Good morning Radicals! Hope everyone had a nice weekend, and cranked up the Rush records. Late last week, we learned of the passing of legendary Rush drummer Neil Peart. The rock world released an overwhelming expression of love and respect for the man.
The rock world — and the world in general — was stunned when it was announced on Friday, January 10th that Rush drummer Neil Peart had lost a three-and-a-half year battle with brain cancer three days earlier on January 7th. The 67-year-old Canadian drummer, lyricist and author passed away in Santa Monica, California, just four-and-a-half years after he and Rush retired from the stage.
The surviving members of Rush, bassist/singer Geddy Lee and guitarist Alex Lifeson, issued a statement on Friday in which they said their “friend, soul brother and bandmate of 45 years” was “incredibly brave” in the fight against his illness. Not too long after, an immense outpouring of grief-stricken tributes began from both fellow musicians and fans, for whom Peart was a lasting and monumental inspiration.
Foo Fighters main man and Nirvana drummer Dave Grohl, who inducted Rush into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2013 and cited Peart as the reason he began playing drum, issued a statement saying, “Today, the world lost a true giant in the history of rock & roll. An inspiration to millions with an unmistakable sound who spawned generations of musicians (like myself) to pick up two sticks and chase a dream. A kind, thoughtful, brilliant man who ruled our radios and turntables not only with his drumming, but also his beautiful words.”
Grohl added, “Thank you, Neil, for making our lives a better place with your music. You will be forever remembered and sorely missed by all of us. And my heartfelt condolences to the Rush family.”
Foos drummer Taylor Hawkins said simply, “Neil Peart had the hands of God. End of story.”
RIP Neil Peart pic.twitter.com/PxNZ3W5WSs
— Foo Fighters (@foofighters) January 10, 2020
Metallica drummer Lars Ulrich wrote on Instagram, “Thank you Neil. Thank you for inspiring me and for all your help and advice along the way, especially in the early days when you took the time to talk to a young green Danish drummer about recording, gear and the possibilities that lay ahead… Thank you for what you did for drummers all over the world with your passion, your approach, your principles and your unwavering commitment to the instrument! Rest In Peace.”
Mike Portnoy, the co-founding former drummer of Dream Theater reveled that he was among the few that was aware of Neil Peart’s cancer diagnosis: “Being part of the inner-circle, I’ve been aware for, about, the last two years, or so. And, y’know, obviously, I haven’t talked about it, and y’know, respected his privacy and his family’s privacy. So, even though I knew this could possibly be an inevitability for the past couple of years, it’s still shocking now that it’s actually here. It’s just, you never imagined a world without Neil, Geddy, and Alex all walking along it, y’know?”
Portnoy, who revered him as a drummer, told us that one cannot overstate the range of Neil Peart’s talents: “I mean, the fact that he was the band’s lyricist and wrote such intelligent poetic lyrics — it was a huge, huge influence, as well — as well as the books he’s written over the past 20 years or so. After the horrible tragedy of losing his first wife and daughter, he wrote the Ghost Rider (Travels On The Healing Road) book, which is one of the most inspirational books I’ve ever read in my life.”
Triumph drummer Gil Moore, a fellow Canadian who made his bones on the North American concert circuit the same time as Rush, explained how Neil Peart carried on the tradition of aggressive lead drumming, which he learned from his heroes: “When I think of Neil’s playing style, the first guy I think of is Ginger Baker, Keith Moon, Mitch Mitchell. Neil’s style, which is, sort of, a very drummer take all — he plays the heck out of everything on his drums, right? So, opposed, to say, the guys that evolved from the Alan Jackson, Levon Helm, John Bonham-school and, kind of, lay back between the waits on these spaces; the Keith Moon’s and the Neil Peart’s, and the Ginger Baker’s, and the Mitch Mitchell’s — they were the guys that went the reverse route, and they filled all over the place, and kind of, drove the rhythm from in font of it, rather than sitting behind it.”
Judas Priest drummer Scott Travis was an instant fan of Neil Peart, and actually met him as a teenager before a gig on Rush’s tour behind 1978’s Hemispheres: “I didn’t know the man — I obviously knew him as a phenomenal drummer and songwriter and everything else, but I actually respected the fact that he was, kind of, invisible and he wanted his personal life to stay separate from his music life. ‘Cause, as we know nowadays everybody wants everything about them to be known, and documented and filmed — and he, of course, was the antithesis of that. So, I respected that a lot about him. This was, of course, long after he had influenced me as a drummer and just changed my world, as far as drumming.”
Kenny Aronoff, best known for his years drumming for John Fogerty and John Mellencamp, told us that news of Neil Peart’s death transcended the music community: “You never know how people will react to somebody dying until they die. With Neil, it didn’t surprise me, but Neil passing really affected drummers and the music industry and people in general. My brother’s a psychoanalyst and he knew who Neil Peart and Rush was and felt bad. I mean, Neil’s passing affected so many different types of people in and out of the music business. It didn’t surprise me — but, pretty amazing.”
