A Joyously Militant Celebration Of Joe Hill with Tom Morello And Friends

Today is the 100th anniversary of the execution of Joe Hill, labor radical and forefather of all American protest music. Hill was honored and celebrated on Tuesday night with a truly incredible, beyond sold out show put on by Tom Morello and his friends to carry on the rabble rousing started by Hill long ago.

The Troubadour stage held a large tapestry of Joe Hill, where he watched over the proceedings and reminded everyone why they were there. Morello introduced the night by reading the foreword he'd written for the centenary edition of The Letters Of Joe Hill (a copy of which each audience member receieved after the show). You should just get the book, but the point is that Hill was killed because the powers that be were afraid of him ("and they should be") and his songs that demanded the working class to organize for social justice. A quick paraphrase ...

Joe Hill is my favorite musician, though there are no known recordings of him ... but Joe didn't just sing songs confronting injustice. He was on the front lines risking life and limb to try to create a better, more just world ... That's why they killed him ... But as the song says, Joe Hill ain't dead. Wherever, whenever you raise your fist, your voice, or your guitar in the name of justice and freedom, Joe Hill is right there by your side. Solid. - Tom Morello

So that's exactly what we did all night (three plus hours), raised our voices and our fists in the name of freedom and justice ... like this:

Morello opened the evening solo, shouting, "This is a freedom song! This is a fighting song! This is a UNION song!" and launched into his "Union Song" to the delight of the many members of the Nurses Union in the house in their red shirts, who LOVE Tom, and the feeling is mutual. Joe Hill is name dropped in the song that celebrates Union members standing UP and standing STRONG, and when it ended, Morello said that Joe Hill always liked to stir up a heap of trouble, and that's what else we were going to do on this night. Solid.

Tom introduced "the first living legend of the night", Van Dyke Parks, who played Joe Hill's song "The Preacher and the Slave" that coined the term, "pie in the sky" back in the day. Parks played piano beautifully and sang, accompanied by a friend on an accordion, and shared that he'd last played The Troubadour 52 years ago! He also played a song by Blind Alfred Reed, of whom Parks said, "He couldn't see, but he could." Van Dykes Park is great, and that's just that.

From the most senior performer of the evening to the most junior with The Poet Puff Girls (Zariya Allen, Belissa Escobedo, and Rhiannon McGavin), a trio of slam poets who delivered a heavy, pointed spoken word poem about the state of schools today, ending it with, "The greatest lessons are the ones you don't remember learning." Our future is safe with these girls. Wow.

They were followed by another extra powerful female (in fact, this was by far the most women I've ever had the pleasure of being entertained by at one of Morello's Justice shows - the ladies are fierce!), with Delila Paz from The Last Internationale absolutely killing it with their "I'm Gonna Live The Life I Sing About In My Song." Paz is one of my very favorite female voices of our day, and you simply must first, check them out, and second, strongly consider living the life she sings about in her song. It's a good one.

"A modern day Joe Hill ... always on the front lines, if there's tear gas, he smells of it," was how Morello introduced the great David Rovics, who amused everyone by saying he'd been planning for this occasion for a year. "It's not every day a leftie activist gets these kind of events." He played Joe Hill's "Where The Fraser River Flows", and then sang his own song "Joe Hill" about the Wobblies, and "the Bard with the Union Card" who had to be killed "Lest he organize the working class in song." Rovics is the real deal.

"A lot of who plays these shows is who says yes, and our next performer always says yes," said Morello to introduce the wonderful Jill Sobule (another fierce woman!). She said, "This is a song about the history of immigration in America," and played her hilarious and spot on "When They Say They Want Our America Back" ("Well, what the fuck do they mean?"). The crowd loved it, singing along with gusto (though she reports it doesn't go over as well in the South. Go figure.)

To remind everyone of what we were up to, Morello read the preamble to the IWW (Industrial Workers of the World) Constitution (aka what Joe Hill was about) and its call to do away with capitalism. "So enjoy the nice singalong songs, but this is the real shit that's going down tonight." We were all down.

