Letzte Blog-Einträge
Tom Morello hat eine neue Band
23.03.2009 um 14:04:04
Als hätte er nicht genug um die Ohren, der Musiker und politische Aktivist Tom Morello. Nun hat er eine weitere neue Band gegründet. Street Sweeper heißt sie und kündigt bereits einen ersten Longplayer an. Selbst erste Tourdaten (im Vorprogramm von Nine Inch Nails und Jane's Addiction in den USA) wurden bestätigt. Termine für Deutschland wurden noch nicht genannt. Aber auf der Homepage der Street Sweepers könnt ihr euch bereits einen ersten Song anhören. "Fight! Smash! Win!" heißt er und ist hier zu hören.
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Neues Video von Tom Morello aka the Nightwatchman
02.10.2008 um 14:01:53
Der Nightwatchman hat zu seinem just erschienenen zweiten Soloalbum ein erstes Video gemacht. Es wurde zu dem Song "Whatever It Takes" gedreht und kann hier bei uns geschaut werden. Schaut und hört euch mal an, wie Tom Morello auf "The Fabled City" klingt:
Whatever It Takes
Whatever It Takes
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Tom Morello aka The Nightwatchman mit neuem Solowerk
26.09.2008 um 15:15:44
Mit seiner „One Man Revolution“ hatte der Rage Against The Machine- und Audioslave-Gitarrist uns alle mit seinen Akustiksongs überrascht. Aber auch wenn er als Nightwatchman den Verzerrer seiner Gitarre nicht so aufdreht, wie bei den anderen beiden Bands bisher, so strotzen seine Solosongs doch vor Kraft und Energie. Wie auch auf seinem heute erscheinenden zweiten Album namens „Fabled City“.
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The Nightwatchman lässt Neues von sich hören!
02.09.2008 um 13:23:40
Nachdem Tom Morello in diesem Sommer mit seiner alten Band Rage Against The Machine auf der einen oder anderen Festivalbühne seinen Verstärker aufgedreht hat, schlägt er nun wieder ein paar ruhigere Saiten an. Denn unter seinem Pseudonym The Nightwatchman wird im Herbst ein neues, zweites Album erscheinen. „The Fabled City“ heißt es und kann anhand eines ersten Songs schon mal vorgehört werden. Klingt schon ein wenig anders als die Songs auf „One Man Revolution“ – aber trotzdem klasse!! Hört selbst, hier wartet „Whatever It Takes“ auf eure Ohren.
P.S.: Hier noch ein sehr interessantes, aktuelles Interview mit Tom – zum Lesen und Hören!
P.S.: Hier noch ein sehr interessantes, aktuelles Interview mit Tom – zum Lesen und Hören!
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Tom Morello im ausführlichen Interview
27.02.2008 um 10:57:39
Der Nightwatchman Tom Morello steht ein weiteres Mal Rede und Antwort! In einem äußerst interessanten Interview spricht der ehemalige Rage Against The Machine- und Audioslave-Gitarrist über den Unterschied zwischen seiner Band- und Solokarriere, berichtet von neuen Songs für sein zweites Soloalbum und erzählt viel von politischer Aktivität und sozialem Engagement. In voller Länge könnt ihr euch dieses gelungene The Nightwatchman-Feature hier nun zu Gemüte führen:
Melbourne’s Biggest Streetpaper Online interviews The Nightwatchman!!
Issue: Beat 1099
by Nick Snelling
For someone who has spent his musical career championing the poor and the downtrodden, Tom Morello is a pretty fortunate guy. As famous for this funktastic riffing and fret-netic guitar solos as for his vehement political agenda in the newly reformed Rage Against The Machine, the guitarist now enjoys the added benefit of standing alone in his guise as the one man revolutionary folk act The Nightwatchman. How many musician's can claim the pleasure of commanding crowds with a single acoustic guitar, as well as the visceral release of playing guitar god in a stadium-filling heavy rock/hip hop band? Musically speaking, the lucky bastard gets to have his cake and eat it too.
"I'm happy to admit that's very true, " Morello laughs heartily. "It's really quite an audacious move to step away and start playing harmonica solos instead of shredding guitar solos, and to lead with lyrical couplets rather than bombastic riffs. Being able to bounce back and forth between the big arena-style shows, and then play something at a protest or rally, is immensely satisfying. To tip into the immediacy and intimacy of that real connection is amazing – at some of my Nightwatchman shows I have never felt a greater connection between audience and performer in my musical career."
