Maiah Wynne had no idea that she’d end up joining a band featuring one of the all-time legendary rock guitarists.
The Portland, Ore.-based vocalist had connected with Coney Hatch bassist Andy Curran, who asked her to sing on some new recordings. Then he mentioned that a guitarist friend of his would also be contributing to the tracks: former Rush trailblazer Alex Lifeson.
Lifeson had been laying low following the final Rush tour that ended in 2015 and the subsequent tragic passing of the trio’s irreplaceable drummer Neil Peart in 2020. He guested on a few projects but had yet to commit to full participation in a new band or album. But when Curran invited him to play on the new music he was developing, and Lifeson heard Wynne’s vocals on the tracks, he was all in.
Their collective labors have finally borne fruit, as 2022 sees the release of Envy of None, the debut album from the new band of the same name that unites Lifeson, Wynne and Curran with producer Alf Annibalini.
Those expecting the second coming of “Tom Sawyer” and its ilk will be sorely disappointed, but Envy of None has plenty to offer listeners open to new sonic adventures. The combination of Wynne’s emotional vocals, Lifeson’s exotic guitar textures, Curran’s powerful bass playing and Annibalini’s sound treatments has produced a powerful, groundbreaking album unlike anything previously from its creators.
In one of the few press interviews granted prior to the release of the album, Lifeson and Wynne discussed how Envy of None came together, what sets it apart from their previous work and what the future holds for this bold new collective.
GOLDMINE: I have been listening to Envy of None and I’m really enjoying the album. It’s like every song is a different journey, and a totally unexpected one. Some albums can be kind of homogeneous — all of the songs are in the same vein. This is not like that. Sometimes it’s psychedelic, sometimes it’s trippy, sometimes it’s techno. It’s all over the place, but really enjoyable. How did Envy of None come together as a band, and how did you both get involved in this project?
I’ll start, because it goes back a little bit, further than Maiah’s story. After the end of the Rush tour in 2015, Andy Curran got in touch with me. He used to work at our office, and he played in Coney Hatch. We had known
