Rush’s Alex Lifeson joined Loudwire Nights on Thursday (March 13) to celebrate today’s release of Stygian Waves, the second studio album from his band, Envy of None.
During the chat, Lifeson reflected on the history of Rush and how they started playing together in Canada in the late-’60s, around the same time Black Sabbath began making music in England.
“Those were very early days, we were playing in high schools, eventually clubs and things like that,” he recalled. “I don’t know if I was really a fan of Black Sabbath, but I did get a couple of records back then and I enjoyed listening to them. I respected Tony [Iommi’s] guitar playing… There was an interesting parallel for their beginnings and our beginnings.”
That led to talk about Black Sabbath and Ozzy Osbourne’s final concert, “Back To The Beginning”, taking place on July 5 at Villa Park in Birmingham, England.
“We were asked to be part of it and we’d agreed to do it,” says Alex, “but other things came up and sadly, we had to back out of it. It would have been a lot of fun. We enjoy playing with other people and it gets Geddy [Lee] and me together to do stuff.”
Read more and find a link to Loudwire Nights at Loudwire.
In a recent interview with Q1043 New York, host Jonathan ‘JC’ Clarke asked Lifeson if he’s ever had even a casual conversation with Geddy Lee about reforming the band with a new drummer in place of Neil Peart, who passed away in January 2020.
Alex responded, “Oh well, yeah, of course because we’re bombarded by it all the time. After Neil passed, it didn’t take more than a few minutes before we started getting e-mails from all kinds of drummers who wanted to audition for the band, thinking that we were just gonna replace somebody that we played with for 40 years who wrote all the lyrics for our music. I don’t know what some of these people were thinking.
“So, yeah, we’ve had the conversation, because we can’t avoid it. But honestly, Geddy’s my best friend. I talk to him… I must talk to him every day. We get together for dinner, we play tennis, we’re doing all this charity work together. He’s my best bud, so, yeah, I go over there. He plays bass, I play guitar… yeah, we’ll play a little bit. I go over there ostensibly to play with him and we end up just sitting and drinking coffee and laughing the whole day. So it’s not just Rush, Rush, Rush, Rush, Rush. I have a deep loving relationship with this man, and it’s not all about creating something that we did from the past.
“You never know what life brings you. Right now I’m super happy doing what I’m doing. I’m engaged with a lot of musical stuff. I love being a musician. I love playing guitar. I love playing guitar so much, it’s not just a vehicle for making a living, it’s me, it’s at the core of my essence. So it doesn’t have to be about Rush or Envy Of None. I mean, I do what I do.”
Check out the full conversation below:
Envy Of None release their second album, Stygian Wavz, today, Friday, March 14 via Kscope. Comprised of Alex Lifeson on guitar, Envy Of None also features Andy Curran on bass and programming, producer Alfio Annibalini on keyboards, and Maiah Wynne on vocals.
Though they’d never describe themselves as such, Envy Of None are the living, breathing definition of a supergroup. No other band on earth could rightly claim to have Alex Lifeson – one of rock’s most influential visionaries – heading up guitar duties, with Andy Curran of Coney Hatch and Soho 69 overseeing bass/programming as well as producer extraordinaire Alfio Annibalini on keyboards. However, the star in this band could very well be its youngest member – American singer-songwriter Maiah Wynne – whose wonderfully emotive vocals are able to spin the music in new exciting directions that thrill to the core.
On their self-titled debut of 2022, the group were able to prove that they were a lot more than the sum of their parts, with an abundance of panache and finesse poured into a contemporary alt rock sound that was hard to predict and even harder to categorize. This year’s sophomore release, Stygian Wavz, is the sound of a band basking in the radiant glow of creative confidence and coming into their own, staggering the listener with every twist and turn encased within their heady mix of genre-splicing brilliance.
Stygian Wavz is available in a selection of formats including coloured vinyl, standard black vinyl, CD, Blu-ray, digitally and as a special deluxe edition boxset.
