Why Do This?
Why on earth would you start a daily newsletter about a prog metal band?
The short answer: For fun, of course.
That’s all there is to it. Really.
But in case you want a longer answer, here goes:
As I’m writing this, it’s December 30, 2023. We’re about to welcome in the start of a new year, and boy, it can’t come soon enough.
The past few months—since October 7th—have been really hard on me, as well as on my family, friends, and community. Fun and laughter has been in short supply.
So I wanted to do something that made me happy. Just truly and deeply happy.
And few things in this world make me as happy as popping on a Rush tune and singing along (or air-drumming).
Rush’s music has been there in my happiest moments and darkest times. Through loss and grief, joy and successes. Rush was there when I was an awkward preteen teaching myself Tolkien’s runes for fun. They were there when I left for college; when I moved into my first apartment; when I trained for half-marathons; when my infant children refused to sleep through the night. Through wrapping holiday presents and partying with friends and even navigating professional conferences.
Rush has provided the soundtrack to my life, and really—is there anything a Rush fan loves more than sharing their love of the band with the world?
So here I am, sharing that love with the world. One song at a time, one day at a time.
I hope you’ll come along for the ride!
Some things to know about me
I’m not a musician. I took a few years of piano lessons as a kid that refused to stick. So when you start talking about guitar models or time signatures, my brain begins to melt. I have to lean on friends and family to explain the technical reasons why Rush is so good. Me, I just like their music.
One A Day Rush is, like all love letters, deeply personal. Some of the songs have been placed on certain days because they line up to milestones from the band, but most were placed because of me: whether it was something I heard in the song or my own relationship to it. For example, you might disagree that “Dreamline” should go on October 11. But it’s my favorite song ever, and that’s my birthday, so there it goes. (It was the first song I placed, actually.)
One A Day Rush is a time capsule. I built the calendar for One A Day Rush in the final weeks of 2023, so it reflects my state of mind at that time. Things change, and I may move songs around to stay current with the times. (For example, I’ve slotted “Countdown” for whenever the Artemis 2 rocket launches, which is currently slated for some unspecified date in November 2024. But the launch could be pushed back, or not happen in 2024 at all.) Also, it’s possible something might happen nine months from now that would’ve made a song I sent in January more appropriate than what I’d scheduled for November. Oh well. Can’t go back in time. And no repeats!
I couldn’t do this for any other band. Rush is truly unique in my heart. So while there are more prolific bands, and bands that you might be able to replicate this for—for me, well, there is only Rush.