It's been an active summer for the guitar hero – on top of his RATM commitments, he's been playing regular Nightwatchman shows, a series of European festivals, and even opening for his good friend Serj Tankian (System Of A Down vocalist) on his solo tour in North America. Morello says it's provided a lot of inspiration. "I just got out of the studio with Brendan O'Brien recording my second Nightwatchman record, so it will be very exciting to get down to Australia to not only play the 'greatest hits' from One Man Revolution, " Morello allows himself a small ironic pause, "as well as debut some new material".
Given the long history of folk music and political activism, Morello must find it doubly rewarding to not only get up there and present himself as a bonafide solo performer and explore that symbiotic relationship of two things very dear to his heart. "Absolutely, " he affirms. "From the outset my goal was to become the 'black Woody Guthrie', and to introduce this really powerful genre of rebel music, real rebel music, to a younger audience. You know, I kinda stumbled on it later in life and discovered that three chords and the truth can be just as heavy as a shredding guitar solo or a wall of Marshall stacks."
Indeed, while The Nightwatchmen's music is in many ways the polar opposite of what Morello does with Rage Against The Machine they share a synchronicity in message. "I couldn't agree more, " says Morello. "All you have to do is listen to some of those early Bob Dylan records or Bruce Springsteen's Nebraska album, and that music is as heavy as anything in the Slayer back-catalogue."
At the time of One Man's Revolution's release, Morello was quoted as saying The Nightwatchmen was his new musical priority. Even in light of Rage Against The Machine's reformation, Morello is adamant that that's still the case. "For me, the idea of writing every note, every word, of a song, then seeing it come to fruition on an album and then transformed again in a live setting - where the responsibility is wholly 100% on me – represents a great artistic challenge and a great way to grow as an artist."
Do RATM fans ever rock up to a Nightwatchmen show and feel befuddled by the whole thing? "I think that by now, the ones that are interested enough to come to the show, know already. That's initially the reason why I played under the name The Nightwatchmen, rather than 'Tom Morello' so there was a different set of expectations. That bought me some breathing room to figure out how to do this right and what I wanted to achieve as a political singer-songwriter."
Morello also adds that his immersion in the political folk music scene has drawn incredible goodwill from other musicians. "From this Hotel Café residency I have been doing here in Los Angeles where everyone from Ben Harper, to Alice In Chains, to Perry Farrell, to Cypress Hill will come down on a weekly basis, all volunteering their time to be a part of what is really a burgeoning scene that is part activism, part charity to help the Axis Of Justice foundation that we use to help homeless people here."
In the past, Tim Commerford (bass) and Brad Wilks (drums) of RATM have lent a hand on Morello's solo gigs, but given the strained relationship between the guitarist and his firebrand frontman Zach de la Rocha – one that led to their first disbandment – what does his singer think of these Nightwatchmen shows? "Zach actually has come to quite a few shows, and he and I even played a couple of shows together – it was a victory rally for the Immokalee farm workers in Chicago in their campaign against McDonalds. I played a short Nightwatchmen set, then he joined me for some acoustically funky versions of Rage Against The Machine songs. Just the other day we played a song for the Writer's Guild strike here in Hollywood.
"That was what this genre of music was built to do, " adds Morello. "You get a call, you pick up your guitar and you're on the barricades in 25 minutes."
Speaking of justice, one wonders if the guitarist was aware of the controversy in Australia over many of the prized tickets to RATM's two side-shows being immediately snapped up by scalpers. It must be a bitter irony that the real fans of his band have fallen prey to money-hungry 'entrepreneurs', the antithesis of what RATM stand for. "I was actually not aware of that until you just told me, " mutters Morello, clearly unhappy with the situation. "What I would say is that is really something the promoters should be looking into, finding some creative way of ensuring that the true fans are served rather than the profiteers."
When informed of a local Melbourne fan by the name of Maximilian White whose solution was to offer a bunch of Rage tickets he had been able to secure and sell them in a raffle for charity, Morello is both delighted and relieved. "'Rage Against The Scalpers', huh?" he laughs loudly. "That's great! See, music does occasionally draw people to do things for the right reason."
A tentative query about how his and de la Rocha's tempestuous relationship has progressed since RATM's reunion, and whether music is the means by which they avert falling back into conditioned behaviour, reveals Morello reluctant to speak more about his band. "Look, " he laughs. "I think you might have moved a little past the peripheral on that question. We have decided that Rage Against The Machine won't doing any press for this Australia and New Zealand tour, so…."
