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Alex Lifeson
Alex Lifeson in concert with Rush. Raleigh, NC (June 20, 2007)
Alex Lifeson in concert with Rush.
Raleigh, NC (June 20, 2007)
Background information
Birth name Alexandar Zivojinovich (Aleksandar Živojinović)
Born August 27, 1953 (1953-08-27) (age 54)
Fernie, British Columbia, Canada
Genre(s) Hard rock, Progressive rock, Heavy metal
Occupation(s) Guitarist, songwriter, Producer
Instrument(s) Guitar, Mandola, Mandolin, and Bouzouki
Years active 1968-present
Label(s) Mercury, Anthem, Atlantic
Associated acts Rush
Notable instrument(s)
Gibson ES-355

Alex Lifeson, OC (born August 27, 1953 in Fernie, British Columbia), is a Canadian musician, best known for his role as guitarist for the rock group Rush. Events 479 BC - Greco-Persian Wars: Persian forces led by Mardonius are routed by Pausanias, the Spartan Year 1953 ( MCMLIII) was a Common year starting on Thursday (link will display full calendar of the Gregorian calendar. Fernie is a city in the Elk Valley area of the East Kootenay region of southeastern British Columbia, Canada, located on BC Highway British Columbia (ˌbrɪtɨʃ kəˈlʌmbiə ( BC) ( (la Colombie-Britannique C Country to "Dominion of Canada" or "Canadian Federation" or anything else please read the Talk Page A music genre is a categorical and typological construct that identifies musical sounds as belonging to a particular category and type of music that can be distinguished from other Hard rock (also referred to as heavy rock) is a variation of Rock music which has its earliest roots in mid-1960s garage and Psychedelic rock Progressive rock (often shortened to " progressive " " prog " or " prog rock " is a form of Rock music that evolved A guitarist is a Musician who plays the Guitar. Guitarists may perform solo pieces or play with ensembles and bands of a wide variety of genres A songwriter is someone who writes the Lyrics to songs the Musical composition (chords or Melody to songs or both In the Music industry, a record producer or music producer has many roles among them controlling the recording sessions coaching and guiding the musicians organizing A musical instrument is a device constructed or modified for the purpose of making Music. The guitar is a Musical instrument with ancient roots that is used in a wide variety of musical styles The mandola (US and Canada or tenor mandola (Europe Ireland and UK is a fretted stringed Musical instrument. A mandolin is a musical instrument in the Lute family (plucked or strummed The bouzouki ( gr το μπουζούκι pl. τα μπουζούκια (plural sometimes transliterated as bouzoukia) is the mainstay of modern In the Music industry, a record label can be a Brand and a Trademark associated with the Marketing of music recordings and Music Mercury Records is a Record label operating as a standalone company in the UK and as part of the Island Def Jam Music Group in the US and are both subsidiaries of Anthem Records is an Independent record label based in Toronto Ontario. Atlantic Records ( Atlantic Recording Corporation) is an American Record label best known for its many recordings of Rhythm & blues, Rock Rush is a Canadian rock band originally formed in August 1968 in the Willowdale neighbourhood of Toronto, Ontario, currently comprised of The Gibson ES-335 was the world's first commercial semi-hollowbody Electric guitar, released by Gibson Guitar Corporation in 1958. The Order of Canada is the highest civilian honour within the Canadian system of honours, with membership awarded to those who exemplify the order's Latin Events 479 BC - Greco-Persian Wars: Persian forces led by Mardonius are routed by Pausanias, the Spartan Year 1953 ( MCMLIII) was a Common year starting on Thursday (link will display full calendar of the Gregorian calendar. Fernie is a city in the Elk Valley area of the East Kootenay region of southeastern British Columbia, Canada, located on BC Highway British Columbia (ˌbrɪtɨʃ kəˈlʌmbiə ( BC) ( (la Colombie-Britannique C Country to "Dominion of Canada" or "Canadian Federation" or anything else please read the Talk Page A musician is a person who plays or writes Music. Musicians can be classified by their roles in creating or performing music An instrumentalist plays a A guitarist is a Musician who plays the Guitar. Guitarists may perform solo pieces or play with ensembles and bands of a wide variety of genres Rock music is a genre of Popular music often though not necessarily employing Electric guitar, Bass guitar, and Drums. Rush is a Canadian rock band originally formed in August 1968 in the Willowdale neighbourhood of Toronto, Ontario, currently comprised of Lifeson founded Rush in the summer of 1968, and has been an integral member of the three-piece band ever since. [1] For Rush, Lifeson plays electric and acoustic guitars as well as other stringed instruments such as mandola, mandolin and bouzouki. The guitar is a Musical instrument with ancient roots that is used in a wide variety of musical styles A string instrument (or stringed instrument) is a Musical instrument that produces Sound by means of Vibrating strings In the Hornbostel-Sachs The mandola (US and Canada or tenor mandola (Europe Ireland and UK is a fretted stringed Musical instrument. A mandolin is a musical instrument in the Lute family (plucked or strummed The bouzouki ( gr το μπουζούκι pl. τα μπουζούκια (plural sometimes transliterated as bouzoukia) is the mainstay of modern He also performs backing vocals in live performances, and occasionally plays keyboards and bass pedal synthesizers. A backing vocalist or backing singer (or especially in the US During live performances, Lifeson, like the other members of Rush, performs real-time triggering of sampled instruments, concurrently with his guitar playing. A sampler is an electronic musical instrument closely related to a Synthesizer. [2] The bulk of Lifeson's work in music has been with Rush, although Lifeson has contributed to a body of work outside of the band as well. Aside from music, Lifeson is part owner of the Toronto restaurant The Orbit Room, and is a licensed aircraft pilot, motorcycle rider, and gourmet cook. The Orbit Room is a Toronto bar owned by Alex Lifeson (a member of the band Rush) and Tim Notter. MotorCycle is the title of a 1993 album by Rock band Daniel Amos, released on BAI Records. [3]

