tom morello
Tom Morello Hits Back at Accusation of ‘White Privilege’: ‘I’m Not White’
Rage Against the Machine guitarist/activist Tom Morello is usually a man of many words but in a response to a Twitter user who accused him of “white man privilege” on Wednesday, he gave a simple answer to the accusation. His reply? “I’m not white.” The guitarist sent the message to Twitter user @TheRealNubian2, who had criticized him for defending his friendship with Ted Nugent, the guitarist who espouses strong right-wing views. His accuser identifies on Twitter as: “She/Her. Feminist SJW. Not an American but will talk shit anyway.” Morello, the son of an American mother of Italian and Irish descent and a father, Kikuyu Kenyan, who is from Kenya, told the story of his friendship with the Motor City Madman to Howard Stern on his SiriusXM show earlier this week. Discussi...
Tom Morello to Executive Produce Netflix Film Metal Lords From Game of Thrones Creators
Rage Against the Machine guitarist Tom Morello is adding another line to his impressive resume as the executive music producer of the upcoming Netflix film Metal Lords. The movie is a coming-of-age comedy whose logline is “Two kids want to start a heavy metal band in a high school where exactly two kids care about heavy metal.” The film was written by D.B. Weiss and produced by Weiss and Greg Shapiro. Weiss and David Benioff are executive producing. Weiss and Benioff are best known as the co-creators of the pop culture phenomenon Game of Thrones. Peter Sollett (Nick and Norah’s Infinite Playlist) is set to direct. Starring in the flick is Jaeden Martell (Knives Out, It), Isis Hainsworth (Misbehaviour, Emma) and Adrian Greensmith in his feature film debut. The film, whic...
Tom Morello and Serj Tankian Collaborate on Cover of Gang of Four’s ‘Natural’s Not In It’
Tom Morello of Rage Against the Machine and System of a Down’s Serj Tankian joined forces on a cover of Gang of Four’s “Natural’s Not In It,” the first single to emerge from The Problem of Leisure: A Celebration of Andy Gill and Gang of Four. The tune, which first appeared on the Gang of Four’s 1979 debut LP, Entertainment! sees Tankian and Morello amplifying the original single’s edgy urgency. The song starts with “the problem of leisure” lyric that gives the upcoming set its name. “Andy Gill was one of a handful of artists in history who changed the way guitars are played,” Morello said in a statement. “His band Gang of Four were just incendiary and completely groundbreaking with Andy’s confrontational, unnerving and sublime playing at the forefront. His jag...
Tom Morello, Serj Tankian and More Contribute to Gang of Four Tribute Album
An all-star Gang of Four and Andy Gill tribute album is on the way. Titled The Problem of Leisure: A Celebration of Andy Gill and Gang of Four, the collection will be a double album of songs that are reinterpreted and recorded by famous fans of the band. The first single, “Natural’s Not In It,” hails from Rage Against the Machine guitarist Tom Morello and System Of A Down vocalist Serj Tankian. It will be released on Gill’s birthday, Jan. 1, 2021. A complete track listing will be announced next month. “Andy Gill was one of a handful of artists in history who changed the way guitars are played,” Morello said in a statement. “Gang of Four were just incendiary and completely groundbreaking with Andy’s confrontational, unnerving and sublime playing at the forefron...
Slash, Kirk Hammett and Tom Morello Eulogize Eddie Van Halen During Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony
The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame induction ceremony usually takes place in the spring; however, like so many other plans those were changed after the coronavirus outbreak hit. With ample time to figure out an alternate plan, the Rock Hall curated a virtual celebration to honor the Class of 2020, but something it wasn’t expecting was eulogizing the great Eddie Van Halen. The Van Halen guitarist passed away on Oct. 6 after a decades-long battle with cancer, and Slash, Tom Morello, and Metallica’s Kirk Hammett paid tribute to the legendary axe man during the ceremony. “Eddie Van Halen was a tremendously gifted musician,” Slash said. “His style and his sound were completely unique to him. He had a massive impact on guitar playing. I don’t think there’s anybody who’s picked up guitar since 1978 t...
Tom Morello and Rage Against the Machine Mock Trump Supporters Dancing to ‘Killing in the Name’
The election was officially called this morning, and Joe Biden is the President-Elect of the United States, thanks to Pennsylvania turning blue. But before the announcement, Trump supporters in Philadelphia protested for the state to stop counting ballots, claiming fraudulent mail-in votes. There, of course, has been no evidence of voter fraud, but Trumpers don’t care about reality. Just like these two, who were caught on video dancing to Rage Against the Machine’s “Killing in the Name” — a song that scorns white supremacy in the police system. The band pointed out the irony in a tweet. “They just don’t GET IT do they?” they wrote, retweeting the video. Tom Morello also shared the video, writing “Not exactly what we had in mind” These must be the same people who earlier this year slammed M...