Canadian prime minister Justin Trudeau wrote, “We’ve lost a legend. But his influence and legacy will live on forever in the hearts of music lovers in Canada and around the world. RIP Neil Peart.”
We’ve lost a legend. But his influence and legacy will live on forever in the hearts of music lovers in Canada and around the world. RIP Neil Peart. 🇨🇦
— Justin Trudeau (@JustinTrudeau) January 11, 2020
Tool paid tribute to Peart during the band’s concert Friday night (January 10th) in San Diego, California. During Danny Carey‘s drum solo, a photo of Danny and Peart was projected on a massive screen behind the stage. Tool also played a partial cover of Rush’s “A Passage To Bangkok” in tribute to Peart, whose death was announced earlier in the day and who was a huge inspiration for Carey.
Other rock artists posted tributes or condolences on social media:
Paul Stanley: “Absolutely Horrible News. Neal Peart has died after fighting brain cancer for years. His later life was filled with so much family tragedy. So, so sad. I’m just shocked.”
Flea: “I’m gonna go spend the day air drumming. R.I.P. Neil Peart. That dude f**king shredded.”
Gene Simmons: “Neil was a kind soul.”
William Corgan: “There isn’t a modern rock drummer alive who hasn’t heard him, and spoken his name with a reverence that’s reserved for the very few.”
Nickelback: “His impact on rock history is indelible and his influence on drummers everywhere inescapable.”
Weezer‘s Patrick Wilson: “His dedication and RE-dedication to his craft is a lesson in always improving.”
Brian Wilson: “Neil was one of the great drummers and he’ll be missed.”
Judas Priest: “Neil’s legendary drum work and inimitable style will always resound in rock n roll.”
Tony Iommi: “We’ve lost another one of the greats.”
Tom Hamilton: “He was an amazing drummer and made a huge contribution to Rock music.”
Josh Freese: “A true artist and a sweet, good guy. And probably the most air drummed drummer of all time.”
Charlie Benante: “There are drummers and then there is Neil Peart.”
Bill Ward: “What is left is a life’s work to praise, converse about, to be in awe of, knowing the world is a better place for your triumphs.”
Ozzy Osbourne has shared the title track from his upcoming album, Ordinary Man. As previously reported, the song features Elton John on piano and vocals, along with a solo from Guns N’ Roses guitarist Slash. Other newly announced guests on the LP include Post Malone and Rage Against The Machine‘s Tom Morello.
Ordinary Man is due out February 21st and will be Ozzy’s first new solo album in 10 years. The set will be available as a standard CD, deluxe CD, black vinyl, deluxe gatefold swirl color vinyl, picture disc and digital album. In addition, all physical copies of the album will include a unique code that will allow the purchaser to enter a sweepstakes for a chance to win one of over 300 Ozzy prizes.
Ozzy recorded the album in four weeks, with producer Andrew Watt on guitar, Duff McKagan from Guns N’ Roses on bass and Chad Smith from Red Hot Chili Peppers on drums. The legendary singer said about the LP, “It was a lot of fun to do though it’s a lot different from my other albums. We recorded it quickly, which I haven’t done since the first Black Sabbath album. This made it a different process, which I actually enjoyed.”
Regarding the album’s guests, Ozzy said, “It all just came together. Slash is a dear friend of mine, as is Elton. When I was writing ‘Ordinary Man,’ it reminded me of an old Elton song and I said to Sharon, ‘I wonder if he would sing on it?’ We asked, and lo and behold, he agreed and sings and play piano on the song.”
After spending 2019 recuperating from illness and surgery, Ozzy will return to the road with his rescheduled “No More Tours 2” trek, starting in North America in late May.
Breaking Benjamin has shared a new version of the song “Red Cold River,” taken from the band’s upcoming album, Aurora. The disc will be released on January 24th and features reimagined versions of the band’s biggest and most popular songs with special guests like Adam Gontier of Saint Asonia, ex-Flyleaf singer Lacey Sturm, Cold frontman Scooter Ward and Michael Barnes from Red.
Among the chart-topping hits included in new versions on Aurora are “So Cold,” “Never Again,” “Torn In Two” and “Angels Fall.” There’s also a new song contained in the set called “Far Away.”
Breaking Benjamin leader Ben Burnley stated, “This album is a celebration of our incredible fans; for those who have been there since hearing ‘So Cold’ for the first time in 2004, and the new ones who have joined us on this amazing journey along the way. We’ve always shared a unique emotional connection to our music with our fans, and this album attributes to those dark times and euphoric ones.”
