for charity. Steve's back again to tell us about The Stars Look Down: Songs for Neil, Vol. 2. He tells us about the reception volume 1 received and we play some of the songs from the new collection.
This week, we're talking with Hugh Syme, the man behind Rush's indelible album covers and art work! From Caress of Steel to Clockwork Angels and everything in between, Hugh's contributions to the Rush landscape are impossible to overestimate. Join us as Hugh recounts the process of creating Rush album covers, opines on connection between an album cover and music behind it, and discusses the new expanded edition of his coffee table book The Art of Rush: Serving a Life Sentence.
The Neil Peart Memorial Task Force has recently released its short list of finalists for the memorial at Lakeside Park. This week we talk with David DeRocco, the chair of the Task Force, about the process so far, the scope of the project, and when a design will be chosen.
In our most recent episode of Rush Covers series (ep. 104), we played a version of Mystic Rhythms by singer/guitarist Mike Massé. This week we go in depth with Mike about his life, his Rush fandom, and how he approaches his unique covers. Then we play more of his Rush tunes!
And here’s the link to the fan-created pdf we talk about that contains links to every song Mike has ever performed on his livestreams: Mikemasse.com/artists.pdf
This is it folks. The finale episode about Clockwork Angels, wherein we discuss Headlong Flight, BU2B2, Wish Them Well, and The Garden. This episode is also the last one about a Rush studio album--which means that from now on, we're working without the net of having a studio album to talk about. Wish us luck!
We're barreling toward the end of Clockwork Angels! Up this week: Halo Effect, Seven Cities of Gold, and The Wreckers. This is where our hero Owen Hardy comes face to face with the differences between his ideals and how the world is. Join us!
In this week's episode, we keep on keeping on with Clockwork Angels. On the block are the title song, The Anarchist, and Carnies--three utterly fantastic songs! Join us as we wade farther and farther into this classic album!
We've read your emails and tweets, so we're just gonna do it: this week we're talking Clockwork Angels! CA is an absolute masterpiece. It's as if every lesson Rush learned over their career was distilled into one album. Has any other band in the history of rock music ended their career with one of their greatest achievements? I'll answer that for you: no. We hope you enjoy this first of four episodes on this amazing album!
It's time again for another round of Rush cover songs! Ten more artists playing their favorite Rush tunes! If you loved our previous episodes highlighting Rush cover songs--episodes 71 and 90--then we hope you'll dig this one too!
Maiah Wynne is an award-winning singer/songwriter and multi-instrumentalist from Portland, OR, whose beautifully crafted songs have garnered her dedicated fans from around the world. After winning a mentorship with Andy Curran in a songwriting contest, the two began collaborating on songs, which led to Maiah writing lyrics and singing on the upcoming Envy of None project. Maiah tells us about her lifelong passion for music, her vast instrument collection, and, of course, working with Andy and Alex Lifeson.
Brandon Dyke has made a name for himself with mix of original progressive rock music and cover songs, most notably his acoustic takes on Rush tunes. We talk with Brandon about how Rush shaped his musical sensibilities, what goes into choosing which songs to cover, and what his teenage skateboarding friends thought of his love of Rush.
Our guest this week is bassist Andy Curran, a lifelong Rush fan who found his life inextricably entwined with the band since his group Coney Hatch was discovered by lyricist Pye Dubois and later signed to Anthem Records. Andy went on to serve as Rush's A&R guy and is currently working with Alex Lifeson and singer Maiah Wynne in Envy of None. Andy tells us about his Rush fandom, Geddy Lee's tennis tactics, and that fateful concert at Massey Hall.
It's our 100th episode, and we're celebrating with most requested guest, the bassist who gives our podcast a touch of class, Lex Lehman! Lex joins us to talk his Rush fandom, and then we discuss five of our favorite Geddy basslines!
We hadn't been doing the podcast for long before we received an incredulous email: you guys have never heard Battle Scar by Max Webster featuring Rush? No, we hadn't, but now we have. That's right, in this episode we listen to Battle Scar for the first time! Did we love it? There's only one way to find out. Listen!
Our guest this week is prolific science fiction and fantasy author Kevin J. Anderson, co-author, with Neil Peart, of the New York Times bestseller Clockwork Angels and its followup, Clockwork Lives. Kevin tells us about his friendship with Neil, gives us insight into collaborating with his musical hero, and where the bulk of the ideas for Clockwork Angels was born.