Along with his bandmates Geddy Lee and Neil Peart, Lifeson was made an Officer of the Order of Canada on May 9, 1996. Geddy Lee OC (born Gary Lee Weinrib on July 29, 1953 in Willowdale Toronto) is a Canadian musician best known as the lead vocalist Neil Peart (ˈpɪərt OC, (born Neil Ellwood Peart, September 12, 1952, Hamilton, Ontario) is a Canadian Musician The Order of Canada is the highest civilian honour within the Canadian system of honours, with membership awarded to those who exemplify the order's Latin Events 1457 BC - Battle of Megiddo (15th century BC between Thutmose III and a large Canaanite coalition under the King of Year 1996 ( MCMXCVI) was a Leap year starting on Monday (link will display full 1996 Gregorian calendar) The trio was the first rock band to be so honored, as a group. [4]

On May 1, 2007, Rush released Snakes & Arrows, their eighteenth full-length studio album. Snakes & Arrows is the 18th full-length Studio album by the Canadian rock band Rush. Lifeson and the band have followed up the album with the Snakes & Arrows Tour, which began on June 13, 2007. Rush began the Snakes & Arrows Tour to promote their latest album Snakes & Arrows on June 13, 2007 in Atlanta Georgia

Contents

Biography

Early life

Lifeson was born Alexandar Zivojinovich in Fernie, British Columbia to Serbian immigrants, Nenad and Milka Zivojinovich (from Serbian: Живојиновић, Živojinović), and raised in Toronto, Ontario. Fernie is a city in the Elk Valley area of the East Kootenay region of southeastern British Columbia, Canada, located on BC Highway British Columbia (ˌbrɪtɨʃ kəˈlʌmbiə ( BC) ( (la Colombie-Britannique C Serbs ( Serbian: Срби Srbi) are a South Slavic people living in the Balkans and Central Europe, mainly in Serbia, Serbian (sr-Cyrl српски језик sr-Latn ''srpski jezik'' is a South Slavic language, Toronto (təˈrɒntoʊ colloquially pronounced or) is the largest city in Canada and is the provincial capital of Ontario [3] His assumed stage name of "Lifeson" is a semi-literal translation of the name "Zivojinovich", meaning "son of life". Most Serbian surnames have the surname suffix -ić (IPA /itj/ Cyrillic -ић [5] His first exposure to formal music training came in the form of the viola which he renounced for the guitar at the age of 12. The viola is a bowed String instrument. It is the middle voice of the Violin family, His first guitar was a Christmas gift from his father, a six-string Kent classical acoustic which was later upgraded to an electric Japanese model. During adolescence, Lifeson was primarily influenced by Eric Clapton, Jeff Beck, Jimi Hendrix, Jimmy Page, and Pete Townshend. Eric Patrick Clapton, CBE (born 30 March 1945 is an English Blues-rock Guitarist, singer Songwriter and Composer Geoffrey Arnold "Jeff" Beck (born June 24, 1944 to Arnold and Ethel Beck in Wallington, England) is an English James Marshall Hendrix (born Johnny Allen Hendrix) (November 27 1942 – September 18 1970 was an American Guitarist, Singer and Songwriter James Patrick Page, OBE (born 9 January 1944 is an English Guitarist, Composer and record producer Peter Dennis Blandford Townshend (born 19 May 1945 in Chiswick, London) is