Morello's co-founder of Firebrand Records, Ryan Harvey and his musical partner, Kareem Samara (on the beautiful oud), played one of their new songs about the Kurdish people, and we all sang the chorus, "I will stand with the People of Rojava". Harvey is one of the most erudite and truth-seeking sharers of wisdom about social injustice struggles that I know. When I don't understand an ISIS thing, for example, I look to Harvey for help. He's another artist like Rovics who is out there on the front lines at any and all protests, and was particularly helpful in understanding all the trouble in Baltimore (where he's frorm) for Freddie Gray earlier this year. When you listen to Harvey's songs, really LISTEN, because you will really learn.

Rich Robinson of The Black Crowes came out next and gave us his acoustic version of Dylan's "The Lonesome Death Of Hattie Carroll" and I think I got a new crush. I wasn't alone either, as a girl passed out in the audience right then off to the side. It was handled very subtly, and I hope she's ok today. Robinson making the ladies swoon!

"Please welcome my longtime comrade in arms, Boots Riley!"said Morello, to shouts of "BOOOTS" (not boos), and my complete surprise and happiness. Riley (of the supercool The Coup) is one of my very favorites, and like Harvey, very well versed in all that is going on in the world, and how we got there. Though his lyrics are always witty and cool, they contain a biting truth that never leaves you. He threw down his spoken word, "Underdogs", which is real hard to follow.

But not if you're Tim Armstrong. The Rancid frontman came out in his big bushy beard and shades, and blasted out Joe Hill's classic, "There's A Power In The Union", which I think Hill would have dug. We sure did.

Next up was a teaming of guys from Mumford and Sons, Dawes, and Alaina Moore from Tennis, who played Hill's "Rebel Girl", saying, "It's not the original, but I think Joe Hill would be cool with that." They also gave us a cover of New Order's "Love Vigilantes", which I think Hill would have been cool with too.

{Just then as I was scribbling notes down in my book, Van Dyke Parks walked by and squeezed my arm. I looked up, and he smiled and gave me a thumbs up. Magic! I think he liked seeing a pen put to paper in this techno world, but he might have just been flirting too, which I'm fine with.}

Another Firebrand Records artist was next, with Lia Rose from Built For The Sea coming out next to lead everyone in singing the old Union song, "Which Side Are You On?" joined by Morello and his Freedom Fighter Ochestra (the always awesome David Gibbs, Carl Restivo, and Eric Gardner) to belt it out. It was awesome, and when Jill Sobule read one of Joe Hill's letters about how important women were to organizing, that was an exclamation point to the song. Fierce.

THEN .... JOAN BAEZ! This was a really big deal to me as I've loved her voice and her politics ever since I was little, and now here she was singing - in her sublime as ever voice - the Phil Ochs song, "There But For Fortune", accompanying herself on her acoustic guitar, also beautifully. I had chills. We marched along as the percussion to her song about the Carnation Revolution in Portugal, and then crushed us even more with her song for Chile, "Gracias A La Vida". The place was silent (except for the tools hoping for Springsteen standing next to me), and I felt thoroughly transported. LOVE Joan Baez.

"That concludes the acoustic part of the night!" shouted Tom before bringing up the fantastic Ziggy Marley! "This is a cry for justice!" shouted Marley before launching into his song, "Justice". The night's women were his backup singers, and it was so good, with about a dozen people playing on stage. They followed it with Ziggy's Dad's "Get Up, Stand Up", which everyone did, and absolutely vowed to not give up the fight. Ziggy Marley, People!

:Rebel music comes in a lot of flavors, and one of those is punk rock. This one is from the greatest punk band of all time, The Clash!" before leading the dudes in an incendiary cover of "Career Opportunities". It was so punk rock, you guys.

Well, now it was time to "Kick Out The Jams"! The MC5's Wayne Kramer led all the guitar players in the world (it seemed) in kicking out his trademark song. This one featured the old Morello guitar solo with his teeth that always slays the crowd, and added Edgey Pires from The Last Internationale to the mix. Those jams were done kicked OUT, let me tell you.

The teeth solo was really no match for what followed, when Morello blew the roof off with his now-classic take on Springsteen's "The Ghost Of Tom Joad". It's a real show stopper with a solo for the ages that still gives me chills, but my favorite part is when he sings, "Look in their eyes, Ma, you'll see me!" and you see Mary Morello looking down at her son singing that. No one could be more proud, and she taught him everything he knows - except maybe that guitar solo.

After people completely lost their shit, Morello and Company helped them find it with the Street Sweeper Social Club slammer, "Ghetto Blaster". It ruled, as one would expect, and it was so extra fantastic to see Riley perform again in L.A. When he tells you to fight the power, you listen.