Point taken. Then how about his other defunct band Audioslave? Mentioning a recent interview I did with Chris Cornell whereby the singer, albeit diplomatically, said that the main reason he decided to quite Audioslave was that he couldn't see the band re-inventing itself enough on future albums for it to be something he was interested in anymore. Does Morello care to comment? "All I can say is that we had exactly zero discussions about Audioslave's musical relevance or what direction we might attempt to go in, " replies the guitarist, slightly miffed. "Chris just quit the band. It wasn't like we reached some impasse."
He laughs to lighten the mood. "But you know what? We're all grown people and can make our own decisions. At the time, it seemed to me very, very silly for someone to throw away a multi-platinum band, but in the end, it could not have worked out better for everyone. I have not been happier musically – having discovered this new career as well as being back with my Rage Against The Machine brothers – and Chris is loving embarking on his own solo career. We had a lot of great years in Audioslave, we're very important to one another, so it's all good."
In reference to old friends, I'm sure he is aware his mate Serj Tankian has bought a pad in New Zealand, one the vocalist jokingly referred to as his 'bunker from the Apocalypse'. Can we expect Morello purchasing real estate Down Under anytime soon? The guitarist laughs. "Well, now that Serj has a place I won't need to. When the Four Horsemen come trotting I can always stay in his guestroom."
The last time we spoke, I asked Morello of his preference for Democratic candidates in his home country. While he remained light-hearted about his choice ("Barrack Obama, naturally – seeing we're both Harvard-educated, of Kenyan heritage, and both handsome black men") the guitarist is a little more serious this time. "As much as there are parallels, I remain very sceptical of the Democratic party. There really isn't a party here in America that is for the working class, so I guess we'll have to see."
Finally, what can Australian audiences expect from a Nightwatchman show – candles, incense, dread-locked hippies sitting cross-legged in front of the stage wielding protest placards? Does Morello sport a tie-dyed technicoloured mu-mu, by any chance? "Oh, no. But the Nightwatchman will spook your soul, and rock your ass!" The guitarist laughs again. "If you're not moved to revolutionary fervour, then you're not in the room!"
Melbourne’s Biggest Streetpaper Online interviews The Nightwatchman!!
Issue: Beat 1099
by Nick Snelling
For someone who has spent his musical career championing the poor and the downtrodden, Tom Morello is a pretty fortunate guy. As famous for this funktastic riffing and fret-netic guitar solos as for his vehement political agenda in the newly reformed Rage Against The Machine, the guitarist now enjoys the added benefit of standing alone in his guise as the one man revolutionary folk act The Nightwatchman. How many musician's can claim the pleasure of commanding crowds with a single acoustic guitar, as well as the visceral release of playing guitar god in a stadium-filling heavy rock/hip hop band? Musically speaking, the lucky bastard gets to have his cake and eat it too.
"I'm happy to admit that's very true, " Morello laughs heartily. "It's really quite an audacious move to step away and start playing harmonica solos instead of shredding guitar solos, and to lead with lyrical couplets rather than bombastic riffs. Being able to bounce back and forth between the big arena-style shows, and then play something at a protest or rally, is immensely satisfying. To tip into the immediacy and intimacy of that real connection is amazing – at some of my Nightwatchman shows I have never felt a greater connection between audience and performer in my musical career."
It's been an active summer for the guitar hero – on top of his RATM commitments, he's been playing regular Nightwatchman shows, a series of European festivals, and even opening for his good friend Serj Tankian (System Of A Down vocalist) on his solo tour in North America. Morello says it's provided a lot of inspiration. "I just got out of the studio with Brendan O'Brien recording my second Nightwatchman record, so it will be very exciting to get down to Australia to not only play the 'greatest hits' from One Man Revolution, " Morello allows himself a small ironic pause, "as well as debut some new material".
Given the long history of folk music and political activism, Morello must find it doubly rewarding to not only get up there and present himself as a bonafide solo performer and explore that symbiotic relationship of two things very dear to his heart. "Absolutely, " he affirms. "From the outset my goal was to become the 'black Woody Guthrie', and to introduce this really powerful genre of rebel music, real rebel music, to a younger audience. You know, I kinda stumbled on it later in life and discovered that three chords and the truth can be just as heavy as a shredding guitar solo or a wall of Marshall stacks."
Indeed, while The Nightwatchmen's music is in many ways the polar opposite of what Morello does with Rage Against The Machine they share a synchronicity in message. "I couldn't agree more, " says Morello. "All you have to do is listen to some of those early Bob Dylan records or Bruce Springsteen's Nebraska album, and that music is as heavy as anything in the Slayer back-catalogue."