Our guest this week is Max Mobley, a former columnist for Crawdaddy magazine and author of Rush FAQ. The book is a compendium of valuable Rush information with a focus on Rush as a live entity and is a must for every fan's bookshelf. Max's love for the band is evident as we discuss his hilarious first Rush concert experience, why the remaster of Signals is superior to the original, and how the band will be remembered.
Well, we've done it! Reached the end of our Power Windows revisit! If you've been following along so far, you know that there's only 2 songs left to the album: Emotion Detector and Mystic Rhythms. But who's on hand to discuss these gems with us? You'll have to listen to find out!
We're still heading down those tracks toward finishing up our revisit of Power Windows, this time with the help of one of our first guests and one of our most recent ones. On the block this time: Territories and Middletown Dreams!
Once more unto the breach, dear friends! It's part 2 of Power Windows Redux, and this time we and our special guests discuss Manhattan Project and Marathon, 2 great songs that go great together. So join us as we put some force into the flow!
In 2019, we recorded our first 2 episodes with the unearned confidence of younger men. Almost 2 years on, we are older, we are wiser, and we have read your emails asking us to revisit Power Windows and do it justice. So that’s what we're doing, beginning now! For the next 4 episodes, we will be discussing 2 songs each time, this time with guests to help us make sense of one of Rush's greatest albums, Power Windows!
Different Stages is Rush's fourth live album and the last in their 4-studio-albums-to-1-live-album release schedule. Most of the songs on the release's first 2 disks were recorded on the Test for Echo tour, with a few taken from the previous Counterparts tour. (We've left the discussion of the third disk's 1978 set for another episode.) Listening to Different Stages was a wild ride! I hope you think so too!
Beginning in March, Jarard Schofer set out from Los Angeles, CA, on foot to cross the United States to raise money for cancer research. Inspired in equal parts by a friend who passed away from cancer and by Neil Peart's death, Jarad has already raised more that $25,000 with less than 30 days left to his trip. You can help by donating a symbolic $21.12 to his fundraising efforts. You can find a link to his fundraising page on his Instagram account--@jarad2112--or Venmo him directly @jarad2112.
Ever since we found some great covers of Rush songs and played them on episode 71, listeners have been asking when we were going to do it again. And now I have the answer: right now! This episode was just as fun to put together as the previous covers episode. Maybe there'll be a third Rush covers episode? We hope so!
Way back on episode 26, we welcomed @RushFans on Instagram on the podcast. Sixty-three episodes later and @RushFans admins Ryan and Jim join us to list our top 10 favorite Rush songs, and believe me, there are some real surprises in our lists. Once you listen, head on over the @RushFans YouTube channel to see admins Ryder and Stephanie's top 10 lists and all of our runners up!
Violinist Jonathan Dinklage played with Rush in the Clockwork Angels String Ensemble and, on select dates on the R40 tour, took over soloing duties on "Losing It." And now he's talking to us! Jonathan, a lifelong Rush fan, fills us in on how he landed his dream gig, what it was like to meet his musical heroes, and what it felt like to play that iconic solo in "Losing it" for the first time.
We welcome back Martin Popoff--our first three-time guest--to discuss the final book is his career-spanning trilogy on the band, "Driven: Rush in the '90s and 'In The End'." On our agenda is every album from "Roll the Bones" through Rush's final masterpiece, "Clockwork Angels." Buckle in, everyone. It's a wild ride.
Eddie Trunk is a broadcasting legend. As host of the weekly syndicated show "Eddie Trunk Rocks," the daily "Trunk Nation" show on SiriusXM, and the "Eddie Trunk Podcast," Eddie has interviewed everyone who's anyone in the world of rock and roll. On this episode, Eddie focuses solely on his many interviews and interactions with Rush, which, considering the nature of our podcast, is a good thing.
This week we talk to the Field Director for the documentary Rush: Time Stand Still, Miller. (Everyone calls him Miller, so that's what we're calling him too.) As Field Director, Miller interviewed fans, roamed concerts looking for the perfect shot, and was on hand to capture some of the most enduring images of the film. He's also a natural raconteur. We think you'll enjoy this episode.
