JACKSONVILLE, Fla — The Rush Tribute Project will be coming to Jacksonville later this month. They will be at the Florida Theatre on April 21, where they’ll be performing Rush’s “Moving Pictures” album in its entirety, as well as some of the band’s greatest hits and deep cuts. I spoke with drummer Thomas Slawnik ahead of the upcoming show to talk about the popular album, the decision to take their show on the road and the difficulty of playing the drums like Rush drummer Neal Peart.

“After two, three years of playing the local bars in the Milwaukee area, we decided, ‘Yeah, it’s time to step it up a bit,’ and take it out, do different states, different cities, and so far it’s been a very positive experience,” said Slawnik on the band’s decision to take their tribute show on the road.

On the difficulty of covering the drum tracks of Neal Peart, who’s widely regarded as one of the greatest drummers ever, Slawnik says, “Well, it’s taken me, pretty much, fifty years to get as far as I have to learn all of his tracks. It’s always a work in progress because there’s always something that you miss the first time you try to study a song, and I think I’ve got it pretty well down, but there’s always room for improvement, and yes, it’s a very physical three hours.”

You can hear more of Slawnik’s thoughts on the “Moving Pictures” album as well as what made Peart great in the full interview.

Tickets for The Rush Tribute Project are on sale now.

You can hear more interviews in the Chase Chats section of WOKV.com.

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