RUSH: More 'Time Machine' Tour Details Revealed

RUSH — Geddy Lee, Alex Lifeson, and Neil Peart — is without question one of the most inventive and compelling groups in rock history, equally famed for both its virtuoso musicianship and provocative songwriting.

Announced today, the "Time Machine Tour" is an evening with RUSH, where they will perform their classics, give a taste of the future — and for the first time ever — feature the "Moving Pictures" album live in its entirety.

The band is currently working on their 20th studio album with producer Nick Raskulinecz (co-producer from 2007's "Snakes & Arrows") and in addition to their classics plan to showcase a few new tunes live this summer.

"We were off for a year and a half, and now it's just pouring. Everything is totally crazy and there's not a minute left in the day. We've got these half-dozen songs, and we'll probably go in the studio and work on a couple of them and see how it goes, perhaps release something — and I say perhaps — and then we plan on being on the road," says guitarist Alex Lifeson.

This summer's Live Nation-promoted tour will visit approximately 40 cities throughout North America beginning June 29 in Albuquerque, NM and finishing October 2 in West Palm Beach, FL with stops along the way in Boston, Chicago, Denver, Dallas, Holmdel, Houston, Las Vegas, Los Angeles, Philadelphia, San Francisco, Toronto, Washington, and more along the way (complete tour itinerary follows).

RUSH has sold more than 40 million records worldwide and garnered untold legions of devoted and admiring fans. According to the RIAA, RUSH's sales statistics place RUSH third after THE BEATLES and THE ROLLING STONES for the most consecutive gold or platinum studio albums by a rock band.

Released in 1981, "Moving Pictures" was their most successful album, certified four-times platinum and features some of RUSH's most well known songs and perennial radio favourites "Tom Sawyer", "Limelight" and the Grammy-nominated instrumental "YYZ".

"Rush: Beyond The Lighted Stage", a documentary created by filmmakers Scot McFadyen and Sam Dunn (whose filmography also includes "Iron Maiden: Flight 666", "Metal: A Headbanger's Journey" and "Global Metal") will premiere at New York's Tribeca Film Festival on April 24, followed by the Canadian premiere at Toronto's Hot Docs festival on April 29. The band was also recently showcased in the comedy "I Love You Man" where they play themselves in a concert scene featuring actors Paul Rudd and Jason Segal as ubra-fans, a performance which has exposed the band to a whole new generation.

Inducted into the Canadian Songwriters Hall of Fame this past March alongside Joni Mitchell, Leonard Cohen and Gordon Lightfoot, RUSH has also been nominated for multiple Grammy Awards and won a number of Juno Awards. They were inducted into the Canadian Music Hall of Fame in 1994 and bestowed the Order of Canada in 1997. Consistently celebrated and respected worldwide, RUSH is the most successful Canadian rock band of all time and they remain one of the biggest grossing arena rock bands ever.

Tickets for the "Time Machine Tour" will go on sale beginning April 16 in San Francisco, Uncasville, Saratoga Springs, Denver, Chicago, Wantagh, Seattle and Holmdel at LiveNation.com. Tickets for performances in Milwaukee, Sarnia and Syracuse go on sale April 17. Check local listings for ticket information.

Citi cardmembers will have access to pre-sale tickets through Citi's Private Pass Program beginning April 13 in select markets. For complete presale details visit www.citiprivatepass.com

The dates are as follows:

Jun. 29 - Hard Rock Casino Albuquerque presents The Pavilion - Albuquerque, NM
Jul. 01 - Starlight Theatre - Kansas City, MO
Jul. 02 - Miller Lite Oasis on the Summerfest Grounds - Milwaukee, WI
Jul. 05 - Charter One Pavilion at Northerly Island - Chicago, IL
Jul. 19 - Mohegan Sun Arena - Uncasville, CT
Jul. 21 - Susquehanna Bank Center - Camden, NJ
Jul. 23 - Saratoga Performing Arts Center - Saratoga Springs, NY
Jul. 24 - Nikon at Jones Beach Theater - Wantagh, NY
Aug. 05 - USANA Amphitheatre - West Valley City, UT
Aug. 07 - White River Amphitheatre - Auburn, WA
Aug. 09 - Shoreline Amphitheatre at Mountain View - Mountain View, CA
Aug. 11 - The Forum - Inglewood - Inglewood, CA
Aug. 13 - Verizon Wireless Amphitheater - Irvine, CA
Aug. 14 - MGM Grand Garden Arena - Las Vegas, NV
Aug. 16 - Red Rocks Amphitheatre - Morrison, CO
Aug. 20 - INTRUST Bank Arena - Wichita, KS
Aug. 22 - Verizon Wireless Amphitheater St. Louis - Maryland Heights, MO
Aug. 25 - Qwest Center Omaha - Omaha, NE
Aug. 27 - Minnesota State Fair - St. Paul, MN
Aug. 29 - Nationwide Arena - Columbus, OH
Aug. 31 - Allentown Fairgrounds Grandstand - Allentown, PA
Sep. 02 - New York State Fair Grandstand - Syracuse, NY
Sep. 03 - PNC Bank Arts Center - Holmdel, NJ
Sep. 14 - TD Garden - Boston, MA
Sep. 16 - Consol Energy Center - Pittsburgh, PA
Sep. 18 - Jiffy Lube Live - Bristow, VA
Sep. 21 - BOK Center - Tulsa, OK
Sep. 23 - AT&T Center - San Antonio, TX
Sep. 25 - Cynthia Woods Mitchell Pavilion - The Woodlands, TX
Sep. 26 - Superpages.com Center - Dallas, TX
Sep. 29 - Verizon Wireless Amphitheatre - Alpharetta, GA
Oct. 01 - Ford Amphitheatre - Tampa, FL
Oct. 02 - Cruzan Amphitheatre - West Palm Beach, FL