Rush fans around the world were surprised and elated when a short film called "Growth Rings," cowritten by Jeremy Bout and Neil Peart. Bout also directed the film, exploration of how music and culture affect our lives in same way climate and injury impact a tree's annular growth rings. The short film grew from a larger project, the documentary film about DW Drums called "Masters of Resonance," in which the master drum makers detail what makes their drums unique and show how Neil's beautiful R40 kit was constructed from a 1,500-year-old tree dredged from the bottom of a Romanian bog. I may be biased, but this is a good one, folks.
Well, here we are. The final installment of our Snakes & Arrows discussion. There's a lot of meat still on the bone, from the stirring instrumental Hope to the inspiring We Hold On. We hope you like our take on these amazing songs!
On the second part of our Snakes & Arrows discussion, we find Rush grappling with some serious topics, such as the disparity between the haves and the have-nots, the forces that shape our world view, and the need to reach consensus on subjects that affect us all. Plus, there's an instrumental with the word "monkey" in it! What more could you ask for?
This week we return to our bread and butter as we begin our discussion of Rush's penultimate studio album, Snakes and Arrows. Produced by Nick Raskulinecz, Snakes and Arrows sees Rush exploring new sounds and an unprecedented three--three!-instrumentals So grab some bread and butter--or something you might actually want to eat--and a pariah dog and a madman, and join us!
Of late, we've had a string of great drummers on the podcast to discuss Rush and Neil Peart in particular. This week we talk with yet another great drummer: Steve Holmes, founder of HouseOfDrumming.com, a resource for drummers the worldover. Steve has been a working musician for a long time and has a unique perspective on what made Neil Peart, well, Neil Peart!
Ron Lipnicki is a drumming beast, having spent a decade keeping time for thrash-metal pioneers Overkill as well as recording and touring with Hades and Whiplash--and he's a childhood friend of ours. In fact, Ron was with us when we saw Rush for the first time--a concert that changed the course of his life. We talk to Ron about that fateful show, the indelible imprint Neil Peart made on him, and our top five favorite Neil studio performances.
Charlie Roy is fast becoming a familiar name among Rush fans for his dynamic paintings and sketches of Alex, Geddy, and Neil. Roy's artwork captures the feeling of seeing Rush live, something every fan has been missing for years. Join us as Charlie discusses how he began painting, his love of prog in general, and why Alex's face is so difficult to get right.
Joining us this week is Dale Heslip, director of "Rush: Time Stand Still," the moving documentary chronicling the band's final tour. Dale takes us behind the scenes of the R40 tour, discusses how the tour's concept came to be, and tells us what it was like to be filming what was to be Rush's last concert.
Our guest this week is Vicki Flier Hudson, the lead singer and rhythm guitarist of the popular Georgia-based Rush tribute band The Spirit of Rush. Vicki has also authored three books, with her most recent being "The Winter Garden," a book of poetry dedicated to Neil Peart. We talk to Vicki about some of her poems, and we learn a new term: "dialogic imagination."
Our pal David Calcano is back for his second appearance on the podcast, and this time we're talking about Fantoons' new "Neil Peart: The Illustrated Quotes." We ask David the origins of the book, and then Steve and Gerry read our favorite quotes and discuss them with David. Join us!
Brian Hiatt has written more than 65 cover stories during his 16-year tenure at Rolling Stone, including Rush's 2015 cover story--the band's first for magazine. Brian also wrote "The Spirit of Neil Peart," which was published on the one-year anniversary of Neil Peart's passing. We talk to Brian about the aforementioned articles, and we get the answer to the question Rush fans have been asking for decades: "What does Rolling Stone have against Rush?"
Author Richard Houghton's new book, "Rush: The Day I Was There," is an oral history of the band from a unique perspective: that of the fans. The book contains first-person accounts of Rush concerts: the effort it took to get there, the effect the show had on those who attended, the odd circumstances that surrounded the day. Every decade of Rush's career is represented, and maybe you'll find that you were there that day too!
After we wrapped up our episode on Rush covers,* we thought, "Why don't we talk with the man who performs some of greatest Rush covers?" An email or two later, and voila, we have Jacob Moon on the podcast! Jacob breaks down his various Rush covers and fills us in on his performance of Subdivisions at the Canadian Songwriters Hall of Fame in 2010.
*For those of you who read footnotes, it was episode 71.
One test of a great song is how well it survives translation to another genre, and we all know that Rush has written some great songs. That's why this week we've compiled 10 of our favorite Rush covers, from the expected to the ones out of left field. This episode promises to be a fun one!
