The Concert For Social Justice - Live From Hollywood!

Man, when I hear "Concert for Social Justice", I am, of course, there. The event was held last night at The Fonda in Hollywood by the Grammy Museum and Robert F. Kennedy Human Rights to fund the organizations' "Speak Up, Sing Out: Songs Of Conscience" program that gets kids from K-12 to write songs about social justice issues. It was a show all the way up my alley.

The lovely L.A. traffic caused us to miss all but about the last chord of the marvelous Rocky Dawuni's tune, "Shine A Light" from his brand new album, Branches Of The Same Tree. His happy music with a message set the tone for what would be a wonderful night of voices singing out together in the name of social justice.

Up next was the Grammy winning group, La Santa Cecilia, and their Latin jams.

Led by La Marisoul in full yellow skirt, getting everyone up and dancing, as she said, "Social justice music can also be good to dance to!" I don't know what the words being sung were (in Spanish) but the universal beat was impossible to resist. You'll want to check them out for sure.

Actresses next took the stage to read letters from around the globe from people speaking out and making a difference for the world. Alfre Woodard led the way, telling stories from Malala in Pakistan, from a Kenyan woman leading a movement to plant trees, and from a woman rising up for the Mayan people ... all ending with the urge to "Speak truth to power". It was moving stuff, and solidified in the minds in all gathered there really what the evening was about - and how very important it is for us ALL to do that truth speaking.

Tom Morello had people yelling for him before he even took the stage - and proceeded to incinerate it. The Nightwatchman and his Freedom Fighter Orchestra had some technical difficulties (like, no sound from the guitar - "The rock can't happen with no guitar."), and took that time to ask "Are we all in this together, People?!" We assured him that we were, and the floor was rewarded with Morello telling them all to move up and get rid of the velvet rope that separated them. 'Cause that's how he is.

With the crowd now smashed together up front, they lit into "One Man Revolution", with its fresh verse change to say, "On the streets of South Carolina, they're ready to blow" - referring to the murder this week of the unarmed Walter Scott, that this time was fully caught on tape. This cannot stand, and we'll sing about it and talk about it and protest about it and cry about it until it stops. When Morello yelled, "Fuck, yeah!" at its end, he was merely echoing the thoughts of everyone there.

"Black Spartacus Heart Attack Machine"rocked the house silly, and then Morello did his now iconic take on "The Ghost Of Tom Joad", dedicated to RFK and our late friend, Tomas Young. People now anticipate his ridiculous guitar solo on this one, cameras out and toes on tip. I've heard it a ton of times now, and I still get chills every time - especially now on the again changed line "Wherever there's a cop shooting a guy ... Look for me, Ma, I'll be there!" We ALL need to be there now. When Morello lifted his "Arm The Homeless" guitar to do his teeth solo, it revealed the sign on its underside, "I Can't Breathe!" And really, none of us really can until this complete madness stops.

Everyone was on their feet after that one, screaming for more, and they got it. "The Road I Must Travel" sealed the deal for Morello with this crowd, as the place was all in, singing heartily along with the "Na na na na na!" chorus, and then losing it when it merged into the guitar riff from Rage's "Sleep Now In The Fire".

Another standing ovation, and the room was still trembling when a group of actors took the stage. Martin Sheen, David Arquette, Billy Ray Cyrus, and Chad Lowe took the stage to read letters from the men around the world who are speaking their truth to power. I had trouble hearing them because people were speaking loudly to each other up in the balcony, but did catch Lowe saying, "Tom Morello stood right HERE!" It was that kind of a performance.

"They said Social Justice, and I said 'Yeah'", said Melissa Etheridge when she came on to sing the great and aptly titled for the night, "Testify". Her voice is so unique, raspy and strong all at once, and just she and her acoustic guitar held the room rapt. Even more so when she talked about her coming out in 1993.  "Social justice starts with the individual. Someone steps up, someone else steps up, and then it's a whole crowd ... and now it's all 'Oh, gay marriage' ... We're all really different, and that's the thing we have in common." Truth! Then she sang her "Silent Legacy", with its beautiful line, "Pray in the darkness for wings to set you free ..." Arms were held in the air to applaud after that one.

Etheridge next talked about coming out about being a cannibas user. "Plant medicine is good medicine. The freedom to explore our consciousness is a very important freedom." More truth, hit home with her cover of Brandy Clark's "Get High". The lighting turned green, and the air grew thick, as we all smiled along, knowingly - or wistfully.

