The clip below is a remastered and enhanced Neil Peart drum solo, originally pro-shot on the Rush Presto Tour 1990 in Mountain View, CA courtesy of StickHits.
StickHits: "This video is notoriously poor quality both audio and video wise, but I found I was able to get it to the point where I would find it pretty enjoyable for historical purposes. The original audio is bone-dry, flat, and very muted with absolutely no ambience that makes it a very strange experience to watch, so with FL Studio I made quite a few tweaks to make it sound more like other Neil solos from the era."
Back in October 2021, Modern Drummer announced plans to present an up-and-coming drummer with the annual "Neil Peart Spirit Of Drumming Scholarship" in memore of Rush drummer Neil Peart, with the support of his family,
The scholarship, originally announced at the 2020 Modern Drummer Festival by Carrie Nutall-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.
Modern Drummer has announced Maxx Rinkus as the first recipient of the scholarship.
In the clip below Nuttall-Peart, Modern Drummer CEO David Frangioni, educator Dom Famularo and Dennis Wolfe of Universal Music present Rinkus with the scholarship.
Nuttall-Peart: "Education was a big thing for Neil. He did his educational videos, and I know that this particular award, out of a lot of other things, would mean such a great deal to him because he truly believed in passing on his knowledge and helping young people learn. It warms my heart and touches me because I know that he would love the fact that we're doing this."
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 here, fill out the form and upload the video along with your essay.
