The Nightwatchman

A news story on The Fix about Tom Morello's first endorsement of a political candidate was recently featured on the Current TV website homepage.

You can help The Nightwatchman spread the word by voting UP on the story. If the story gets to #1 -- it's at #3 as of June 29 -- it will be featured on the Current TV News Pod. This would help Tom in his efforts to spread the word about Cindy Sheehan, who is challenging House Speaker Nancy Pelosi's Congressional seat in California's 8th District - which covers most of San Francisco.

You can see the fur fly and vote right here.

"Feed the hungry, fight the power, and rock the fuck out." - The Nightwatchman

Tom Morello, Slash, Wayne Kramer of The MC5, Steve Vai, Sen Dog and B Real of Cypress Hill and more...

Tom Morello, the guitarist for Rage Against The Machine and Audioslave who plays firebrand folk guitar as The Nightwatchman, launches the Justice Tour in Los Angeles on April 15. The two-week outing stops in New York, New Orleans, Asheville, NC, Washington, DC and Boston before concluding with a May Day show in Chicago on May 1.

Each stop of the Justice Tour will include a day of activism to focus on a sphere of social justice in America: homelessness (Los Angeles), safe, secure and affordable housing (New Orleans), a living wage (Asheville), peace and veterans care (Washington, DC), affordable healthcare (Boston) and labor organizing (Chicago). In addition, Amnesty International’s TearItDown.org Campaign to Close Guantánamo, Project Noise and Morello’s own Axis Of Justice have joined as partner organizations throughout the tour. The itinerary also includes a previously announced show April 17 at New York’s Nokia Theater to benefit Road Recovery, a nonprofit that helps young people orge a future free from addiction and other adversities.

“There has been much talk about change this election season, but real change must start with people, not politicians. No matter who is elected, we the people must create justice on the ground,” said Morello, who will perform on the Justice Tour as The Nightwatchman.

Sharing the stage with The Nightwatchman will be different special guests on each stop of the Justice Tour. Among those who have signed on are Ben Harper, Slash, Perry Farrell, Sen Dog of Cypress Hill, Davey Havok of AFI, Boots Riley of the Coup, Maynard James Keenan of Tool and Puscifer, Shooter Jennings, State Radio, Mike Einzinger of Incubus and MC5 founder Wayne Kramer. In addition, each stop of the tour will include a local special guest artist.

While the tour’s activism highlights the hard work that must be done to achieve social justice, its mood is celebratory. “Each night of this tour is going to be a freedom party,” Morello said. “We are going to create a little bit of the world we’d like to see.”

“Throughout American history, progressive change has always been driven by activists who blow the winds of social change,” said Danny Goldberg, longtime activist and band manager and the author of How The Left Lost Teen Spirit. “Without such energy, even the most idealistic public officials cannot prevail against the self-interested partisans of the status quo.”

JUSTICE TOUR 2008 TOUR DATES

DATE CITY VENUE SOCIAL JUSTICE PARTNER

15-April Los Angeles, Troubadour, Axis of Justice and People Assisting the Homeless

17-April* New York, Nokia Theater, Road Recovery

20-April New Orleans, Parish Room at the House of Blues, Sweet Home New Orleans and Amnesty International

22-April Asheville, NC, Grey Eagle Tavern, Just Economics & Music Hall

24-April Washington, DC, Black Cat, Iraq Veterans Against the War

28-April Boston, TBA, HeathCare-Now

1-May Chicago, Park West, Service Employees Intl. Union

*This show is a previously announced benefit for Road Recovery, featuring Slash, Jerry Cantrell, Wayne Kramer and others.

TICKET INFORMATION

People’s price tickets are $10 for all shows except the April 17 Road Recovery benefit in New York. Proceeds from each show benefit the local social justice partner.

Los Angeles: Tickets on sale now at TicketMaster outlets, at ticketmaster.com, and at the Troubadour box office.

New York: Tickets for this previously announced benefit are $60, $100, and $250 and are on sale now at TicketMaster outlets and at ticketmaster.com.

New Orleans: Tickets on sale now at TicketMaster outlets, at ticketmaster.com, at the House of Blues box office and hob.com.

