News
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,” before taking us on a tour of the Silver Surfers themselves—a rare collection of some of the most iconic sports cars from the 1960s. From a 1964 Aston Martin DB5 to a classic 1963 Chevrolet Corvette Sting Ray, each is a gorgeous silver (with the exception of one: a black 1964 Shelby Cobra whose patina Neil loved so much that he wrote, “I am not going to paint it”).
“The title Silver Surfers for my collection of cars occurred to me while driving my DB5 up and down the Pacific Coast Highway. Because it felt right to me, I guess – the idea that I was just one of the wave riders…
“In search of natural peace, I often drove out that way and up in to the Santa Monica Mountains. Out past Malibu to Ventura County, I’d weave along barren ridges of rock and vegetation, the ocean always on one big side…
“The waves were slow and gentle, or churned out a powerful, rolling rhythm…” Neil Peart
CLOCKWORK DESTINY Deluxe Publisher’s Edition available
ECW Press has produced a special deluxe slipcased and numbered edition of Clockwork Destiny, Neil’s final novel with Kevin J. Anderson. Limited to 500 copies, each one signed by Kevin J. Anderson and cover artist Steve Otis. These limited copies will ship out three weeks before the release date of the novel. Order from wordfireshop.com or from ECW Press https://ecwpress.com/
CLOCKWORK DESTINY
to be released June 14 2022
The final volume in the New York Times–bestselling, award-winning steampunk trilogy created by Neil Peart and science fiction author Kevin J. Anderson, building upon the world in the Rush album Clockwork Angels. To be released in a fine edition June 14, 2022.
In the first two novels, Clockwork Angels and Clockwork Lives, readers met the optimistic young hero Owen Hardy, as well as the more reluctant adventurer Marinda Peake, in an amazing world of airships and alchemy, fantastic carnivals and lost cities. Now Owen Hardy, retired and content in his quiet, perfect life with the beautiful Francesca, is pulled into one last adventure with his eager grandson Alain. This final mission for the Watchmaker will take them up to the frozen lands of Ultima Thule and the ends of the Earth. Marinda Peake must undertake a mission of her own, not only to compile the true life story of the mysterious Watchmaker, but also to stop a deadly new group of anarchists.
The final novel in the trilogy was developed together in the last years of Peart’s life, and more than a year after his passing, Anderson returned to that unfinished project, with the full support of Peart’s wife, bringing Owen and Marinda’s stories to a satisfying and stirring conclusion.
Copies signed by Kevin J. Anderson available from WordFire Shop.
Neil Peart Spirit of Drumming Scholarship Recipient Announced
https://www.moderndrummer.com/2022/03/neil-peart-spirit-of-drumming-scholarship-winner-announcement/
The Neil Peart Scholarship, in collaboration with Neil’s wife Carrie & Modern Drummer, is proud to present the first recipient of the Neil Peart Spirit of Drumming Scholarship, Maxx Rinkus.
The scholarship, originally announced at the 2020 Modern Drummer Festival by Carrie Nuttall-Peart, provides Maxx with 52 weeks of 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.
In this video, Maxx is presented with the scholarship by Carrie Nuttall-Peart, Modern Drummer CEO David Frangioni, Educator Dom Famularo and Dennis Wolfe of Universal Music.
Neil Peart Inducted into
Percussive Arts Society Hall of Fame
Neil Peart was inducted into the prestigious Percussive Arts Society Hall of Fame in May 2020. Due to Covid restrictions, the official ceremony was not held until November 2021.
Read the full article and watch the video here.
Neil Peart Spirit of Drumming Scholarship By Modern Drummer
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 14 and 21, is not a professional musician, and is not a party to any sponsorship or entertainment contract that, in Modern Drummer’s judgment, conflicts with the spirit of the scholarship.
Potential recipients must submit up to a 2-minute video of their playing AND a short essay describing why this scholarship will be significant to both their life and their drumming. The impact on their drumming that has been inspired by Neil’s playing and legacy.
To enter and for full Official Rules, go to https://www.moderndrummer.com/neil-peart-spirit-of-drumming-scholarship/ fill out the form and upload the video along with your essay.