– Limited Edition Stygian Wavz Box Set:
Includes CD and Blu-ray (with Dolby Atmos, 5.1 Surround & Hi-Res Stereo Mixes and 4 promo videos), plus Gatefold Green & Black Marble LP with individual band member prints. Also includes 12-page booklet featuring track-by-track notes from the band and exclusive photography
– Stygian Wavz Blu-ray edition, exclusive to Super Deluxe Edition:
Includes the album in 24/96 hi-res stereo, plus Dolby Atmos and 5.1 surround mixes by Alex Gamble, packed in a Blu-ray amaray case with a 12-page lyric book. Includes promotional videos for ‘That Was Then’ and ‘Under The Stars’ (directed by Olivier Boscovitch) also included as well as promotional videos for ‘Not Dead Yet’ and ‘Stygian Waves’ (director: Mariano Biotico)
– Stygian Wavz Pink Vinyl Edition: North America Exclusive
– Stygian Wavz Blue Vinyl Edition: Kscope Store + Independent Retailers
– Stygian Wavz ‘EON Purple’ Vinyl Edition: Envy Of None Store Exclusive
– Stygian Wavz Black Vinyl LP Edition, mastered at half-speed
– Stygian Wavz Digipak CD with 16-page booklet
Order all formats here.
Stygian Wavz tracklisting:
“Not Dead Yet”
“The Story”
“Under The Stars”
“Thrill Of The Chase”
“Handle With Care”
“That Was Then”
“Raindrops”
“New Trip”
“Clouds”
“The End”
“Stygian Waves”
“Stygian Waves” video:
“Not Dead Yet” video:
“Under The Stars” video:
Trailer:
Envy Of None are:
Alf Annibalini – Guitar, Keyboards, Programming
Andy Curran – Bass Guitar, Synthesized Bass, Programming, Guitar, Background Vocals, Stylophone
Alex Lifeson- Guitar, Mandola, Banjo, Programming
Maiah Wynne – Lead Vocals, Background Vocals, Keyboards
(Top photo – Andrew MacNaughtan)
The post RUSH’s ALEX LIFESON And GEDDY LEE Were Invited To Be Part Of Final BLACK SABBATH Show – “We’d Agreed To Do It, But…” appeared first on BraveWords - Where Music Lives.
Continue reading...
During the chat, Lifeson reflected on the history of Rush and how they started playing together in Canada in the late-’60s, around the same time Black Sabbath began making music in England.
“Those were very early days, we were playing in high schools, eventually clubs and things like that,” he recalled. “I don’t know if I was really a fan of Black Sabbath, but I did get a couple of records back then and I enjoyed listening to them. I respected Tony [Iommi’s] guitar playing… There was an interesting parallel for their beginnings and our beginnings.”
That led to talk about Black Sabbath and Ozzy Osbourne’s final concert, “Back To The Beginning”, taking place on July 5 at Villa Park in Birmingham, England.
“We were asked to be part of it and we’d agreed to do it,” says Alex, “but other things came up and sadly, we had to back out of it. It would have been a lot of fun. We enjoy playing with other people and it gets Geddy [Lee] and me together to do stuff.”
Read more and find a link to Loudwire Nights at Loudwire.
In a recent interview with Q1043 New York, host Jonathan ‘JC’ Clarke asked Lifeson if he’s ever had even a casual conversation with Geddy Lee about reforming the band with a new drummer in place of Neil Peart, who passed away in January 2020.
Alex responded, “Oh well, yeah, of course because we’re bombarded by it all the time. After Neil passed, it didn’t take more than a few minutes before we started getting e-mails from all kinds of drummers who wanted to audition for the band, thinking that we were just gonna replace somebody that we played with for 40 years who wrote all the lyrics for our music. I don’t know what some of these people were thinking.
“So, yeah, we’ve had the conversation, because we can’t avoid it. But honestly, Geddy’s my best friend. I talk to him… I must talk to him every day. We get together for dinner, we play tennis, we’re doing all this charity work together. He’s my best bud, so, yeah, I go over there. He plays bass, I play guitar… yeah, we’ll play a little bit. I go over there ostensibly to play with him and we end up just sitting and drinking coffee and laughing the whole day. So it’s not just Rush, Rush, Rush, Rush, Rush. I have a deep loving relationship with this man, and it’s not all about creating something that we did from the past.
