Posts Tagged ‘morello’

Tom Morello Joins LL Cool J, Chuck D + Travis Barker for 2013 Grammy Performance

Kevork Djansezian, Getty Images It was a busy weekend for Rage Against the Machine guitarist  Tom Morello , who joined Bruce Springsteen and friends at the MusiCares Person of the Year ceremony on Friday (Feb. 8) and then took part in the final performance of the 2013 Grammy Awards Sunday night (Feb. 10). Morello was part of an all-star collaboration fronted by Grammy host LL Cool J and Public Enemy’s Chuck D. on a song called ‘Whaddup’ off LL Cool J’s new album. Rounding out the five-piece was some nifty scratching from DJ Z-Trip and some dexterous beats from Blink-182 ‘s Travis Barker . Though Morello was mostly in the background on the track, he did come to the forefront for some serious shredding midway into the song. The new track was an interesting song, offering bits of throwbacks throughout from Chuck D.’s repetitious “Hear the drummer get wicked” to Z-Trip spinning a sample of LL Cool J’s ‘Rock the Bells.’ In addition, LL Cool J through in a nod to the late Adam Yauch , shouting “MCA forever” before running off a few lines of the  Beastie Boys ‘ ‘No Sleep ‘Til Brooklyn.’ However, in a lame move, the end of the song was cut off by sponsorship mentions and a quick cutaway, presumably to keep the length of the show on time. The performance concluded a night which also featured stellar performances from the Black Keys , Jack White , fun. , and tributes to late musicians Bob Marley and Levon Helm . [button href=”http://loudwire.com/category/grammys/” title=”Full Grammy Coverage Here” align=”center”]

Tom Morello + Others Salute MusiCares Person of the Year Bruce Springsteen

Kevork Djansezian, Getty Images Tom Morello ‘s growing relationship with Bruce Springsteen continued in a major way Friday night (Feb. 8) in Los Angeles as the Rage Against the Machine guitarist was all over the set list for the MusiCares Person of the Year tribute to “The Boss.” Morello first appeared onstage with the legendary Jackson Browne , playing along to the Springsteen song ‘American Skin (41 Shots).’ He’d later return to join My Morning Jacket ‘s Jim James in performing a scorching version of ‘The Ghost of Tom Joad.’ The guitarist finished out the night playing three songs with Springsteen — ‘Death to My Hometown,’ ‘Thunder Road’ and ‘Born to Run’ — before the all-star finale on the song ‘Glory Days.’ Other highlights during the evening included the show opening ‘Adam Raised a Caine’ from Alabama Shakes , Mumford & Sons performing ‘I’m on Fire,’ Elton John delivering ‘Streets of Philadelphia’ and Neil Young & Crazy Horse’s rousing take on ‘Born in the U.S.A.’ Initial reports of the gala’s lineup suggested Eddie Vedder was also to be involved, but all reviews indicate that he was not part of the event. In addition to the show, there was a charity auction led by Springsteen in which the singer offered a number of personal items to help boost up the price on a signed guitar by many of the participants. According to NJ.com , as part of the Springsteen aided package, the winning bidder also got a one-hour guitar lesson, a ride in the sidecar of Springsteen’s Harley and one of the singer’s mother’s lasagnas. When all was said and done, the guitar with Springsteen’s extras fetched $250,000 for MusiCares. Bruce Springsteen 2013 MusiCares Person of the Year Concert Setlist: ‘Adam Raised a Caine’ — Alabama Shakes ‘Because the Night’ — Patti Smith ‘Atlantic City’ — Ben Harper, Natalie Maines & Charlie Musselwhite ‘American Land’ — Ken Casey (of Dropkick Murphys) ‘My City in Ruins’ — Zac Brown and Mavis Staples ‘I’m on Fire’ — Mumford and Sons ‘American Skin (41 Shots)’ — Jackson Browne and Tom Morello ‘My Hometown’ — Emmylou Harris ‘One Step Up’ — Kenny Chesney ‘Streets of Philadelphia’ — Elton John ‘Hungry Heart’ — Juanes ‘Tougher Than the Rest’ — Tim McGraw and Faith Hill ‘Ghost of Tom Joad’ — Jim James and Tom Morello ‘Dancing in the Dark’ — John Legend ‘Lonesome Day’ — Sting ‘Born in the U.S.A.’ — Neil Young and Crazy Horse ‘We Take Care of Our Own’ — Bruce Springsteen ‘Death to My Home Town’ — Bruce Springsteen & Tom Morello ‘Thunder Road’ — Bruce Springsteen, Tom Morello, Roy Bittan, Max Weinberg, Gary Tallent ‘Born to Run’ — Bruce Springsteen, Tom Morello, Roy Bittan, Max Weinberg, Gary Tallent ‘Glory Days’ — All [button href=”http://loudwire.com/tom-morello-fill-in-for-steven-van-zandt-on-bruce-springsteen-australian-tour/” title=”Next: Tom Morello to Fill in on Bruce Springsteen’s Australian Tour” align=”center”]