In 1974, Donna Halper, then music director of WMMS-FM in Cleveland, OH, dropped the needle on a record by an unsigned band called Rush, and in that instant, she became the reason why we're all Rush fans. Donna has been our most-requested interview, so we asked her to be on the show and she said yes! We talk about, of course, the early days of the band, her longtime friendship with the boys, and a certain Shakespeare play she had to replace.
This week we talk with Alexander Hellene, author of the new book Dreamers & Misfits: The Definitive Book About Rush Fans. Alexander created a survey to find out who the typical Rush fan is. What did he discover? That's what we're here to find out!
Ryan Reed is a contributing editor at Spin Magazine and is a regular contributor to Rolling Stone and sites like Pitchfork and Ultimate Classic Rock. In an article for the latter site, Ryan put his Rush fandom to the test by ranking all 167 original Rush songs from worst to best--a Herculean task. We talk about what went into the making of the list and the insanity of attempting it in the first place.
This week, we talk about Rush's third live album, A Show Of Hands, which chronicles songs from Signals, Grace Under Pressure, Power Windows, and Hold Your Fire. It's a fantastic album, one that perhaps we didn't give enough credit to when it came out. But we've made up for it in this episode, because A Show of Hands rocks! Listen to find out more!
This week, we're covering some more live Rush: All the World's a Stage. This is Rush's first live album, recorded at Toronto's Massey Hall on the 2112 tour. ATWAS is loud, fierce, and brash, just like any great concert should be--but especially a great Rush show. So let's rock!
The true test of any band is how well they perform live, and RUSH always got a perfect score. Exit...Stage Left is the band's second double-vinyl live album and captures the boys on the Moving Pictures tour. With the exception of two tracks, the album focuses on songs from A Farewell to Kings, Hemispheres, Permanent Waves, and Moving Pictures. So relive the majesty of seeing RUSH live by listening to this episode!
Rob Wallis worked with Neil Peart for 30-plus years on instructional videos that brought Neil's meticulous compositions to life for aspiring and practiced drummers everywhere. Over the years, Rob became part of Neil's "inner circle" of trusted and most valued friends, and that friendship deepened their working relationship. Join us as Rob reminiscences on the life of his good friend Neil Peart--who once described their working relationship as second only to that of his bandmates in Rush.
Our guest this week is Steven Drozd, multi-instrumentalist songwriter for the endlessly creative and innovative band The Flaming Lips. Steven first got into Rush with Caress of Steel when he was 6 years old, and the band's music helped form his artistic backbone. We talk about which Rush album The Lips might cover, favorite Rush songs, and The Flaming Lips' new album, American Head.
This is it. The Return of the Jedi of our Grace Under Pressure episodes, wrapping up the trilogy. This time under the microscope: Kid Gloves, Red Lenses, and Between the Wheels--the last of which is to us a contender for "Best Rush Song to Cry Yourself to Sleep To." What I'm saying is, its themes are heavy.
This week we continue our chronicle of Grace Under Pressure with discussions of Red Sector A, The Enemy Within, and The Body Electric—a trio of songs that plumb the depths of human, and android, experience. This one gets a little heavy at times.
Grace Under Pressure falls in-between Signals and Power Windows, so it can sometimes feel that it gets lost between those two polarizing albums. But this week, we're here to say that Grace Under Pressure deserves its place among the greatest of great Rush albums! Disagree with us--if you dare! spooky Halloween music plays
Author Martin Popoff previously appeared on episode 37, and he's back to talk about his latest book, Limelight: Rush in the '80s. This is the second book in Popoff's Rush trilogy, and it covers--no surprise--the albums Permanent Waves through Presto. Join us!
Derek Bacharach was a Rush-crazed teenager when he decided he wanted to share his obsession with as many people as possible. Thus was Rushology born in March of 1986! We talk to Derek about how the zine started, why it came to an abrupt end after only 4 issues, and the stages the average Rush fan goes through as the band becomes a part of their personal identity.
To say Ray Wawrzyniak loves Rush is the understatement of understatements. Ray has dedicated most of his life to the band, and the fruit of his labor is his staggering collection of Rush memorabilia. Ray, our first two-time guest, takes us for a tour of some of his collection and discusses the meaning behind his favorite pieces.