an English rock Guitarist, Singer, Lifeson was primarily a self-taught guitarist with the only formal instruction coming from a high school friend in 1971 who taught classical guitar lessons. This training lasted for roughly a year and a half. In 1963, Lifeson met future Rush drummer John Rutsey in school. John Howard Rutsey (1953 &ndash May 11, 2008) from Ontario, Canada was a former drummer most recognized for being a co-founding member of Both interested in music, they decided to form a band.

Lifeson eventually married his girlfriend Charlene and currently has two sons, Justin and Adrian.

Body of work

While the bulk of Lifeson's work in music has been with Rush (See Rush Discography), he has also contributed to a body of work outside of his involvement with the band in the form of movie/television appearances, as well as instrumental contributions for other musical outfits. This is the discography of the Canadian rock band Rush. Albums All chart positions are U Lifeson's first major outside work was his solo project, Victor released in 1996. Victor is a solo Album by Rush guitarist Alex Lifeson which was released January 9, 1996 Victor (the album) was attributed as a self-titled work (i. e. Victor is attributed as the artist as well as the album title). This was done deliberately as an alternative to issuing the album explicitly under Lifeson's name.

Lifeson made a guest appearance playing guitar on Lawrence Gowan's 1990 album, Lost Brotherhood. Lawrence Gowan (born November 22, 1956) is a Canadian musician In 2006, Lifeson founded The Big Dirty Band, which he created for the purpose of providing original soundtrack material for Trailer Park Boys: The Movie. The Big Dirty Band are a Canadian supergroup comprised of Rush 's Geddy Lee (bass and Alex Lifeson (guitar Thornley Trailer Park Boys The Movie, also known as Trailer Park Boys The Big Dirty, is a 2006 Canadian Comedy film based on the hit Lifeson jammed regularly with The Dexters (The Orbit Room house band from 1994-2004). A jam session is a Musical act where Musicians gather and play (or "jam") without extensive preparation or predefined Arrangements The Orbit Room is a Toronto bar owned by Alex Lifeson (a member of the band Rush) and Tim Notter. The Dexters' lead guitarist, Bernie LaBarge, nicknamed Alex "Big Al Dexter". Bernie LaBarge (born Ottawa, Ontario on March 11 1953) is a Canadian Guitarist Singer, and Songwriter Recently, Lifeson made a guest appearance on the 2007 album Fear of a Blank Planet by UK progressive rock band, Porcupine Tree, as well as the 2008 album Fly Paper by Detroit progressive rockers, Tiles. Fear of a Blank Planet (also Transmission 61) is the ninth studio album by British Progressive rock band Porcupine Tree Porcupine Tree are a Progressive rock band formed by Steven Wilson in 1987 in Hemel Hempstead, Hertfordshire, England. Tiles is a Progressive rock band from Detroit, Michigan, USA. He plays on the track "Sacred and Mundane". Outside of band related endeavors, Lifeson composed the theme for the first season of the science-fiction TV series Andromeda. See Andromeda (disambiguation for other uses of "Andromeda"