Tom Morello Reveals Identity of ‘How I Could Just Kill a Man’ Video’s Naked Guy

Kevin Winter, Getty Images Rage Against the Machine ‘s Tom Morello has continued his video series where he answers fan questions and in his latest installment he revealed a long-secret piece of trivia from the band’s history — the identity of the naked guy in the ‘How I Could Just Kill a Man’ video. In the clip, the offending naked guy is briefly shown standing next to singer Zack de la Rocha, and more than a few fans have asked how that piece of video footage found its way into the clip and why. Morello revealed, “It was a friend of ours who toured with us named MJ Plenty and at the time on that particular tour we were doing this grim, I wouldn’t call it hazing, but we had this outstanding $250 per diem money that was always sitting on the desk. And then someone in the band or someone in the crew would come up with a different task and if you did the task you got the $250.” The guitarist recalls that Plenty accepted the bet, which for that night entailed him going onstage naked, with a few other conditions that needed to be met to achieve the goal. Morello says, “He’s not just naked, he’s naked with his wiener tucked. It you do it frame-by-frame, you’ll see that he has a wiener-tuck going on. And I’m not sure if he’s singing the Maynard [James Keenan] part of ‘Know Your Enemy’ or if he’s just onstage during that part of ‘Know Your Enemy’ while Zack is singing to him, but part of the deal was that he couldn’t laugh. He couldn’t break character, he had to be … stoic. He did it. He got the $250 and he is forever immortalized in the ‘How I Could Just Kill a Man’ video.” With Rage pretty much on break at this point after reissuing a 20th anniversary edition of their debut album last year, Morello is finding other things to keep him occupied. The guitarist says he’s currently working on a new Nightwatchman album and will play a show at New York City’s Lincoln Center Feb. 16. In addition, it was just confirmed that Morello will sit in with Bruce Springsteen ‘s E Street Band during their Australian trek as Steven Van Zandt has requested time off to shoot his TV series, ‘Lilyhammer.’ Watch Rage Against the Machine’s ‘How I Could Just Kill a Man’ Video [button href=”http://loudwire.com/best-rage-against-the-machine-songs/” title=”Next: 10 Best Rage Against the Machine Songs” align=”center”]

Tom Morello to Fill In for Steven Van Zandt on Bruce Springsteen’s Australian Tour

Dimitrios Kambouris / Larry Busacca, Getty Images Tom Morello may not be rocking with Rage Against the Machine  at the moment, but the guitarist has found another tour that will keep him occupied. Morello has agreed to play in Bruce Springsteen ‘s band for their upcoming Australian tour while regular guitarist Steven Van Zandt  (above, right) takes a break to shoot episodes of his television series ‘Lilyhammer.’ The admiration between Tom Morello and Bruce Springsteen has been there for years, and the guitar great has frequently joined Springsteen for performances of ‘The Ghost of Tom Joad,’ a song that both ‘The Boss’ and Rage have recorded as part of their catalogs. In addition, Morello turned up on multiple recordings on Springsteen’s most recent album, ‘Wrecking Ball.’ The RATM axeman has also signed on to perform at the 2013 MusiCares benefit tribute saluting Springsteen next month in Los Angeles. For those wondering, Morello will perform on shows between March 14-31, with multi-night stops in Brisbane, Sydney, Melbourne and Macedon along the way. Little Steven is expected to resume his guitar duties with Springsteen’s band beginning Apr. 29 in Oslo, Norway. [button href=”http://loudwire.com/tom-morello-unsure-if-rage-against-the-machine-will-ever-perform-again/” title=”Next: Tom Morello Unsure of Rage Against the Machine’s Future” align=”center”]

