Neil Peart was undeniably a revolutionary drive in music, a craftsman who remodeled percussion into an artwork kind. Identified for his intricate rhythms, technical precision, and imaginative lyricism, Peart’s contributions to Rush elevated the band to legendary standing. His drumming was far more than merely offering the band with a rhythm spine; it was additionally about telling tales, pushing boundaries, and provoking generations of artists to try for greatness.
On this spirit, veteran session drummer Ken Mary has launched into a undertaking that pays homage to Peart’s genius whereas demonstrating the profound issue of replicating it. Mary, whose profession consists of taking part in with rock and steel icons like Alice Cooper, Accept, Flotsam and Jetsam, and Fifth Angel – amongst many others – just lately unveiled The Neil Peart Experiment. The video sequence culminates together with his rendition of Rush’s iconic observe, “Tom Sawyer,” which we’re premiering at present.
Earlier than skeptics bounce to conclusions about this being an try and money in on the late drummer’s legacy, Mary units the document straight: “These are purely educational movies, and they’re NOT monetized on YouTube.” Removed from a industrial endeavor, the undertaking is extra of a labor of affection and respect for one among rock’s most revered drummers.
The idea originated in the course of the pandemic lockdown when a fellow drummer from Seattle threw down the gauntlet. Given Mary’s intensive session work and his historical past of tackling complicated music, the problem was to take away the drum tracks from Rush songs and recreate them from scratch. The catch? He needed to match the unique performances as carefully as attainable – timing, fills, and all – with none enhancing, sampling, or post-production tweaks.
Including to the issue, Rush’s recordings weren’t laid down with a click on observe, that means their tempos subtly shifted, requiring Mary to regulate in actual time. As he describes it, the problem was akin to “eradicating the muse of the home and changing it.”
Mary defined the complexities of the undertaking: “I do know to folks that haven’t recorded within the studio, this simply appears to be like like some man taking part in the music. Nonetheless, making an attempt to duplicate the observe as precisely as attainable was harder than I imagined. I needed to be taught the fills and grooves as Neil performed them again then, as he did change them barely over time. Then I needed to know the place the band surged or pulled again, so I may lock to the prevailing guitars and bass seamlessly with no enhancing, and once more in a single steady move.”
For Mary, the undertaking was greater than a technical train; it was a heartfelt homage to one among his heroes: “Rush didn’t use a click on observe. If anybody else desires to do this experiment, please do! However bear in mind the foundations! I’ve my particular person GoPro video and audio to show this was all recorded in a single move with no enhancing or enhancement. I hope Neil would have been happy with this ‘experiment,’ and the truth that one other artist would make an effort to document these songs, and to get them as shut as attainable utilizing the unique strategies he used at the moment,” he provides with humility.
As talked about above, that is the final a part of a three-video sequence. Try the primary two renditions of “YYZ” and “Freewill” under.
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