All submissions must be received by Modern Drummer prior to November 26, 2021.
Entries will be reviewed in the order they are received, and the recipient will be announced at the Modern Drummer 2021 Festival, as well as featured in an upcoming issue of Modern Drummer.
Be inspired by the legacy & legend, “The Professor” Neil Peart by entering now.
Bio
Neil Peart was born September 12, 1952, in Hamilton, Ontario, Canada, and first lived on the family dairy farm, near Hagersville. After the family moved to nearby St. Catharines, Neil began drum lessons at age thirteen, studying with local teacher Don George, then played in a succession of rock bands. Early influences were Gene Krupa, Keith Moon, Mitch Mitchell, Ginger Baker, Michael Giles, John Bonham, and Michael Shrieve. At eighteen, he moved to London, England, a time about which he has said: “I was seeking fame and fortune, and found anonymity and poverty. But I learned a lot about life.”
Returning to Canada in 1972, Neil began working at his father’s farm equipment dealership, playing part-time in local bands. His influences then included Phil Collins, Bill Bruford, and Billy Cobham. In July, 1974, he auditioned for an unknown Toronto band, and joined Rush on the eve of their first American release and tour.
Neil appeared on Rush’s second album, Fly By Night, in 1975, contributing most of the lyrics–as he would throughout their career. It was Rush’s fourth album, 2112, released in 1976, that brought the band their first measure of success. They gradually built on that modest popularity with A Farewell to Kings, Hemispheres, and Permanent Waves, then cemented their classic rock status with the enduring favorite, Moving Pictures, in 1981. Along the way, Rush earned a reputation for their elaborate live shows and became a perennially popular touring band. Over the years their shows elevated steadily in both production and musical values.
Neil has long been celebrated by other drummers in polls and cited influences, and won numerous awards from the drum magazines, for his recorded work, live performance, and overall musicianship. The drum solos he performed during the Rush tours were legendary. He and his bandmates are Officers of the Order of Canada, the country’s highest civilian honor — as well as recipients of the Governor General’s Award, the country’s highest artistic honor. Peart and his bandmates were inducted into the Canadian Songwriter Hall of Fame (2010), the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame (2013), and the Percussive Arts Society Hall of Fame (2020).
In 1994 he produced a tribute album to Buddy Rich and big-band jazz, Burning For Buddy: A Tribute to the Music of Buddy Rich, in two volumes, featuring many of the most prominent drummers of the day. Never resting on his laurels, Neil continued to study formally for many years, with Freddie Gruber since the mid-’90s, and with Peter Erskine in 2008.
Neil released two instructional DVDs, A Work in Progress (1996) on the subject of composing drum parts and recording them, and Anatomy of a Drum Solo (2005), on the title subject. In 2011, Hudson Music released Taking Center Stage: A Lifetime of Live Performance, on the subject of drumming in front of audiences–for more than four decades.
Neil was also an accomplished writer. He published six nonfiction books: Far and Wide: Bring that Horizon to Me! (2016), Far and Near: On Days Like These (2014), Far and Away: A Prize Every Time (2011), The Masked Rider: Cycling in West Africa (1996), Ghost Rider: Travels on the Healing Road (2002), Traveling Music: The Soundtrack to My Life and Times (2004), and Roadshow: Landscape With Drums, A Concert Tour by Motorcycle (2006).
Neil also coauthored three novels with science fiction author Kevin J. Anderson based on the steampunk fantasy universe of Rush’s last album—Clockwork Angels, Clockwork Lives, and Clockwork Destiny (plotted during his last years, to be published posthumously); the two also wrote the dark fantasy novella Drumbeats, inspired by Peart’s travels in Africa.
Neil lived in Santa Monica, CA, with his wife Carrie and daughter Olivia. Following the end of the R40 Rush tour, he announced his retirement from music and enjoyed his retirement with family, riding, writing, and other pursuits.
He was diagnosed with an aggressive form of cancer, and left us three and a half years later on January 7, 2020.