Anti-Flag, Tom Morello and More Join Forces in ‘A Dying Plea Vol. 1′ Video
With Pennsylvania currently at the center of the 2020 presidential election, Pittsburgh’s favorite political punk rockers have released a new video for their collaborative tune “A Dying Plea Vol. 1.” Anti-Flag released the video (which is full of raw footage of police brutality and violence) through Hopeless Records on YouTube, bringing a spotlight to their recent partnership with artists like DE’WAYNE, Marcia Richards, Jalise Della Gary, and legendary Rage Against the Machine guitarist Tom Morello. The fiery track captures a wide range of emotions but mainly focuses on the dire situation the country finds itself in due to racism and other social injustices (particularly as they pertain to police violence). It’s a sizable step up in complexity and production from “Fuck Police Brutality” (D...
Tom Morello to Release New EP Comandante This Week
Tom Morello has been making the most of his time in quarantine. Despite Rage Against the Machine’s ballyhooed reunion tour being postponed, Morello has remained active, whether he’s releasing a new book, endorsing 10-year-old phenom Nandi Bushell, or teaming up for a new song titled “Stand Up.“ Today, Morello announced that he’s releasing a new five-song EP this Friday. Titled Comandante, the collection will feature Slash on a song with another dedicated to Eddie Van Halen. Presumably “Voodoo Child” will be Morello’s take on the Jimi Hendrix classic. THIS FRIDAY: My new EP entitled COMANDANTE out everywhere – 1. Voodoo Child 2. Interstate 80 (feat. @Slash)3. Secretariat (For EVH)4. Suburban Guerrilla5. Cato Stedman & Neptune Frost pic.twitter.com/9qvuj4XT8w — Tom Morello...
Tom Morello, Kathy Valentine and More Cover Eurythmics’ ‘Sweet Dreams’
A group of legendary artists including Rage Against the Machine’s Tom Morello, Foo Fighters’ Rami Jaffee and The Go-Go’s Kathy Valentine joined Girl with a Guitar, a group of young female guitarists from Kabul, Afghanistan to cover Eurythmics’ 1983 hit “Sweet Dreams.” [embedded content] Guitarist Vicki Peterson of The Bangles, singer Cherie Currie of The Runaways, guitarist Wayne Kramer of MC5, drummer Kris Myers of Umphrey’s McGee, The Bird and the Bee’s Greg Kurstin and singer Inara George also contributed their talents to the rendition. The new cover not only sheds light on the hardships children, particularly girls, are facing in war-torn countries, but also hopes to raise money for The Miraculous Love Kids, an organization that raises awareness, resources and funds for some of the mos...
South of Eden Cover Audioslave’s ‘Show Me How to Live’ for Quarantine Era
Ehab Omran of Columbus’ South of Eden has long admired Soundgarden and Rage Against the Machine. However, the Jordan-born, Ohio-raised singer only learned about “this crazy band called Audioslave” in 2012. He recalls hearing the group’s song “Show Me How to Live” for the first time while in high school and being flabbergasted by their spirited chemistry. “I fell in love with it instantly,” he recalls. “It’s a very heavy riff, but it grooves at the same time, and that’s why I think Tom Morello is a god for doing all the things he does on the electric guitar. And obviously Chris Cornell is nothing to pass over at all, may he rest in peace.” So when he and South of Eden were looking for a song to cover, the decision was easy. The video for their version of “Show Me How to Love” premieres toda...
Tom Morello, Josh Homme and More Cover Joe Strummer in Honor of His 68th Birthday
August 21 would have been Joe Strummer’s 68th birthday, and to celebrate, singer-songwriter Jesse Malin, Strummer’s estate manager David Zonsine, and radio DJ Jeff Raspe put together A Song for Joe: Celebrating the Life of Joe Strummer — a livestream filled with performances, birthday wishes, and never-before-seen footage of the Clash singer/guitarist in action. The two-hour event began with Strummer’s voice talking over a montage of photos. “Music is not the point. What matters is how much spirit you put into it, how much intelligence you put into it,” he said. “Does it have any meaning? Will it communicate to other people? When you really communicate with other people, that’s when they say you’re the greatest rock and roll band in the world. ‘Cause we’re doing, really, is tryin...
Hear Tom Morello’s Previously Unreleased Nightwatchman Song ‘You Belong to Me’
Tom Morello released the folky “You Belong to Me,” a previously unissued song from his solo project The Nightwatchman. You can watch the accompanying video below or buy the tune via Bandcamp. The track, built around Morello’s fingerpicked nylon-string guitar and brooding vocals, mentions Nat Turner, who led a 1831 slave rebellion in Virginia. “Our present is tethered to our past,” Morello wrote in a statement of the song, which he played in a June spot on SiriusXM. “The overseer’s whip & noose of history are today echoed in the policeman’s baton & pistol. I had a very clear idea I wanted to express with the song & the video and that is: Sometimes, enough is enough.” The Rage Against the Machine guitarist referenced Turner in a 2012 Roll...