At the time of One Man's Revolution's release, Morello was quoted as saying The Nightwatchmen was his new musical priority. Even in light of Rage Against The Machine's reformation, Morello is adamant that that's still the case. "For me, the idea of writing every note, every word, of a song, then seeing it come to fruition on an album and then transformed again in a live setting - where the responsibility is wholly 100% on me – represents a great artistic challenge and a great way to grow as an artist."
Do RATM fans ever rock up to a Nightwatchmen show and feel befuddled by the whole thing? "I think that by now, the ones that are interested enough to come to the show, know already. That's initially the reason why I played under the name The Nightwatchmen, rather than 'Tom Morello' so there was a different set of expectations. That bought me some breathing room to figure out how to do this right and what I wanted to achieve as a political singer-songwriter."
Morello also adds that his immersion in the political folk music scene has drawn incredible goodwill from other musicians. "From this Hotel Café residency I have been doing here in Los Angeles where everyone from Ben Harper, to Alice In Chains, to Perry Farrell, to Cypress Hill will come down on a weekly basis, all volunteering their time to be a part of what is really a burgeoning scene that is part activism, part charity to help the Axis Of Justice foundation that we use to help homeless people here."
In the past, Tim Commerford (bass) and Brad Wilks (drums) of RATM have lent a hand on Morello's solo gigs, but given the strained relationship between the guitarist and his firebrand frontman Zach de la Rocha – one that led to their first disbandment – what does his singer think of these Nightwatchmen shows? "Zach actually has come to quite a few shows, and he and I even played a couple of shows together – it was a victory rally for the Immokalee farm workers in Chicago in their campaign against McDonalds. I played a short Nightwatchmen set, then he joined me for some acoustically funky versions of Rage Against The Machine songs. Just the other day we played a song for the Writer's Guild strike here in Hollywood.
"That was what this genre of music was built to do, " adds Morello. "You get a call, you pick up your guitar and you're on the barricades in 25 minutes."
Speaking of justice, one wonders if the guitarist was aware of the controversy in Australia over many of the prized tickets to RATM's two side-shows being immediately snapped up by scalpers. It must be a bitter irony that the real fans of his band have fallen prey to money-hungry 'entrepreneurs', the antithesis of what RATM stand for. "I was actually not aware of that until you just told me, " mutters Morello, clearly unhappy with the situation. "What I would say is that is really something the promoters should be looking into, finding some creative way of ensuring that the true fans are served rather than the profiteers."
When informed of a local Melbourne fan by the name of Maximilian White whose solution was to offer a bunch of Rage tickets he had been able to secure and sell them in a raffle for charity, Morello is both delighted and relieved. "'Rage Against The Scalpers', huh?" he laughs loudly. "That's great! See, music does occasionally draw people to do things for the right reason."
A tentative query about how his and de la Rocha's tempestuous relationship has progressed since RATM's reunion, and whether music is the means by which they avert falling back into conditioned behaviour, reveals Morello reluctant to speak more about his band. "Look, " he laughs. "I think you might have moved a little past the peripheral on that question. We have decided that Rage Against The Machine won't doing any press for this Australia and New Zealand tour, so…."
Point taken. Then how about his other defunct band Audioslave? Mentioning a recent interview I did with Chris Cornell whereby the singer, albeit diplomatically, said that the main reason he decided to quite Audioslave was that he couldn't see the band re-inventing itself enough on future albums for it to be something he was interested in anymore. Does Morello care to comment? "All I can say is that we had exactly zero discussions about Audioslave's musical relevance or what direction we might attempt to go in, " replies the guitarist, slightly miffed. "Chris just quit the band. It wasn't like we reached some impasse."
He laughs to lighten the mood. "But you know what? We're all grown people and can make our own decisions. At the time, it seemed to me very, very silly for someone to throw away a multi-platinum band, but in the end, it could not have worked out better for everyone. I have not been happier musically – having discovered this new career as well as being back with my Rage Against The Machine brothers – and Chris is loving embarking on his own solo career. We had a lot of great years in Audioslave, we're very important to one another, so it's all good."
In reference to old friends, I'm sure he is aware his mate Serj Tankian has bought a pad in New Zealand, one the vocalist jokingly referred to as his 'bunker from the Apocalypse'. Can we expect Morello purchasing real estate Down Under anytime soon? The guitarist laughs. "Well, now that Serj has a place I won't need to. When the Four Horsemen come trotting I can always stay in his guestroom."