“You never know what life brings you. Right now I’m super happy doing what I’m doing. I’m engaged with a lot of musical stuff. I love being a musician. I love playing guitar. I love playing guitar so much, it’s not just a vehicle for making a living, it’s me, it’s at the core of my essence. So it doesn’t have to be about Rush or Envy Of None. I mean, I do what I do.”
Check out the full conversation below:
Envy Of None release their second album, Stygian Wavz, today, Friday, March 14 via Kscope. Comprised of Alex Lifeson on guitar, Envy Of None also features Andy Curran on bass and programming, producer Alfio Annibalini on keyboards, and Maiah Wynne on vocals.
Though they’d never describe themselves as such, Envy Of None are the living, breathing definition of a supergroup. No other band on earth could rightly claim to have Alex Lifeson – one of rock’s most influential visionaries – heading up guitar duties, with Andy Curran of Coney Hatch and Soho 69 overseeing bass/programming as well as producer extraordinaire Alfio Annibalini on keyboards. However, the star in this band could very well be its youngest member – American singer-songwriter Maiah Wynne – whose wonderfully emotive vocals are able to spin the music in new exciting directions that thrill to the core.
On their self-titled debut of 2022, the group were able to prove that they were a lot more than the sum of their parts, with an abundance of panache and finesse poured into a contemporary alt rock sound that was hard to predict and even harder to categorize. This year’s sophomore release, Stygian Wavz, is the sound of a band basking in the radiant glow of creative confidence and coming into their own, staggering the listener with every twist and turn encased within their heady mix of genre-splicing brilliance.
Stygian Wavz is available in a selection of formats including coloured vinyl, standard black vinyl, CD, Blu-ray, digitally and as a special deluxe edition boxset.
– Limited Edition Stygian Wavz Box Set:
Includes CD and Blu-ray (with Dolby Atmos, 5.1 Surround & Hi-Res Stereo Mixes and 4 promo videos), plus Gatefold Green & Black Marble LP with individual band member prints. Also includes 12-page booklet featuring track-by-track notes from the band and exclusive photography
– Stygian Wavz Blu-ray edition, exclusive to Super Deluxe Edition:
Includes the album in 24/96 hi-res stereo, plus Dolby Atmos and 5.1 surround mixes by Alex Gamble, packed in a Blu-ray amaray case with a 12-page lyric book. Includes promotional videos for ‘That Was Then’ and ‘Under The Stars’ (directed by Olivier Boscovitch) also included as well as promotional videos for ‘Not Dead Yet’ and ‘Stygian Waves’ (director: Mariano Biotico)
– Stygian Wavz Pink Vinyl Edition: North America Exclusive
– Stygian Wavz Blue Vinyl Edition: Kscope Store + Independent Retailers
– Stygian Wavz ‘EON Purple’ Vinyl Edition: Envy Of None Store Exclusive
– Stygian Wavz Black Vinyl LP Edition, mastered at half-speed
– Stygian Wavz Digipak CD with 16-page booklet
Order all formats here.
Stygian Wavz tracklisting:
“Not Dead Yet”
“The Story”
“Under The Stars”
“Thrill Of The Chase”
“Handle With Care”
“That Was Then”
“Raindrops”
“New Trip”
“Clouds”
“The End”
“Stygian Waves”
“Stygian Waves” video:
“Not Dead Yet” video:
“Under The Stars” video:
Trailer:
Envy Of None are:
Alf Annibalini – Guitar, Keyboards, Programming
Andy Curran – Bass Guitar, Synthesized Bass, Programming, Guitar, Background Vocals, Stylophone
Alex Lifeson- Guitar, Mandola, Banjo, Programming
Maiah Wynne – Lead Vocals, Background Vocals, Keyboards
(Top photo – Andrew MacNaughtan)
The post RUSH’s ALEX LIFESON And GEDDY LEE Were Invited To Be Part Of Final BLACK SABBATH Show – “We’d Agreed To Do It, But…” appeared first on BraveWords - Where Music Lives.
Continue reading...
