HeadRush was born in December of 2019, when friends guitarist Tom Genolio and
bassist Steve Hoffman were hanging out during the holidays. Tom was playing some
Rush on guitar and after some mutual Rush admiration, they decided to form a Rush
tribute.
“I know the perfect Neil Peart,” says Hoffman. Enter Chris Newman- drummer
extraordinaire who, along with Genolio and Hoffman, were veterans of the Bay Area
rock scene- all playing in numerous bands separately and together!
In January 2020, Neil Peart passed away- it was then decided that HeadRush needs to
happen- not just for personal reasons, but in honor of Neil.
When the pandemic hit, things went slow, with occasional rehearsals in living rooms,
using electric drums, amp heads, and headphones. The three never lost sight of the goal
to get out there and play Rush’s music.
Finally, in late 2022, HeadRush secured a live practice room and was able to hone in
their craft of creating the most authentic Rush sound they could create.
Hoffman was manning the bass, and keyboards, as well as the daunting task of covering
Geddy Lee’s vocals. Welp…it was a good try, but re-creating the unique timbre of
Geddy’s voice was a tall order. It just wasn’t working out.
This is where vocalist Eddy Vega enters. Also a veteran of many metal bands around the
Bay Area, Eddy brought the perfect and crucial blend of high notes and gritty edge of
Geddy’s vocal style. The group is complete.
The goal of HeadRush is to creatively and effectively give the audience the most
authentic musical recreation of art that is the music of RUSH. All four members of the
group are die-hard Rush fans. It is an honor for the group to be able to present this
musical rendition to the public.
HeadRush:
Eddy (Geddy) Vega: Vocals
Tom (Sawyer) Genolio: All Guitars
Steve (Yeti Lee) Hoffman: Bass and Keyboards, Bass pedals
Chris (The Professor) Newman: Drums and Electronic Sounds