DREAM THEATER To Play 'Intimate' Headlining Shows During IRON MAIDEN Tour

Progressive metal giants DREAM THEATER will play a few select headlining shows on some of the "off" days throughout the band's North American tour with IRON MAIDEN.

Commented DREAM THEATER drummer Mike Portnoy: "Please note these will not be traditional DREAM THEATER shows in terms of production. As it is in the midst of the MAIDEN tour, we are not carrying our usual lighting and video show... So instead these will be small intimate club shows... just like the good (?) ol' days!

"So come sweat it out with us..."

The dates are as follows:

June 21 - Roseland Theater, Portland, OR
July 02 - Newport Music Hall, Columbus, OH
July 10 - Palladium, Worcester, MA

DREAM THEATER will spend its summer supporting IRON MAIDEN on the band's month-long tour of major U.S. and Canadian markets. The tour launches on June 9 and runs through July 20, and includes a stop at the storied Madison Square Garden in New York City, marking the first time in a lengthy and respected career that DREAM THEATER will have played the world's most famous arena. This tour will mark another milestone in DREAM THEATER's history, which continues to expand and evolve, twenty-five years deep.

Of touring with IRON MAIDEN in North America, Portnoy previously said, "It is a bit of a dream come true for us.

"After 25 years together, at this stage in our career, there's honestly only three bands DREAM THEATER would consider opening for and MAIDEN is one of them.

"It is an absolute honor.

"Through the years, we've done many one-off shows with MAIDEN and they've almost all been overseas. It is very exciting to finally be doing a full tour with them and on our side of the pond, no less.

"These are gonna be amazing shows that the fans won't want to miss.

"Up the fucking irons!”

Playing Madison Square Garden for the first time is also a huge accomplishment for the band and they are thrilled about the prospect.

"DREAM THEATER has achieved so many dreams through the years, from playing the Budokan in Tokyo to Wembley Arena in London to Radio City Music Hall in New York City," Portnoy recalled. "But the one remaining dream that has eluded us through all of these years was to play at Madison Square Garden. Well, on July 12, along with IRON MAIDEN, that dream will finally be fulfilled."

Guitarist John Petrucci was equally stoked about the Madison Square Garden play, saying, "I am unbelievably excited to be finally playing Madison Square Garden, and with the almighty MAIDEN to boot! They have been heroes to the band since the beginning and are iconic in our eyes.

"There is nothing like achieving success and recognition in your own country, in your own city. It's going to be an incredible night, for sure."

Portnoy has proof of this career-long dream, saying, "About [two months] ago, my family and I were watching a video of my first band INTRUDER from back in 1983, and in the video before the show, I was interviewed and asked what my dream goal was. I responded 'To play the Garden.' It took almost 30 years, but it’s surreal that I will now be able to check it off the list."

Source: RNR

REDEMPTION Scraps European Tour Plans

Guitarist/songwriter Nicolas van Dyk of the Los Angeles-based progressive metal band REDEMPTION has issued the following update:

"I am sorry to say that we are faced with the reality of having to cancel REDEMPTION's intended European shows the summer.

"Part of our unique sound comes from our vocalist, Ray Alder of FATES WARNING.

"As a longtime fan of FATES myself, I have always maintained that REDEMPTION would not interfere with Ray's commitment to FATES, and we have worked very carefully and diligently since Ray joined REDEMPTION in 2005 to ensure that both bands would be able to record and perform without conflict.

