Closer to the Peart: B.C. drummer plays 175 Rush songs in video tribute to late percussionist

Why play one Rush song when you can play 175?

That was BrandonToews' approach to honouringlate Rush drummer Neil Peart.

The percussionist from Chilliwack, B.C., performeda mashupof 175 Rush songs in a video as a tribute to Peart, who died two years ago of brain cancer.

Peart, revered by fans and fellow musicians alike for his technical prowess, has had a huge influence on drummers who followed, Toews included.

WATCH | Brandon Toews plays all 175 Rush songs in tribute to Neil Peart:

"Neil was known for really having put together some of the finest drumparts in history,"Toews said.

"Myself, like probably every other Canadian drummer out there, he played a big role in my personal development as a player. I remember as a young kid just trying to learn the parts that he had on those Rush tracks. Anyone who knows him even beyond his drumming [knows]just howdedicated and hard-working he was. That's kind ofthe approach I wanted to take while putting this together."

Toewscame up with the idea inJuly. He spent 10 weeksgoing through the band's catalogue, picking out moments in each song that highlighted Peart's immenseskills, and practising them before putting it all on video.

Toews' homage extended to his drum kit. Peart was known for using a massive drum set that completely surrounded him, and Toews with the help of Drumeo, an Abbotsford-based music education websitewhere he works did his best to replicate it.

"It was probably upwards of 70 or 80 pieces, which was actually a lot more than he would tour with live, but because we were going through the entire 40-year catalogue of Rush's music, there were certain pieces that he only used in the 80s or only used in the 90sand all of that had to accessible," he said.

"There was electronics, there was classical percussion, obviously standard drum set parts, just tons of drums and cymbals on the kit. It was a lot of fun to play."

Legendary Rush drummer Neil Peart performs solo

5 years ago

Duration 0:45

Neil Peart, the late drummer for Canadian rock band Rush, performs a drum solo.

The tribute also includessongs from Rush's debut studio album, which featured the band's original drummer, John Rutsey.

Toews said he has received a lot of positive feedback since posting the video on Jan. 7, the second anniversary of Peart's death.

"Anyone whoknows Rush knows that they kind of havea cult following,people who are very dedicated fans like myself andmany, many others," he said.

"These albums and these songs are sort of the soundtrack to people's lives. So seeing people responding so positively has been a really cool experience."