"The next two songs are candidates for the Revolutionary National Anthem!", shouted Morello, and then turned his mic stand to the crowd, saying, "Kids, I'll let you sing this one." We heard the opening chords of Rage Against The Machine's "Killing In The Name" and the entire crowd took over Zack de la Rocha's vocals - and it should be noted that they knew every word. "Some of those who work forces, are the same that burn crosses!" It was super cool, and super heavy, and super evident that we all need that Rage now more than ever. Really quite a moment in a night of huge moments.

"Thanks Joe, for the inspiration for all these songs, and thank you all for coming! Is it possible you'd like one more song?" (It was) "Convince my ass!" (We did). After Morello thanked all the sponsors and the Nurses Union, he shouted, "I'd like to welcome to the stage, Everybody! All the rebel rockers!" Every single one of the night's performers then crammed up on the stage to belt out "This Land Is Your Land", the one that really should be our National Anthem.

Verses (ALL of them) were traded off between performers (many now wearing paper targets pinned over their hearts in the same manner as Joe Hill was executed by firing squad), as the audience followed Morello's instructions to listen, sing, and JUMP for joy. "If you can stand, do stand. You don't want to be seen shirking in Mary Morello's presence! We're all going to do this joyously, and yet militantly at the same time!"

With verses taken by the likes of Kramer, Parks, Riley (in a cool rap style), the one that soared and blew us all away was taken by the E Street Band's Cindy Mizelle. There are almost no words for this woman's voice straight from Heaven. It was simply stunning, as was the visual of every body in The Troubadour jumping and singing their hearts out in the name of freedom and justice.  When Morello yelled "Take it easy, but take it!" at song's end, it was with a hoarse and cracking voice, evidence of all that had already gone down.

But we weren't done quite yet. We all joined in a hearty, rousing singalong of "Solidarity Forever", the Union anthem sung to the tune of "The Battle Hymn Of The Republic", and you absolutely felt the power in unity that so frightened the authorities back in Joe Hill's day, and still does today. When the People unite, anything is possible.

My favorite moment among many favorites was then, when Joan Baez took to the front of the stage with her acoustic guitar and began singing "I Dreamed I Saw Joe Hill Last Night", the very song that she mesmerized the entire Woodstock with. All the other performers surrounded Baez with their fists raised, and the audience all followed suit. Without even noticing it, I had tears running down my cheeks. The beauty and power of the moment was so touching and inspiring, but more than anything, it filled me with hope.

These are real crazy, scary, violent, unjust times in many ways, but when you get people to stand together in a show of unity and support for freedom and justice in such a pure and unafraid collective rebel yell, it's clear that goodness always prevails. As Baez sang "'I never died,' says he" ... you could feel Joe Hill's presence in the room, confirming exactly that.

"See you in 100 years!" shouted Morello to conclude the epic three hour+ show, again showing the optimism and promise that was the vibe of the entire evening.

Joe Hill would be - no, IS - proud.

*Most photos courtesy of Chuck Walker
** Morello teeth solo and Baez/Paz/Morello photo by Randall Wallace

Firebreand Fridays With Tom Morello And Friends!

The inaugural Firebrand Friday hosted by Tom Morello took place last Friday at Genghis Cohen in Hollywood, and it was just the best. Hearkening back to the Hotel Cafe days when Morello had these nights in residency where he would bring in all his rock star friends and for the price of $10 - with every penny going to help PATH (People Assisting The Homeless) here in L.A. - you got hours of the best music ever, in a space smaller than most living rooms. Genghis Cohen is even smaller, so it was like chilling with all your friends ... some of whom were eating Chinese food.

The night began at 7:30, so with L.A. traffic, there were like six of us in the room when it began. That did not last long, however, as the next time I turned around the little room was packed in so tight, air itself was becoming scarce. And no one cared. Morello opened the evening explaining that the night was a benefit for PATH, and that Genghis Cohen was the first place he had Chinese food, and that the first (acoustic) rocker of the night would be Mr. Wayne Kramer of the mighty MC5. Yeah.

