2/9/07: One of the best bands ever, Rage Against the Machine is
getting back together for a performance at this year’s Coachella Valley Music
and Arts Festival in Indio,
California, on April 29. Rage’s music, which was a combination of
different styles all infused with rebellion against injustice, served as an
inspiration to millions of youth in the 1990’s. Their music has been sorely missed at a time
when it is all the more needed.
Rage guitarist Tom Morello told MTV News why they are doing
this reunion performance:
According to Morello, Rage’s re-formation seeks to
“deliver a knockout blow to the Bush administration. And hopefully, one
night in the desert is all it will take. They’re teetering, so …”“Is it coincidence that in the seven years that Rage
Against the Machine has been away that the country has slid into right-wing
purgatory? I think not,” he said. “It occurred to all of us that the
times were right to see if we can knock the Bush administration out in one fell
swoop, and we hope to do that job well. This administration has done enough
damage that it may take generations to undo. This is an administration that
believes it’s beyond the laws of the land, which is fine for emperors, but not
so great for presidents. One thing this president isn’t above is the laws of
physics, and there is no action without reaction. And we’re part of that reaction.”
MTV News also spoke to Morello about his solo acoustic
project called “The Nightwatchman”, which he will release an album of on April
24.
“The Nightwatchman is the black Robin Hood of 21st
century music,” the guitarist proclaimed. “This is material I am very
proud of, and due to the troubled times we live in, it seemed like it was an
appropriate time to get this music out. Some people might say it’s kind of
preaching to the converted, but frankly, the converted need a kick in the ass.
Given the situation in our country and around the world, the fact that the
White House is not ringed with pitchforks and torches means that people are not
either paying enough attention or following through with how aghast they
actually are.”According to Morello, the Nightwatchman “is a reaction
against illicit wars, a reaction against first strikes, torture, secret
prisons, spying illegally on American citizens. It’s a reaction against war
crimes, and it’s a reaction against a few corporations that grow rich [off]
this illicit war while people beg for food in the city streets” – in
short, it’s a figurative middle finger directed squarely at the Bush administration.
Rage Against the Machine’s reunion is more than welcome when
there is a crying need for bands that inspire and challenge people to act to
stop the Bush regime and the horror it is bringing on the world. Let’s hope it goes beyond the Coachella Festival
performance.
Click here to read the full MTV News article.
