Not fully convinced that President-elect Barack Obama will make the changes that this country needs, Tom Morello conceded that closing Guantanamo Bay would be a step in the right direction. "But if they could keep one cell open, then they could charge George W. Bush, Donald Rumsfeld, and Dick Cheney for their war crimes. They would look great in those orange jumpsuits and black hoods," Morello screamed Monday night during a solo show at the Middle East in Cambridge. Seconds later, the Rage Against the Machine guitarist launched into juiced-up folk version of "Guerilla Radio."
For the last five years or so, the guitarist better known for spiking Rage's sound with a slew of West Coast infused stabs has quietly turned to his nylon-stringed acoustic guitar and developed his folk alter-ego, the Nightwatchman. Starting with open-mic nights on Audioslave's off-days, Morello held true to the creed etched in stone by his folk-forefathers, admitting that "just an acoustic guitar, a harmonica, three chords, and the truth can be as heavy or rebellious as anything played through Marshall stacks." Morello's creamy baritone, which channels the fighting spirit of Woody Guthrie, has only gotten stronger with experience; and this fall's The Fabled City proved that Morello is ready to indulge his Dylanesque observations with a touch of Hendrix.
For this tour, fan's knew what they were in for as soon as they saw the guitar-tech tune-up of Morello's signature "Arm the Homeless" electric guitar - the same guitar that can be heard on Rage tracks "Bulls On Parade" and "Sleep Now In the Fire." It only took about two minutes of the opener, a beefed-up arrangement of "One Man Revolution," for Morello to reach into his bag of tricks and rip out his guitar chord, only to bend the squealing feedback into form with his whammy pedal.
The set also included a batch of appropriate covers. Both AC/DC's "Dirty Deeds Done Dirt Cheap," and Grand Funk Railroad's "American Band," were reworked to include anti-Bush sentiments, while Springsteen's "The Ghost of Tom Joad" suggested where Morello's renewed electric pulse may have come from.
The night came to a close with an old standard, Woody Guthrie's "This Land is Your Land," which even included the censured verses that never made it into elementary schools. If anything, it is the line "Nobody living can ever stop me / As I go walking my freedom highway," that guides the Nightwatchman through his battle. Until Rage Against the Machine writes new music, Tom Morello has provided the only worthy substitute when it comes to the rebel music.
Spring Break
