CHARLIE BENANTE & FRIENDS To Release RUSH Tribute EP, Moving Pitchers, For Record Store Day
April 19, 2022, 2 years ago
Available this Saturday, April 23rd, for Record Store Day, Anthrax drummer Charlie Benante follows up his Silver Linings quarantine album with an EP featuring five Rush songs.
Joining Benante on Moving Pitchers - a baseball themed title obviously paying tribute to Rush's Moving Pictuers album from 1981 - is an all-star lineup comprised of Testament guitraist Alex Skolnick, Suicidal Tendencies bassist Ra Diaz, Crobot vocalist Brandon Yeagley, and Trans-Siberian Orchestra keyboardist Mee Eun Kim.
Limited to 1500 pieces, Moving Pitchers features the following tracklisting:
“Subdivisions”
“Red Barchetta”
“Freewill”
“La Villa Strangiato”
“YYZ”
Benante stated, "One year ago I had this idea to make a video while in quarantine. I was feeling pretty down about the passing of Neil Peart and about the Pandemic... I needed to be creative and play! I contacted Alex Skolnick (Testament) and Ra Diaz (Suicidal Tendencies) about doing a Rush song and video and they both liked the idea. We ended up doing 'YYZ'. I felt that they were probably feeling the same way I was, and that this would be a great way of jamming and entertaining while we were stuck home. The response to the initial video was overwhelming! It really made us feel good during a bad time. I then asked Brandon Yeagley (Crobot) to sing on 'Freewill'. Now it started to grow. The tunes were expanding musically and getting feedback."
"'Subdivisions' is probably in every Rush fan’s top ten songs, definitely one of their best. The keyboards dominate this tune and Neil Peart's sound on it is so unique! His drum fills are so precise and powerful... like little hooks throughout the song, an air drummer’s dream! The lyrics tell a tale of life in the burbs and being shunned when you don't meet a certain standard."