Tom Morello Kicks Off Atlas Underground Tour At The Varsity Theater!

This year has been heavy metal for everyone, and sometimes you need a night of some good, hard heavy metal ... and EDM, and folk, and classic rock, and ... and ... everything else that you will get out of Tom Morello's Atlas Underground show. WOW. I was so happy to have my CA friends here in MN that they could have played the ABC's (and they would have made that sound cool too!), but the show is really something else ... and I'll say it again ... WOW. The Varsity Theater has some stories to tell after Morello kicked off the first date of his new tour there last night in support of the groundbreaking Atlas Underground, the first solo album released under his own name.

I'm pretty sure the last time Morello and I were both in Minneapolis at the same time was when Rage Against The Machine played here in opposition of the 2008 RNC Convention that was happening in St. Paul. That one was nuts, with police in riot gear at one show, and the electricity getting pulled at another, forcing the band to take to the crowd with bullhorns. Last night also ended up in the best kind of bedlam ... but I'm getting ahead of myself. The evening opened with a set by Bones UK, an all female hard rock band from Camden Town, London ("It's naughty. It's where vampires go to drink whiskey!" - lead vocalist Rosie Bones). I didn't get to make their whole set, because parking in Dinkytown is a joke, but was impressed with what I did catch.

The ladies lit into a Bowie cover, "I'm Afraid Of Americans" as I arrived, and Bones added when introducing the tune, "Well, I'm afraid of ONE American in particular" ... and no one had to guess who. That's when I got why Morello chose this band to open his tour. She told a story about playing a great gig in London, when a guy came up and told them they were great, but they'd never be as good as a dude band, because "Girls can't play guitar". Guitarist Carmen Vandenberg proceeded to directly dispel that ridiculous myth, blazing through their single, "Pretty Waste" for an already packed to the rafters crowd. Drummer Heavy kept it heavy, and the Bones Uk won some new fans (mostly male) in Minneapolis last night. Including me (one of maybe 10 females).

The crew came out to set up for Morello's set, and you could feel the anticipation building in the room. I've seen Morello play countless times - and it's still exciting every time - but for the mostly dudes gathered there at The Varsity, they were getting ready to go OFF for their guitar hero, that in my eavesdropping I learned was the first time for many. That might be because Atlas Underground features collaborations with a super-diverse line-up of artists, with everyone from Bassnectar to Gary Clark, Jr. ... Steve Aoki to Marcus Mumford ... Knife Party to GZA, RZA, and Big Boi! I mean ... !

After quite a while of setting up, the lights went out and heavy videos began playing on the screen in front. Black and white images of immigrants in lines and cages, prisoners in jails, and homeless Army vets combined to let you know exactly where we're at as a country. Then a voiceover with the deep distortion of a kidnapper and a hooded silhouette appeared on the screen, saying, "This is a communiqué from the Atlas Underground ..." that went on to say that on New Year's Eve, we're taking it ALL (I asked Morello about this after and he said that "rebellion is a way of re-setting the clock to 0:00 and starting over ... Let fire be your deliverance!") and then suddenly a hoopla began in the crowd. I was in the photo pit, so the ruckus was behind me, and when I turned around, there was Morello smack dab in the middle of the crowd, breaking into his surprisingly EDM Gary Clark, Jr. collab, "Where It's At Ain't What It Is"! The happy and surprised faces said it all ... this night was going to be something special.

Videos played while Morello made his way back to the real stage, dressed in red bandana, shades, Madiba hat, and an Abraham Lincoln T-shirt. The video concluded with Morello's inspiration of a mother, Mary Morello, saying to camera, "Freedom means fighting for your rights ... And it also means rock and roll!" I love her ... and she's right. A graphic reading "Nazi Lives Don't Matter" was met with shouts of solidarity, and Morello blazed through "Battle Sirens" (the Knife Party collab). Musical chameleon, Carl Restivo, and awesome drummer, Eric Gardner, joined Morello for the visual and musical barrage that never let up the whole night. Laptops took the place of the collaborators (who weren't present), with their recorded vocals and presence in the excellent videos bringing them there into the room with us. All of the videos were designed by Sean Evans, and served to complete the show that Morello himself describes as "One part Marshall stack guitar madness, and one part bassdrop meltdown", with all of the trappings you would expect from a Rock/EDM show (though the videos made it hard to shoot photos, the experience is meant to be immersive and in the moment, not seen through your phone).