Kramer opened the evening with his excellent and appropriate "Wild America". Kramer is the founder of the U.S. branch of the excellent Jail Guitar Doors organization, teaching inmates how to play guitar. He next shared with us a cover of Merle Haggard's "Sing Me Back Home", a song Haggard was inspired to write after hearing Johnny Cash play in prison. Excellence. Kramer was just back from performing in Dublin, where he learned about the "Old Triangle" that was rung in the prison there. He had Carl Restivo and Jill Sobule join him for the haunting, Irish lament, their harmonies soaring as they took us back there with them. Friends singing together for a good cause, there really is nothing much better.

Morello came back up to remind the room that 100% of the night's proceeds were going to PATH, and that we were about to hear one of his favorite new bands, "Standard bearers in the social justice struggle, The Last Internationale." Up came Delila Paz and Edgey Pires - The Last Internationale. I'd heard Morello talk about them and heard they crushed it at the South American Lollapaloozas, but I had no idea how mind-blowingly AWESOME the voice on Paz is. WHOA. They began with a Malvina Reynolds tune, "It Isn't Nice" that nicely complimented the night's theme of fighting the power and solidarity ... "It isn't nice to block the doorway, it isn't nice to go to jail, There are nicer ways to do it, but the nice ways always fail, it isn't nice, it isn't nice, you told us once, you told us twice, but if that is Freedom's price, We don't mind." That's right.

They followed that one with their own, "We Will Reign", and after hearing that, I have every reason to believe that they will indeed reign - over almost all the bands out there right now. Ass kicking music with a message everyone needs to hear ... you can't lose. The real show stopper was their cover of Mahalia Jackson's "I'm Going To Live The Life I Sing About In My Song". Paz said, "I'm gonna change the lyrics a bit for the times ... that never change." I'm not exaggerating one bit when I say I was covered with chills the entire song. The song was so soaring, so clearing grounded in Paz's convictions, delivering this gospel standard with anger and a fierce strength that quite truly blew minds. The room erupted in cheers, and Morello came up with his hand over his heart and said exactly what I'd just written in my notes ... "Holy. Shit." Honestly.

Next up was the fantastic Jill Sobule, who is always a complete delight to behold. She's not only SO talented, but downright hilarious, with some of the very best lyrics around. She told us how her first song didn't go over so big when she last played it in Tennessee ... "When They Say They Want Our America Back", and had everyone singing along with her when she asked, "Well, what the fuck do they mean?" Super timely, super relevant, and super true, whether Tennesseans liked it or not. We LOVED it (and Thank GOD for our little L.A. bubble). Then, with all the talk about earthquakes (and actual earthquakes happening lately - and that big dumb San Andreas movie opening), Sobule sang about how it it was "A Good Life", no matter what happens. We all sang along, and agreed with her. Especially on nights like this, it is a REALLY good life.

Sobule came out with "I Kissed A Girl" well before Katy Perry did, and on this night, she took her song back. We were all glad she did, as it was once again hilarious (and made a bunch of 13 year old girls buy her song by accident, which I love). A song about meeting your heroes, "Heroes". Again, it was pure comedy as Sobule listed off dictators and other dicks that should not fall into the heroic category. "Where is Bobbie Gentry?" is a song about how Sobule has been stalking the singer of "Ode To Billie Joe" - and she's getting close to finding her. You could hear Morello laughing in the wings as his friend wittily spun her musical tales and probably made people want to stalk HER.

Morello came back to let us know that Firebrand Fridays are not just musical events, but a movement. "A plan for global domination." These shows will happen on Fridays throughout the summer (follow Morello on Twitter to be kept in the know), but even if you're nowhere near, you can create a "Mosh pit in your mind" as you share your own firebrand thoughts through your music around the world and hashtag it with #FirebrandFriday so we can all stand together in solidarity, wherever we are. Do it. With that, Morello lit into his "Flesh Shapes The Day" and we all "Woo HOO HOO'd" with him during his musical mic check to show that we were all the way on board. "Si Se Puede, fuck YEAH!"

Carl Restivo "My Steven Van Zandt" came up to join Morello for the Ben Harper part on "Save The Hammer For The Man", which was as excellent as ever, their voices and guitars harmonizing together perfectly. "I need Daddy's apple juice", said Morello after that one and once that sauce got served, we got the sublimely gorgeous song about moments of doubt, "The Garden Of Gethsemane". Mary Morello was sitting down front, and at 91, she was as into it as anyone there as she watched her son play her favorite. It was so quiet in the tiny room, the only other sound you could hear was the (much needed) fan whirring and people breathing. Respect.