Etheridge brought on her old bandmates, Kevin and Felix (I think she said) to help her cover "Get Up, Stand Up", and believe me when I tell you, EVERYONE got up. Stood up. It was awesome, and then they played their jam from 1988, "Bring Me Some Water", which was equally well-received, with thunderous applause and whistling.

To introduce the next act, Etheridge confided that she'd originally thought of Jackson Browne as her sperm donor, but they went with David Crosby to be her childrens' "Bio Dad".

People went nuts when David Crosby and Graham Nash came out, and that's when I saw the exact same guy up and dancing on Monday at Arlo Guthrie, up and dancing on this night too. It was a big week for all the good old hippies - and those of us that want to be them - in Los Angeles, to be sure. They have long been outspoken on issues of social justice, and they opened with their perfect for the occasion, "Long Time Gone", and its verse that goes "Speak out you got to speak out against the madness, You got to speak your mind if you dare ..." Truth to power. Their gorgeous harmonies are still intact, and there were a whole bunch of stoked Baby Boomers in the house at that moment, trust me.

They followed that one with "Military Madness", again timely and classic. Nash took over the piano then for his truth speaking, "Chicago (We Can Change The World)", and the people loved it. Like arms in the air, swaying the whole time loved it. "We've been singing this one since the Civil War," cracked Crosby, "About something that just keeps getting worse." He was speaking about the people that run this country, and the wealth disparity, and they were singing a cappella, "What Are Their Names?" It was heavy, and again, extra true.

"It all starts with teaching the kids the right way," said Nash to introduce their classic hit, "Teach Your Children." Everyone with a voice sang along, and basically yelled the "And know they love you!" part. Hearts swelled.

As they did again when Kerry Kennedy and Bob Santelli of The Grammy Museum introduced the winner of their "Speak Up, Sing Out" contest, a girl named Jade Rhodes from The Brentwood School. She wrote and performed a song called "Invisible", about what a refugee from Darfur might be feeling and thinking. She held the entire room's attention, the entire time, and a star just might have been born. People loved her and shouted their encouragement, as she shyly left the stage. It was great, and showed how important and special the work for social justice is.

Kennedy said that when they were talking about the musicians they wanted for the concert, musicians who have dedicated their lives to singing - and acting - for social justice. "The first person I called was Jackson Browne, and he not only said yes immediately, he called his friends to join him."

 Out came Browne, saying just that, that he'd always just wanted to sing songs about social justice, and so he did. "Lives In The Balance" is just such a song. Listen to the lyrics and receive an education about unjust wars. Truth to power. "Far From The Arms Of Hunger" was no different, slow and lovely, but hitting as heavy as anything fast and hard. "Looking East" kept the wisdom and the beautiful music coming, and then he covered "I Am A Patriot" by Little Steven, and got the place dancing again with its slightly reggae beat. The faithful did not want it to end.

As always at a good social justice jamboree, you have to have an All Star Jam! As Morello is about the best ringleader in the world for these kind of things, he took the mic and said, "No Social Justice concert would be complete without a Woody Guthrie song to anchor that shit (Sorry, kids - the fight for social justice is not always PG13)! ... Whether you're of the Occupy Wall Street generation or the Aquarius generation ... This land is your land!"

All the evening's artists returned to the stage (except I didn't see Crosby and Nash?) to belt out that "Alternative National Anthem" together as one. La Santa Cecilia's accordion player added a lovely touch to this version, and folks took turns singing the ALL the verses, including the previously censored ones. It was especially great when young Jade Rhodes got her turn to take a verse, happily sandwiched between Morello and Browne. I mean, C'mon! It was a night to remember for everyone, but probably the most for her.

Morello called for the house lights to be turned up, so he could see that everyone in the place was standing up, singing "as loudly as it's ever been sung on Hollywood Boulevard to date" and jumping wildly up and down, "From the sound man to my 91 year old mom sitting right up there!" We stood, we sang, and we jumped for freedom, for justice and for rock and roll.

There was a long, mutual standing ovation from artists to fans and back, and Morello yelled, "The future is unwritten!" It's important to remember that. Nothing can't be changed. Nothing can't be improved. Nothing can stop us, when we stand up, and speak out - together.

Speak truth to power.

*Beautiful photos by Paul Gronner Photography.

Woody Guthrie Centennial Celebration Show - This Land Is Your Land

Woody Guthrie would have been 100 years old this year, and there was a BIG old party for him last night at the Club Nokia in Los Angeles. Because it was Los Angeles, we dealt with the usual trifecta of traffic, long lines and confused box office workers, so we were late to the show, but were in good company as Steve Earle and Tim Robbins straggled in with us too, and seemed just as excited to get in. I learned a lot about Woody Guthrie from my friend, Tom Morello, so was most excited to see him be a part of such an epic show.