"Rabbit's Revenge"was a ROCKER - with a point. This collaboration with Killer Mike, Bassnectar, and Big Boi hits all the way home - such as our home is these days - with kids being murdered by cops and all the other myriad problems we're all dealing with. Messages on the screen said things like "Don't Mourn, Organize!" and "Take one step towards freedom, and it will take two steps towards you!" Up close in the photo pit, you can really see Morello bending his notes, and it's something to behold. The entire place was loving it, and vocally letting the band know it. A pick up in the palm solo led to a little Rage riff that led to the Audioslave tune, "Like A Stone" with recorded Chris Cornell vocals. The crowd sang along to every note, and it had more meaning than other times I've heard it sung along to - because now we all know we don't have Cornell anymore. It's become a much more wistful song to me ... and I think to everyone.

Another Gary Clark, Jr. collaboration was next, and "Can't Stop The Bleeding"  had everyone clapping along in double time, and featured yet another show-stopping guitar solo from Morello - which is really what everyone is there for. Morello then took it acoustic with a Nightwatchman song, "Flesh Shapes The Day" on his "Whatever It Takes" guitar. "Clap your hands, Minneapolis!", shouted Morello - and we did. "Alright, stop clapping!", commanded Morello - and we did. "Fuck, yeah!", exulted Morello at the end, and everyone in there said that too.

"Save The Hammer For The Man" found Carl Restivo filling in on the Ben Harper part, and it was gorgeous with the harmonies, and also with the flamenco-style guitar solo Morello threw in there. Morello here took a moment to greet the room, saying, "Thank you all for coming, I'm happy to be back in the city I've played so many great shows in, then went into deeper Minnesota tracks for his shout-outs than the usual Prince, Dylan, and First Avenue. Instead, Morello tipped his Madiba hat to the Walker Art Center, Kirby Puckett (!), and Babes In Toyland (who Morello's high school friend Maureen Herman played bass for). Awesome.

There was 45 seconds of tuning, which for a Morello show means that time has to be filled with the "loudest 45 seconds in the history of this club!" - and I think it was probably the loudest, because my ears are still ringing a little bit. The next song was dedicated to Chris Cornell and our "Moments of doubt", and Morello asked for absolute silence for "The Garden Of Gethsemane" - and he got it. I didn't even hear anyone breathing. The reverence for Cornell - and for the beauty of the song - kept the previously rowdy crowd perfectly rapt, so much so that Morello didn't even use the mic. Sublime.

He had promised to reward the silence with "Heavy metal bangers the rest of the way", and that's exactly what he gave us next. "How Long" featuring Tim McIlrath from Rise Against and Steve Aoki got people hyped out of their faces, and the video played after featured Morello's sons and their friends asking questions, and making statements, ending with "I wish he'd just shut up and play guitar!" Morello gets that all the time (and I've had several online fights defending him from that garbage), and if people don't get by now that this man has some real real things to say - AND walks that talk every day - then we really can't help them. He is always going to speak truth to power, so you'd better get used to it.

So, he DID come back out and play guitar, for a shredding, ridiculous version of Springsteen's "The Ghost Of Tom Joad" that Morello has now very much made his own. It's always a true highlight, and always gives me the chills. The teeth solo gets 'em every time, and last night was no different. The fans were SO into it ... but then it got REALLY nuts. "Are we in this together, People?!", asked Morello and the People shouted in the affirmative. "Well, then why am I up on the stage without you? Please join me on the stage!" OK. This was about as close as I've ever come to being trampled (aside from one very heavy Primus set at Lollapalooza), as the super-fans all pressed toward the stage, jumping barriers, pushing over people, doing whatever they could to get up there. Morello kept asking for more people, and the security dudes were stressing. While they were scrambling up there, Morello issued the warning that people not mess with his stuff or put a phone in his face, as he's been known to throw them. And it's been deserved. There were finally enough people up there for Morello's liking for him to say, "OK, let's finish the night with an old gospel song!" - which was Rage's "Killing In The Name"! It was solid pandemonium in there, as everyone shouted in unison "Fuck you, I won't do what you tell me!" with middle fingers all the way raised. It was chaos. It was cathartic. It was necessary. It was these times, defined in a song.