The last time we spoke, I asked Morello of his preference for Democratic candidates in his home country. While he remained light-hearted about his choice ("Barrack Obama, naturally – seeing we're both Harvard-educated, of Kenyan heritage, and both handsome black men") the guitarist is a little more serious this time. "As much as there are parallels, I remain very sceptical of the Democratic party. There really isn't a party here in America that is for the working class, so I guess we'll have to see."
Finally, what can Australian audiences expect from a Nightwatchman show – candles, incense, dread-locked hippies sitting cross-legged in front of the stage wielding protest placards? Does Morello sport a tie-dyed technicoloured mu-mu, by any chance? "Oh, no. But the Nightwatchman will spook your soul, and rock your ass!" The guitarist laughs again. "If you're not moved to revolutionary fervour, then you're not in the room!"
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Nightwatchman kommt mit Rage
14.02.2008 um 10:14:17
Dass The Nightwatchman mit seiner „alten“ Band Rage Against The Machine für die Festivals Rock Am Ring und Rock im Park, die vom 6. bis 8. Juni stattfinden, nach Deutschland kommen wird, ist bereits bekannt. Nun wurde jüngst offiziell bestätigt, dass Rage noch ein weiteres Deutschlandkonzert spielen werden: Am 10. Juni in der Zitadelle in Berlin-Spandau. Für jeden The Nightwatchman-Fan ist das doch zweifelsfrei ein Pflichttermin...
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Lyrics und Tabs vom Nightwatchman
31.01.2008 um 12:07:20
Auf der Homepage von Tom könnt ihr euch die Lyrics und zu einem Großteil auch die Gitarrentabs seiner Songs besorgen. Alles Lyrics und fast alle Akkorde und Tabulaturen aus „One Man Revolution“ sind dort zu finden. Geht einfach auf die Seite von The Nightwatchman und klickt auf "LYRICS".
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Auf der Bühne mit Anti-Flag
28.01.2008 um 11:48:21
Dass Tom und Anti-Flag Freunde und politisch Gleichgesinnte sind, wissen wir ja spätestens seit diesem Auftritt hier:
Vor wenigen Tagen standen The Nightwatchman und die Jungs von Anti-Flag wieder Seite an Seite auf einer Bühne und zwar in Sydney beim „Big Day Out“. Dort haben sie gemeinsam den Klassiker „Beds Are Burning“ von Midnight Oil gecovert. Das Ganze klang dann so:
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Straighte Antworten auf bunte Fragen
15.01.2008 um 00:00:00
Tom hat mal wieder Rede und Antwort gestanden, ganz gleich wie unterschiedlich die Fragen auch waren, die ihm gestellt wurden. Es geht um Politik, um Gitarren, Persönliches, Vergangenes, Zukünftiges, Guitar-Games und vieles mehr. Lest mal rein, in den bunt gemischten Fragenkatalog:
The Nightwatchman answers questions posed by Jade of AFI
1. There was a time when artists like Bob Dylan had a massive impact on social awareness, but, for various reasons, music as a cultural force has been on the wane for years. RATM also uses music as a political and social platform, do you believe music still has the capacity to reach the hearts and minds of its listeners?
I believe that music has more than just the capacity to reach the hearts and minds of its listeners, music has the capacity and should be played to change the world. I know that it was artists like The Clash and Public Enemy that changed my world and inspired me to not only rock, but also to pursue political activism and introduced to me a set of ideas that went well beyond stereotypical rock fodder. I think the energy exchange between a righteous band and their righteous fans is something to contend with.
2. I don't know if you remember this but Davey was emailing with you one time and I told him to challenge you on my behalf to a shred-off. You said that I shouldn't be too hasty because you came up as a metal shredder. How important was that to your development into the guitarist you are now?
It was very important. My journey from the guitar playing neophyte to the cat you see digitally enshrined in Guitar Hero 3, was a long and odd one. I began liking heavy metal bands but was frustrated that I couldn't play complex music like Led Zeppelin. Punk rock like The Clash and Sex Pistols made me actually pick up the guitar and vow to throw away the rule book. The more that I played the more I became attracted to guitar players with technical abilities from Randy Rhods, Al DiMeoloa from Alan Holdsworth to Steve Vai, shredders of that nature who put in the countless hours of preparation to hone their craft. I soon found myself practicing eight hours a day while balancing an ivy-league education and was driven with a zealot-like commitment to improving as a musician. Even though I started playing guitar late at age 17, it was that obsessive compulsive practice regimen that helped me get the technical expertise to play and to shred. It was not, however, until the early days of Rage Against the Machine where I was able to turn that technical ability into music that anybody would want to listen to. By once again throwing out the rule book and concentrating on the eccentricities in my playing and in song writing and weird sound and texture making I was able to create my own style on the guitar. I still think it would be folly for you to challenge me to a shred-off because I still got all those chops.