Guitar equipment

In Rush's early career, Lifeson used a Gibson ES-335 for the first single and the first four Rush studio albums. The Gibson ES-335 was the world's first commercial semi-hollowbody Electric guitar, released by Gibson Guitar Corporation in 1958. For the 2112 tour, he used a 1974 Gibson Les Paul and Marshall amplification. The Gibson Les Paul is a solidbody Electric guitar originally developed in the early 1950s Marshall Amplification is a British company which designs and manufactures music amplifiers. For the A Farewell to Kings sessions, Lifeson began using a Gibson EDS-1275 for songs like Xanadu and his main guitar became a cream-colored Gibson ES-355. A Farewell to Kings is the fifth Studio album by Canadian rock band The Gibson EDS-1275 is a doubleneck Gibson electric guitar introduced in 1958 as a special-order custom instrument " Xanadu " is a song recorded by the Canadian progressive rock trio Rush for their 1977 album A Farewell to Kings. The Gibson ES-335 was the world's first commercial semi-hollowbody Electric guitar, released by Gibson Guitar Corporation in 1958. During this period Lifeson used Hiwatt amplifiers. Hiwatt is a British company that manufactures amplifiers for Electric guitars and Bass guitars For effects Lifeson used various phaser and flanger pedals, a Cry Baby Wah Wah, along with Marshall 100 watt Super Lead amplifiers and 4x12 cabinets. A phaser is an Audio signal processing technique used to filter a signal by creating a series of peaks and troughs in the frequency spectrum Flanging is a time-based Audio effect that occurs when two identical signals are mixed together but with one signal time-delayed by a small and gradually changing amount Beginning in the late 1970s, he increasingly incorporated twelve-string guitar (acoustic and electric) and used a Boss CE-1 Chorus Ensemble and later, the Boss Dimension C. By 1982 Lifeson's primary guitar was a modified Fender Stratocaster with a Bill Lawrence high-output humbucker L-500 in the bridge position and a Floyd Rose vibrato bridge. The Fender Stratocaster, often referred to as the Strat, is a model of Electric guitar designed by Leo Fender, George Fullerton and Freddie Tavares Bill Lawrence (born Willi Lorenz Stich on March 24, 1931 in Wahn-Heide (near Cologne) Germany) is a recording Musician A conventional humbucker (or Humbucking pickup) is a type of Electric guitar pickup that uses two coils both generating string signal Floyd Rose is the organization that licenses distributes and manufactures the Floyd Rose Locking Tremolo invented by Floyd D Lifeson increasingly relied on a selection of four identically modified Stratocasters from 1980 to 1986, all of them equipped with the Floyd Rose bridge. For the Moving Pictures and Signals albums, and on concurrent tours, Lifeson used up to four rare Marshall 4140 Club & Country 100W combo amps. In the mid 1980s Lifeson switched from passive to active pickups in his guitars, and from vacuum tube to solid-state amplification, all with an increasingly thick layer of digital signal processing. Digital signal processing ( DSP) is concerned with the representation of the signals by a sequence of numbers or symbols and the processing of these signals He became an endorser of Gallien-Krueger and Dean Markley solid-state guitar amplifier lines and Dean Markley Blue Steel strings respectively, gauges . Gallien-Krueger is an instrument amplifier manufacturer also referred to informally as GK 009-. 046. In the late 1980s he switched to Carvin amplifiers in the studio and his short-lived Signature brand guitars onstage and in the studio. The Carvin Corporation is an American Guitar, Musical instrument and equipment manufacturer located in San Diego, California.

Lifeson primarily used PRS guitars during the recording of Roll The Bones in 1990/1991. PRS Guitars is an American guitar manufacturer based in Stevensville Maryland. Roll the Bones is the fourteenth studio Album by Canadian rock band Rush, released in 1991 (see 1991 in music) When recording 1993's Counterparts, Lifeson continued to use PRS Guitars and Marshall amplifiers to record the album, and for the subsequent tour. Counterparts is the fifteenth studio Album by Canadian rock band Rush, released in 1993 (see 1993 in music) Lifeson continued to use PRS along with Fender and Gibson guitars, Hughes & Kettner Triamp MK II and zenTera amplifiers and cabinets. Hughes & Kettner is a German brand of Guitar and bass amplifiers cabinets and effects processors In 2005, Hughes & Kettner introduced an Alex Lifeson signature series amplifier with $50 from each amplifier sold will be donated to UNICEF. The United Nations Children's Fund (or UNICEF) was created by the United Nations General Assembly on December 11, 1946