Terrie Carr is a legend in rock radio in New Jersey, and is currently the Program Director of and midday host on 105.5 FM WDHA, in Cedar Knolls. She's a huge Rush fan, has interviewed Geddy Lee twice on air, and is chock full of cool stories--some of which she tells when we count down our top 3 Rush concert moments. Really, just Google her. She's the best!
This week we welcome YYNOT members Billy Alexander, Tim Starace, and Rocky Kuner to the show. We talk about not only each member's love of Rush, but how a long-distance band relationship works. (Spoiler: very well!) And we also play a few songs from the band's albums of original material, the self-titled debut and Resonance. Join us!
Steve Brown founded RushFest Scotland in 2013, and the one-day gathering has since raised over £50,000 for charity! The event moved online this year, and this Saturday, September 12, 2020 (on what would have been Neil's 68th birthday), the organization is releasing Tributes: Songs for Neil, Vol. 1. The album features covers of Rush classics by Jacob Moon, Fleesh, and others, and is available for purchase at RushFest Scotland's website, http://www.rushfestscotland.co.uk. We talk with Steve about the origins of RushFest Scotland and how Tributes came together, and we play a selection of some of the songs from the album. And please consider buying a copy of Tributes: Songs for Neil, Vol 1!
This week we're rounding out Signals with discussions of The Weapon, New World Man, Losing It, and Countdown. One of these songs is a favorite of Gerry's and another is not. Any guesses which is which?
We continue to make our way through Signals by discussing The Analog Kid, Chemistry, and The Digital Man. Is it possible that through the power of chemistry The Analog Kid became The Digital Man? No, but break down each song and once again marvel at Alex Lifeson's amazing guitar work.
This week, we begin our discussion of Signals, one of the most divisive albums in Rush's discography. Many long-time Rush fans, upon hearing the keyboard-soaked Subdivisions, abandoned the band--or, more accurately, felt the band had abandoned them. So what to make of this watershed moment in Rush's career? All we can do is give you our opinions, and you'll have to listen to find out what those are!
This week we talk with Joe Bergamini, author of 2012's "Neil Peart: Taking Center Stage: A Lifetime of Live Performance." Joe, an accomplished drummer, teacher, and writer, tells us about his lifetime of drumming and his relationship with Neil, first as a young rabid fan, then as collaborator on the DVD series and book of the same name, and, ultimately, as friends. Joe's insights into Neil's style and how it's a reflection of who he was are a must-listen for any Rush fan.
You probably know Jillian Maryonovich from the documentary Time Stand Still, where she talked about RushCon and working in the Obama White House. This week, we delve a little deeper into how her obsession with Rush began, the impact Rush has had on her life, and where her fandom will take her in the future.
David Calcano melded his lifelong love of music and comics when he founded Fantoons in 2012. His Kickstarter in 2015 for a collection of Rush comics and art was 100% funded in its first day and ended up raising 10 times its original goal. Since then, Fantoons has created official Rush merchandise--including the spectacular graphic novel of the making of A Farewell to Kings--and recently released an animated video of The Spirit of Radio to coincide with the release of the 40th anniversary editions of Permanant Waves. And you can hear all about it in this week's episode!
The week, we talk with the man who lit Rush's lighted stage for decades, Howard Ungerleider. Howard hopped on the Rush train in 1974, when he accepted the role as tour manager to help keep life on the road running smoothly. The hats began to pile on--tour manager, lighting director, accountant--until he decided to wear just one: lighting director. Anyone who has ever witnessed a live Rush show has seen and appreciated Howard's work. We break down some of his favorite lighting tricks and find out which songs he's always wanted to see in the setlist. Join us!
This week we talk with John Patuto, the man who runs one of the go-to websites for Rush fans, Cygnus-X1.net. From the germ of an idea on early fan bulliten boards to the sprawling site Cygnus-X1.net has become, we cover it all. And we try to answer the question, what's the best Rush album closer of all time?
Well, here we are: the fourth and last episode of our Moving Pictures discussion. This time, we cover Witch Hunt and Vital Signs--two great songs that go great together! We hope you enjoy it!
This week, we continue our tetralogy (I looked it up!) on Moving Pictures with our discussion of Limelight and The Camera Eye. Is Alex's solo on Limelight the best he ever recorded? Is The Camera Eye more cinematic that Jacob's Ladder? Tune in to see what we think!
