Episode notes
Hey there, music lovers. Welcome to Why Rush Matters, a podcast dedicated to the music, legacy, and enduring power of the Canadian trio that changed the game and changed a lot of lives in the process. I'm your host, Jeff Miers, musician, music journalist, and since a January evening in 1980 at the Palace Theater in Albany, a devoted Rush fan who has never once looked back. Joining me, as always, is my friend and collaborator Ray Wawrzyniak, educator, collector, historian, and one of the most passionate Rush scholars on the planet. Ray and I met through our shared love of this band, and the…
Podcast
Why Rush Matters
Jeff Miers and Ray Wawrzyniak · Music · English
What is Why Rush Matters? It’s a dedicated Rush podcast from Buffalo music journalist Jeff Miers and Rush historian Ray Wawrzyniak, created for listeners who want the deep cuts, the big questions, and the stories behind the sound. Spun out of the most-listened-to Rush conversation on Why Music Mat
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20 Aug 2026 · 1 hr 13 min
Emotional Feedback on a Timeless Wavelength | Why Rush Matters
We’ve said it before and we’ll say it again - What a time to be a Rush fan! While Geddy, Alex, Anika and Loren - as well as thousands of grateful fans - recover from an epic 4-night run in Toronto, Jeff and Ray present their recent conversation with legendary CFNY DJs Ivar Hamilton, Scot Turner and Liz Janik, who were in town to promote their new documentary on the history of that fabled station, which will open in Buffalo this fall. As any self-respecting Rush-head knows, the band wrote The Spirit of Radio to pay homage to CFNY and the power and impact of free-form radio. During our chat,…
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6 Aug 2026 · 49 min
To Spend an Evening with a Drink and a Friend…
With Ray deep into his stint with the Fifty Something Tour, and Jeff preparing for his first date with the 2026 edition of Rush - on August 7, as the band kicks off a 4-night run in Toronto - we spend some time with Steve Himel, co-founder and General Manager of Toronto’s Henderson Brewing Company, and creator of the Rush line of brews. Steve tells us about his plans for the 4th annual Rush Day, which welcomes an international community of Rush freaks to Henderson’s Toronto brewery on Saturday, August 8th; Jeff tells Steve that he’s his personal hero for combining the two things he loves the…
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23 Jul 2026 · 1 hr 27 min
A Garden to Nurture and Protect…
As the 2026 edition of Rush continues to roll across the country, claiming one (not so) little victory at a time, Jeff & Ray dig through decades of intense fandom, personal experiences, and close listening, to defend their Rush top 10 lists. Interesting and sometimes intense discussion ensued! Before you listen and wonder why your own favorites ranked low or didn’t make the cut, remember that, as Neil once wrote, our differences make us interesting to each other, and “The spaces in between leave room for you and I to grow.” We look forward to you sharing your own ‘best of’ lists with us! ~~~…
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9 Jul 2026 · 1 hr 12 min
The Echoes of Old Applause…
As the Fifty Something tour rolls on, and Geddy, Alex, Anika and Loren navigate a bump in the road or two, Jeff & Ray look back on the Rush concerts from years past that formed and fostered their love for the band, reflect on”spontaneous relations and the long enduring kind,” and highlight through-lines in the trio’s illustrious tenure as a premier live band. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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25 Jun 2026 · 1 hr 3 min
The Road Unwinds Before Me
With the Rush Fifty Something tour officially underway and the accolades rolling in, Jeff and Ray discuss the first run of shows, Ray’s first-person recollections of nights 1 and 2 in Los Angeles, the incredible grace under pressure exhibited by Anika Nilles, the Xanadu Lounge (honeydew and milk of paradise for all!), and the abundant surprises in the tour’s setlists so far. Welcome to Episode 2 of our shared journey. The road unwinds before us… Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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8 Jun 2026 · 4 min
Welcome to Why Rush Matters
This is the dedicated Rush podcast for fans who know this music was never just about dazzling time signatures, thunderous bass pedals, or impossible drum fills. It was about curiosity, friendship, ambition, imagination, grief, humor, and the strange, lifelong bond between a band and the people who found themselves inside its songs. Hosted by Buffalo music journalist and critic Jeff Miers and Rush historian, archivist, musicologist, and lifelong devotee Ray Wawrzyniak, the show grew out of a standout Rush conversation on Why Music Matters with Jeff Miers. That episode became one of the…
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