Geddy’s Baseball Adventure

I wasn’t too inspired to blog last week, but have an interesting story which I heard on a local Kansas City talk radio station (KMBZ-FM) and I think it bears repeating. Canadian band RUSH has been in the headlines recently because they announced they will tour again with a new drummer to fill the enormous shoes left by the death of Neil Peart. (Her name is Anika Nilles.)

That said, the story isn’t really about that at all. Instead, it’s something new I learned about RUSH bassist Geddy Lee. Apparently, he’s an avid baseball fan and collector. Recently, he donated a collection of 400 autographed baseballs to The Negro Leagues Baseball Museum, which is located in Kansas City, Missouri. https://www.nlbm.com/exhibit/the-geddy-lee-collection/ He wants to keep things “Closer to the Heart.”

I never knew Lee was into baseball or even collected for that matter, but that must be old news to fans of the Toronto Blue Jays. I saw at least one pic of him sitting behind home plate at a home game.

There is no shortage of division, differences, and animosity in the world today, but I think this story shows human beings CAN still find common ground regardless of race and nationality for starters.

Play Ball!

Till next time, keep your Mojo on the Horizon!

No Fading, Buddy – Pt. 3

“Not Fade Away” is an interesting three chord tune which has been recorded a lot. Buddy Holly is the brains/voice/guitar/pen behind the original version which came out in 1957. The song was later recorded and released by The Rolling Stones (twice) , Sheryl Crow, and….Canadian three piece band Rush?

Yes, THAT Rush — the prog rock band with bassist/keyboardist Geddy Lee on vocals. It seems a little odd to hear this version now, but give the band credit for going with a Buddy Holly tune for this early recording in their now well-known catalog. This was pre-Neil Peart Rush for die-hard fans with John Rutsey on drums.

Deadheads will associate the same song with The Grateful Dead. However, you might have to wait 3 minutes or longer to hear the actual vocals. I guess that’s status quo for a jam band.

I have some appreciation for The Grateful Dead — especially the guitar playing of Jerry Garcia — but I worked in radio for a time. I don’t think a 3 minute intro is exactly what’s considered to be “radio-friendly”, especially since the original was less than two and a half minutes long. They do get bonus points for the sugar skull artwork from me at least.

I wonder how many other versions of this tune are blog-worthy?

Till next time, keep your Mojo on the Horizon!

Left or Right Brained Rush?

When you think about the band Rush (or RUSH), what pops into your mind? For me, I get a couple of specific visual images. Both come from my 1970s upbringing in suburban St. Louis, Missouri. The first is the image of the circled pentagram and “2112” spray painted on specific subdivision streets. The second is a large belt buckle emblazoned with the nude dude from the same album cover.

Musically, Rush is known for musical talent (if not virtuosity) a la Neil Peart, Geddy Lee, and Alex Lifeson who are all considered to be monster players on their instruments. Their songwriting is a whole other lengthy discussion. Suffice to say, there are normally some heavy concepts involved, which brings me to “Circumstances” from Rush’s 1978 album “Hemispheres”.

The chorus of the song is based around the cliche that “The more that things change, The more they stay the same”, which I have found to be true. The song also features the same sentiment au Francais as, “Plus ca change, Plus c’est la meme chose”. I was in college when I bought the cassette tape of the album. I can remember discussing another song on the same album with a college buddy of mine. Prior to our discussion, I had not heard about “The Trees” from the same record.

I’ve read things about what inspired the song, but I suppose the beauty of “The Trees” is its open to interpretation in its own Orwellian sort of way. Kudos on the lyrics.

The rest of “Hemispheres” is perhaps where the whole progressive rock thing applies — sophisticated, lengthy instrumentals. I was a psychology major so I can relate to the two hemispheres or sides of our brains which control logic, reasoning, and math (left side) along with creativity (right side). Rush is an interesting mix of both.

Till next time, keep your Mojo on the Horizon!

Workingman’s Rush

“Working Man” by the Canadian power trio Rush popped into my head today so I had to listen to it repeatedly and dissect it. I’ve always loved the guitar in this song from their 1974 self-titled debut. As a whole, this song ROCKS!

It’s not just the guitar that makes this song enjoyable for me. I love the lyrics and the driving feel to it. I think this song has an angry undertone tone. I mean, who is happy to be doing nothing but working your ass off, right? “I got no time for livin’, Yes, I’m workin’ all the time.”

When I was growing up, I would see tons of fans wearing their Rush concert t-shirts. There was also a subdivision entrance with the circled-star-Rush-2112 spray painted on the street. There are a lot of die hard Rush fans, but I wouldn’t put myself in that category. There are also rallying cries I’ve heard about the band over the years: Neil Peart/Geddy Lee is the best rock drummer/bassist ever, etc. That, or, they’re a great band, but I can’t stand Geddy’s singing voice. I have no problem with his voice, but maybe that’s one reason why this tune appeals to me. “Working Man” actually features Neil Peart’s predecessor John Rutsey on drums as well.

Getting back to the guitar, there are plenty of parts to dissect: the opening lick, the siren lick, and lots of hard driving solos in the E minor pentatonic vein. What’s not to love about it! Oh by the way, the guitarist’s name is Alex Lifeson.

Till next time, keep your Mojo on the Horizon!

Pronunciation: Ears of the Beholder

A few random thoughts on pronunciations in the musical world popped into my head recently. I’m sure there are lots of issues and interpretations with them, but two jump to mind.

The first one is familiar to guitarists, but is also something which can be found in some household smoke detectors. The word is…drum roll, please….piezo. I hear it pronounced several different ways. I pronounce it like the letters “P” “A” plus “zo.” Some folks pronounce it like an after dinner dessert: (apple) pie and zo. Others say something like the letter “P” “ate” “zo” or “P” “et” “zo.”

I always thought piezo was an Italian term like mezzo forte, but I think it’s actually Greek. I could try to explain exactly how it works, but the bottom line is you find them in acoustic-electric guitars. I found this video on YouTube. If you just want to see/hear the fun part, skip ahead to about the 4 minute mark.

Give this dude credit. It’s a pretty creative use of cranberry juice and other household items. Piezos are also commonly used in cigar box guitars and can be used to create “stompboxes”. It’s very DIY.

As a side note, I have lots of ideas for cigar box guitar designs with or without piezos, but being handy isn’t my first love. Getting back to the world of musical pronunciations, musicians and Rush fans are mourning the loss of drummer Neil Peart. I’ve always pronounced his last name like the affordably priced shampoo “Pert”, but I’ve been told it actually sounds like “Ear” in the middle.

It sounds weird to say it that way….like I should be sipping a cocktail with my pinky finger extended, but whatever. I’ve never been an enormous Rush fan, but however you pronounce it Peart has always been revered for his abilities as a drummer. The Rush songs “Tom Sawyer” and “YYZ” seemed to be the Holy Grails of drum solos for many aspiring percussionists.

Peart also contributed lyrics to Rush songs like “A Passage to Bangkok” and music to “Limelight” (both are worth a listen) as well as the mid 70s progressive rock epic 2112 — that’s pronounced “twenty-one, twelve.”

Till next time, keep your Mojo on the Horizon!