I was the nerdy kid growing up, ultimately becoming the nerdy kid that played drums. I didn’t feel like I fit in anywhere and every time I got behind that drum kit, nothing mattered; I was home. Neil Peart showed me that it was okay to be the nerdy, introverted kid with big dreams. The first song I ever heard from Rush was 'Tom Sawyer' and it changed my life. The way every fill was deliberate, calculated, and fit perfectly. It was only later that I found out that he also wrote the lyrics. I thought “Man, this guys a genius, he can do it all”. Every single drummer had the 20,000 piece drum kit, attempting to get the sound that he had. Neil Peart is rock and roll. There’s no physical or scientific way to prove the sheer magnitude of his influence in music as we knew, know, and to come. A true inspiration, legend, instructor, and visionary. It’s upsettingly poetic that such a beautiful mind could be plagued by such a terrible disease. I'm so privileged to have been able to see Rush live on the Time Machine Tour here in Cleveland. Thank you for being my greatest teacher.
“Summer's going fast, nights growing colder, children growing up, old friends growing older, freeze this moment, A little bit longer, make each sensation a little bit stronger, experience slips away.”