3. Also, it seems shredding/soloing has had a big resurgence with the new generation of bands, does it warm your heart or do you think it's unnecessary flash?
Guitar shredding is a dubious endeavor but I've always appreciated a good solo whether its in jazz, country, classical music or rock n' roll. Unfortunately most guitar solos in rock n' roll aren't so good. There's a new crop of swift fingered metalians who are certainly putting in their hours practicing and God bless them for it.
4. Who's your favorite Tom?
I'm guessing by the question that you mean who is my favorite historic person by the name of Tom. I would choose Thomas Paine, one of the instigators of the American Revolution and one of the few founding fathers who was opposed to slavery and against aristocratic privilege. Thomas Paine was kind of the Che Guevara of his day and was not satisfied with just one revolution as he headed off to France to be a part of the French Revolution as well. Thomas Paine is kick ass.
5. I went to a party at your house and noticed you had quite a bit of sports paraphernalia? What teams do you follow? Are any of them breaking your heart?
As a long time Chicago Cubs fan I can only assume this question is a cruel joke. My teams are the woe-begotten Chicago Cubs who have not won a world championship in exactly one hundred years and the St Louis Rams who mercifully have won a Super bowl in my lifetime. I was able to attend it by canceling a Rage Against the Machine show in Belgium . I used to be a Lakers fan but I have soured on that team because they make me and other fans feel bad.
6. People have talked about the idea of fragmentation in today's music, how there used to be a style of music called "rock", where bands like the Rolling Stones, the Beatles, or Led Zepplin fused country, blues, pop, soul, even classical to write songs, but now music has been increasingly pushed into narrower and narrower niches and there are few acts that can hope to even aspire to the longevity and popularity enjoyed by the monster bands of those days. As a songwriter who has blended funk, metal, punk, and hiphop together, do you think that this is a problem with the direction current music is going?
I'm not sure that I agree that there is one direction that music is going. As someone who has blended different styles of music together in my own bands, Rage Against the Machine and Audioslave, I've never felt constrained by musical trendiness. As I'm currently pursuing folk music as The Nightwatchman, I continue to look for different avenues of creativity and expression which ring true. I think that in any genre of music the cream rises to the top. For example, seventeen years ago there were hundreds of punk-funk bands but only one band was good enough to be the Red Hot Chili Peppers. Then there were an ungodly number of horrific rap-rock bands and I don't think it's immodest to say that Rage Against the Machine has weathered that storm pretty well. Then there was a ska explosion and only No Doubt's head stayed up. Prog-metal, only Tool is left. Industrial-metal, Nine Inch Nails remains. Grunge, Pearl Jam is still making very good and interesting records. I think at any given time it makes more sense to look at the true artists that exist in any given genre who have the ability to grow rather than the wannabes.
7. This is an extremely stock question that you've probably answered a million times, but people are always interested in it. Who are your guitar heroes/influences? Are there any new or up-and-coming guitar players that've caught your eye?
My guitar heroes are many and varied. It began with the likes of Ace Frehley and Jimmy Page, then warped into Joe Strummer and Andy Gill of Gang of Four, then the shredding floodgates opened with Randy Rhods and Steve Vai. Later, my principle guitar influences for some time were people who didn't play guitar. Terminator X of Public Enemy, Jam Master Jay of Run DMC, Dr.Dre's production, the textures and rhythms of Crystal Method and the barnyard noises of cows, sheep and ducks have all clearly had a sonic impact on my playing.
8. You've always been able to come up with very unique sounds in your guitar work, especially for your solos, is it ever a burden to have to come up with so many new and interesting techniques or is pushing the envelope in this way still as exciting as ever?
I never really looked at it as a burden to come up with new guitar sounds. After a while it just became how I hear music and it wasn't a matter of "oh, I need to come up with a crazy sound." It was more a matter of, I hear the guitar making the sound of a breaking glass window rather than hear the guitar playing recycled Chuck Berry riffs. For me now the most exciting thing musically is writing, recording and performing Nightwatchman songs where there are very few guitar pyrotechnics and the emphasis is on the starkness and mood that is conveyed which is hopefully just as impactful music.
9. Who do you think is a better level boss, you in Guitar Hero III or King Koopa from Super Mario Bros?
I'm afraid, young man, you are speaking a language I do not understand. While a digital version of me appears in the video game Guitar Hero 3, I am not much of a video game player myself and the term "Boss" and "King Koopa" I'm afraid to admit, are unfamiliar to me.
