The Nightwatchman
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| The Nightwatchman | |
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 The Nightwatchman performing at the House of Blues in New Orleans, Louisiana on June 19, 2007.
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| Background information | |
| Birth name | Tom Morello |
| Born | May 30, 1964 New York City |
| Origin | Los Angeles, California, United States |
| Genre(s) | Folk, Folk rock, Acoustic rock |
| Occupation(s) | Guitarist, Singer-songwriter |
| Instrument(s) | Vocals, Guitar, Harmonica |
| Years active | 2003-Present |
| Label(s) | Epic |
| Associated acts | Audioslave Rage Against the Machine Lock Up Electric Sheep Sicko |
| Website | www.nightwatchmanmusic.com |
| Notable instrument(s) | |
| "Whatever It Takes" (plain body, nylon string acoustic guitar) | |
The Nightwatchman is the alter-ego and solo act of Rage Against the Machine and Audioslave guitarist Tom Morello.
Morello created the identity of The Nightwatchman, an "artist of the people,"[1] when a desire to return to political activism in his music struck him in 2003, after over a year of playing non-activist rock in Audioslave.[1] The Nightwatchman first began playing political acoustic folk music in a Los Angeles coffeehouse before a small crowd,[2] and soon after went on Billy Bragg's Tell Us the Truth tour.[1] He initially had no plans to record,[3] but later recorded the song "No One Left" for Songs and Artists that Inspired Fahrenheit 9/11. In February 2007, he announced a solo album, One Man Revolution, which was released on April 24 in the US and May 7th worldwide.[2] Morello has toured since the CD was released and said he plans to tour the U.S. again in the fall. Morello also had the original song, "I'm Alone Without You" featured in Michael Moore's film Sicko.
Morello describes The Nightwatchman as "the black Robin Hood of 21st century music" and "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."[2] At the moment, The Nightwatchman is taking priority over Morello's two rock bands, Audioslave and Rage Against the Machine, saying "To me, it seems that the world needs songs of rebellion and revolution right now. It's exciting."[2] He has compared The Nightwatchman to Woody Guthrie,[1] Bruce Springsteen and Bob Dylan.[2] He confirmed that a second album is in the works for a late 2008 release, and that it may even go beyond the folk of his debut, including electric guitar in it. One song from this is "King Of Hell", written about Guantanamo Bay. The album was not as successful commercially, compared to his past work. Though it was not intended to be a hit, it has sold less than 25,000 copies. In his previous bands, Morello had only released one album that did not go platinum.
Contents |
[edit] Discography
- One Man Revolution (2007) US #119
[edit] Singles
- "The Road I Must Travel" (2007)
[edit] Notes and citations
- ^ a b c d Wiederhorn, Jon (October 22, 2003). Tom Morello Rages Against A New Machine On Solo Acoustic Tour. MTV News. Retrieved on 2007-02-18.
- ^ a b c d e Harris, Chris (February 6, 2007). Nightwatchman, Rage Reunion Have Morello Fired Up For Political Fights. MTV News. Retrieved on 2007-02-18.
- ^ Moss, Corey (July 29, 2004). Audioslave's Morello Says New LP Feels Less Like Soundgarden + Rage. MTV News. Retrieved on 2007-02-18.
[edit] External links
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