We're back with more Moving Pictures, specifically, Red Barchetta and YYZ! Two great cinematic songs about different modes of transportation. So help us evade the Eyes, get far outside the Wire, and outrun the gleaming alloy air-cars by recommending Something For Nothing to a friend!
Moving Pictures is Rush's best-selling album, and for good reason. It contains arguably the band's most famous song, Tom Sawyer, a concert mainstay since the Moving Pictures tour onward. This week, in the first of our 4-part discussion on the album, we tackle only 2 things: the album art and the aforementioned Tom Sawyer. Catch the witness, catch the wit, catch the spirit, and catch the spit with us!
This week we talk to Ed Stenger, who runs the ever popular Rush Is A Band blog. We cover the beginnings of the blog, how it grew to be so successful, and how it's changed over the years. We also name our top 3 Rush album openers. It's a harder exercise than you'd think it would be!
This week we have a great conversation Ray Wawrzyniak--the Rush uber fan in Time Stand Still with the enormous collection of Rush memorabilia. Now Ray has something else to add to his collection: the 12,000-word liner notes that he wrote for the recently released deluxe edition of the 40th Anniversary of Permanent Waves. Ray takes us on a deep dive into the making of this Rush Masterpiece, his feelings about each song on the album, and what it was like to be asked to write the liner notes for Permanent Waves.
This week we finish up our discussion of Permanent Waves. Only Rush can follow up the genius that is side 1 of Permanent Waves with the genius that is side 2 of Permanent Waves! And, of course, side 2 contains one of the craziest songs in all of Rushdom: Natural Science. Buckle in, because it's a wonderful ride.
This week we discuss one of greatest albums in rock history, 1980's Permanent Waves. The album marks a turning point in Rush's career trajectory. Shorter songs--well mostly--that are more accessible, all without skimping on the songwriting that makes Rush the best band in all the land! Plus, Permanent Waves tees up its follow-up. But more on that in a future episode.
This week we talk with author Martin Popoff. Popoff has written over 90 books about hard rock and heavy metal, including the acclaimed "Contents Under Pressure: 30 Years of Rush at Home & Away." His latest is "Anthem: Rush in the '70s," which charts the course of the band from their earliest days through Hemispheres. This is one interview you don't want to miss!
Listeners have been asking us to talk more about our favorite Rush concert memories, so this week we called up friend of the show Mark Irwin to do just that. Mark is Executive Editor at Insight Editions (publisher of Wandering the Face of the Earth and Clockwork Lives, the follow up to the Clockwork Angel's novel), has worked with Fantoons on The Making of A Farewell to Kings graphic novel, has worked with DC and Marvel Comics as an inker and artist, is a graduate of the Joe Kubert School of Cartoon and Graphic Art--I'm running out of room! Join us as we take a stroll down concert-memory lane!
This week we pass into Olympus as was told in tales of old! That's right, it's Hemispheres! We've called various Rush albums masterpieces, but Hemispheres is a masterpiece's masterpiece. The album marks the end of the (really) long-form Rush song, and it's some send off! And we find out what makes the Lifeson (or Hemispheres) chord sound so amazing. So run to build your cities and converse among the wise with us!
When we came across writer and philosopher Liz Swan's tribute to Neil Peart in Psychology Today, we knew we had to interview her. In this wide-ranging talk, Swan describes how Rush shaped her professional life, how the band's ethos gave her the courage to follow her heart, and how Hemispheres tackles one of the most difficult questions in all of philosophy.
This week, we talk to the man who is crunching the numbers and pulling interesting information from raw data, John from Rush Graphs. John's Twitter (@xyyzgraphs) is a favorite among Rush fans because it offers a not so typical take on the band. John talks us through 9 different graphs, all of which are available on our Instagram (@therushcast) and Twitter (@rushfancast).
This week, we get closer to the heart of the black hole of Cygnus-X1 with part 2 of A Farewell to Kings! Topics include Frank Capra, honest to goodness love songs, and what would happen to you if you fell into a black hole. (Spoiler: nothing good.) So when the dragons grow too mighty, listen to Something for Nothing: The RUSH Fancast!
With this episode, we enter the most interesting, creative, and imaginative phase of Rush's career. A Farewell to Kings, in our humble opinions, is about as perfect as any Rush album gets--or any album in the history of Rock. OK, maybe we gush a little too much, but can you blame us? It's A Farewell to Kings!