"This is a song about kicking everyone's ass that gets in your way," said Morello by way of introducing "House Gone Up In Flames". It truly was fiery, in its message and delivery, his "Whatever It Takes" acoustic guitar truly a weapon. Morello was singing so forcefully and meaning it so hard you could actually see his face shaking with the sheer determination that wrongs WILL be righted. People yelled themselves hoarse when it was done, and Morello told about how he's seen U2 at the Roxy the night before when some guy yelled out, "Helps to be Tom Morello!" to which Morello responded, "You can just put that hipster hate away, or I'll have Mary Morello come back there and choke you out." The hate was immediately stowed. Ha!

"The Fabled City" was dedicated to The Last Internationale, as it's their favorite, and then a champagne bucket was passed around for people to pony up for PATH, since the $10 cover worked out to "Only about $1.15 per superstar," and we could do - and did - better than that. While the bucket was being passed, Morello told us about how he could not believe it, but that very morning the words "Turn that music down, it's too loud!" had come out of his mouth to his sons. Everyone laughed, as they appreciated the irony there, especially when Morello said that the look his five year old son gave him was basically, "Fuck you, I won't do what you tell me!" Ahh ... the chickens coming home to roost. Hilarious. With that, Morello ended his set with a song about moments of certainty, and dedicated "Until The End" to our friend, the late anti-war hero, Tomas Young, saying from now on it would always be played for him. It was beautiful, and the room erupted in cheers after Morello's harmonica solo riled them all up.

Rancid's Tim Armstrong was actually kind of responsible for the Firebrand Friday, as he and Morello had talked about doing acoustic shows together, and now, here we were. I never realized the political slant in Rancid's music before, and was pleasantly surprised to hear, "It's Quite Alright", with its lyrics about freedom, ignorance, and reality. It was so good. "Thank you. How great is this?", asked Armstrong, and we all let him know it was pretty great. As was his "Harry Bridges" about the great Union leader, and also the man who lost his job. Powerful stuff. I also never knew that Rancid's "Into Action" was really about taking public transportation, as Armstrong doesn't drive. "Respect to New York, Respect to London, but we're from California and our state is golden!" That got big cheers, rightly so.

"This song's about hanging out with friends, because sometimes friends are all you've got." Armstrong played his last number, "Olympia, WA", and we were all just kind of tripping that Tim Armstrong was sitting right there on a stool, playing acoustic, and so was thoroughly entertaining that it was almost a drag that it was time for the All Star finale jam.

Almost, but not quite, because now EVERYONE came back up, and sang and played together like they were reaching for the rafters of Staples Center, but in a space smaller than one of the luxury suites over there. The legendary Pete Seeger Union song, "Which Side Are You On?" was belted out by all on stage and all in the audience alike, and all the fists in the house were raised, perhaps no higher than when Paz gave us chills again with her command to "Fight like a woman!" It was awesome in there.

Always the show stopper, "This Land Is Your Land" was listened to, sung to and jumped to in unison by all, front to back, as is required when Tom Morello is leading this classic.

He appointed one lady to film the proceedings, so we could all live in the moment live vs. through a phone screen - a greatly appreciated standard practice. The place went nuts the whole time, and then it amped up even further when Morello told the crowd that "Tomorrow is my birthday, and I'm having a fantastic time!"

So were all of us, and then it got even more fantastic when they couldn't stop and had to lay one more song on us and that song was The MC5's "Kick Out The Jams"!

Morello was beaming from ear to ear during he and Kramer's guitar lick battle, as those jams done got kicked OUT. The guy right behind me said simply, "Wow." That's just about all you could say, truly.

The sweaty and thrilled audience serenaded Morello with the "Happy Birthday" song, and it was over, with Morello thanking the Firebrand Freedom Fighters and reminding us all to "Take it easy, but take it!" Done, and done.

This night also served as the launch of the new label from Tom Morello and Ryan Harvey. Firebrand Records ... rebel music, by and for the People. It's ON.

THANK YOU to Tom, and to everyone involved. Freedom fighting is not only fun, but in these crazy times, ultra-necessary. Please join this master plan for global domination, either by attending a Firebrand Friday yourself (and supporting PATH!), or by uploading your own brand of fire and sharing it with the hashtag #FirebrandFriday. It's on, People.


* Photos by Paul Gronner Photography