New Found Glory

Leave it to Rush's professor on the drum kit to turn one of the most despised and mocked parts of any stadium show — the drum solo — into a two-disc (yes, two-disc!!!) air drummer's wet dream. Intended to give drummers and wannabes alike a brief history of the instrument in modern rock, as well as serve as an instructional video of sorts, Peart goes through his most recent solo composition (the one from the 30th anniversary tour) section by section with explanations of where the inspiration for each came from. He calls it "a trip through the history of percussion," which starts with African drumming and continues through European waltz to more modern sounds with props paid to Buddy Rich, Max Roach and Gene Krupa. As one who learned to play drums by listening to Rush records and practicing on my mother's Tupperware containers, I can say it's a rare chance to not only hear Peart speak about his craft but gain some invaluable insights to his technique. But will non-drummers or non-Rush fans care? Probably not, but it really isn't meant for anyone but those two audiences anyway. In addition to the almost two-hour "anatomisation" of the solo, included are some Peart solo compositions and the opportunity to watch him play "Tom Sawyer" and "Subdivisions" in isolation. The second disc features interviews with the band's long-time engineer, Paul Northfield, and his current drum tech, Lorne Wheaton, who has his own segment on setting up Peart's massive spinning rig. (Hudson, www.hudsonmusic.com)