On this episode, we're talking about Rush's 2004 covers album, Feedback. This 8-song EP clocks in a brisk 27 minutes and features songs from the 1960s that influenced the band. Once the tracks are discussed, we give our own suggestions for what the guys could have also covered.
This week on Something for Nothing: A RUSH Fancast, we finish our discussion of 1993's Counterparts. Again, one of us likes side 2 more than the other one does. Who falls on which side? Listen to find out!
On this week's show, we dissect side one of 1993's Counterparts. In many ways, Counterparts, with its heavy guitars and full sound, is a return to form for Rush, a sonic goodbye to the 1980s. Still, we disagree on the overall merits of the album. Who likes Counterparts more, Steve or Gerry? There's only one way to find out!
This week, we talk to two of the admins of the @RushFans Instagram account, Ryan and Alex. @RushFans is incredibly popular, with over 29 thousand followers, and has recently started a video series called Rush Roundtable. We discuss the history of the account and the top 5 songs that Rush never played live that we would've wanted to hear.
This week, we tackle the second half of Roll The Bones. Feedback on part 1 has been mixed, and we can only assume that the same will hold true for this episode. Oh, and we talk about a fascinating truth about the Berlin wall. So let the games begin!
This week, we take on 1991's Roll The Bones. RTB went platinum, and the singles charted well, but only one of us thinks the album holds up to scrutiny 29 years later. But all is not lost: we get to talk about the science show Nova, what Where's My Thing has in common with The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy, and what a parallax is.
This week, we have a little housekeeping to do. We read gentle corrections from listeners, continue discussions begun on earlier podcasts, and fill in some gaps left behind by incomplete research. Did we mention there are corrections? And something to look forward to: another installment of The Inboxer Rebellion that does all of the above for this episode!
This week, we speak with Director of Commercial Music and Instructor of Music at Tiffin University in Ohio, Nathan Santos. Nathan made news when he taught a course called "Rush: Progressive Rock and Modern Society" in the spring of 2014 and the fall of 2016. Our discussion ranges from Nathan's first exposure to Rush, how Rush's ability to reflect the times in their music contributed to their longevity, and what Rush has to say to the Millennials who took the class.
Last week we heard the heartbreaking news of Neil Peart's death. Upon joining Rush in 1974, Neil changed the trajectory of the band and of every Rush fan's life. His contributions to music cannot be overstated, and his effect on the lives he touched will never be forgotten. In this episode, we reflect on what The Professor means to us, and we read tributes to and memories of Neil from our listeners.
It's a new year, and that can only mean one thing: it's time to talk about side 2 of Presto! Fewer keyboards, more guitars, and a song called "Anagram (For Mongo)" that contains precious few actual anagrams but is nonetheless one of the most awe-inspiring songs in the RUSH catalogue. Gerry really, really, REALLY loves "Anagram (For Mongo)." A lot. Like, a lot!
On this week's show, we dive into one of our favorite Rush albums, 1989's Presto. The album sees the band stepping away from the heavy keyboards on their previous two albums while maintaining the quality songwriting that made Power Windows and Hold Your Fire exceptional entries in Rush's discography. "The Pass," "War Paint," and "Scars"? Who could ask for anything more?
This time around, we finish our discussion of what many will, in time, regard as the first true Rush album, Fly By Night. Side 2 contains some classic Rush tunes, and the album as a whole signals the trajectory of the band's career for decades to come. The guys are flying high on this one, so let's go along for the ride!
The New Guy, a Snow Dog, and an angry owl. It's Fly By Night!
In this episode, we talk about the man who helped Rush become Rush: Pratt, The Professor, Bubba--Neil Peart! With Peart on the Throne, the band began its journey into the beautiful weirdness of their prog days that began with "By-Tor and the Snow Dog," and we ask the question, "How did Geddy wrap his mouth around the lyrics to 'Beneath, Between, and Behind'?"
On this week's show, we finish up our discussion of Rush's first album, the appropriately titled Rush! Side 2 contains the band's first big song, the crowd favorite "Working Man." Gerry also shares his thoughts on who gets into Rock and Roll of Fame and why. So grab yourself an ice-cold beer and join us!