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Neues vom Nightwatchman
09.01.2008 um 00:00:00
Tom Morello meldet sich mit besten Wünschen für das neue Jahr und einem Konzerttipp zurück. Leider ist das Konzert nicht wirklich um die Ecke, aber nichtsdestotrotz ist die Idee hinter dem Konzert ja eine sehr gute und deshalb durchaus erwähnenswerte:
Benefit show in New Orleans
Happy New Year, people! Two years ago I participated in a musicians activist workshop and benefit concert in New Orleans hosted by the kick ass Future of Music organization. The show brings together a cool array of musicians and the cause is a good one: to help find and finance decent housing for New Orleans musicians who are still adrift after Katrina. Another benefit show is planned for January 10th. And while I will not be performing, the line up looks excellent so if you are in the New Orleans area please get on down there and support!
Thankyou.
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Noch mehr Antworten vom Nightwatchman
27.11.2007 um 00:00:00
Tom Morello steht weiterhin ausführlichst Rede und Antwort. Wenn ihr mehr über seine Inspiration, seine Ansichten und weitere Aussichten vom Nightwatchman erfahren wollt, dann solltet ihr euch die „Questions & Answers Part 5“ durchlesen. Sehr interessant!
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Weitere Antworten und eine neue Livereview
06.11.2007 um 00:00:00
Der Nightwatchman steht weiterhin Rede und ausführlichst Antwort. Hier findet ihr die Fortsetzung der Frage-Antwort-Stunden mit Tom Morello und hier gibt’s dann auch gleich noch einen fetten Livebericht eines Nightwatchman-Brigade-Members zu lesen.
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Neues von Tom Morello
01.11.2007 um 00:00:00
Der Nightwatchman ist scheinbar niemals müde und stets (musikalisch wie auch politisch) auf Achse. Mit seinem Axis Of Justice-Kollegen und langjährigem Blutsbruder Serj Tankian war Tom gerade für eine kurze Zeit in den USA auf Tour. Wie die Konzerte dort waren, könnt ihr zum Beispiel in diesem, diesem oder diesem Augen- und Ohrenzeugenbericht nachlesen.
Während dieser Tour kehrte Tom Morello in Boston auch in den WBCN-Studios ein und gab folgendes Interview und folgende Performance zum Besten:
Und zum ersten Mal präsentierte er auch schon ganz neues Material, das er für sein zweites Soloalbum frisch geschrieben hat. Dabei wurde er live von Serj Tankian unterstützt. Schaut und lauscht mal selbst in den brandneuen Song „Lazarus“:
P.S.: Brennen euch noch Fragen auf der Seele? Hier und auch da findet ihr viele Antworten vom Nightwatchman persönlich. Wenn immer noch Fragen offen sind, postet sie einfach an der Pinnwand vom Nightwatchman. Vielleicht kann euch der ein oder andere Buddy oder auch wir vom Allmybands-Team weiterhelfen.
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Trailer zum neuen Film mit Tom Morello
09.10.2007 um 00:00:00
Wie wir bereits berichtet hatten, spielt Tom in einem weiteren Film eine kleine (nicht nur musikalische) Rolle. Schaut euch mal den Trailer zu „Berkeley“ an. Ihr werdet unseren Nightwatchman ganz sicher erkennen:
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One Man Revolution live
08.10.2007 um 00:00:00
Ende dieser Woche geht es los, dann wird Tom Morello als Nightwatchman den System Of A Down-Sänger Serj Tankian auf seiner Solotour supporten. Leider schaffen es die beiden ja nicht bis nach Deutschland, sondern reisen ausschließlich innerhalb der Grenzen der USA umher. Deshalb haben wir als kleine Entschädigung für alle eine (euch vielleicht schon bekannte, aber eben auch) sehr sehr schöne Liveversion von „One man Revolution“ vom Nightwatchman:
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Neuer Song im Stream
27.09.2007 um 00:00:00
Wie wir kürzlich berichteten, hat Tom Morello neben dem Michael Moore-Film „Sicko“ noch in einem anderen Streifen mitgewirkt. In „Berkeley“ von Bobby Roth ist der Nightwatchman sowohl zu sehen (Details dazu findest du im letzten Blogeintrag) als auch zu hören. Der Ohrenschmaus kann schon mal vorgekostet werden: „Stars Of Orion“ steht im Stream auf Toms Myspace-Seite bereit.