Asheville, NC: Tickets on sale now at www.thegreyeagle.com, or 800-594-TIXX, and at the Grey Eagle box office after 5 PM on a day with another event scheduled, at Harvest Records and at Orbit DVD.

Washington, DC: Tickets on sale now at TicketMaster outlets, at ticketmaster.com, and at the Black Cat box office between 8 PM and midnight.

Boston: TBA

Chicago: Tickets on sale now at TicketMaster outlets, at ticketmaster.com, and at the Park West box office.
LOCAL SOCIAL JUSTICE PARTNERS FOR JUSTICE TOUR 2008

Los Angeles (April 15): People Assisting the Homeless (PATH)

PATH’s mission is to break the cycle of homelessness by empowering homeless people with the tools for self-sufficiency. PATH provides services that help homeless people find work, save money, secure housing and empower their lives. www.epath.org

New York (April 17): Road Recovery

Road Recovery is a non-profit organization comprised of entertainment industry professionals whose lives have been touched by addiction and other adversities and who now wish to make a positive impact on the lives of others. Through mentoring, educational and live performance-based programs, Road Recovery's goal is to help young people find their way towards a healthy future. www.roadrecovery.org

New Orleans (April 20): Sweet Home New Orleans and Amnesty International

Sweet Home New Orleans works to revitalize the music and cultural community within the neighborhoods of New Orleans by helping the city’s tradition bearers access resources and secure stable, affordable housing. www.sweethomeneworleans.org

Amnesty International, the Nobel Peace Prize-winning human rights organization, established a New Orleans-based project after Hurricane Katrina to address human rights concerns for displaced residents returning to the Gulf Coast. The office also produces educational materials, holds local trainings and organizes events for community members to develop advocacy skills. www.musicforhumanrights.com

Asheville, NC (April 22): Just Economics

The mission of Just Economics is to educate, advocate, and organize for equitable economic conditions, increased union representation, and a fair share for all in the prosperity of our region, regardless of race, gender, or citizenship status. www.justeconomicswnc.org

Washington, DC (April 24): Iraq Veterans Against the War (IVAW)

IVAW, an organization leading the movement of veterans and GIs working to bring troops back now, aims to mobilize the military community to withdraw its support for the war and occupation in Iraq. IVAW is also the beneficiary of the Body of War film and CD. www.ivaw.org

Boston (TBA): HealthCare-Now

HealthCare-Now is a national grassroots organization dedicated to the passage of universal, single-payer health care for all. The group is based in New York City and has chapters and membership throughout the US. www.healthcare-now.org

Chicago (May 1): Service Employees International Union (SEIU)

SEIU is an organization of more than 1.9 million members united by the belief in the dignity and worth of workers and the services they provide, and dedicated to improving the lives of workers and their families and creating a more just and humane society. www.seiu.org

TOUR PARTNERS FOR JUSTICE TOUR 2008

TearItDown.org—Amnesty International's Campaign to Close Guantánamo
Tear It Down.org is Amnesty International's global online campaign to close Guantánamo and end illegal U.S. detentions. Amnesty International is calling on US authorities to charge Guantánamo detainees and give them fair trials or release them immediately and unconditionally. Amnesty International is also calling on US authorities to stop subjecting detainees to torture and other cruel, inhuman and degrading treatment. Amnesty International will have a presence at all shows to engage audiences in this campaign. www.musicforhumanrights.com

Project Noise
Project Noise is an organization founded on the conviction that music is a powerful and unifying force of change. Formed in San Francisco in 2008, Project Noise is committed to maximizing the impact of musicians and organizations working together for change by utilizing the evolving convergence of music, technology, media and the internet-empowered individual. Through partnership with musicians and organizations, Project Noise aims to support their efforts, amplify their message to greater awareness, and mobilize and empower their supporters to act as effective participants. www.project-noise.org

Axis of Justice
Axis of Justice is a non-profit organization formed by Tom Morello and Serj Tankian to bring together musicians, fans of music, and grassroots political organizations to fight for social justice. AOJ aims to build a bridge between fans of music around the world and local political organizations to effectively organize around issues of peace, human rights, and economic justice. www.axisofjustice.org