It was kind of great that one of my very favorite songs was being played by Sarah Lee Guthrie (Woody's granddaughter) and her husband, Johnny Irion, right when I walked in - "California Stars". It's one of those that just puts you in a good mood right away, and set the tone for the entire evening of great music. The very diverse in age (and outfits) crowd clapped along to "Union Maid" and it was clear that everyone in that room had learned from and revered Mr. Woody Guthrie.

Joe Henry came out next and said maybe my favorite line of the night, that "Woody's job was to comfort the afflicted and afflict the comfortable." Excellent. He sang a song about Jesus, accompanied by very pretty mandolin, then was joined by Jackson Browne for "New York Town", which cracked people up with its lines, I can get more women than a passenger train can haul and I've get more lovers than the Civil War set free. Player.

Dawes came on, and it was noted by them and the audience that it was good to have a young band on the bill, as it shows how very influential Guthrie was and remains to American music. They opened up with a good, railroad-y sounding version of "Hard Travelin'" that was very well received, then Jackson Browne joined them for a similar sounding take on "Goin' Down The Road". For their last song, they played one of their own songs called, "A Little Bit Of Everything", and definitely earned themselves some new fans, as the retired-aged ladies in front of me were very down with it.


Legendary L.A. X-Man, John Doe gave us some "Dustbowl Stuff" as he put it, and sang "Vigilante Man"... which was dirty, dusty and rad. Doe was in strong voice, and sounded even better when joined by his "Spiritual adviser and card dealer", Cindy Wasserman for "Do Re Mi". He said, "If we forget a line or go out of tune, I figure Woody would approve." But they didn't, and it was wonderful. We enjoyed a simply gorgeous day here in California yesterday, and all these songs about the Guthrie-era California made it feel all the more special here (but don't tell anyone). "So Long It's Been Good To Know Yuh" was great too.

Van Dyke Parks "defined Americana decades before the term was invented" read the evening's program, and when he sat down at the piano, there was respect that you could feel in the room. He began by saying, "For all the McCarthy era put the Guthrie family through, this night is their just reward." He was joined by a cellist and drummer for "Pastures of Plenty" and it was equally heavy and lovely. My land I'll defend with my life if it be, Cause my pastures of plenty must always be free. Yes, Sir.

Tom Morello (The Nightwatchman) was up next, and I was so happy he was a part of this, as I've long thought him to be the heir apparent to fill Woody Guthrie's work boots. From the sound of it in there, I'm not alone. His work with the Occupy Movement/s and Union battles around the country seemed to have made him better known among this crowd than his other gig with Rage Against The Machine. His trusty "Whatever It Takes" guitar plugged in to play "Tom Joad", very much a story song, much like the songs in the Nightwatchman's own repertoire. Wherever people ain't free, Wherever men are fightin' for their rights, That's where I'm a-gonna be, Ma. That's where I'm a-gonna be." And Tom always is.


Tom's band, The Freedom Fighter Orchestra (Carl Restivo, Dave Gibbs, Eric Gardner) joined him for the next one, meaning it was going to Rock. Out. "I'd like to dedicate this to the only Boss worth listening to", Tom said to introduce Springsteen's "Ghost Of Tom Joad". By now I think of as Tom's song too, so inspiring and passionate it is each time he plays it. He has made it his very own with the electric guitar solo that blows everyone away every single time. I've seen it a lot and still get chills. It's HEAVY, and brought the entire Club Nokia to its feet at song's end, and got two raised fists from the Grandma in front of me. Youtube it sometime, it is SICK. Everyone in there is talking about it today, I promise you.


Nora Guthrie, Woody's daughter, has a whole bunch of lyrics in the family archives, but they don't all have music. She gave Tom the lyrics and he created the music for the next one, his "first revolutionary love song", called "Ease My Revolutionary Mind". He was joined by his "Choir of Angels", Dawes, Jackson Browne, Van Dyke Parks, and Graham Nash (who FFO member, Carl Restivo shared a mic with and said he was a "vocal harmony paintbrush") for this great song, with lines like I want a union working woman, I want a progressive liberous woman, I want a nice progressive mama, and Tom added, A WOODY GUTHRIE LOVIN' WOMAN, To ease my revolutionary mind. There was another scorcher of a Morello solo, and then it was time for intermission, which we really needed by then. Whiskey was called for.

