RUSH: From Beginning to End

Rush have boxed up their career. Rush 50, available ,it is their first career-spanning anthology, containing 50 tracks spread over four CDs and seven LPs. Geddy Lee says, “50? Is that all?…seriously…it’s a cool collection…but look at all those songs – I’m exhausted just reading the effin list!”

And while the band has had a hand in putting together previous retrospective collections, Alex Lifeson tells us that wasn't the case this time. "Yeah, we used to. Not so much now because, you know, we don't really have a lot of say in what goes... Having said that, Anthem [Records] is really great with us, or Universal [Music Group]. Anything that they do they do ask us. They don't need to do that, but they're there to do their thing."

There are songs off every studio, live and deluxe reissue album, plus seven unreleased tracks. These include five live selections from 1974 with the non-album songs "Bad Boy" and "Garden Road"; a Vault Edition of "The Trees" with an alternate guitar solo; and the very last performance with Neil Peart in Los Angeles on August 1st, 2015 of "What You're Doing / Working Man / Garden Road." This set also contains a 104-page hardcover book, and exclusive to the Super Deluxe edition are 20 lithographs illustrating one song from each studio album. There is also a second 100-page hardcover book, The Fullness of Time, a brand-new graphic novel in which Geddy and Alex reminisce on the trials, tribulations and successes recording each studio album and how the band's sound evolved with contributions from the producers and engineers they worked with.

RUSH: Geddy's in a Moog Mood

Rush's Geddy Lee was known for playing Moog synthesizers on stage in the '70s and '80s, and now he's got his own signature model. The synth company has launched the Moog Music Geddy Lee Minimoog Model D. It comes packaged with a 10-inch red vinyl single with the Rush tracks "Xanadu" and "Jacob's Ladder," and a certificate of authenticity hand-signed and numbered by Lee. Each one costs $5500 and can be bought through Reverb.com. Lee says "The Minimoog Model D was the first synth that made dreaming big accessible to a schlub like me. Its intuitive design lets you learn waveforms, blend sounds and experiment with the modulation wheel. That's its legacy: a fat, sophisticated sound in a package that's not daunting to get your hands on." Watch a video of Geddy Lee talking about Moog on YouTube.

GUNS N' ROSES: Snag Replacement From Awolnation

It didn't take Guns n' Roses long to name a replacement for long-time drummer Frank Ferrer.

The group posted on its social media this afternoon that Isaac Carpenter would be taking up the drum stool. He does have a strong connection to the band as he was the drummer for Duff McKagan's Loaded from 2009 to 2011. Carpenter has also played with Adam Lambert,

Barbarians of California, A Perfect Circle, The Exies, Ours and Black Lab. But his most recent job was with Awolnation, who he played with for over a decade, appearing on five of their albums. Awolnation are starting a tour on March 27th in San Diego that runs through May 10th, so Carpenter could conceivably do that tour before GNR launches their world tour in Saudi Arabia on May 23rd. As of now Awolnation haven't commented on Carpenter's new gig.

GREEN DAY: Free Show For Movie

Green Day are playing a free show at the Hollywood Palladium on Tuesday for their movie

New Years Rev. The band posted that they're looking for extras for that day and that "We’ll be playing a few songs—a LOT of times (and maybe a few others). Movies take time, so plan to stay for 10-11 hours. But don’t worry, we’ve got sandwiches and drinks covered." New Years

Rev has already done shooting in Oklahoma last month. The film is about a trio of musicians who mistakenly think they're opening for Green Day on New Year's Eve in Los Angeles. The film was written and directed by Lee Kirk.

DIRE STRAITS: Money For Something

Forty years ago this May, Dire Straits released what would become their biggest selling album, Brothers in Arms. To mark the milestone, they are releasing a deluxe edition of the album on May 16th. The three-CD or five-vinyl LP set not only contains the album, but an unreleased full-length concert from 1985 at the Municipal Auditorium in San Antonio, Texas. There is also a 28-page booklet featuring new liner notes and new interviews with band members Mark Knopfler, John Illsley and Guy Fletcher. Featuring "Money For Nothing," "Walk of Life," and "So Far Away," Brothers in Arms spent nine weeks atop the Billboard 200 and has sold over 30-million copies worldwide.

