A brief review of the last 25 years or so...

     "Permanent Waves" is a collaboration of three die-hard Rush fans committed to delivering the most detailed and authentic tribute to the band that first inspired them to play. Back in 1994, guitarist Paul Joannis was busy assembling a Rush tribute band and setting up all the required synthesizers, samplers, sequencers and bass pedals required for the task. That came to fruition with "Limelight" in 1997 and the band gained much attention on the local Ottawa scene, playing headliners at Barrymore's as well as opening for Kim Mitchell and The Headstones. In 2001, Paul went on to form "Permanent Waves" and the band had many live appearances including repeat performances at Le Medley and Chez Maurice in Montreal and Barrymore's in Ottawa. In 2007, the band went on hiatus for a few years while members focused on other obligations. Paul played with "The Rebel Wheel" from 2006-2007, contributing one song to their "Diagramma" release. He was also with "The Dealmakers" in Ottawa when the band made it to the finals of the 2010 Fortune 500 Battle of the Corporate Bands at the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in Cleveland in front of celebrity judges that included Liberty DeVitto and Alan Parsons.

     In 2010, "Permanent Waves" was revived when Paul found Ottawa percussionist Dan Aube from a picture of his drum kit on a Rush fan site. Dan is also a veteran of several other bands including Styx tribute "Return to Paradise" and has toured with country star Drake Jensen. Shortly thereafter, bassist/vocalist Vince Langlois joined, turning the band into a trio and taking the authenticity to the next level. Vince is a prolific bass player well schooled in rock, metal, jazz, blues and country, and his talents are in high demand in several high-profile acts in Ottawa such as Airliner Blues Band, Sandi Skye and Danny Sylvestre. Unfortunately, a debilitating arm injury forced Dan to step aside, so the Paul and Vince continued as "Permanent Waves" with a different drummer until 2015, and then with a new drummer as "Archives" from 2015-2018 until that drummer relocated out of province. After surgery and physiotherapy, Dan was able to recover his strength and ability and re-claim his position as drummer in Permanent Waves in early 2020, ten years after originally joining the group. The band's story is one of persistence and resilience, as well as dedication to the task.

     For all of us in the band, Rush - and in particular Neil Peart - was the inspiration behind picking up an instrument and wanting to play, to want to sound like that. Rush's music and lyrics connected with us in a a way nothing else did and inspired us to be better musicians and people. With Neil's tragic passing in early 2020, the motivation and the drive to pay a respectful, authentic and stunningly accurate tribute to his legacy and Rush's music is even stronger than ever. The band's chosen name was always a tip of the hat to the perseverance and persistence of a musical genre and professional work ethic that never goes out of style. As Neil would say, care has been taken to ensure the performance is up to par with our audience's expectations and we hope you'll get an opportunity to drop by and check us out.

And the story continues on...