This week, we go back to the one that started it all: 1974's self-titled debut, Rush! The guitars are loud, the voice is high, and the drums thunder. Rush is the only album to feature original drummer John Rutsey. And make no mistake about it, John is a fantastic player. So put on your platform shoes, pop those shirt buttons, and throw on your bell bottoms, we're listening to Rush!
Here it is, the the last episode of our Vapor Trails triptych. The final five songs are heavy with symbolism and metaphor. There's also part four of the Fear Trilogy. Hold on. checks notes Yup. Part four. Douglas Adams would be proud.
This week on the show, we continue working through Vapor Trails, this time covering "The Stars Look Down," "How It Is," "Vapor Trail," and "Secret Touch." There's a lot to process on this album, which is why we'll finish it up in the next episode.
Welcome back to Something for Nothing: A RUSH Fancast! This week we begin our 3-part discussion of 2002's "Vapor Trails." This album sees Neil coming to terms with the deaths of both his 19-year-old daughter and his common-law wife within a 10-month period, with songs inspired by the 55,000-mile motorcycle trip he took following the tragedies. Geddy and Alex rise to the challenge presented by Neil's heartbreaking and insightful lyrics, and the result is a masterpiece.
This episode we welcome Skip Daly and Eric Hansen, authors of the fabulous book "Rush: Wandering the Face of the Earth: The Official Touring History"! Their meticulously researched book chronicles the life of Rush on the road, from their inception in 1968 to their last show in 2015. It's a must read for every Rush fan, which means this episode is a must listen!
We're back with out most rounded episode number to date: episode 10! On the aluminum-anniversary episode of Something for Nothing: A RUSH Fancast, we wrap up our discussion of Test for Echo. Topics include the dog days of summer, a little bit of Einstein, and a fun dance. Join us!
The album discussed in episode 9 of Something for Nothing: A RUSH Fancast was chosen by you, our loyal listeners: Test for Echo! This is a late-career gem that didn't grab Gerry back in 1996, but sure did this time around. Steve and Gerry delve into Neil's deep commentary on the state of the world and marvel at the peerless musicianship. In other words, we listen to a RUSH album!
This week on Something for Nothing: A RUSH Fancast, we wrap up our discussion of arguably the greatest RUSH album of all time: 2112! From Passage to Bangkok to our title song (Something for Nothing, natch) and all that lies between, there's more to 2112 than side 1. Namely, side 2!
This week on Something for Nothing: A RUSH Fancast, we tackle side one of the granddaddy of all RUSH albums, the career-making 2112!
Listen as we break down the title track and hit upon Ayn Rand's "Anthem" (obviously), Gerry's fringe theory about what the number 2112 refers to, and what actually happens to the song's protagonist before control is assumed.
Welcome back to Something for Nothing: A RUSH Fancast! This week we finish off Caress of Steel with a looong take on the album-side song The Fountain of Lamneth. Other topics include The Odyssey, perfume, and how Gerry's brain misfired when he said his favorite RUSH font is the one from AFTK but then describes the one from Hemispheres! Please don't yell at me! I sometimes call my kids by the dogs' names!
On this very special episode of Something for Nothing: A RUSH Fancast, we discuss the under-appreciated--even by Alex, Geddy, and Neil--Caress of Steel. The album has some amazing highlights and some not so amazing highlights, but highlights all the same. Topics include the Necronomicon, Victoria Day, and the French Revolution. And, of course, we discuss the songs. Join us as we go down the tubes with Caress of Steel!
In this week's episode of Something for Nothing: A RUSH Fancast, we finish our discussion of Hold Your Fire. Topics include why someone would put every song on the album near the bottom of their list of favorite RUSH songs, the proper way to juggle, and why Tai Shan is at the bottom of Gerry's list.
In this episode of Something For Nothing: A RUSH Fancast, we discuss the merits of 1987's synth-heavy Hold Your Fire. Topics include the Beaufort Scale, what happened to us the summer before the album came out, and what does "hold your fire" mean anyway? Oh, and we discuss the songs, too
Can you believe we're celebrating the second episode of Something for Nothing: A Rush Fancast? How time flies. This time, we finish our discussion of Power Windows, and learn why Steve loves "Middletown Dreams" so much.
In this, the premiere episode of Something for Nothing: A RUSH Fancast, we discuss the divisive Power Windows. Seeing RUSH on the Power Windows Tour turned us into the fans we are today, so spoiler alert: we love Power Windows!