ABOUT TOM MORELLO
Tom Morello's great uncle was the first president of Kenya, Jomo Kenyatta, and his mother, Mary Morello, founded an anti-censorship organization. Harlem-born and Libertyville, IL-bred, Morello graduated with honors from Harvard University in Political Science. His previous bands, Rage Against the Machine and Audioslave, have collectively sold 30 million albums and have won two Grammys; Audioslave was the first U.S. band to play Cuba. In 2007, Morello released his first solo album, the hard-left, acoustic One Man Revolution, under the name The Nightwatchman. The Nightwatchman recently contributed a track to Body Of War: Songs That Inspired An Iraq War Veteran, a 2-CD benefit collection for Justice Tour partner Iraq Veterans Against the War.

Morello was named one of Rolling Stone's "100 Greatest Guitar Players," at #26. He has produced artists as diverse as Puff Daddy, Indigo Girls, Joe Strummer, KRS-1, Wu Tang Clan, Crystal Method and Anti-Flag, and has scored such films as Collateral, Charlie's Angels, Talladega Nights: The Ballad of Ricky Bobby and XXX: State of the Union. Morello hosts the weekly radio show Axis of Justice Radio Network on KPFK Los Angeles and various syndicated stations. He was the recipient of the 2006 Eleanor Roosevelt Human Rights Award.

You know that every Nightwatchman show at the Hotel Cafe is going to be
nuts ... but last night was a whole other animal - a Party Animal!

Whereas last week's show was super great, it had a more serious feel to
it. Last night was sweatier, boozier, more, er, smoggy inside, and
people wanted to just party!

{By the way, I know these stories are long. There is no other way to
relay it all to you, so too bad!}

Per usual, The Nightwatchman kicked off the night with his fiery,
"Flesh Shapes The Day" and had the crowd clapping and hooting along from the
first chorus. At it's end, he even commented, "That's pretty
rhythmic and sexy for a Thursday night". He mentioned that GWB claimed
secret prisons and torture going on in Iraq for the excuse to invade, when
that's exactly what we've been doing ever since. It really is our duty
to get this fool out of office, "by any means necessary", and he
launched into the new "King of Hell" - not exactly "Deck The Halls", and his
point was well taken.

The night was, as ever, a benefit for Axis Of Justice to feed the
homeless of our fair city - and I'm happy to report that the doorman had
EVERYONE paying this week! Eat up, fine friends of Los Angeles!

Yeeeeee-ah.

Nitewatch introduced "The Garden of Gethsemane" as his own favorite
from his album (which should have been Grammy nominated in the fiery Folk
category - grrr - but good for Steve Earle!), "One Man Revolution".

Total silence and respect for the beautiful music, so much so that he
sang part of it away from the mic, and you could hear him perfectly. To
balance that out and re-stoke the fire, next came, "House Gone Up In
Flames". We whistled and shouted in mad appreciation and he said,
"It is my pleasure to serve you", with a smile - and you know this guy
means it. It would be real hard to find someone who plays with more
passion on every single song - just watch his face. Man!

The Disco Ball - I mean, Jonny Polonsky (in the sparkliest shirt ever)
- played two songs next, which I didn't hear great because the crowd
got a little lost and chatty during them, but I intend to learn more
about this fellow. It's great because in addition to all the superstars
that play this gig - you always get turned on to someone new (to you) as
well. Shine on, Jonny!

Who should appear next, but Wayne Kramer, of "the MCmotherfucking5" as
Tom introduced him. His set was like the coolest poetry reading
you've ever been to, accompanied by his own acoustic guitar with no strap.

I'm just going to tell you a bunch of lyrics because they were so
good, that's all you need to know to imagine how well they were received.

"Some motherfucker is pissing on my grave, how much irrigation can I
stand?"

"There's something broken in the Promised Land."

