In a new interview with Guitar World, Rush guitarist Alex Lifeson discusses his new signature model, fresh music and collaborations, and the likelihood of once again teaming up with Geddy Lee.
In regards to making new music with his Rush bandmate, Geddy Lee, one of these days, Lifeson says the door is always open, though neither of them are planning to walk through it any time soon.
“We’re not putting any pressure on it or anything,” Lifeson says. “We had a lot of good years together and we still love each other very much. I talk to Geddy every other day – we’re best friends. There’s more to our life together than just writing music. So if it happens, it happens. And it’ll happen when it happens.”
Read more at Guitar World.
Envy Of None is the new band and debut self-titled album from Alex Lifeson (Rush), Andy Curran (Coney Hatch), Alfio Annibalini and singer Maiah Wynne, due for release via Kscope on April 8. Pre-order here.
Fans will be able to enter a guitar giveaway via a QR code, printed on a ticket inside one of the CDs in the Deluxe Edition of the album.
Created through extensive work with Alex Lifeson and Gibson™, Epiphone's Alex Lifeson Les Paul Axcess Standard similarly redefines the boundaries of the classic Les Paul™ in an accessible package. This guitar carries all of the traditional tones that have made the Les Paul legendary, along with unprecedented levels of sonic and performance versatility.
The Alex Lifeson Les Paul Axcess Standard carries powerful Epiphone Ceramic Pro neck and ProBucker 3 bridge pickups with coil-splitting options via their push-pull volume controls and a Graph Tech Ghost Floyd Rose system that not only provides the world's most efficient vibrato but is also loaded with Ghost piezo bridge saddles. Access traditional magnetic humbucker tones, mix it up with coil-split options, tap the Ghost's realistic acoustic tones, or blend acoustic and magnetic voices — the sky's the limit from this sonic chameleon, whose sound-shifting depths are virtually limitless. You can route it all through a traditional mono jack or use two cables for individual magnetic and piezo outputs. All this and the Alex Lifeson Les Paul Axcess Standard still presents that timeless Les Paul look that has remained a classic for more than 60 years. An EpiLite™ case is also included.
For full specifications, head here.
Retailing at $899, this is a unique opportunity to win a high spec, unique instrument, developed by Alex Lifeson himself. The giveaway is open to a worldwide audience, and no purchase is necessary outside Great Britain. For full terms & conditions, head here.
Alex Lifeson is no stranger to the concept of evolution. As a founding member of Rush, he’s been able to explore more musical ground than just about any other guitar player out there - taking rock to new progressive heights throughout the decades and always in the most wildly inventive of ways. His influence can be heard on countless bands around the world, from indie shoegaze and math rock to heavy metal and beyond. Over the last few years Lifeson has been focusing on a new project that, no matter how well-acquainted you are with his discography, will undoubtedly shatter all seeds of expectation and blow the mind. That project is Envy Of None.
According to a report by Planet Rock, the song "Western Sunset" that closes the Envy Of None debut is a tribute to Rush drum legend Neil Peart, who died from glioblastoma, an aggressive form of brain cancer, on January 7th, 2020.
Lifeson commented on the track: "I visited Neil when he was ill. I was on his balcony watching the sunset and found inspiration. There’s a finality about a sunset that kinda stayed with me throughout the whole process. It had meaning. It was the perfect mood to decompress after all these different textures… a nice way to close the book."
Read the complete Planet Rock report here.
Envy Of None, also featuring Coney Hatch founder/bassist Andy Curran, accomplished producer and engineer Alfio Annibalini and singer-songwriter Maiah Wynne, will be releasing their self-titled debut album on April 8 via Kscope. Its 11 tracks - which ricochet between various shades of alternative, experimental and synth rock - throw surprises at every turn, twisting dark melodies against contemporary pop hooks. Lifeson himself is proudly aware of how little of it crosses over with the band that made him famous.
However, it was only when singer Maiah Wynne became involved that this truly started to feel like a band destined to go somewhere. Her haunting melodies and soul-baring intensity is - by the admission of her own bandmates - what truly brought this music to life. All things considered; she is a star in the making… “I sent over an early version of the song Shadow,” explains Andy Curran. “When I played what she’d done back to the others they were like, ‘Who is this crazy talented person?!’”
The album’s first single, "Liar", is out now. Its industrial beats, driving fuzz bass and atmospheric guitars concoct a seductive swirl indeed - thrilling in ways closer to the darker art rock of Depeche Mode, Nine Inch Nails and A Perfect Circle than anything these musicians have been known for prior.
“Maiah became my muse,” continues Alex Lifeson. “She was able to bring this whole new ethereal thing through her sense of melody on tracks like 'Liar' and 'Look Inside'. After hearing her vocals on 'Never Said I Love You', I felt so excited. I’ve never had that kind of inspiration working with another musician. When we say she’s special, it’s because she’s really fucking special!”
“One of my favourite things about these songs is the intimacy of them,” reveals Maiah Wynne. “It makes them feel different and more honest. There are some heavier songs too, like 'Enemy', and then tracks like 'Kabul Blues', that sound completely different to anything else.”
The album closer, "Western Sunset", which was penned by Alex Lifeson in tribute to his dear friend Neil Peart. It’s a highly emotive piece of music to honour a man deeply missed by the rock community at large, and even more so by those who were lucky enough to know him.
“I visited Neil when he was ill,” says Alex Lifeson. “I was on his balcony watching the sunset and found inspiration. There’s a finality about a sunset that kinda stayed with me throughout the whole process. It had meaning. It was the perfect mood to decompress after all these different textures… a nice way to close the book.”
It’s a book you’ll almost certainly want to be reading. Envy Of None’s self-titled album is due for release on April 8 via Kscope.
The album will be released on the following formats and is available for pre-order here:
- Ltd Edition deluxe version – presented in a gatefold sleeve with a blue coloured vinyl LP, 2 CDs including a 5 track bonus disc, 28 page Booklet with exclusive content
- CD – includes a 16 page poster booklet
- LP – on black vinyl / baby blue coloured vinyl (North America exclusive) / white coloured vinyl
- Digital
Envy Of None tracklisting:
"Never Said I Love You"
"Shadow"
"Look Inside"
"Liar"
"Spy House"
"Dog`s Life"
"Kabul Blues"
"Old Strings"
"Dumb"
"Enemy"
"Western Sunset"
"Liar" lyric video:
Envy Of None are:
Alf Annibalini - Guitar, Keyboards, Programming
Andy Curran - Bass Guitar, Synthesized Bass, Programming, Guitar, Background Vocals, Stylophone
Alex Lifeson- Guitar, Mandola, Banjo, Programming
Maiah Wynne - Lead Vocals, Background Vocals, Keyboards
(Photo - Andrew MacNaughtan)