"Minneapolis, put the house lights up!" They did, and the room was illuminated with the happy faces of the people recognizing that they have the power - so we sang one more. John Lennon's "Power to the People" had everyone jumping up and down together, in raucous solidarity.

The ad for the show calls The Atlas Underground Live Experience "The last big event before we all go to jail." I asked Morello what he meant by this, and he explained that the impending police state, with facial recognition and all that, and the looming situation of Trump refusing to leave office should lead to "Hong Kong style riots in Times Square" ... where we would all go to jail. Because we're standing up for what's right, and up TO what's wrong. If you can be made to feel that way from attending a rock show, I'm sure glad that Morello refuses to ever just shut up and play guitar. We need him now, more than ever. And we need each other ... because we truly really absolutely do have the power - and it's time to use it.

Please do not miss your shot to experience The Atlas Underground Live show, because I want you to feel this way too. We need you. Thanks to Tom Morello, for always asking us to think, and for giving us the inspiration to do something with those thoughts. Like fighting the powers that be.

Fists raised!

The Atlas Underground Live Experience is on tour across America now. GO!

*I miss Paul Gronner Photography!

May Day Rebellion!

Happy May Day, 99%! On the same day that he led a GuitArmy through New York City in a May Day Occupation, Tom Morello released his jam documentary short, World Wide Rebel Tour. Here it is for your viewing pleasure ...




Whatever it takes!  Solidarity.

The Activist's Gang

After all the goings on in the world last week (upping the war in Afghanistan, the on-going health care debate, "Capitalism: A Love Story" not being on the Oscar short list, etc ..) I really needed a Nightwatchman show, mainly to be assured that some people still care - and still fight - for what's right. Well, just in time, I get word that Tom Morello and Shooter Jennings are going to do a benefit show for the WTF?! Festival at The Actor's Gang on Saturday. Perfect.

The Actor's Gang was founded by actor/artistic director, Tim Robbins, who is also a friend and fellow activist of Tom's. Basically, guys who walk the walk. The WTF Festival was thought up when told they shouldn't produce theater as it was too expensive in this economy ... hence WTF?!?! So they gathered together a whole bunch of talented friends and artists to do shows to raise money so they COULD produce theater in months to come ... and Tom Morello/The Nightwatchman signed up for the cause.

The Ivy Substation on Venice Boulevard in Culver City is the Actor's Gang home, and what a great space it is! All brick and cool, with a big patio out back to celebrate before and after performances. It's on the National Register of Historic Places, and it's so good to be in a building like this, and see it being put to great use. I'd never been to a Nightwatchman show where there was stadium (or any, really) seating, so wondered how this would be.


It would be great! A lot of Tom's songs are actually pretty dark and spooky acoustic, so a theater environment lends a certain gravitas to what's already there. If you ignored a few over-served patrons, that is. I heard a clearly drunk girl behind me say, "Oh, look! There's Bob Roberts!" Yep. There he was, Bob Roberts himself, all involved with helping people get seated, very hands on. Then he took the stage and did the standard, turn off your cell phones speech, then stopped himself, and said, "Who really needs to take a phone call during Tom Morello?" Exactly. With that, he introduced, "An amazing musician and activist, Tom Morello!"

The Nightwatchman simply said, "Good Evening", and launched right into "Flesh Shapes The Day". He seemed more aggro than normal, extra fired up. And it's catchy. People cheered for the "Si Se Puede!" part, which warmed my heart. We're all one, right? Then, still no talking, and he went right into a new one, "Headlights On The Mountain", which was very story-telling style. You could picture the whole situation, "Headlights on the mountain, ghosts in the night ... something ain't right ..." It kind of reminded me of (Grammy nominated!) Steve Earle (but then I just saw Tom play with Steve a month ago, so ...). It's been a while since The Nightwatchman's first album, so I'm not sure if "One Man Revolution" is entirely accurate anymore. With all the shows he's done, he's recruited a whole lot more to his revolution. Everyone in this place, for sure. When he sang, "On the streets of Culver City, they know my name ... maybe Brothers and Sisters, we're one and the same", he, in that one sentence, got the crowd fired up for the rest of the night. It was almost strange ... from polite listening to fully riled up, like that {Snap!}. To which he replied, "Fuck yeah!"