"My cat sings along with all my old Smokey Robinson records."
"Where's Lee Harvey Oswald now that we really need him?"
(which got the loudest cheer of the night thus far)
"We're having a revolution in Apartment 29, with Hot to Trotsky-ites
... we'll plan a manifesto, just after chips and pesto ... with homeless
and comb-less chicks from the beach ... we'll bring The Man to his
knees and do what we fucking please!"
(another crowd pleaser)
His last jazzy song was about Charles Bukowski and how he misses him
(don't we all?). "We'd drink whiskey and talk about God. We were
DEEP. But mostly we were drunk. Hank would talk about peace, when he
could find it." And the song ended with the resonant reminder that,
"Kindness is just about the best we can do." Amen, Brother!

Now that everyone was warmed up, FLEA and the "Flea Family Orchestra"
(uh, that would be Mr. Perry Farrell, Carl Restivo, Etty Farrell,
Breckin Meyer, Jonny P. shredding the electric guitar, and yes, Tom) came
up to take it all a notch higher, with in fact, "Higher Ground"! Perry
and Carl took over the vocals and Flea played that bass like you know
he does. They even a had a guy on the horn (Willie Waldman),
screaming with that thing! It got even hotter (and drunker) in there when
this crazyquilt of a group next played, "Bust A Move" with Carl as Young
MC! Flea made that party anthem his OWN with the funkiest bass solo
alive, just SICK.

After that, and with people needing oxygen, they grooved it up with
Perry as Tom Petty on "Breakdown". For this one they brought up the
Aussie Posse of Nick Maybury and Stella Mozgawa from the Oz band, Mink.

(Check out their version of "Little Drummer Boy", Stella-r) Stella was
on drums, which I love, and they brought it. Welcome to Los Angeles,
guys! This is what happens at the Hotel Cafe in the U.S.A.

As I mentioned, this night felt like more of a party, with pretty much
everyone crammed on the tiny stage the whole time, and with sillier,
partier songs ... like the one Perry intro'd as "a strange one that Flea
just taught me". I didn't catch the title, but it went, "You can be
my dog, I can be your tree, so you can pee on me". You get the vibe -
back-room jam. This may sound trite if you weren't there, but it
evolved into maybe my favorite of the night. Tom requested a Flea solo -
which he got and it was bezerk. SO Tom returned the favor ... he
swapped guitars with Jonny P., trading his acoustic for the electric (in a
double- whammy-reverse-Dylan BACK to electric). Tom said, "You are in
for eight bars of guitar fury" and a guy in the crowd yelled out,
"OHHHHHHHH Shit!" and everyone went absolutely bonkers as Tom played that
thing with his TEETH (ala Hendrix) to start the solo, then switched to
the traditional fingers with no loss of pizazz at all. MADNESS
ensued. It was one happy sweat-box in there, just imagine!

Now it was Satellite Party's turn to take the lead and Perry continued
to try out new songs on the audience. The first was "Slasher" - an
homage to Etty, who backed up her man when he went to a guy's house to
retrieve stolen music equipment, and didn't exactly slash his tires, but
if she did, it would be hard to do. Not that they would know. Nick
and Stella again rounded out the band, and it was FUN. The chorus
went, "You do it for me" and you got the feeling anyone would do anything
for them at this point, for real. Then, already by request, "Nasty
Little Perv", the song they debuted last week about molesters on t.v.

It has caught on after two plays! With the usual smile, Perry
introduced the next one, saying, "Here's an old one" - and they busted into,
"Been Caught Stealing". One might say it was a crowd pleaser ... the
ENTIRE crowd sang along, with every word. It was like being stuffed
back into your college party house basement in there, singing your
favorite tune along with your best pals. SO fun.

Tom took this goodwill opportunity to remind people that you could
donate all night to Axis Of Justice, and when met with applause, said,
"Don't just clap and then not do it, motherfuckers". That's right.

Bringing it back, he said, "I know the Hotel Cafe is delicate, but let's
ROCK!" And that we did. To the Porno for Pyros tune, "Pets". Etty
appropriately prowled around the stage like a cat - in heat - much to
the guys in the house's pleasure. Estrogen was also provided by
Ginger from The Smashing Pumpkins. It got hotter in there, to say the
least.

