Rush is my Jam
Before I became a devoted Deadhead, I was a huge fan of Rush. Many of my Deadhead friends are also huge Rush fanatics. Certainly the two bands cover different sonic territory, though for rock and roll fans, they are both landscapes that our various moods demand that we cover from time to time.
One of the coolest aspects of the Grateful Dead fan experience was that every one of their concerts were unique. On any given night, there were over a 100 different songs they might play and if you saw a run of three shows, you wouldn’t see the same song played twice. This was one of the reasons Dead fans wanted to see so many shows.
Rush on the other hand, was more traditional and tended to play the same set list on any given tour, though they did switch songs out now and again. Nevertheless, if you saw three shows on a particular Rush tour, you’d be seeing the same show each night.
Despite that, Rush never had any trouble selling concert tickets. Their shows were always amazing, creative, well produced, contained elements of humor, and delivered the goods fans wanted to hear.
Nevertheless, as a huge fan of the jamband ethos of different set lists every night, and as a huge Rush fan who loves their entire catalog (and live shows), I find myself wondering about what it might have been like to see Rush drop different set lists on consecutive nights. Their catalog is deep and their virtuosity is without peer. I know the band members adopted the approach they did for a reason, but I’d still like to imagine what Rush shows might look like if they mixed it up night to night. If you are a Rush fan as well, I hope you enjoy thinking about this parallel universe.
I am assuming this is happening at the end of their careers when all their albums are in play. I am also going to have some fun with the possibility of the jamming out of one song and into another. This is the hallmark of ‘jambands’ and Rush certainly could have done this. I don’t know enough about making music to know if these transitions would work (as far as the key of each tune), but I’m going to include some in each show anyway.
New Goose Album Chain Yer Dragon
I’ve been really into music most of my life. In high school, it was heavy metal and hard rock; bands like Rush, Led Zeppelin, Metallica, and Judas Priest–bands that are still in my rotation. Early in college I got heavily into Jethro Tull, then my little brother took me to my first Dead show and from then on I was on the bus. Like many Vince-era Deadheads, I also became a fan in the early 1990s of other jamband pioneers like Widespread Panic and Phish. Fast forward to the pandemic and a new band out of Connecticut started making waves with fans of improvisational rock music. That band was Goose. In short, they took the Dead model and applied it to a new era. Their set lists were different every night, they sprinkled quirky and beloved covers into their shows, they shared their live music free (on YouTube and Bandcamp), and they delivered the goods live. A good friend saw them out in Colorado in 2022 and raved about them.
Fast forward to the summer of 2025 and it is fair to say I am listening to Goose more than any other band. I like their studio stuff, but I mostly listen to live stuff that I buy from Bandcamp or download from YouTube. I’ve been lucky enough to catch them live four times thus far (hopefully with many more to come). This morning, a Thursday in mid-August, they dropped another full length studio recording titled Chain Yer Dragon. This is their second album of the year, after Everything Must Go, which was released in the spring. Their summer tour starts today, so it makes sense. I love the timing of this for two reasons. For one, it has ‘indie marketing’ vibes, which I believe was integral to their meteoric rise after the pandemic. Secondly, they are prolific. Taking cues from Trey Anastasio, one of their heroes, they are musicians who are consistently making great new music and getting it out for their fans.
The tracklist contains mostly songs that have been staples of their shows for years, including Rockdale, The Empress of Organos, and Echo of A Rose. There are also some new tunes, including Madalena and Royal. I’m sure many Goose fans will dismiss these versions because they aren’t live, but I enjoy the contrast between the stretched out live performances and the tighter, more highly produced studio versions. (Although, to be fair, the Factory Fiction that closes the record is nearly 17 minutes long.) It is also great to hear a studio version of a song that has only ever been experienced live before, even if I’ll spend more time going forward with the live tracks.
A couple quick reactions. I get strong Jackson Browne vibes from some songs on this record, such as Madalena. Rick’s ethereal guitar is also ubiquitous and I continue to love his voice. That said, there are no Pete (Anspach) songs, which is a bummer. There are also no covers. Oh well, all the more reason to go see ‘em live!
What I Remember from High School Is Not My GPA
One issue nearly all high school teachers face is students who are excessively worried about their grades. To be sure, the student that doesn’t care about their grades presents a more worrisome dilemma, but that does not make the ‘grade grubber’ student any less real or frustrating. As a teacher, when I talk to this young person I hope to convey the idea that the process is more important than the result. I also attempt to convince them that getting a B in an AP class in high school is not the end of the world. I always add that this grade they are worried about iis something they likely won’t think about once they’re out of high school. Like, ever. Sometimes my arguments ease the student’s worry, but I suspect most often my words don’t do all that much good.
A related problem arises when a student who has high A continues to stress out about their grade. This type of student typically has the habits to maintain their success. The quote below, from a 2024 book by Jennifer Breheny Wallace about the dangers of ‘achievement culture’ in America, makes an important point about this type of student that I strongly agree with. Put simply, a meaningful adolescence should involve more than just academic performance. Indeed, thinking back now on my high school experience–many years ago, that is true-–I remember hardly anything about the academic nature of my experience, including specific grades. What I do remember are my friendships, playing football, cutting class on Wednesdays during senior year to drive to Oakland to catch Oakland A’s day games in the bleachers (for something like $5!), and the other emotional highs and lows of my particular experience in the late 80s in a small college town in Northern California. I recognize in hindsight that earning decent grades (I was a straight B student) helped me get into college. However, the grades and their meaning faded quickly.
It is worth noting that our current system is organized in a way that promotes student worries about grades. That is a whole other topic that I will refrain from getting into, but I do think is important not to forget.
Today, I hope my students, as well as my daughter, will approach high school with the wisdom to discern that while grades matter, so do relationships, extra-curricular activities, travel (if one is so lucky), and the pursuit of other interests in the margins of the high school experience. Of course, students today have additional pressures caused by phones and social media that I didn’t have to deal with in the ‘80s. Nevertheless, it’s a critical balance; and while it is hard to nail it, having a well rounded experience in high school is worth the effort. Wallace nails this idea with these 12 words.
Greetings!
Hello folks! I have been wanting to have a blog for a very long time and I am finally getting started. Whoop, whoop! I believe I’ll have a lot to say about what interests me, which includes books and ideas, teaching high school social studies in this crazy era, music, life in beautiful Portland, QS stuff, and being a dad/husband. Hopefully I will meet some kindred spirits out there as I continue this part of my journey.