ALICE COOPER: Welcome to His Tour

Alice Cooper started his first solo tour 50 years ago today (Friday) March 21st, 1975, at Wings Stadium in Kalamazoo, Michigan. It was in support of 1975's Welcome to My Nightmare, his first album without the Alice Cooper band. "I said I think we can actually take this to a level that nobody's ever seen before. I mean we did 65 cities in 72 days at some point. You know, when you're 23 years old you're bulletproof. You know, you could go on forever. And that was a very hard show. That was a two hour show with every single song was a major theatrical piece. It was really the closest thing to a Broadway show." The tour, which also visited Canada and Europe, ran through December 18th with the finale of a six-night stand in Lake Tahoe, Nevada. He revived it in 1977 for 11 dates in Australia and one in New Zealand. Cooper also met his wife Sheryl on the tour as she was hired as one of the dancers. They wed on March 20th, 1976.

Gene Simmons Cancels Solo Tour

Maybe that weather gig was more appealing. The planned tour of Gene Simmons and the Gene Simmons Band has been canceled. Ticketmaster sent the following message to ticket holders yesterday: "Unfortunately, the Event Organizer has had to cancel your event. You don’t need to do a thing. We’ll issue a refund to the original method of payment used at time of purchase, as soon as funds are received from the Event Organizer. It should appear on your account within 14-21 days." No word from Gene or anyone else as to why the tour was canceled.

KISS: Dressed to Walk

Wednesday (March 19) marked the 50th anniversary of KISS releasing their third album, 1975's Dressed to Kill. Starting this Saturday, you can take a walking audio tour of the New York City neighborhood where, on October 26th, 1974, while dressed in suits, they posed for photographer Bob Gruen against a traffic light pole on the corner of West 23rd Street and 8th Avenue for the album cover. With narration from Paul Stanley, Gene Simmons and Gruen, which you can access starting Saturday for free at KISSOnline.com, the tour guides you through the Chelsea neighborhood where "KISS walked in 1975 [to] hear rare stories about the gritty energy that was coursing through the city." And if you can be in Manhattan Saturday, you're encouraged to make yourself up and recreate the album cover and upload your photo with the hashtag #dressedtokill50, before taking the audio tour. The first fans to do so will receive a limited Dressed to Kill T-shirt. And of course, it wouldn't be KISS if there wasn't merchandise available. In this case, Generation Records in nearby Greenwich Village, is hosting a special KISS merch pop-up.

U2 announced as first Irish act to receive Fellowship Of The Ivors Academy: "We are immensely grateful”

Irish rock band U2 will be honored with the Ivors Academy Fellowship at this year's Ivors awards for their impactful songwriting that’s shaped rock history. The band's emotional authenticity and socially charged lyrics in hits like "I Will Follow" and "With or Without You" have earned them this prestigious recognition. U2 will join the ranks of iconic songwriters like Paul McCartney and Elton John as recipients of this esteemed award. The Ivors Academy will present U2 with the fellowship at the ceremony in London on May 22.

Kirk Hammett to Share Stories Behind His Legendary Guitars in New Book

Metallica's Kirk Hammett has released a lavish coffee-table book showcasing his extensive guitar collection, including detailed stories behind each of his favorite instruments. The book, titled "The Collection: Kirk Hammett," offers a rare glimpse into Hammett's lifelong passion for guitars, with photographs by renowned rock photographer Ross Halfin. Available in three editions, the book captures the rich history and artistry behind each unique and rare instrument, with pre-orders available via Gibson.com. Hammett and Metallica are set to kick off the North American leg of their M72 World Tour in April, with two hometown dates in Santa Clara in June.

