Clang & Clatter

Thu Jan 12

Now I have the reward of listening to the drum parts I have performed for this album, and recognizing with quiet satisfaction that I am working at a whole new level of both funky, dirty, greasy groove and fancy show-off technique—a combination I have been seeking my entire drumming life.

Neil Peart, “At the Gate of the Year”, a blog post documenting (among other things) his new approach to composing drum parts for the upcoming Rush album Clockwork Angels

Tue Oct 04

I Let My Skin Get Too Thin

Neil Peart discusses “Time Stand Still” on Taking Center Stage

On October 14, Rush drummer and lyricist Neil Peart will release a new instructional 3-DVD set called Taking Center Stage: A Lifetime of Live Performance through Hudson Music:

Filmed in various locations over the course of a year, Neil takes you on a behind-the- scenes look at Rush’s 2010-11 Time Machine Tour. This includes rare and exclusive footage of Neil’s personal pre-tour rehearsals and backstage events at a Rush concert (including a visit to the soundcheck, an unprecedented backstage interview, and Neil’s warm-up routine)…

With in-studio rehearsal footage, backstage scenes, live concert performances, and breathtaking interview footage filmed in Death Valley National Park, California, this package documents not only Neil’s approach to live performance, but the very essence of his drumming style

If this is your sort of thing, you can pre-order your copy of Taking Center Stage today. Additional features include:

Over 6 hours of footage
Neil’s personal drum rehearsals
Set-up and soundcheck footage
Backstage interview as Neil warms up for a Rush concert
Detailed discussion of classic Rush drum parts, with slow-motion, drums-only demonstrations and e-Book with transcriptions
Live, drum-camera performances of every song on the Time Machine tour
One-hour interview, explanation, and demonstration of new Rush song, “Caravan”

In this clip from the DVD, Peart discusses the timbale fills in the intro of the Hold Your Fire track “Time Stands Still,” the inspiration for which he later discovered was not actually a real human performance. This man never ceases to amaze me.

Enjoy!

Mon Sep 12

Click for high-res photo

Happy Birthday to The Professor, Neil Peart! Still one of the very best around.

Tue Jul 26

One, Two, Three, Four

CCCP (Carey, Claypool, Copeland, Peart) - “Count Drumula”

What happens when you put Neil Peart, Les Claypool, Stewart Copeland, and Danny Carey together in Copeland’s studio to jam? Apparently you get a project called CCCP and music that sounds like this.

Enjoy!