When we returned, Grammy Museum Director, Robert Santelli brought up Woody Guthrie's first wife, Mary, to rousing applause. She was adorable, and it was moving to everyone there to see her so honored. The entire family are American treasures, and so deserving of such an evening of music, celebration and love.


That music returned with a set by Joel Rafael, a big Guthrie aficionado, who has also been given lyrics by Nora Guthrie to set to music, and he played his "Your Sandal String", a song about John The Baptist. Graham Nash joined him for another Guthrie collaboration song, "Sierra Blanca Massacre" and they were all feeling it.



THEN, they introduced the man I've looked up to the most since I was six years old, Mr. Kris Kristofferson! I think I blew out an older gent's eardrum with my whistle, but he said, "It's ok, I love that you love him". That's the spirit! He played "Plane Wreck at Los Gatos", which was perfect, of course, and then his song he said was inspired by Woody Guthrie, "Here Comes That Rainbow Again"... Sigh. Joe Henry and Graham Nash joined him for "Ramblin' Round" and you just didn't want it to end. Three is not enough from Kristofferson, ever.


Nash stayed on and played a new song of his inspired by Bradley Manning, the army private whistle blower that Nash picked up his pen to defend. The place was really listening, really CARING, as he sang, Tell the truth, it will set you free. Amen.


Jackson Browne came on with co-writer, Rob Wasserman on bass, and Sarah Lee Guthrie and Johnny Irion as his backup singers, for another Woody lyrics collaboration song, "You Know The Night". It was written as a letter from Guthrie to his wife, Marjorie, and Browne said he had a hard time cutting it down. He must have, because it was one of the longest songs in the world, but all of it was sure pretty. Browne has also been at many of the Occupy events, and wrote a song especially for that movement, called "Which Side Are You On?" It nailed it, lyrically and how they threw it down.


Now it was Ramblin' Jack Elliot's turn. As someone who knew Woody, played with Woody, lived with Woody and even babysat his kids, he was the elder statesman of the night, in his red satin shirt and cowboy hat, and a real character (and flirt, I was later to find out).


He didn't want any pictures taken, "If I see a red light, I stop, but you can take a picture of me naked on a bucking horse in the back alley after". Haa! He also wanted the teleprompter shut off, which I dug. He gave us "Pretty Boy Floyd" and its line, You won't never see an outlaw drive a family from their home got huge applause and Ramblin' Jack got himself a standing ovation.

Sarah Lee and Johnny came back on and told us that Woody died on October 3rd, 1967 at 55. He's remembered as the "Guy who told you what you already knew." They played "Another Man's Done Gone" with its perfectly true verse, Sometimes I think I´m gonna lose my mind, But it don´t look like I ever do, I loved so many people everywhere I went, Some too much, others not enough. Doesn't that just about sum up life exactly? Browne, Rafael, and Nash came back to join Sarah Lee and Johnny on the delightful, "No Church Tonight" which saw Tom Morello and a clearly smitten Nora Guthrie spontaneously slow dancing around the edge of the stage. Special.


The whole night actually reminded me a lot of Morello's own Justice Tour shows (which I've been lucky enough to document for him and they remain the best thing I've been a part of), where a whole slew of music stars come together and put on a show for the ages. Each plays a few individual songs, people jam with each other, then they all come together at the end for an all-star jam. Tonight those jams were extra great because they were done by legends in honor of a legend. "This Train Is Bound For Glory" had everyone back out, singing and playing together, and the smiles could not have been bigger on the faces of the artists, or the audience, and everyone danced together, on stage and in their seats.


"This Land Is Your Land" is the signature song of Woody Guthrie's, and would be this event's last song. It is appropriate that Morello took the lead on this, as he ends all of his own shows with this classic, always with the censored verses intact, and tonight was no different. As we all sang along, Morello got everyone from octogenarian's to babies, front to back, to jump together as ONE, in celebration of the man that made it his life's work to remind us even today, decades after his death, that this land WAS made for YOU and ME. ALL of us.


What a special night! What a special man Woody Guthrie was! What a special country we live in! We have to not only remember that, but fight for it. Not only celebrate it, but DO SOMETHING about it. Every single day that we're given is an opportunity to better it all, and nights like this serve as divine inspiration. Thank you so much to everyone involved in creating such a momentous occasion, and Thank you, Woody Guthrie! You were indeed bound for glory.


AND - as a special bonus (THANK YOU TOM!!!), look who hung out after the show:


That's right. A progressive liberous woman and Kris Kristofferson. Glory.


*Sorry for junky photos ... they weren't allowed. Woody would like that too, right?