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Neue Filme, Songs und Tourpläne
24.09.2007 um 00:00:00
Tom hat mit „Alone Without You“ den Titeltrack zu dem aktuellen Film von Michael Moore geschrieben. „Sicko“, so der Name des Films, dreht sich in erster Linie um die Schwächen des amerikanischen Gesundheitssystems – und bringt (in alter Michael Moore- und Tom Morello-Manier) einiges in den USA ins Rollen, wie hier bei American Patients for Universal Health Care zum Beispiel:
„And we have Tom's song, 'Alone Without You' as our anthem and our battle cry. If you saw Michael Moore's 'SiCKO' then you heard the song and you saw many of us -- the people battered by the broken U.S. health care system. Visit our website, apuhc.com, and tell your story -- you are not alone. [...] We want to change this world. Universal, single-payer health care is a human right. No one should die or suffer because they could not get care. Join us. We're alone without you.“
Dann gibt es nun noch einen weiteren Film, an dem Tom Morello mitwirkt. Dieser Film heißt „Berkeley“ und ist von Bobby Roth, der auch schon für einige Episoden „Lost“ verantwortlich war. „Berkeley“ ist, wie Tom euch selbst erklären möchte, „a good sixties-era radical who has made the coming of age story of Berkeley an analogy for today's war-torn times. There are two Nightwatchman songs featured in the film. An early recording of "The Road I Must Travel" rolls over the end credits and a new song, "The Stars of Orion" is featured in the film (with me singing and playing drums!). In the movie, I play a Vietnam War veteran who smokes a lot of weed (quite a challenge to my acting skills as I have never smoked pot. I've never even smoked a cigarette. So they had to provide a Faux-Week Smoking Coach), plays drums in a college band, and pens "The Stars of Orion" which is featured in the film.“
Neben diesen Aktivitäten arbeitet der fleißige Nightwatchman noch an neuen Songs, die er in naher Zukunft mit Brendan O'Brian aufnehmen möchte. Zuvor geht es aber noch auf Tour und zwar durch Nordamerika mit seinem Freund und Axis Of Justice-Kollegen Serj Tankian.
Eines ist also sicher: Wir werden noch viel vom Nightwatchman zu hören bekommen.
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Toms Tourtagebuch – Teil 3
04.09.2007 um 00:00:00
Tom Morello hat einen weiteren Teil seines Tourdiarys gepostet. Ausführlich berichtet er von seinen letzten The Nightwatchman-Auftritten, die er in den USA gespielt hat. Lest hier, was er alles in Detroit, Chicago, Denver, Portland, Seattle, San Francisco und Los Angeles erlebt hat.
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Riesenblog und Riesenlob
29.08.2007 um 00:00:00
Es gibt zwei riesige Sachen, die ihr euch anschauen solltet. Einmal diesen ausführlichen Blogeintrag mit der Überschrift „Walking The Walk“. Dort könnt ihr ganz viel über Toms Vergangenheit und Gegenwart erfahren und ihn noch mehr als Person und Musiker kennenlernen. Ein wirklich sehr informativer Text mit einem langen, persönlichen Interview. Tolle Sache!
Das zweite Riesending ist ein weiterer (wenn auch viel kürzerer) Blogeintrag, in dem der große Ben Harper seiner Begeisterung über Tom Morellos Solodebüt freien Lauf läßt. Lest mal, was Ben über The Nightwatchman schreibt:
The Nightwatchman is Tom Morello's alter ego. "One Man Revolution" (Sony) shocked me because he's from Rage Against the Machine and Audioslave, and this is his first solo work. His lyrics come at you like daggers, straight up. It's a record Woody Guthrie would be truly proud of and possibly cover songs off it. I saw a gig of Tom's and was blown away. It's nylon-string solo acoustic guerrilla folk. His voice is not quite baritone, it's below a tenor. His singing fits the style perfectly. Songs like "House Gone Up in Flames" and "One Man Revolution, " they stay with you. He's one of the great guitar heroes of my generation. To hear him on a nylon string guitar after electric for so many years is super-inspiring.
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Videopremiere zu ‚Alone Without You’
20.08.2007 um 00:00:00
Das Video zum neuen The Nightwatchman-Song ist fertig und kann nun endlich angeschaut werden. Es ist (wie an dieser Stelle schon mal erwähnt) der Song „Alone Without You“, der Track, den Tom Morello aka The Nightwatchman zu dem neuen Michael Moore-Film „Sicko“ beigesteuert hat.
Und wer es noch nicht kennt, sollte sich mal das „Artist On Artist“-Interview auf MySpace anschauen. Dort sitzen die beiden Kumpels Tom Morello & Michael Moore halten einen sehr interessanten Plausch.
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