Knowing this group, you would never have anticipated the next tune ...
"Umbrella" with Carl as Rhianna! This brought on another mass
sing-along, funnily, and perhaps served as a raindance, since L.A. finally got
some rain starting up while we were inside. Pure comedy.

Then the poetic Wayne Kramer was brought back up, and lest you forget
how hard he can rock, he was the leader of MC5! (As Tom said, if you
don't know, "Google it" - immediately) There was some disorder getting
set up, which only added to the house party atmosphere. They played
the rather obscure and bluesy, "25 Miles" by Edwin Starr, which was fun,
but THEN it was time to KICK. OUT. THE. JAMS! Tom yelled at everyone
to get up, "Even you, Indie Dude, yes, YOU!" Wayne took the lead on
his mega-classic and the whole makeshift band was exploding with how
EPIC it all was, none more than Tom. Wayne even throw in some "Michigan
style cave walk" I think he said, prompting Tom to say, "Let's hear it
for showmanship, people!" I actually hurt a little today from the
head-banging, and I'm totally fine with it.

I couldn't believe the next song. I was there at it's conception,
when Tom would have jams in his studio and we would all write phrases on
slips of paper and he would turn them into group songs that were
hilarious, but also pretty good for a bunch of drinkers. The one that has
always survived as a party motto was played for last night's group of
drinkers, and "Shake My Shit" was unveiled to the masses. Tom made up
some heavy-ish verses in between and they all led back to the chorus of:
"But all I wanna do is just shake my shit, just shake my shit
tonight!" And I promise you, shit was shook. It was so funny to see that
backyard jam become a Hollywood crowd pleaser. And the sentiment was all
true, for sure, on this night.

And then Sen-Dog from Cypress Hill was brought up to put a capper on it
all. You can tell it's the end of the night when this happens, as it
turns into a messy, fun, crowd-moving THROW DOWN. Sen lit up a jay
from the stage and again treated the party to the familiar rhymes of
"Insane In The Membrane", "Rock Superstar", a little "Bring The Noise",
which all became the Cypress and Rage hybrid of "Kill A Man". Awww,
yeah! The end brought a scatty, beat-box-off between Sen and Perry that
you had to hear to believe (You Tube, anyone?). Too much. But not
quite enough yet ...

The finale was House Of Pain's "Jump Around"! The perfect party jam
of party jams! Tom is a great group conductor, making the crowd "break
it down", and "Jump, Jump!", creating total frenzy the whole time.

It started to get a little sloppy (as I mentioned, drinks and jays,
folks) towards the end, so Tom intervened and said, "I have a
suggestion". He took the mic and started the "Killing In The Name" chant, "Some of
those that work forces, are the same that burn crosses". Let's just
say it worked. The crowd picked up that chant, screaming along, and
Tom brought it all back to "JUMP! JUMP!!" until the entire building was
jumping along in unison -
{City Inspectors: You might want to check the foundations on
Cahuenga. Safety first!}
- and the kids inside were more stoked than they even knew they could
be. Tom yelled out, "Take it easy, but take it!" and that was that.

The party was over - until next week!

As for the jams ... as Brother Kramer opined, "We done KICKED 'EM
OUT!"

- Carol "Dave" Gronner

*Special honorable mentions must be made of Carl Restivo and Breckin
Meyer. Carl - once he learns Etty's dance moves - could actually fill
every slot on that stage, he's insane. AND he is the music director
for Paul Green's School of Rock in Hollywood - teaching little kids how
to grow up and rock the house like these cats do every week. That's
something the future needs absolutely. And Breckin ... great father,
actor, friend that he is, drumming is not his day job, but you would
never know it. With little to no practice together, every week he comes
along and holds the beat tight on any kind of song, with every different
band, random though they may be. Gigantic CHEERS to both!

Well the holidays are here and the spirit of giving is in the air. Please accept and enjoy as a humble gift the free download of "Stars
Of Orion". A number of fans have requested it, and who is the
Nightwatchsanta to say no? Thanks so much for all your support throughout 2007. I very much look forward to bringing you more
Nightwatchman music and rabble rousing in 2008!
-Tom Morello

http://nightwatchmanmusic.com/email/nw120607.html