10 Best Rage Against the Machine Songs

Sony The best Rage Against the Machine songs showcase the band's unique ability to deftly mix rap and rock to deliver music of the most powerful kind: politically charged, pointed and with a purpose. Frontman Zack de la Rocha's venom and vitriol was wrapped around a message, and he was often seen performing maniacally, with his signature dreads flailing around his head, while Tom Morello's guitar functioned like a turntable, thanks to whammy bars and wah-wahs. The rhythm section of bassist Tim Commerford and drummer Brad Wilk added some bluesy and jazzy heft. All those factors combined were what made the music so explosive and incendiary. While RATM's catalog of studio albums isn't vast by any means, the superb quality of the music the band has produced is undeniable. Here, we present our picks of the 10 Best Rage Against the Machine Songs: ? 10 'Freedom' From: 'Rage Against the Machine' (1992) ? ? 'Freedom' closes out the band's debut album, and it's full of bluesed out, groovy riffing, chippy percussion, pulsing tension, a blunt theme, pregnant pauses and false outros, a jazzy breakdown (starts at 2:09) and mostly rapped lyrical delivery. The slowly builds to a monster breakdown and the moment when Zack de la Rocha screams, “Freedom? Yeah right!,” RATM have you in their musical vice grip. It's one of the 10 Best Rage Against the Machine songs because the music is as combustible as the message. It must've sucked to have been a politician when RATM were in their prime, pointing out all that ails the government machine. Listen to 'Freedom' ? ? 9 'Testify' From: 'The Battle of Los Angeles' (1999) ? ? 'Testify' features an effects-laden performance from Tom Morello, while Zack de la Rocha is as fired up as ever. There is a lot of distortion and chaos all over the song, so much so that it might mess with your equilibrium. The song encapsulates all the elements that Rage fan have come to love: anger, groove, aggressive, turntabling guitars. It's also clearly a band favorite, since they opened several of their reunion shows with the song. Listen to 'Testify' ? ? 8 'Bombtrack' From: 'Rage Against the Machine' (1992) ? ? It could be argued that all Rage Against the Machine tracks are bombtracks, but the actual (and literal) 'Bombtrack' is another exercise in RATM's deftness with rising and falling tension, which is executed with masterful precision. On a purely sonic level, it fuses just the right amount of rap and rock. It's probably the least overly political song of the band's self-titled debut, but it's still fun to scream “Burn, burn, yes you're gonna burn” in the chorus. Fire it up. Listen to 'Bombtrack' ? ? 7 'People of the Sun' From: 'Evil Empire' (1996) ? ? 'People of the Sun' is one of the 10 Best Rage Against the Machine tracks, partly due to the story that Morello dragged a pencil and a wrench against his guitar strings in the beginning to make those definitive sounds. We can't even begin to come up with a name for that sound, but it's inimitable. The song features de la Rocha largely rapping in his clear and concise way. There were other versions of this song floating around prior to 'Evil Empire' being released, but this is the most well known and it made quite the impact. Listen to 'People of the Sun' ? ? 6 'Sleep Now in the Fire' From: 'The Battle of Los Angeles' (1999) ? ? 'Sleep Now in the Fire' addresses the plight of Native Americans in the context of American colonialism. The point is hammered home by de la Rocha's rapid-fire raps, and since his syntax and diction are always clear as a bell, it's hard (but not impossible) to ignore what he's ranting about. Morello drops a feedback-fueled solo and it again leaves us wondering if he moonlighted as DJ Tommy M during the band's heyday. Listen to 'Sleep Now in the Fire' ? ? 5 'Know Your Enemy' From: 'Rage Against the Machine' (1992) ? ? 'Know Your Enemy' opens with funkdafied riffing, before quickly escalating into a punky rock track. Some of Morello's riffage sounds influenced by Metallica in a few parts of the song. It's one of the most noteworthy RATM songs because it features a guest vocal from Tool's Maynard James Keenan, who delivers his distinct, nasally vocal over a chunky breakdown, singing “I've got no patience no / So sick of complacence now.” Two '90s alt metal titans collided in the space of one song. “Legendary” pretty much sums it up. Listen to 'Know Your Enemy' ? ? 4 'Bulls on Parade' From: 'Evil Empire' (1996) ? ? Lyrically, 'Bulls on Parade' addresses the governments usage of military contracts for revenue purposes. Musically, well, Morello whammies like his life depends on it. Then there's the solo (which comes in at the 2:30 mark), where he sounds like he is scratching vinyl, 1985 rap music style. See what we mean about Morello making his axe sound like a turntable? That sound is most prominent on 'Bulls on Parade,' and that's why it is a standout track. Listen to 'Bulls on Parade' ? ? 3 'Bullet in the Head' From: 'Rage Against the Machine' (1992) ? ? Rage Against the Machine raged against the fact that the media is controlled by the government in this fan favorite anthem, easily one of the band's best songs. 'Bullet in the Head' is erected on thudding rhythms, rising and falling tension throughout the song and more of Morello's whammy barring away. It sounds like he is playing a sampler onstage. In 1992, that was unheard of. Take that, Electonic Dance Music fans! The groove-laden breakdown at three minutes in a moshpit igniter. De la Rocha also gets credit for screaming “a bullet in your f—ing head” with such fervor that our blood pressure went up a few notches. Listen to 'Bullet in the Head' ? ? 2 'Guerilla Radio' From: 'The Battle of Los Angeles' (1999) ? ? 'Guerilla Radio,' which earned the band a Grammy for Best Hard Rock Performance, is more polished than anything on their debut, but it's still frontloaded with chaos, wah-wahs, some '70s bass thwap courtesy of Commerford and Morello's “spinning.” When Zack de la Rocha barks, “Turn that s— up,” the listener is compelled to follow his orders…stat. And damn if Morello's riffing doesn't sound like a MacBook at 2:30 in. He was so ahead of his time and ahead of the curve. Listen to 'Guerilla Radio' ? ? 1 'Killing in the Name' From: 'Rage Against the Machine' (1992) ? ? 'Killing in the Name' is the most explosive RATM song. It's funky, bass-driven opening, it's subsequent build up of tension throughout the verses and choruses, de la Rocha's repeated whispering, “Now you do what they told ya” to Morello's wailing during the 'F— you I won't do what you tell me' crescendo embodies everything that RATM were about. It's not pretty, the music blows up in your face like a nailbomb and makes you stare down things that are difficult. You don't need to see it live to know de la Rocha's veins in his temples are bulging when he spews those lyrics best accompanied by a middle finger salute. That's why 'Killing in the Name' tops our list of the best Rage Against the Machine songs. Listen to 'Killing in the Name' ? ? Favorite Rage Against the Machine Song? Now that you've gone through and combed our 10 Best Rage Against the Machine Songs list, how about you tell us your thoughts. Agree? Disagree? Is there anything we left off, of which you feel you can argue a strong case for inclusion? Let us know in the comments section below: ?

