Tom Morello’s Upbringing:
Tom Morello, the lead guitarist for Rage Against the Machine and Audioslave, was born May 30, 1964, in Harlem, New York. His mother is a white American teacher and activist, and his father was a Kenyan who fought for the country’s independence from the British. Raised in a suburb of Chicago, Illinois, he picked up the guitar at age 17, inspired by his love of punk and metal.Rage Against the Machine:
After graduating from Harvard, Morello briefly joined the band Lock Up. But by the end of the ‘80s, Lock Up and Morello had parted ways. Morello quickly teamed up with singer Zack de la Rocha, bassist Tim Commerford and drummer Brad Wilk to form Rage Against the Machine, one of the premier protest bands of the 1990s. It was with Rage that Morello become famous for his furious scratch-style guitar solos, a canny mixing of hip-hop and metal. Morello’s expressive, combative guitar was able to replicate the sounds of wailing harmonicas and turntables – indeed, his instrument proved as defiant as de la Rocha’s cadences.Audioslave:
After Rage Against the Machine went on hiatus in the wake of Zack de la Rocha’s departure, Morello (along with Commerford and Wilk) joined forces with Chris Cornell, formerly of Soundgarden, to become Audioslave. Although they had the usual strengths and weaknesses of any supergroup – instant name recognition but an air of familiarity – Audioslave managed to make three commercially successful albums. Morello continued to refine the distinctive guitar phrasing that helped make Rage so memorable, but Cornell’s interest in moody mid-tempo songs served as an interesting counterpoint to his thrash-heavy style.Axis of Justice:
Around the same time as Audioslave’s formation, Morello got involved in a non-music project as well. With System of a Down frontman Serj Tankian, Morello organized Axis of Justice, a nonprofit whose mission, according to its website, “is to bring together musicians, fans of music, and grassroots political organizations to fight for social justice.” Axis of Justice has organized protests, concerts, rallies and walkouts to promote the group’s agenda.The Nightwatchman:
Since the collapse of Audioslave after their 2005 album, Morello has remained involved in music. Creating an alter ego named the Nightwatchman, Morello recorded his first solo album, One Man Revolution, in 2007. As opposed to the guitar-driven hard rock for which he’s known, the Nightwatchman is acoustic-based folk music that recalls Bob Dylan’s earliest protest songs. His second album, The Fabled City, came out in September 2008.Key Tom Morello Songs:
“Bulls on Parade” (with Rage Against the Machine)“Testify” (with Rage Against the Machine)
“Cochise” (with Audioslave)
“Set It Off” (with Audioslave)
Tom Morello Discography (as the Nightwatchman)
One Man Revolution (2007)The Fabled City (2008)
Tom Morello Quotes:
On the power of music.“People will read a book or pamphlet only once, but a song they can sing again and again in their heads.”
On his early influences.
“When I heard the Sex Pistols and the Clash and Devo, it was immediately attainable. I thought, ‘This music is as good as anything I have ever heard, but I can play it this afternoon.’ I got the Sex Pistols record, and within 24 hours I was in a band.”
On growing up politically-minded.
“I think that when you are black growing up in an all-white town, the politics happen on the playground the first day. People start name-calling and whatnot. And your mom explains what that is, and she either gives you the Malcolm X speech or the Martin Luther King speech, depending on the day and the size of the opponent.”
On the impetus for the acoustic Nightwatchman project.
“We’d come off these big Audioslave arena tours, these sold-out arena shows playing big, loud rock ‘n’ roll music, and I would go to, like, the local coffeehouse … with a couple of friends and a latte machine whirring in the background, and played these songs. And some of those early experiences I was having, it was absolutely as fulfilling artistically as anything I had ever done.”
