Wow, am I ever lazy!  I’ve been meaning to update here but I never actually wrote anything so there wasn’t anything to update.
Where do I start??  Are two question marks legal???

EON

It’s been nearly a year since the release of Stygian Wāvz. I’m actually listening to it as I type. So far I’ve had to make about a hundred corrections.  Doing tooth things at once is hurd.

I so love this record. Every time I listen to it I feel transported. Maiah’s voice and delivery is exceptional. We worked so well together bouncing ideas and feel back and forth. She has evolved greatly since the first record. Her insights show a maturity and personal growth that was not easily achieved, but really, what good thing isn’t? I give her a lot of credit for the courage to throw herself into new and grand experiences, some scary, some profound but all worthy. She is an inspiration. 

Alf is such a skilled engineer and brilliant mixer. Personally, I love mixing. We shared mixing duties on the first record but I’d grown so confident of his skills that I comfortably sat back and just listened to the mixes as they evolved.

Someone once said mixing is the death of hope. Yeah, I get it but it is an exciting process to take all those bits and pieces then massage and polish them. He was also a wealth of guitar ideas I wouldn’t have thought of and his chops are pretty awesome as well. Gentle and unassuming, there’s a fire burning within that surfaces at all the right times. Somebody get some water!

Then there’s Andy. Loyal, dedicated, fatherly, indomitable. In a way, Envy Of None is truly his baby. He worked hard to bring it all together and has had a consistent vision of what it could be. His enthusiasm has no end and his flexibility as a singer/bassist/songwriter is enhanced by his sweet disposition—almost impossible to get into an argument with this guy…me, on the other hand!

RUSH

In many ways, the EON experience primed me for the return to Rush. After Geddy and I prepped and played the Taylor Hawkins tributes in London and Los Angeles in 2022 which was truly a high point for us both, we were on a definite roll. So many great artists and bands and not a single ego to be found. Dave Grohl was a master at connecting everyone together and keeping spirits united. Dave’s energy was truly awesome to behold. I don’t think he had slept for a month but I never saw him weary until the final night in London when we all repaired to the hotel bar. He still managed to salute the sunrise. I love that guy. 

Just after the show ended, we were hanging out in the schmooze zone outside the dressing room having a few drinks. Josh Homme was there, Dave, Geddy and me. After a bit, Paul McCartney came by and joined our boisterous gang. Sir Paul was such a delightful surprise. Absolutely no pretense or ego; immediately blending in as one of the guys. He’d watched our set and gave a lovely complement. He knew of Rush but didn’t know the material or much about us. He asked Geddy if we were currently on tour and Ged said no and explained that Neil had recently passed and that I really wasn’t up for touring. He said, “Oh no, you must get back on the road!  Look at me, I’m 80 and still going. You know, it’s what Ringo always says: this is who we are.”  Well, I’m not about to argue with a Beatle!  I, of course, made a few silly comments and was elated to have made said Beatle laugh but it was a poignant moment for me and I started thinking that just maybe touring could become a thing again.

That lasted for about a month and then I cooled on the idea. Geddy was up for touring but being the great guy that he is, he accepted that I wasn’t ready and let it go. I dove into the EON projects for the next few years and attended to some health issues that had been nagging me for years. My digestive system has always been quite sensitive and a second surgery a couple of years ago left me nauseous for a year so being at my wit’s end, I checked into a clinic in Austria that specializes in these issues and spent two weeks there last January. Shortly before that, Ged and I decided to get together and do some casual jamming. We just played, with no intentions.  For fun, we played a few Rush songs and really enjoyed it despite being a bit rusty.

When I say a bit rusty…

I still wasn’t ready for any commitment – my health was the major issue but after returning from the clinic, I was reborn. VivaMayr changed my life. After two weeks, I learned how to truly take care of myself and felt re-energized. It was then that I allowed myself to seriously consider touring. Geddy and I broadened our selection of songs and started playing more intently. Our thoughts turned to who could we consider to replace the irreplaceable? That was going to be tough on many levels. Ged’s tech, Skully, had recently returned from Jeff Beck’s final tour after the shocking death of Jeff. He suggested to Geddy that if we ever considered a drummer for any project, Anika Nilles would be an excellent choice. She’d played several tours with Jeff, had her own band and quite a devoted following. We reached out to her and invited her to spend five days with us to see if we could gel. Despite being a bit nervous and jet lagged, she was great but after four days, we weren’t sure. Technically, she had no problem but it was Neil’s feel that wasn’t quite understood. We talked at length about it and she began to understand and on the fifth day, she nailed it. She is an amazing drummer and a lovely person. We still have a ton of work ahead of us but it’s shaping up nicely and our personal connection is strengthening. And she loves to laugh.

When the Who played Toronto last fall, we met with Loren Gold, their keyboard/pianist of a dozen years. Geddy actually played with him at a charity event The Who sponsored some years ago. He, too, is awesome and we enlisted him to free Geddy and me from keyboard and bass pedal duties so we can concentrate on our Beyonce-esque dance routines. I’m not sure how comfortable I’ll be dancing in my underwear but I guess if she can do it, so can we. 

GEAR

I’ve been having fun developing the LERXST line of pedals, amps and guitars. Mojotone has been a great collaborator and fun to work with. The smooth boost of the BY-TOR pedal, the whacky SNOWDOG pedal that I’ll figure out one day, the ATWAS wah/volume pedal just being released, the LERXST AMPS series that have evolved over the years, the Morley powered Blah Blah and LERXST volume/wah pedals and the LERXST guitar series based on the Hentor custom model I used from the early 80s. Boys and their toys! Still a few more in development.

For the tour, and just to make sure I have more stuff than I need, I’ll bring the TONEX amp pedal which is a modelling device full of great amp/cab combinations as well as effects. They spent 18 months with my collection of amps that I’ve used over the years and created a package I’ve been spending a lot of time with recreating some of my classic tones from past albums and it’s pretty cool to hear those original tones once again. 

I’ve always included Fractal in my array of live gear ever since I first used one of their units nearly 20 years ago. We’re working closely together for the tour and I absolutely love the AXE III and FM9 systems. I’m looking to be streamlined as much as possible so I can carry all my stage gear in a shoulder bag like the good old days when I actually didn’t have much in there. Maybe just my lunch. 

Okay, that’s good for now. I’ll try to be more responsible with the blah blah going forward but no promises. It’s shaping up to be a very busy year but probably good for me to make an effort. 
I dunno. I’ll try. Maybe.  For sure. Most likely…

~ Lerxst