Rage Against the Machine’s Tom Morello: Not All Band Members Ready to Make a New Album

Trixie Textor, Getty Images With the 20th anniversary edition of legendary rap-rockers Rage Against the Machine ’s self-titled debut on target to arrive Nov. 27, rumors have been swirling that the band might be planning a new album. Guitarist Tom Morello dashed any of those hopes in an interview with Billboard earlier this month, and now, he’s chiming in on why the band might not regroup for a new set. Speaking with NME , Morello stated that some members of Rage simply are “not ready” to start working on a new studio release. “When bands make albums, it’s because everybody wants to, and that’s not the case with Rage Against the Machine at the moment,” he explained. “Everyone in the band gets along very well, we consider each other friends and comrades in arms, but people sometimes don’t feel ready to do it. I don’t have one minute of one day that’s not filled with music, or politics, or family. If at some point Rage were to get it together to work more, I would be open to that, but that’s not on the table right now.” Rage Against the Machine’s 20th anniversary of edition of their self-titled debut, named ‘Rage Against the Machine – XX,’ can be pre-ordered via this link . [button href=”http://loudwire.com/rage-against-the-machine-best-reunion-tours/” title=”Next: Rage Against the Machine – Best Reunion Tours” align=”center”]

Tom Morello Says ‘No Plans’ for Rage Against the Machine Beyond Reissue of Debut Album

Kevin Winter, Getty Images With the 20th anniversary edition of their self-titled debut set to be released Nov. 27, Rage Against the Machine fans are wondering if the band plans on recording a new album. Hopes were raised when bassist Tim Commerford said “maybe” when asked if the band was up to anything new, and then followed that up with the more emphatic ‘ definitely maybe ” a little while later. But now, guitarist  Tom Morello in a new interview tells  Billboard they have “no plans beyond” the release of ‘Rage Against the Machine: XX.’ “We’re really psyched to be putting this out for the fans,” Morello says of the deluxe reissue. “We are blessed with having perhaps the most passionate fans to ever listen to a bootlegged recording or mosh at a show, so I want to really give them a mother lode of Rage Against The Machine history, past and present.” RATM hasn’t released a studio album since 2000′s ‘Renegades,’ but reunited at Coachella in 2007 and have played sporadic live shows since then. Their last performance was in July of 2011 at the L.A. Rising Festival. In looking back at their debut album, Morello says it feels good that it’s as relevant as ever. “It doesn’t feel like 20 years, but at the same time it’s sobering that it is. There’s no crystal ball that we could’ve looked into when we were writing these songs in 1991 that would have told us we’d be talking about this record over two decades later.” Morello adds, ”And I will say that 20 years later we’re able to take pride in the fact that in the history of rock music there has never been a more popular band with as radical politics as Rage Against The Machine, nor has there been a band with more radical politics than Rage Against The Machine that has been as popular. That is the lasting testament to the first shot fired by this album and how it continues to resonate with rebels around the world.” ‘Rage Against the Machine – XX’ can be pre-ordered here . Click below to see the full track listing. [button href=”http://loudwire.com/rage-against-the-machine-20th-anniversary-editions-self-titled-debut-album/” title=”‘Rage Against the Machine – XX’ Track List” align=”center”] ?