Perhaps feeling that new spark, Tom ordered up a Jameson, "or this Holiday Gala is going to stop prematurely." The Jameson soon arrived, and got its own applause. It only fired him up more, just in time for "Maximum Firepower". This has always been one of my favorites, as nearly every line bites you with truth. "The skin you're in makes choices for you." "You don't gotta be loud, Son, to be heavy as shit." Showing his Guthrie side with, "This machine here, well, it kills fascists too." And my favorite - and the crowd's - "If you take a step towards freedom, it'll take two steps towards you." See what I mean? Badass truths.

Tom next spoke about his time spent in New Orleans, and the feeling of irredeemable loss that permeates the air there - still. "Midnight In The City Of Destruction" is his somber requiem for all that was lost in the absolute crime of Katrina's handling. It's downright eerie - and should be.

Tom's "day job" is melting peoples' faces off with his guitar and Rage Against The Machine. He regaled the crowd with a story about them playing the first Lalapalooza, and they were really angry about the PMRC, and their attempts to censor their music. So the guys decided to stage a protest - an entirely nude protest. They each painted a P-M-R-C on themselves and put black duct tape over their mouths, took the stage in front of 40,000 people and simply stood there (except for the least endowed member of the band - no names - who, as Tom put it, "bust a nut" during the protest, but could not finish, probably due to lack of concentration). The crowd went wild for the first five minutes or so, but then started to wonder where their rock was, and soon the Rage guys started getting pelted with quarters. Ouch. To avoid arrest, they all finally took off running, and Tom wound up, naked but for the "P" on his chest, on Fishbone's bus. They all found it completely normal, and they watched the entire "Star Wars" movie like that. Then the papers heard about it, and Rage blew up to become the behemoth you know today. And you don't really hear about the PMRC at all anymore, do you? Sometimes there IS justice.

Tom brought out his stompbox for "The Fabled City". Which started the audience stomping, right on through that one, "St. Isabelle" (with Tom on his big Irish War drum, and dedicated to Liam Clancy, who died the day before), and "House Gone Up In Flames". It's always amazing to me that Tom can get a room so rowdy, and then get them to zip it one moment later. Like he did for his Mother Mary's (in the house!) favorite Nightwatchman tune. He introduced it as such, and said, "All the good parts of me come from her. And Mary just became a Grandmother." Yes, there is a baby boy Morello, folks! Rhoads! This was met with HUGE applause, which Tom gave thanks for, and then laid his gorgeous "The Garden Of Gethsemane" on everyone. It was so quiet, he didn't even use his mic at the end. So, so hauntingly pretty.

Then it was time for what Tom said will likely be the title track of the next Nightwatchman album, "Dogs Of Tijuana". There was a definite Mexican sound to the guitar on this one, that seemed to be a straight up warning. "The world will not end in fire, it will not end in ice, it'll end when we arrive." Passionate and heavy, once again, you will want this album in your holster. About to start a new jam, Tom put on his harmonica rack, blew on it, and then said, "OK, I'm not afraid to admit I picked up the wrong harmonica. Aside from the people on my guest list, you people paid good money and deserve the right harmonica. Carol Gronner, put that in your review." (So there you go. But it was no big deal).

But "Whatever It Takes" WAS a big deal, because Tom (and his Whatever It Takes acoustic) was super into it, and blew the (correct) harmonica like a madman. The place erupted after that, and Tom told them there was some "new Union-made merch in the front, as well as Nightwatchman songbooks for the holidays, so kids can strum along to all these songs of bitterness and revenge." Ha! Jason Snyder and Bruce Springsteen share a favorite Nightwatchman song, and it was dedicated to them, and will most likely be on the next album at their urging - "Branding Iron". That was up next - and it means business. The crowd LOVED it. Tom smiled and said, "I'm the Nightwatchman, it's been a pleasure to serve you. I'd like to bring up my good friend, Shooter Jennings."