Alex Lifeson playing his Garrison GD25-12 guitar
Alex Lifeson playing his Garrison GD25-12 guitar

For the 2007 Snakes & Arrows Tour, Lifeson has replaced his PRS Guitars with Gibson Les Pauls. Rush began the Snakes & Arrows Tour to promote their latest album Snakes & Arrows on June 13, 2007 in Atlanta Georgia In a 2007 interview for Guitarist magazine, Lifeson states "I hear PRS on everything these days and I wanted a little bit of a change . . . I love them [PRS] but they have a smaller sound than the bigger heavier Gibsons . . . I just wanted to be more traditional. " He has Fishman Aura piezoelectric pickup systems installed into his Les Pauls to model acoustic guitar sounds without changing guitars. A pickup device acts as a Transducer that captures mechanical vibrations (usually from suitably equipped Stringed instruments such as the Electric guitar He has also replaced his Hughes & Kettner zenTera amp heads with Switchblade heads (which, like the zenTeras, include built-in programmable digital effects, such as chorus and delay, but are valve-powered instead of transistor-powered), while retaining his signature series H&K Triamp heads. A chorus effect is A condition in the way people perceive similar sounds coming from multiple sources Delay is an Audio effect which records an input signal to an audio storage medium, and then plays it back after a period of time A guitar amplifier is an Electronic amplifier designed for use with an electric or electronic Musical instrument, such as an Electric guitar. A guitar amplifier is an Electronic amplifier designed for use with an electric or electronic Musical instrument, such as an Electric guitar. His effects for the 2007 tour include a TC Electronics G-Force rack multi-FX, a TC Electronics 1210 spatial expander and a Loft 440 Delay Line/Flanger, as well as the effects built into his Switchblade heads. TC Electronic is a Danish Audio equipment manufacturer founded by two brothers Kim and John Rishøj in 1976

Other instruments played

In addition to traditional stringed instruments such as acoustic and electric guitars, Lifeson has also played mandola, mandolin and bouzouki on recent Rush studio albums, including Test For Echo, Vapor Trails and Snakes & Arrows. The mandola (US and Canada or tenor mandola (Europe Ireland and UK is a fretted stringed Musical instrument. A mandolin is a musical instrument in the Lute family (plucked or strummed The bouzouki ( gr το μπουζούκι pl. τα μπουζούκια (plural sometimes transliterated as bouzoukia) is the mainstay of modern During live Rush performances, Lifeson uses a MIDI controller that enables him to use his feet to trigger sounds from digital samplers, without taking his hands off of his guitar. MIDI controller is used in two senses In one sense a controller is hardware or software which generates and transmits MIDI data to MIDI-enabled devices A sampler is an electronic musical instrument closely related to a Synthesizer. (Prior to this, Lifeson used Moog Taurus Bass Pedals before they were obsolesced and replaced by Korg MIDI pedals in the 1980s. The Moog Taurus bass pedal keyboard is a foot-operated Analog synthesizer created and manufactured by Moog Music from 1976 to 1981 ) Lifeson and his bandmates share a desire to accurately depict songs from their albums when playing live performances. Toward this goal, beginning in the late 1980s the band equipped their live performances with a capacious rack of samplers. The band members use these samplers in real-time to recreate the sounds of non-traditional instruments, accompaniments, vocal harmonies, and other sound "events" that are familiarly heard on the studio versions of the songs. In Music, accompaniment is the art of playing along with a soloist or ensemble, often known as the Lead, in a Supporting manner In Western music, harmony is the use of different pitches simultaneously and chords actual or implied in Music. In live performances, the band members share duties throughout most songs, with each member triggering certain sounds with his available limbs, while playing his primary instrument(s). [6] It is with this technology that Lifeson and his bandmates are able to present their arrangements in a live setting with the level of complexity and fidelity that fans have come to expect, and without the need to resort to the use of backing tracks or employing an additional band member. A backing track is an audio or MIDI recording which musicians play or sing along to in order to add parts to their music which would be impractical to perform live [7]