Bon Jovi's "Forever" Book Coming To Bookstores This Fall

Bon Jovi's "Bon Jovi: Forever" was announced last fall; a limited-edition anthology book that quickly became the fastest-selling book in Genesis Publications' 50-year history. If you missed out, no worries, a hardback bookstore version will be coming out. The book offers an unparalleled glimpse into the band's journey through rare artifacts, photography, and the personal insights of Jon Bon Jovi himself. The book showcases tons of memorabilia, including handwritten lyrics, iconic stage costumes, guitars, studio track lists and personal photographs from the band’s private collections. "Bon Jovi: Forever" will be available in bookstores everywhere September 23.

Neil Young cancels free concert in Ukraine, citing safety concerns

Neil Young has cancelled his free concert in Ukraine due to safety concerns amid the ongoing war and changing political climate. The 79-year-old rocker had planned to kick off his 'Love Earth Tour' in the Eastern European nation, which was invaded by Russia in 2022. Young expressed his apologies and stated that he could not in good conscience take his crew and instruments into the area. The tour will now start in Europe in June and July, including a headline slot at the Glastonbury Festival in the UK, before heading to North America for a series of shows. Young had initially decided to boycott Glastonbury but reversed his decision, expressing his excitement to play at the event.

IRON MAIDEN: Own a Piece of Ed

Iron Maiden's Ed Force One Boeing 747 was retired last year and cut up for scrap metal. And now fans can own a piece of the plane. German company Aviationtag has made wearable tags from the scrapped airplane. All the initial batch of tags sold out in less than an hour, so the company has started an email list where fans can be notified when another batch goes on sale.

Ed Force One pilot -- and Iron Maiden frontman -- Bruce Dickinson said that the tags are from "not just any old Boeing 747, but the Boeing 747 which I learned to fly so I could fly on Maiden around the world. So this is a bit of the airplane. It's been turned into something entirely more useful." Watch a video about making the tags on YouTube.

Music Video Director Marty Callner Dies

A music video director who Twisted Sister frontman Dee Snider calls one of his "favorite people in the world" has died. Marty Callner directed the video for "We're Not Gonna Take It," which put Twisted Sister on the rock music map. Callner also directed the video for Whitesnake's breakthrough song "Here I Go Again." He also helped revitalize a few careers, directing "If I Could Turn Back Time" by Cher, "(Dude) Looks Like a Lady" by Aerosmith, and "Never" by Heart. Callner died on March 17th at the age of 78.

IN OTHER NEWS

The late Ramones singer Joey Ramone is the subject of a children’s book for “all the kids who feel a little different.” Gabba Gabba We Accept You: The Wondrous Tale of Joey Ramone will be published on June 27th.

Dave Mason releases his 21st studio album this Friday. A Shade of Blues features contributions form Joe Bonamassa, Michael McDonald, Mike Finnigan and others. Unfortunately, Mason remains hospitalized for an infection that forced him to cancel his spring tour. A source tells us "his infection is particularly nasty and it's going to take some time to knock it out." This tour was to be his first since undergoing a heart valve replacement in November.

Elton John will be awarded the Glenn Gould Prize this fall in Toronto. The award was established in 1987 by The Glenn Gould Foundation to honor the legacy of Canadian pianist Glenn Gould, who died in 1982 at age 50. Elton says, “After spending decades admiring the virtuosity of Glenn Gould’s work, I am awestruck and honored to receive this award.” Previous recipients include Leonard Cohen, Oscar Peterson and Yo-Yo Ma.

Lynyrd Skynyrd have signed with Frontiers Music and the first release is Celebrating 50 Years - Live at the Ryman, an album and DVD captured at the historic Nashville venue in 2022. It was the final performance for founding member and guitarist Gary Rossington. The release date has yet to be announced.

Brian Setzer has shared an update on his health after announcing last month that he had an autoimmune disease that had left him unable to play the guitar. He posted on social media, "I just want to let you all know that I'm getting better day by day. The progress I'm making is excellent… Thank you all for your love and support – it truly means the world to me. I was deeply touched."

Carlos Santana has posted a video on Instagram of himself rehearsing with the caption, “We can’t wait to touch your heart with these notes.” Carlos and the Santana band start their Oneness tour on April 16th in Highland, California. His new album, Sentient, will be released on March 28th.

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