Shooter took the stage, Tom left, and Shooter went right into an Outlaw Country medley of Willie Nelson's "Walkin'", Kris Kristofferson's "Year 2003 Minus 25", and his Dad's "I've Always Been Crazy". Shooter has the perfect whiskey and cigarettes voice for those classics, but makes them all his own, and modern, while he's at it. I've known Shooter a long time, since his L.A. Rock band, Stargunn, days, and he just seems more comfortable in his skin playing this more modern country vibe. It's great to hear. "I'm gonna play a couple of misogynistic songs, by accident, but it's these guys' lives", was the way he introduced "Loving Country" by Charlie Robison, and "Isis" by Bob Dylan. Again, classics made new.


Shooter has a darling baby girl, Alabama, and he sat down at the piano and said, "The things I've learned since she was born are more important than anything ever in my life. I play this one for her." And he played "The Rainbow Connection", so sweet and touchingly, that he really should record it. Outlaw Country Kids! I love it. And I love Shooter's piano playing ... he's really very good, and it was showcased beautifully on a song off his upcoming new album (Black Ribbons! March, 2010!) called, "All Of This Could Have Been Yours". It's so good. Shooter was going for it, pounding the keys and screaming the lyrics so hard that spontaneous cheers broke out, like people just had to get emotion out as the song built to its crescendo. Phew.

David Crosby's "Almost Cut My Hair" was next, and was so Shooter that at first I thought it was his song. He was banging on the piano and wailing (Waylon?), when suddenly - dramatically - Tom came back on stage, picked up his electric ("ohhHHH, Shit!" murmured the gent behind me) guitar ... and stood there waiting. Until finally Shooter looked up, Tom said, "It's time?" and time it was. Time for RIPPING apart a guitar/piano duet with Shooter that left the room breathless. ( Really. I heard actual gasping). Tom told a quick story about sitting around at his house with Shooter, and laughing that, "Now days the only half naked underage people running around are our children ... we've come a long way." Then another epic duet, on Audioslave's, "I Am The Highway". I have to say, I prefer Shooter's version to the original, because you can actually picture him on the road, meaning it. And Tom's twangy guitar solo part is always epic. One more duet, that Shooter sings on Tom's The Fabled City album too, "Iron Wheel". Those two songs back to back are a great one, two punch.


But the KNOCKOUT punch was "The Ghost Of Tom Joad". Tom's guitar solo backing up Springsteen on this one blew apart the recent Rock and Roll Hall Of Fame Anniversary Concert (Youtube it - Egads!), and did the same here in this little theater. Shooter and Tom took turns on verses, and harmonized the chorus beautifully, until it was time for the BLISTERING guitar mania. It's hard to put a Morello guitar solo in words - they're eye-popping and usually render you mute. When the teeth playing began, people found their voices to scream, jumped to their feet, and stayed there long after the last chord died out. A loooong Standing O! It truly was that exciting.

But not quite all. The Nightwatchman always ends his shows with "This Land Is Your Land", and tonight was no different. He dedicated it to the soldiers of IVAW, soldiers who stand UP against war, and who fight for This land, our land. Tom and Shooter had to quick sort out who was taking what verse ("Not only do you see the music played, you see it get MADE."), and then they lit up the entire room, with all censored lyrics restored. Tom always gets everyone to sing along, jump along, FEEL along with him ... "From Nightwatchmothers to Oscar winners, from the sound guy to all my friends on the list, JUMP FOR PEACE!!!" So we did.


"Because if you want to end wars, or get a universal health care plan, or make the gap between rich and poor disappear, you've gotta do something about it!" That's what Tom said before the entire stadium-seated theater goers jumped up into the rafters and back. And he's right.

'Tis the season ... not just for holiday merriment, but also for end of the year reflection, new beginnings, and new goals. Not just for ourselves, but for the world. Whatever you want changed, it starts with you. It's great to go to a show and yell for peace and justice, but that's pretty easy. Think about what you can DO. And then do it. Or as Tom (and Studs Terkel before him) puts it, "Take it easy, but take it!"

Have a HAPPY Holiday ... but as Einstein said, "Remember your humanity and forget the rest."