Over the next ten days, we’ll be counting down the Top 10 Rock News Artists of the past year.
Finalists for the 12th annual hennemusic Rock News Awards are chosen by readers: the Rock News Story Of The Year is determined by page views, while the Rock News Artist Of The Year is based on the combined total page views of the top 50 hennemusic rock news stories of the past twelve months.
The 2021 hennemusic Rock News Awards winners will be announced on Friday, December 17.
Rock News Artist of The Year No. 10 – RUSH
January 7, 2021 marked the first anniversary of the loss of Rush drummer Neil Peart, following his 2020 passing at the age of 67 after a three-and-a-half year battle with Glioblastoma, an aggressive form of brain cancer.
Bassist and vocalist Geddy Lee participated in a virtual event supporting the Vancouver Symphony Orchestra in February; the rocker was among a number of artists who shared stories as part of “The Resilient Symphony: The Show Must Go On”, which raised over $500,000 for the VSO and the VSO School Of Music.
In March, Hudson Music shared details for The 2021 Neil Peart Drumset Scholarship in honor of the late Rush legend, with The Percussive Arts Society annually awarding up to four drummers with the opportunity for lessons from well-known artists/educators to help them further their craft.
Alex Lifeson streamed his first new music in close to a decade in June in sync with the launch of a new signature guitar line; to mark the occasion of his collaboration with Epiphone and the release of the new Alex Lifeson Epiphone Les Paul Standard Axcess guitar, Lifeson debuted two brand new songs: "Kabul Blues" and "Spy House."
In July, Rush announced plans to screen the Director’s Cut of their 2019 film, “Cinema Strangiato”, in theaters worldwide on September 9. The alternate “Director’s Cut” edition of the project – which presents material from the band’s 2015 R40 40th anniversary tour – would include a revamped setlist that featured newly-added bonus material.
Peart’s curated car collection, dubbed the ‘Silver Surfers,’ went up for auction in August at the Pebble Beach Concours d’ Elegance.
The group debuted their own beer brand, Rush Canadian Golden Ale, with Toronto’s Henderson Brewery in late August, and expanded the series in October with the release of a limited edition Moving Pictures Ale to mark the 40th anniversary of their classic 1981 album.
The Ohio State University Marching Band performed a medley of Rush classics as a tribute in honor of Neil Peart during its halftime show at Ohio Stadium as part of the school’s homecoming game against University Of Maryland on October 9.
In late October, Lifeson streamed an instrumental entitled “Cherry Lopez Lullaby”, which he wrote during the mix sessions in Los Angeles for the band’s 2012 album, “Clockwork Angels.”
Last month, Modern Drummer magazine honored Neil Peart’s legacy by announcing a new Neil Peart Spirit Of Drumming Scholarship that will see the winner receive a year of free drum lessons from world-class drum instructor Dom Famularo, along with an assortment of other prizes.
Peart was posthumously honored with the Lifetime Achievement Award from the Percussive Arts Society (PAS) at this year's Percussive Arts Society International Convention (PASIC) in Indianapolis, IN on November 11; his wife, Carrie Nuttall, and daughter Olivia accepted the award on his behalf.
See also:
Search Rush at hennemusic
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