With their Time Machine tour about to begin in June 29 at Hard Rock Casino Albuquerque in Albuquerque, NM, RUSH frontman Geddy Lee spoke with Rebecca Tucker from National Post recently about a their merchandising. A few excerpts from the chat follow:

National Post: People often say that you’re one of the few bands in Canada that’s been really succeeded at branding yourselves over the years.

Lee: "What’s weird about it is that we change our logo almost every album. Most bands come up with some logo, and they beat it to death. Every tour, we come up with a different font, different lettering, different imagery to relate to whatever that particular album is. Despite that, we seem to have not alienated our fans. Certain albums have resonated with fans in a serious way, and those have over time turned into recognizable logos, like the Starman, the skull from Roll the Bones, and [the cover of] Farewell to Kings … but it’s not like we intentionally go out there now and use the Starman on every album – it only appears on 2112. Obviously we sell retro merchandise that still has those elements visible on them; fans do respond to that because it might be their favourite album. I think more than anything, the Starman has become synonymous with Rush."

National Post: Is it true you’re selling more merchandise now than ever before?

Lee: "We sell a lot of merchandise, that’s true, and I think it’s because we have good quality stuff, and our fans are excited when we come out on tour. It’s part and parcel of the fact that we don’t tour every year; we can’t play as many dates as some bands due to the length of our set and our tender age … It’s about setting your aesthetic bar pretty high, and you’ve got to oversee it to make sure it filters down to every aspect of the business."

Read more here.

Rush has announced the upcoming release of their eagerly anticipated new single. 'Caravan' - which will be featured on the legendary band's forthcoming album, Clockwork Angels - will be available at all DSPs on June 1st and serviced to radio simultaneously.

'Caravan' will be bundled with an additional new album track, entitled 'BU2B'. Both tracks were recorded earlier this year in Nashville with Grammy Award-winning producer Nick Raskulinecz, who previously collaborated with Rush on 2007's critically acclaimed Snakes & Arrows. Rush will return to the studio to resume recording after the completion of the upcoming Time Machine Tour, with plans to release their 20th studio album, Clockwork Angels, in 2011.

The Time Machine Tour will begin June 29th at Albuquerque, New Mexico's Hard Rock Casino and then travel North America through early October (see below itinerary). The band is currently busy preparing for the tour, which include both 'Caravan' and 'BU2B' on each evening's setlist alongside other Rush favorites. In addition, the band will be performing its 1981 masterpiece, Moving Pictures, in its entirety for the first time ever. Both 'Caravan' and 'BU2B' will also be offered as a special Limited Edition CD single, available to fans through the band's official website as well as through various pre-sale tour packages. For full details, please visit Rush's official website at this location.

Rush tour dates:

June

29 - Albuquerque, NM - Hard Rock Casino Albuquerque presents The Pavilion

July

1 - Kansas City, MO - Starlight Theatre
2 - Milwaukee, WI - Summerfest

5, 7 - Chicago, IL - Charter One Pavilion

9 - Sarnia, ON - Bayfest
11 - Ottawa, ON - Ottawa Blues Fest
13 - Toronto, ON - Molson Canadian Amphitheatre
15 - Quebec City, QC - Festival d'été de Québec
17 - Toronto, ON - Air Canada Centre
19 - Uncasville, CT - Mohegan Sun
21 - Philadelphia, PA - Susquehanna Bank Center
23 - Saratoga Springs, NY - SPAC
24 - Wantagh, NY - Nikon at Jones Beach

August

5 - Salt Lake City, UT - USANA Amphitheatre
7 - Seattle, WA - White River Amphitheatre
9 - San Francisco, CA - Shoreline Amphitheatre
11 - Universal City, CA - Gibson Amphitheater
13 - Irvine, CA - Verizon Wireless Amphitheater
14 - Las Vegas, NV - MGM Grand Garden Arena

16, 18 - Denver, CO - Red Rocks Amphitheatre

20 - Wichita, KS - INTRUST Bank Arena
22 - St. Louis, MO - Verizon Wireless Amphitheater
25 - Omaha, NE - Qwest Center
27 - St. Paul, MN - Minnesota State Fair
29 - Columbus, OH - Nationwide Arena
31 - Allentown, PA - Allentown Fair

September

2 - Syracuse, NY - New York State Fair
3 - Holmdel, NJ - PNC Bank Arts Center
14 - Boston, MA - TD Garden
16 - Pittsburgh, PA - Consol Energy Center
18 - Washington, DC - Jiffy Lube Live Amphitheater
21 - Tulsa, OK - BOK Center
23 - San Antonio, TX - AT&T; Center
25 - Houston, TX - Cynthia Woods Mitchell Pavilion
26 - Dallas, TX - Superpages.com Center
29 - Atlanta, GA - Verizon Wireless Amphitheatre @ Encore Park

October

1 - Tampa, FL - Ford Amphitheatre
2 - West Palm Beach, FL - Cruzan Amphitheatre