A New Rush Fan is Born in the Fire.

I know it has been a little while since my last blog post that had nothing to do with a podcast, for my inspiration to write such diatribes come only every now and again. But last nite and today, I came across something that opened my horizons in a way that hasn't happened since I was in Junior High or High School:
I discovered a new band.
Now, they are far from being a new band, just on the scene with a fresh take on their musical style that causes me to connect with them on a personal level. They are just a band that I'm only running into their work after 21 1/2 years on this planet. The band I speak of, that i have come to not only respect their body of work, but on a personal level is Rush.
At this point, you may be asking yourself, "How could he have not listened to Rush before?" or "Has he been living under a rock for the past 50 years that they've been around?" I assure you, it's nothing so dramatic. To be honest, they were just never really on my radar before, the music was never really around when I was growing up. My dad, being my musical figurehead through a grand portion of my adolescence, was never really into the band in any capacity that I noticed. But as I learned, from the documentary that turned me onto them called "Rush: Beyond the Lighted Stage." I highly recommend it, even if you're not into their music (like I wasn't), you can still come out of the hour and 40+ minutes with a little bit of childlike wonder and appreciation for this Canadian, 3 piece, rock group that changed the way we think about popular music. It's on Netflix right now, which has become one of the most accessible things in our society, so check it out.
Excuse me, I digress.
Of course I've heard the majesty of a song that is Tom Sawyer, and perhaps one or two other Rush songs in my time dabbling in the musical culture, but they were never at the top of any of my lists. Which I now see as a gross oversight on my part. The lyrical mastery put together by these guys along with the fast, steady, and impressive drum rhythms of Neil Peart on drums are a symphony to behold. But I'm not here to review their performance over the years or gush in my new found fandom. One of the things that I took away the most from this documentary was that when it comes to your art, the things that we create to express ourselves, the most important thing is to stay true to ourselves. The thing we do (painting, song writing, podcasting, singing) can change over the years and be influenced by different sources as we make our way through life, but much like Rush, we have to stay true to the kids we were when we first dreamed up this idea.
This becomes pertinent to me because I have begun to put my art out there, for all to enjoy. And although it has only been a short while, I have begun to think about the long term and how much I enjoy making fun times with my friends around me. I just really respected the members of Rush's decision to do what it is that they wanted to do over all of the years and not faltering to what the other bands were doing that made them "more popular" than Rush.
Another thing that really spoke to me were the trials that Neil Peart went through after the deaths of his daughter and wife. He basically dropped everything he was doing with the band and drumming, got on his motorcycle and just rode. In the documentary, he talks about that time of just traveling and how it was so soothing to his soul. The motion of the bike as he traversed all of North America on the back of his motorcycle is so inspiring to me. It really spoke to me because of all of the time I have spent outdoor since the deaths of my parents. I had never really been able to put my finger on why being out in remote areas, away from civilization had been so therapeutic for me until I heard Neil Peart explain it to me in this documentary.
"I traveled out of the darkest place a human being can come from and it was landscapes, highways and wildlife that revitalized me. It was the timeless landscapes. It gives your tiny existence a new perspective when you're among things that are millions of years old."

Being with the Forest Service this past year took me to very remote and beautiful locations.

As I heard this for the first time, I let out an audible "yes" as I sat on my couch, backing in the knowledge of such a talented, well-read man. Because it explained to my and put into words the feeling I get while I'm outside; camping, hunting, fishing,  and fighting wildfire. Being among the things that are timeless really puts my life into perspective for me and shows me that even though life can deal us really shitty hands sometimes, we can persevere and overcome our trials of the mind, body and soul. So this is almost just a public thank you letter to the man that put these words in my head and at my fingertips, because it helps me to convey the feelings I've experienced while learning to cope with the unexpected turns that my life has taken. So to Mr. Peart, and all other that have helped me through my difficult times, a genuine thank you is in order for allowing my introspective outdoorsmanship happen over this nearly 2 years of restructuring.

It also helps that I got to discover a new side to a band I had only ever passively listened to.

Until next time:
-Dalton

The look of a truly happy outdoors-man loving the majesty of nature.