Burnley told us a while back that it’s nice to know fans are still into the band: “If you made your money and people know who you are and you’ve done your thing, and you just keep putting out stuff and people aren’t really interested in it, you should just stop. I don’t believe in cramming stuff down people’s throats. So yeah, it’s a sigh of relief that people are still into what we’re doing, and as soon as they’re not into what we’re doing, then I’ll be more than glad to back up and stop.”
Breaking Benjamin has announced a co-headlining 24-city tour with Korn that kicks off on January 23rd in Allentown, Pennsylvania and wraps up on March 1st in Fresno, California.
Look for Pearl Jam in cities around the world… https://t.co/uDIWRrKT1y pic.twitter.com/qEB9yLhWd2
— Pearl Jam (@PearlJam) January 10, 2020
Is Pearl Jam teasing a new album? The Seattle veterans and Rock and Roll Hall of Famers have uploaded an image of an electrocardiogram on their social media accounts, with the words ‘Pearl Jam’ spelled out in the middle.
A second post was more detailed, containing a video of a map of the world with various cities marked. The same map on the band’s website featured coordinates around the world, as well as a message that said, “We have something special for you. Locate the nearest marker and activate the lens once you arrive.”
The three coordinates in the U.S. led to spots in Venice, California, Seattle and New York City, where animated billboards featured an image of polar ice cliffs melting and one word: “Gigaton.”
Fans are now speculating that “Gigaton” is either the name of a new song or the title of the band’s 11th studio album, which several members of the group have confirmed is in the works.
Guitarist Stone Gossard told us a while back that the band never sets out with a predetermined goal for a new LP: “It’s very difficult to set out to do something and achieve it, as opposed to just each song, try to make it as good as you can. We set out more like, we’re gonna make a record and we know we’re gonna — everyone’s gonna write some songs, and we’re gonna try to do the best for each of those songs and then we’re gonna see what we’ve got at the end and figure out how to put ’em together, you know. It’s much less planned than you would imagine.”
Pearl Jam also recently booked a European tour for next summer, the clearest sign yet that the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame act is gearing up for a return to action in 2020. The 13-date trek, which will feature support from Pixies, Idles and White Reaper, will mark the band’s first live appearances in nearly two years.
Congrats to your top 5 @KlipschAudio Fan Vote winners 🤘We’ll be announcing the official Class of 2020 Inductees 1/15 at 8am – next big reveal coming soon 🔥 pic.twitter.com/F2V1DK5SoI
— Rock Hall (@rockhall) January 11, 2020
Although Dave Matthews Band won the fan vote for this year’s Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame induction class, the top five was rounded out by Pat Benatar, The Doobie Brothers, Soundgarden and Judas Priest.
Fans were able to cast their vote at the museum in Cleveland and on its website. They could also vote on Google by searching “Rock Hall Fan Vote” or any nominee name plus “vote” through January 10th. Fans could vote for up to five nominees every day.
As of midnight in January 10th, Dave Matthews Band had received 1,005,657 votes, while Pat Benatar had 882,207, the Doobies had accrued 784,729, Soundgarden earned 722,931 and Priest clocked 675,434. Of the other hard rock nominees, Thin Lizzy placed eighth, Motorhead came in ninth and Nine Inch Nails was in the 11th spot.
The top five artists selected by the public comprise a “fan ballot” that will be tallied and factored in, along with the other ballots sent to approximately 1,000 artists, historians and members of the music industry.
Judas Priest thanked its fans for helping get the band on the “fan ballot,” writing on social media, “A huge metal thank you to our Priest family for voting & defending Judas Priest in the fan vote for RRHoF 2020 — we made and stayed in the top five fan votes through your love and support. Whatever the outcome we are blessed having the best metal fans in the world of heavy metal!”
The top vote-getters will be announced on Wednesday, January 15th and inducted on May 2nd at Cleveland’s Public Hall. To be eligible for this year’s ballot, each nominee’s first single or album had to be released in 1994 or earlier.
Gibson and Slash have announced the release of the first-ever Slash Collection, which will feature multiple acoustic and electric guitars. The collection will officially premiere at the Gibson experience space during Winter NAMM 2020 in Anaheim, California from January 15th through the 19th.
Slash and Gibson’s luthiers worked in close collaboration on the collection at Gibson’s headquarters in Nashville, Tennessee. The line features four Les Paul Standard electric guitars and two J-45 Standard acoustic guitars.
Slash told us a while back about meeting late guitar legend Les Paul, who was his personal hero: “Really the most memorable thing was when he and I first met, and he really had no clue who I was, and we were sort of thrown onstage together. And so he sort of, you know, basically wiped the stage floor up with me that particular night, and so jamming with Les for the rest of my career was sort of like a barometer of how good I was getting on guitar from that point on.”
Slash will hit the road and bring the Gibson Slash Collection with him this summer as he rejoins his Guns N’ Roses bandmates for the next leg of their “Not In This Lifetime” tour.
Well, that’s all for now! See you all tonight for hardDrive XL!
