Neil Peart -- The Latest News

There's a new contest for Canadian residents only called Snag the Snare, where you can win one of three limited editing snare drums ore some other secondary prizes. These snares are replicas of the drum Neil used to record his version of "The Hockey Theme." The contest ends on December 16.

Here's more information about the contest:

Contest starts on Monday, December, 5 2011 at 12:01 p.m. Eastern Time ("ET") and closes on Friday, December 16, 2011 at 11:59:59 p.m. ET (the "Contest Period"). There are (i) three (3) grand prizes (the "Grand Prizes"), one of which will be awarded in each of the following three provinces from among all the eligible entries received in each of these respective provinces during the Contest Period: Ontario, Manitoba and Quebec; and (ii) thirty (30) secondary prizes (the "Secondary Prizes"), each consisting of a CD, DVD or Blu Ray copy of "Rush -- Time Machine, Live in Cleveland" of which four (4) CDs, four (4) DVDs and two (2) Blu Ray copies will be awarded in each of the following three provinces from among all the eligible entries received in each of these respective provinces during the Contest Period: Ontario, Manitoba and Quebec, (the Grand Prizes and Secondary Prizes are collectively the "Prizes" and each a "Prize"). Limit of one Prize per household. No purchase necessary.

The contest is sponsored by TSN, Rush, and Drum Workshop.

Snag The Snare

Read more about Neil's "Hockey Theme" drum kit.

Thanks to Rushisaband for the head's up!

Labels: contests, drums, Hockey Theme

I just received Neil Peart's new video yesterday, "Fire on Ice: The Making of 'The Hockey Theme'" and wanted to post a short review. You can order the video by clicking the following image:

The DVD shows the progression of Neil Peart's version of "The Hockey Theme," from early arrangements of the song to the final music video. In between is a fascinating behind-the-scenes glimpse into the creative process behind this one-minute song.

What I found particularly interesting were:

• Neil and composer Matt Harris discussing the initial ideas of the arrangement
• Neil playing to multiple demo versions of the song
• Neil discussing drum set ideas with the folks at DW
• DW artist Louis showing the process of painting the drums
• Neil rehearsing with Cal State Northridge students (I'm sure those students had some stories to tell!)

Through all of this, you can see Neil Peart's passion for his work. I've never seen him so open about his creative process -- and I think a lot of it has to do with his reverence for "The Hockey Theme."

The Extras on the disc include extended scenes of creating the arrangement and the drum set. There's also some footage of the surprise visit of The Stanley Cup to the recording session. In all, there's over 90 minutes of footage on this disc.

If you want to read Neil's essay about this project, read "Fire on Ice" on his official website.

Labels: Drum Channel, Hockey Theme, videos

Looks like Neil's kit will be heading to the Hockey Hall of Fame this September.

Here's a short video from TSN:

NHL : Heading to the Hall

Thanks to Rushisaband for the head's up.

Labels: drums, Hockey Theme

Drum Channel has posted a nine-minute video about the making of the Hockey Theme.

Watch the Making of the Hockey Theme with Neil Peart

Via Rushisaband.com

Labels: Drum Channel, Hockey Theme, videos

Here's the announcement from the Rock Band website:

DLC Week of 3/9 - White Stripes, Shaimus, Neil Peart and more! - Rock Band Forums

Labels: Hockey Theme, Rock Band

Labels: Hockey Theme, polls

The video for Neil Peart's version of The Hockey Theme is now available on TSN.

Click to watch the video on TSN. (Unfortunately, you'll need to wait through an advertisement.)

Or you can watch a different version of the video on YouTube:

There's also a gallery of the photo shoot.

An official mailing from Rush included the following:

Peart's rendition of The Hockey Theme also available to fans on iTunes on January 19 and his custom drum kit used to record "Canada's second national anthem" to be donated to the Hockey Hall of Fame.

Thanks to Roman Dino for the head's up!

Labels: Hockey Theme

In an interview with the Canadian Press, Neil Peart discusses Rush's "liberated" approach to the new Rush album as well as his re-recording of the Hockey Theme.

Rush drummer says next project might not be album

Speaking of the Hockey Theme, the new version of the song will premiere this Thursday, January 14, according to this interview:

Peart's version (of the Hockey Theme) will debut on TSN during Thursday's broadcast of the Toronto-Philadelphia game and will then be used for the rest of the season by the network.

Labels: Clockwork Angels, Hockey Theme, interview

DW posted an article about building the new DW NHL Logo kit for Neil Peart.

DW Builds NHL Logo Kit for Neil Peart's Rendition of the League's Official Theme Song

According to the article:

The set will be seen before each "Hockey Night in Canada" telecast and will also follow around the Stanley cup as it travels from arena to arena. Eventually, the set will wind up in the Hockey Hall of Fame in Toronto, Canada.

Sabian artist rep Chris Stankee, who helped "tech" the sessions for the new Hockey Song, as Lorne Wheaton is on the road, also posted an article:

Neil Peart Records New Hockey Theme

There are some additional photos of the sessions on beyond20khz's Flickr account.

Finally, I found an interesting website that details the long negotiations between Delores Claman, composer of the Hockey Song, and CBC. After the negotiations collapsed and CBC announced a contest for a new song, CTV bought the song. The story is also detailed in this article in MacLean's.

Here's an excerpt from the MacLean's article, written on June 11, 2008:

Why the CBC would let (the Hockey Song) slip away is a puzzle for the ages. After years of trading on the cultural significance of its broadcast, the corporation appeared determined last week to jettison the hymn that called their fans to communion. On Friday, executives breezily announced a $100,000 contest to come up with a new theme, as if 41 years of tradition could be replaced in a summer jingle-off. A barrage of 1,500 calls and emails from angry viewers gave them pause, and on Monday they announced they wished to reopen talks with the help of a mediator. Yet, in words and in actions, CBC managers rejected the notion that the soul of the broadcast could be tied up in a few bars of music. "What Hockey Night in Canada is really about is hockey," Scott Moore, the executive director of CBC Sports, told one reporter. "Everything else is just window dressing."

Thanks to Rushisband.com for the head's up.

Labels: cymbals, Drum Workshop, drums, Hockey Theme, Sabian

There's a short video on the TSN website that shows Neil Peart recording his new version of "The Hockey Theme" with a new drum kit. This DW kit is white and has logos from all 30 NHL teams.

Watch the video

Story about the recording and the drum kit

Thanks to RushFan19 on The Rush Message board for the head's up.

Labels: Hockey Theme, videos

Neil Peart will record a new version of The Hockey Theme. From the "Globe and Mail" story:

The theme, originally composed by Dolores Claman in 1968, was best known as the music that opened CBC's "Hockey Night in Canada" for 40 years.

Peart's theme will be used on TSN and RDS broadcasts later this year.

Globe and Mail: Peart to Record "Hockey Theme"

Press Release

Thanks to Eric at PowerWindows and Ed at Rushisaband for the head's up.

Labels: Hockey Theme