Today is the third anniversary of the death of Rush icon, drummer, and lyricst Neil Peart. Since Neil kept his bout with cancer private, the news of his death went through the music world like a shockwave. The band Rush ceased to exist at that point. As part of our remembrance, we are sharing this memorial piece written by our own writing icon, Mathew Davies, who died in 2021. RIP Neil.
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FRIDAY
With energy levels and festival excitement still high, quality acts such as Welsh black metallers Agrona, Norfolk thrashers Shrapnel, Liverpool doom/sludge merchants Conan, and a reinvigorated and retooled Evile invade the Sophie Lancaster Stage, decimating all before them. Birmingham grindcore legends Napalm Death complete the day’s entertainment with a reliably devastating set, the crowd gathered outside the tent almost as huge as the one inside.
NBC News shared its 2020 annual recap of those we have lost from entertainment and pop culture. Among the legends who were paid tribute, rockers like Neil Peart, Eddie Van Halen, and Frankie Banali, Metal vocalist Riley Gale, composer and pop/rock artist Adam Schlesinger, and many more. Many other music heroes such as Ennio Morricone, Charlie Daniels, Kenny Rogers, Charley Pride, and others were also honored, along with iconic figures who passed away such as Ruth Bader Ginsberg, Chadwick Boseman, Alex Trebek, James Lipton, Vera Lynn (mentioned in a Pink Floyd song on The Wall), Congressman John Lewis, and sadly many, many more. RIP
Hudson Music has announced The Neil Peart Drumset Scholarship, in tribute to Neil Peart the late Rush drum legend who passed away earlier in 2020. They made the announcement over social media. Applications begin in March 2021 through the Percussive Arts Society (PAS.org). PAS (Percussive Arts Society) will annually award four drummers the opportunity for online drumset lessons from well-known artists/educators. Peart died on January 7 in Santa Monica, California after a three-year battle with glioblastoma, an aggressive form of brain cancer. He was 67 years old. Check out the post here and read our tribute to Neil here. Continue reading
Stoner Rock legends Fu Manchu have shared their cover of Rush’s early classic “Working Man”, as a tribute to late Rush drummer Neil Peart, who died in January 2020, after a long battle with brain cancer. All sales proceeds from the track, which was recorded in January, will be donated to brain tumor research at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Peart’s memory.
The Annual Metal Hall of Fame Gala – “the most important night in metal” – can now be seen exclusively on Amazon Prime Television. The program features an overview with features of the 2020 Metal Hall of Fame including inductions, tributes, and all-star jams. Watch heavy metal legends Steve Vai, Joe Satriani, Geoff Tate, Don Dokken, Chris Poland, Stephen Pearcy, Graham Bonnet, Metal Church, legendary music promoter Jack Orbin and Prong as they are inducted into the Hall and amazing performances including Chris Poland, Riot Act (featuring members of Riot), and an epic jam featuring Steve Vai, Geoff Tate, Joe Satriani, Bjorn Englen, Chris Poland, and Pat Gesualdo. Modern Drummer magazine also joined forces with the Metal Hall of Fame to present the only official tribute to late Rush drummer Neil Peart, who had passed away just a week before the event.Continue reading
Progressive Music legend Mike Portnoy (Sons Of Apollo, Dream Theater) has teamed up with bassist Stu Hamm, guitarist Paulie Z and keyboardist Walter Ino to record a cover version of the RUSH classic “YYZ”, filmed while they were in quarantine. The clip was premiered this past Tuesday (July 14) as part of the David Z Foundation’s third annual fundraising campaign livestream. This past January, Portnoy shot down rumors that he will tour with Geddy Lee and Alex Lifeson as the replacement for late RUSH drummer Neil Peart. Peart died on January 10th. Watch the clip here.Continue reading
Finn McKenty of The Punk Rock MBA has impressed us for years and years, first by building a community on Facebook, and more recently with his YouTube Channel and his new podcast! Dumb and Dumbest Episode #323 is streaming now and its an interview with Finn McKenty of Punk Rock MBA Talks DIY! Dumb and Dumbest is hosted by Matt Bacon (Dropout Media, Ripple Music, Prophecy Productions) and Publicist Curtis Dewar (Dewar PR), in addition to the podcast, Matt and Curtis host The Music Marketing Challenges, low-cost, super high-value private training to bands and artists. Get hands-on practical experience to market your band like a pro today! DM Matt or Curtis at the links below for detailsContinue reading
We got deep with Andrew Bansal of Metal Assault records on how he leveraged a music journalism career into a DIY Record label with an acclaimed Mixtape series, music booking endeavors and more! Episode #322 is streaming now and its an interview with Andrew Bansal Of Metal Assault Talks DIY!! Dumb and Dumbest is hosted by Matt Bacon (Dropout Media, Ripple Music, Prophecy Productions) and Publicist Curtis Dewar (Dewar PR), in addition to the podcast, Matt and Curtis host The Music Marketing Challenges, low-cost, super high-value private training to bands and artists. Get hands-on practical experience to market your band like a pro today! DM Matt or Curtis at the links below for detailsContinue reading
One of the things holding musicians in bands trying to further their careers is a lack of learning resources to help themselves. Episode #321 is streaming now and its an interview with Andrew Apanov of Dotted Music and Music Growth Talks! Dumb and Dumbest is hosted by Matt Bacon (Dropout Media, Ripple Music, Prophecy Productions) and Publicist Curtis Dewar (Dewar PR), in addition to the podcast, Matt and Curtis host The Music Marketing Challenges, low-cost, super high-value private training to bands and artists. Get hands-on practical experience to market your band like a pro today! DM Matt or Curtis at the links below for detailsContinue reading