Its funny how impossible dreams manifest

I haven't posted in over a month. Most likely that's due to the pre-xmas hustle and bustle, and the post-xmas PlayStation 3 Rock Band drumming. Thanks A!

Yeah, I tried the singing (Simon wouldn't tell me I'm horrible, but I wouldn't make it to Hollywood) and the guitar, but the drums have me hooked. I'm trying to get past the medium level tour to unlock the rumored "Tom Sawyer" track. Yeah, I know, its a cover band, not Rush, but its still a Rush song, even if the vocals and drumming suck. the point is, I can finally play Neil's fills without having to really learn the drums and join a band, or look like a complete douche and air-drum (which every Rush fan does anyway, douchebaggery be damned).

Anyway, here's a sweet Windows app that lets you plug your Rock Band drums into the USB port of your computer and use them as a real drum machine!

Thanks to TechRepublic for finding this one (Rush reference included).

Oh, and the boys have extended the Snakes and Arrows tour, and are reportedly reworking the set list. See you in Ft. Lauderdale!

UPDATE: A got skybox tix to the Ft. Lauderdale show through her job (for free!) and we unlocked the Tom Sawyer cover Friday night. Yeah, its not a good remake.

Usually a case of malignant narcissism brought on during childhood

Grammy nominations are out today. I was looking through the list of nominees and guess what I found:

Category 19 Best Rock Instrumental Performance
(For solo, duo, group or collaborative performances, without vocals. Includes Rock, Hard Rock and Metal. Singles or Tracks only.)

* The Ecstasy Of Gold
Metallica
Track from: We All Love Ennio Morricone
[Sony Classical]

* Malignant Narcissism
Rush
Track from: Snakes & Arrows
[Anthem/Atlantic]

* Always With Me, Always With You
Joe Satriani
Track from: Satriani Live!
[Epic/Red Ink]

* Once Upon A Time In The West
Bruce Springsteen
Track from: We All Love Ennio Morricone
[Sony Classical]

* The Attitude Song
Steve Vai
Track from: Sound Theories Vol. I & II
[Epic/Red Ink]

Congrats boys! Hope you win, but looking at your fellow nominees, I'm sure its an honor to be nominated.

Hey, I just noticed that the Metallica and Springsteen songs are from the same compilation album, they should cancel each other's votes out. And aren't Vai and Satriani the same guy? At the very least, their styles are so similar, they will most likely not stand out to the voters. Looks like you might have a good chance this year!

Snakes and Arrows Tour Set List: Part II

Okay, the set list outlined in the previous post was confirmed at last night's Atlanta show. Click here to download an ISO image of an MP3 CD-ROM containing the album versions of every song (excluding Neil's drum solo).

Snakes and Arrows Tour Set List: Part I

Okay, one day before the tour officially begins, and I have found a complete set list that someone listening outside a rehearsal venue managed to post to The Rush Forum:

Posted by Speeding Wheels From the Mike Portnoy forum:


***SPOILER***
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SPOILER PADDING


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Just got back to my hotel after a VERY amazing day... but the story of the trip here is for a different thread. This thread is simply to inform everybody of tonights final rehearsal setlist.

We were NOT allowed onto the grounds of HiFi Buys Amphitheatre... .but we were told to stand across the street, which we did for a while before we found a location with better sound (and less traffic passing by!)

So... for those that want to know... here is what they played tonight!!!



Limelight
Digital Man
Entre Nous
Mission
Freewill
The Main Monkey Business
The Larger Bowl
Secret Touch
Circumstances
Between The Wheels
Dreamline
(unidentified song... there was a long silence after Dreamline so we went to find a restoom and refreshments, upon leaving the gas station we could hear SOMETHING, but couldnt make it out before it was over)

INTERMISSION


Video Intro (unable to see it... but was about 2-3 minutes long)
Far Cry
Workin Them Angels
Armor and Sword
Spindrift
The Way The Wind Blows
Subdivisions
Natural Science
Witch Hunt
MalNar
Drum Solo
Hope
Summertime Blues (ugh!)
The Spirit of Radio
Tom Sawyer

ENCORE

One Little Victory
A Passage to Bangkok
YYZ

Thats all folks!!!

Time to create a playlist in iTunes and burn to an MP3 CD for the ride up to Tampa in the new Jeep!

Rush's 2007 Snakes and Arrows Tour Countdown

Only 10 days until Tampa...

If anyone happens to see them in Atlanta or West Palm and can remember the set list (or even a partial list of songs), please leave a comment and let me know!

While we all wait in anticipation, here is the video for "Far Cry", the first single from Snakes and Arrows.

As I mentioned before, A bought tickets to see Rush in Tampa next month. The tickets were a little steep ($85 + service charges--each!) but I haven't seen them live in a decade, and A never has, so it's probably worth it. The seats aren't great, but aren't bad either. The green star shows approximately where we will be sitting.

Today, I got an e-mail from the Rush fan club announcing premium seats that had been released. Curious, I checked to see how good the seats are. The yellow star shows where I can get 2 tickets.

If I want to spend $231 + service charges, that is.

Per ticket.

OMFG WTF??????

Snakes and Arrows: First Airplay

I was driving my JK home last night around 7:30, listening to Octane 20 on Sirius, and "Far Cry", Rush's single came on. Now, I have had the album since the day it came out, and downloaded "Far Cry" from iTunes before that, but there is something about hearing your favorite band's new song play on the radio for the first time.

Plus, I got to crank up the premium Infinity sound system so loud I could feel Geddy's bass notes and Neil's kick drum in my chest. That's worth the price of the upgrade.

Jake's JK: I am the squeaky wheel

Well last night the DaimlerChrysler rep finally called me. He apologized for the long wait, its a very popular vehicle, factory not able to keep up with demand, yadda, yadda, yadda.

He told me that he had sent an e-mail to the plant manager in Toledo to find out exactly what the hold-up was, and he would try entering an identical order to mine into the computer system to see if it would have the same troubles I am now having. He told me that he would call me this morning to let me know what he found out, and gave me his cell phone number and told me that I could call him if I didn't hear from him this morning.

He called me at 11:55 this morning (just barely meeting his self-imposed deadline) and told me that my Jeep was built, in storage, and waiting for a train to pick it up.

Due to a nationwide railcar shartage (which is delaying a Ford my coworker's husband ordered last month) my Jeep should ship sometime between now and May 10th.

It's time to start obsessing about something else now. Ooh! I know! The Rush concert in Tampa that A bought me tickets to!!!!