Fundraising Goal set at $1 Million Sept. 12, 2024 — Following the official launch event at Lakeside Park on what would have been Neil Peart’s 72nd birthday, the City of St. Catharines Neil Peart Commemorative Task Force is proud to announce the beginning of a fundraising campaign to honour legendary drummer Neil Peart with a public work of art. The campaign, which aims to raise $1 million, will fund the installation of a memorial alongside the Neil Peart Pavilion at Lakeside Park – a location forever tied to Peart through his lyrics to the hit RUSH song of the same name. Mayor Mat Siscoe reflected on Peart’s deep connection with …

SILVER SURFERS For Neil Peart, cars were a lifelong passion, and in his final literary creation, he writes about his beloved Silver Surfers collection; the joy of collecting these exquisite, rare, and important sports cars, and the myriad ways that they brought him great joy. Silver Surfers is an homage to these cars that meant so much to him, and to the passion of the road that fueled his life. He first traces the roots of his auto obsession, taking us back to where it all began, with a 1969 Lotus Europa; through the cars he bought when the band first made it big, and even his first “family car,” …

Modern Drummer Announces Neil Peart Spirit of Drumming Scholarship We are happy to announce that Modern Drummer is celebrating the life and legacy of Neil Peart by inspiring an up and coming, young drummer with an incredible opportunity. In memory of Neil, with the support of his family, Modern Drummer is proud to present an up-and-coming drummer with the annual “Neil Peart Spirit of Drumming Scholarship”. The scholarship, originally announced at the 2020 Modern Drummer Festival by Carrie Nuttall-Peart, provides the recipient with 52 weeks of free drum lessons from world-class drum instructor Dom Famularo, along with a 1 year subscription to Modern Drummer All Access, plus a selection of classic Rush album releases from Universal Music Enterprises. Potential recipients of the scholarship must be qualified entrants to participate. A “qualified entrant” is defined as someone who is a legal US citizen between the ages of …

As you may have seen, Neil Peart’s meticulously curated car collection, dubbed the “Silver Surfers,” will be going up for auction next month at the Pebble Beach Concours d’ Elegance. Neil’s love of classic cars was a lifelong passion, and prior to his passing, he was extremely proud to have completed his final book titled, “Silver Surfers.” The following passage from his first coffee table book explains, in his own words, how the collection name came about: “The title Silver Surfers for my collection of cars occurred to me while driving my DB5 up and down the Pacific Ocean. Because it felt right to me, I guess – the idea …

The Spirit of Neil Peart cover story in Rolling Stone. Thank you to Brian Hiatt for writing such a fine tribute on this sad day, the year anniversary of Neil’s passing. And to all the fans that have posted such wonderful tributes. Thank you    

Thank you to the Percussive Arts Society for including Neil Peart in your 2020 Hall of Fame. For fans to share in the special induction, read and watch the video here.    

Thank you to Modern Drummer for honouring Neil Peart on his upcoming birthday at their Modern Drummer Festival 2020. Proceeds from ticket sales will benefit brain tumor research at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center. Get your streaming link ticket here and see you on September 12!

Back on May 5, 2012, Rush became laureates of The Governor General’s Performing Arts Award (affectionately nicknamed The GG’s), Canada’s highest honour in the performing arts. It was a diverse and inspiring group that year, as Rush stood alongside Deepa Mehta, Des McAnuff, Mary Walsh, Paul-Andre Fortier, Denis Marleau, Erlaine Collins & Janina Fialkowska. Longtime pal Matt Stone had made the trip to Ottawa and unsurprisingly, delivered a highly entertaining induction speech for the band. “More than anything, it made me proud of Canada—that an event like that could embrace the country’s artists across such a broad spectrum, from high-falutin’ artsy types to rock bums like us, and represent them …

In celebration of today’s anniversary of the release of  Snakes & Arrows (2007), here is a behind the scenes story from that time: Before the Snakes & Arrows Tour, Neil asked Patrick at Showtech if he could customize his drumming hats and stage tees for him.  Naturally the answer was, “Yes, sir!”.  The hats were meticulously made by a very talented Toronto-area hatter, who took into account the very precise measurements of Neil’s cranium.  The tees were embellished with a foil printing technique of the ouroboros from the S&A album graphics.  The production of these hats and tees fell inside of one week from the tour start, as the band was …

2112 Anniversary (April 1, 1976) There are many stories behind the albums and the artwork of Rush. Neil Peart tells a futuristic story in 2112 of the Starman representing a hero who fights against collectivist mentality (depicted by the evil red star). During the buildup to the Time Machine Tour in 2010, Neil warned against any crossover with the Starman, and the steampunk-themed 2010 tour. Peart wrote, “Fundamentally, thematically, philosophically, and narratively, the Starman has no place in the Time Machine/ steampunk world.  That’s all there is to it.  Placing the Starman over clockworks and steam valves and those images makes my skin crawl, because the stories are so diametrically …