"We intended to play several shows in several countries this summer in support of our new CD, 'Snowfall On Judgement Day'. Our management and local promoters in Europe worked hard to line up some great shows that we were very much looking forward to playing. Originally, there was no conflict, even when FATES announced some special shows and festivals to commemorate the 20th anniversary of their fantastic 'Parallels' CD. However, some additional shows were then added on FATES' schedule. We intended to carry on and simply reschedule some of our dates, shortening the tour to ensure that there would not be a conflict. Again, our management and local promoters worked hard to ensure we'd be able to do this. It became economically more difficult, but REDEMPTION was prepared to accept that since we really wanted to play for our fans in Europe.

"As of a week ago, we still intended to move forward. However, after considering it, Ray determined that the schedule — which would have involved him performing headline sets with us, then taking a very long flight, having only a brief time to recover before performing headline sets with FATES, then having to fly back to Europe and perform again — is simply too much to take on. There's just no way to do it while performing at the level that I know Ray wants to.

"So I'm left with the unfortunate reality that we're not going to be able to play Europe this summer.

"Please understand we've done everything we can to find a solution — but none were available to us.

"We look forward to coming to Europe at another time, and thank you for your interest and support."

on February 4, REDEMPTION WAS interviewed for an episode of "Hard" on the AUX music channel out of Canada. The six-minute segment, which includes performance footage, can be viewed below.

REDEMPTION released its fourth CD, "Snowfall on Judgment Day", on October 6, 2009 through Inside Out Music. The album was mixed and mastered by Tommy Newton, who produced the group's last two CDs, at Area 51 Studios in Celle, Germany. The artwork was once again created by Travis Smith.

REDEMPTION is:

Ray Alder - Vocals
Nick van Dyk - Guitar, Keyboards
Bernie Versailles - Guitar
Sean Andrews - Bass
Chris Quirarte - Drums
Greg Hosharian - Keyboards

REDEMPTION released a concert DVD, "Frozen in the Moment: Live in Atlanta", in late February/early March 2009. The disc contains a five-camera, high-definition shoot of the band's ProgPower USA VIII festival appearance in Atlanta, Georgia in October 2007. In addition, there is a 12-minute video and photo tour diary set to the band's previously unreleased instrumental from the DREAM THEATER songwriting contest that REDEMPTION wrote back in 2003.

RUSH To Play Entire 'Moving Pictures' Album On 'Time Machine Tour' - Apr. 8, 2010

Canadian rock legends RUSH have officially announced the "Time Machine Tour" where the band will play its seminal 1980 album "Moving Pictures" in its entirety.

The dates are as follows:

Jun. 29 - Hard Rock Casino Albuquerque presents The Pavilion - Albuquerque, NM
Jul. 01 - Starlight Theatre - Kansas City, MO
Jul. 02 - Miller Lite Oasis on the Summerfest Grounds - Milwaukee, WI
Jul. 05 - Charter One Pavilion at Northerly Island - Chicago, IL
Jul. 19 - Mohegan Sun Arena - Uncasville, CT
Jul. 21 - Susquehanna Bank Center - Camden, NJ
Jul. 23 - Saratoga Performing Arts Center - Saratoga Springs, NY
Jul. 24 - Nikon at Jones Beach Theater - Wantagh, NY
Aug. 05 - USANA Amphitheatre - West Valley City, UT
Aug. 07 - White River Amphitheatre - Auburn, WA
Aug. 09 - Shoreline Amphitheatre at Mountain View - Mountain View, CA
Aug. 11 - The Forum - Inglewood - Inglewood, CA
Aug. 13 - Verizon Wireless Amphitheater - Irvine, CA
Aug. 14 - MGM Grand Garden Arena - Las Vegas, NV
Aug. 16 - Red Rocks Amphitheatre - Morrison, CO
Aug. 20 - INTRUST Bank Arena - Wichita, KS
Aug. 22 - Verizon Wireless Amphitheater St. Louis - Maryland Heights, MO
Aug. 25 - Qwest Center Omaha - Omaha, NE
Aug. 27 - Minnesota State Fair - St. Paul, MN
Aug. 29 - Nationwide Arena - Columbus, OH
Aug. 31 - Allentown Fairgrounds Grandstand - Allentown, PA
Sep. 02 - New York State Fair Grandstand - Syracuse, NY
Sep. 03 - PNC Bank Arts Center - Holmdel, NJ
Sep. 14 - TD Garden - Boston, MA
Sep. 16 - Consol Energy Center - Pittsburgh, PA
Sep. 18 - Jiffy Lube Live - Bristow, VA
Sep. 21 - BOK Center - Tulsa, OK
Sep. 23 - AT&T Center - San Antonio, TX
Sep. 25 - Cynthia Woods Mitchell Pavilion - The Woodlands, TX
Sep. 26 - Superpages.com Center - Dallas, TX
Sep. 29 - Verizon Wireless Amphitheatre - Alpharetta, GA
Oct. 01 - Ford Amphitheatre - Tampa, FL
Oct. 02 - Cruzan Amphitheatre - West Palm Beach, FL

Tickets go on sale on April 17.

