Yesterday, I saw El Nightwatchman and it was kick ass. Tom Morello is very talented and it was nice to see the effect his music had on my parents. It sort of stirred up the old Chicano spirit that laid dormant in them for a while.

If Morello is doing El Nightwatchman, what about Rage Against The Machine you ask? No fear, in a recent interview with Drowned in Sound, it sounds very promising.

[Question:] And, in terms of Rage, do you see life beyond the upcoming shows with Wu Tang Clan this month and the one-off with Queens of the Stone Age in August?

[Tom Morello:]Right now we only have plans to do those, but that’s not to say we won’t play more shows beyond that…

This is what I think is happening. If it is true that Rage is coming up with a new album this summer, I honestly cannot see them quiting once their tour is done this year. My guess, they are taking a wait-n-see approach once their new album is released. If the album is a success, we will see a lot more of Rage. Out of every online music news sources I have read, this one actually spot on. I have to agree Tom Morello is very skillful in the art of diplomacy, he leaves the door wide open for any possibility. However, I really do think Rage is back for good but it is going to be coupled with the Nightwatchman. This time around it is with a purpose in mind, it is a one two punch in my opinion. In the interview he says that “whereas Rage and Audioslave cast the nets wide and then found converts within those great numbers” the music from El Nightwatchman “is in a way preaching to the converted but – guess what – the converted need a kick in the ass.” If this is true, this is a great political activist plan in the making. Think about it, by having Rage come back, they will be able to reach the younger generation like they did back in the 90’s, while Tom is kicking our ass to wake up. Like I said, only if this is true because, I admit, this is wishful thinking in my part.

It is a really great interview. You could tell has a lot of passion and really does want all the injustices going on here in the US and around the world. You see this when he is asked about his organization Axis of Justice. I would encourage everybody to read his interview, it doesn’t matter if your Rage or Nightwatchman fan, he really has a lot of good ideas on how to save the country from destroying itself.

Last night Morello performed the uncensored version of Woody Guthrie’s This Land Is Your Land. I say uncensored because I found out that Guthrie wrote the song in response to Irving Berlin’s “God Bless America,” which he felt was unrealistic and complacent. However, as his song became popular Guthrie’s original lyrics to “This Land is Your Land” several verses were censored out. I was able to find a video of El Nightwatchman performing the song, before he does he explains how “This Land is your Land” was censored. If you ever have a chance to see him perform live, you have to go see him. Hope you enjoy the video.

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Tags: El Nightwatchman, Rage Against the Machine, Tom Morello, video, Woody Guthrie |  Print This Post |
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