Television and film appearances

In a 2003 episode of the Canadian smash hit mockumentary Trailer Park Boys, titled "Closer to the Heart", Lifeson plays a fictional version of himself. Country to "Dominion of Canada" or "Canadian Federation" or anything else please read the Talk Page Mockumentary (also known as a pseudo-documentary) a Portmanteau of Mock and documentary, is a film and TV Genre, or a single work Trailer Park Boys is a popular Canadian Mockumentary Television series focusing on the misadventures of a group of Trailer park " Closer to the Heart " is a single by Rush, released 1977, from the album A Farewell to Kings. In the story, he is kidnapped by Ricky and held as punishment for his inability (or refusal) to provide the main characters with free tickets to a Rush concert. For the Canadian musician see Rob Wells. Robb Wells (born 1971) is a Canadian Actor and Screenwriter In the end of the episode, Alex reconciles with the characters, and performs a duet with Bubbles at the trailer park. Mike Smith (born August 27 1972) is a Canadian actor most famous for playing Bubbles on Trailer Park Boys.

Lifeson appears in Trailer Park Boys: The Movie, as a traffic cop in the opening scene. Trailer Park Boys The Movie, also known as Trailer Park Boys The Big Dirty, is a 2006 Canadian Comedy film based on the hit He made his film debut as himself under his birth name in the 1972 Canadian documentary film Come on Children. [8]

The Naples incident

On New Year's Eve 2003, Lifeson, his son, and his daughter-in-law were arrested at the Ritz Carlton hotel in Naples, Florida. The New Year is an event that happens when a Culture celebrates the end of one Year and the beginning of the next year Naples is a city in Collier County, Florida, USA. As of 1 July 2006, the U Lifeson, after intervening in an altercation between his son and police, was accused of assaulting a sheriff's deputy in what was described as a drunken brawl. In addition to suffering a broken nose at the hands of the officers, Lifeson was tasered six times. His son Justin was also tasered repeatedly.

According to Justin's file in the Felony section of the Public Records database of Collier County, Florida,[9] the judge determined that, based on the testimony of the prosecution's witnesses, including one of the police officers involved in the incident, that while the potential for violence existed, none was offered by Justin. As part of the plea agreement Lifeson and his son were each sentenced to 12 months of probation with the adjudication of that probation suspended. Upon successful completion of the probation, the matter is to be expunged from their records. In addition, they had to pay all court costs. In the fall of 2005, the court granted early dismissal from probation to both Lifeson and his son.

In his journal-based book Roadshow, Peart relates the band's perspective on the events of that New Years Eve. He also says the incident was and still is a traumatic event for Lifeson and his family.

Awards

References

  1. ^ Banasiewicz, Bill, Rush Visions: The Official Biography, <http://www.2112.net/powerwindows/transcripts/BanasiewiczVisions.htm>. Retrieved on 10 March 2007 
  2. ^ "Rush Rolls Again", September 2002, OnStage Magazine
  3. ^ a b Alex Lifeson Biography 2112.net Accessed September 20, 2007
  4. ^ "Rush highlights", MapleMusic (accessed May 23, 2007). Events 451 - The Battle of Chalons takes place in North Eastern France. Year 2007 ( MMVII) was a Common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar in the 21st century. MapleMusic Recordings is a Toronto based Record label, whose innovative web based marketing strategy has made them a major player in the Canadian music
  5. ^ Horizon to Horizon Rob Pagano's Rush Music Tribute Accessed October 7, 2007
  6. ^ "Rush Rolls Again", September 2002, OnStage Magazine
  7. ^ Peart, Neil Rush Backstage Club Newsletter, March 1990, via "Power Windows" Rush Fan Site
  8. ^ Come on Children (1973)
  9. ^ Collier Clerk's Homepage [1] Accessed October 7, 2007

External links

Events 3761 BC - The epoch (origin of the modern Hebrew calendar ( Proleptic Julian calendar) Year 2007 ( MMVII) was a Common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar in the 21st century. October events and holidays Children's Book Week ( England) - First Week of October National Day ( China People's Republic Year 2007 ( MMVII) was a Common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar in the 21st century.
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