RUSH has started pre-production at Cherry Beach Sound in Toronto, Canada, according to RushIsABand.com. Guitarist Alex Lifeson is engineering the sessions for the Canadian trio's first new music since its 2007 album "Snakes & Arrows". What form that music will take, however, is still a matter of debate. Drummer Neil Peart told the Canadian Press that the band was going to work on two songs, adding, "If they turn out well, we'll maybe even release them (on their own). We're saying, what if we do a little songwriting and then a little touring to play those songs, and then get back to the songwriting again? It would be an interesting way to shake up our usual way."

Bassist/singer Geddy Lee told The Pulse Of Radio a while back that he's the one who usually gets the writing and recording process started. "I think it's usually me, because I have more Jewish guilt than the other guys do. And even though I have no problem completely disregarding my responsibilities for at least a year, after a year and a couple of months I start feeling a bit like I should really probably do something that's less indulgent than collecting wine or going to ball games or playing tennis."

Peart also told the Winnipeg Press earlier in the year, "We feel very much liberated from the album format in a way right now, because in the three years since our last album, suddenly albums don't mean anything."

After the pre-production work is done in Toronto, it's rumored that RUSH may finish up in Nashville, possibly with "Snakes & Arrows" co-producer Nick Raskulinecz.

Native American Musician Lisa LaRue Issues Statement

April 6, 2010
For Immediate Release


West Muskogee, OK - Lisa LaRue, known for her prog-rock songwriting and keyboard musicianship via her solo projects and Project 2k9, has issued a statement regarding the passing of Cherokee tribal leader and National Woman's Hall of Fame Inductee Wilma Mankiller:

"It is with sincere sadness to be informed of the passing of Cherokee tribal leader Wilma Mankiller today. Former Chief Mankiller gave hope and inspiration to Cherokee women, both young and old, including myself. She was an icon and a role model. As Oklahoma’s Native American Artist of the Year, I am proof that a Cherokee with dreams can achieve them - with tenacity, which was a hallmark of former Chief Mankiller’s philosophy. As President Barack Obama declared, “Her legacy will continue to encourage and motivate all who carry on her work.” As a promoter of our people’s history through both my musical career and my tribal work as Director of Language, History and Culture for the Keetoowah Cherokee, I will carry on her work and vision. I send my sincere sympathy to her husband Charlie, her daughters, and other family, friends and colleagues."

Wilma Mankiller (November 18, 1945 - April 6, 2010), once a dirt-poor Oklahoma farm girl, grew up to make history, becoming the first woman principal chief of the Cherokee Nation. She has written several books, won numerous awards, and was the recipient of the Presidential Medal of Freedom for her vision and commitment to a brighter future for all Americans.

A composer and keyboardist, LaRue became the first female artist signed to the Sound of America Records label(SOAR) Natural Visions sublabel. Her debut release was titled "Beloved Tribal Women," produced by Will Alexander (keyboard tech to Keith Emerson, Herbie Hancock, and many other great keyboard players). The CD also received accolades for being a first in combining art with music. The CD booklet featured 14 paintings by the most awarded female Native American artist in the world, Joan Hill. The idea was, "A picture paints a thousand words," so naturally, the music was instrumental, letting the art inspire the listener. Since then, LaRue has released "Children's Songs in the Cherokee Language," "That Ol' Sofkee Spoon," "Ama," "Transformation 2012," and most recently, "World Class" released as Lisa LaRue Project 2K9.

Lisa LaRue grew up in Topeka, Kansas, but now resides in her native Oklahoma. She is a tribal member of the federally-recognized United Keetoowah Band of Cherokee Indians in Oklahoma. She is the 2008 Oklahoma Music Awards' "Native American Artist of the Year," and a 2008 nominee for the Hollywood Music Awards' "Instrumental" category. LaRue is currently working on new tracks with her band, "2KX" and with the David Mark Pearce band Strangeang3ls.

For more information about Wilma Mankiller, please visit http://www.tulsaworld.com. For more info about Lisa LaRue, please visit http://www.lisalaruemusic.com.

RUSH Announcement Expected On Thursday

According to a posting on the RUSH fan site RushIsABand.com, RUSH has launched a countdown clock splash page on the band's official web site formatted by HHMMSS where the first two digits are the hours, the next two are the minutes and the last two are the seconds. It began ticking with a reading of 480000 at 7 a.m. EST this morning and will count down to this Thursday, April 8 at 7 a.m. There is no word on the exact nature of the announcement, but new tour dates are said to be a good guess.

RUSH has reportedly commenced work on the follow-up to 2007's "Snakes & Arrows" at Cherry Beach Sound in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. Guitarist Alex Lifeson is believed to be engineering the sessions, although this information has not yet been corroborated by an official source.

RUSH drummer Neil Peart told The Canadian Press at the end of March that the band was planning to complete pre-production on two new songs in the coming weeks, with a possible tour to follow.

"We're going to put those (songs) together and if they turn out well, we'll maybe even release them (on their own)," he said. "We're saying, what if we do a little songwriting and then a little touring to play those songs, and then get back to the songwriting again? It would be an interesting way to shake up our usual way. There's nothing I can confirm yet ... these things are immensely complicated and so much involved, all I can say is that we're considering that."

Source: RNR

Greg Lake Apologizes For Recent Cancellations

From the Emerson/Lake website:

To all my friends and fans: It is with great sadness that we were forced to cancel our shows in Ohio, Pennsylvania and Connecticut.

I am pleased Keith has admitted the reasons behind the cancellation, and I trust we can leave it at that. The performance was ready; many of you heard or saw the soundcheck. Keith and I are both perfectionists. You will see that Keith has released a statement on his site explaining he felt the need to cancel because of his worry that he couldn't perform up to standard. Keith is not the first performer to have experienced stage fright, and my heart goes out to him.

This has been a difficult time and we are now moving forward with a show we both believe is technically and musically wonderful. The crew and performers rehearsed non stop through February and March. I have dedicated my life to trying to make you happy through my music and nothing saddens me more than to see that you have been disappointed by anything I was involved in. Please accept that these cancellations were entirely beyond my control and know that I am doing everything possible to ensure that these shows are rescheduled as soon as possible.

I am looking forward to seeing each of you again. I take my fans, music, and personal and professional reputation very seriously.

Thank you for all your kindness and support. Greg Lake

Hew Montgomery Leaves Abel Ganz

Recent News From The Abel Ganz Website
Hi everyone,

A short update to let you all know how sad and sorry we all are to see the departure from Abel Ganz of our good friend and keyboards player Hew Montgomery. Hew [after much soul searching] has decided that his own musical path lies not within the Abel Ganz circle and that he wishes to pursue his musical ambitions on his own.

We stress that we remain on the very best of terms with Hew. We are all very sorry indeed that he has decided to leave the band but respect his decision and wish him all the very best with whatever he does next. Indeed, the door will always remain open and it is not entirely impossible that Hew may remain involved with the Ganz camp in some capacity.

Some of you may already be aware that Hew has been working on side & solo projects for some time and much of this is reaching fruition. Please look out for a further update from Hew on the website very soon where he will make some exciting announcements regarding these projects.

That’s it for now

Progeny 3 Festival Set For May

PROGENY 3 FESTIVAL

Progeny 3 and The Progeny Fringe Festival takes place at The Assembly and Robbins Well in Leamington Spa on the weekend of 7th-9th May 2010. There are some excellent artists at this festival - not since 1983 has Twelfth Night, Solstice, Pallas and (almost) Marillion appeared on the same bill!

Artists confirmed to appear are as follows:

Progeny 3 - Saturday

Twelfth Night
The Elves Of Silbury Hill (feat Dave Brock & Tim Blake)
Here & Now
Circulus
The Future Kings Of England

Progeny 3 - Sunday

Mick Pointer's Recital Of The Script (feat Nick Barrett and others)
The Tangent
Pallas
Solstice
25 Yard Screamer

Weekend tickets £40 or £35 to CRS members. Day tickets £22.50

Progeny Fringe - Friday Night

John Mitchell & John Beck (It Bites)
Christina Booth & Chris Fry (Magenta)

Progeny Fringe - Saturday Lunchtime

Tinyfish Acoustic

Progeny Fringe - Sunday Lunchtime

Chris Johnson (Parade, Fish, Mostly Autumn)

Tickets £10/£5/£5 or £17.50 for the weekend / £15 to CRS members.

Progeny 3 tickets are available from www.leamingtonassembly.com
Tickets for all shows are available from www.theclassicrocksociety.co.uk or phone 01327 310088

This is going to be a weekend to remember so book early to avoid disappointment.