The Nightwatchman is the alter-ego and solo act of
Rage Against the MachineRage Against the Machine is an American rock band from Los Angeles, California. Formed in 1991, the group's line-up consists of vocalist Zack de la Rocha, bassist and backing vocalist Tim Commerford, guitarist Tom Morello and drummer Brad Wilk...
,
Street Sweeper Social ClubStreet Sweeper Social Club is an American Rap Rock supergroup, formed in Los Angeles, California in 2006. The band primarily consists of guitarist Tom Morello of Rage Against the Machine and vocalist/emcee Boots Riley of The Coup. The band has been testing songs out during Tom Morello's...
and former
AudioslaveAudioslave was an American rock supergroup that formed in Los Angeles, California in 2001. It consisted of former Soundgarden lead singer/rhythm guitarist Chris Cornell and the former instrumentalists of Rage Against the Machine: Tom Morello , Tim Commerford and Brad Wilk...
guitaristA guitarist is a musician who plays the guitar. Guitarists may play a variety of instruments such as classical guitars, acoustic guitars, electric guitars, and bass guitars. Some guitarists accompany themselves on the guitar while singing.- Versatility :The guitarist controls an extremely...
Tom MorelloThomas Baptiste "Tom" Morello is a Grammy Award-winning American guitarist best known for his tenure with the bands Rage Against the Machine, Audioslave, his acoustic solo act The Nightwatchman, and his newest group, Street Sweeper Social Club...
. It was formed in 2003 as an outlet for his political views while he was playing apolitical music with
AudioslaveAudioslave was an American rock supergroup that formed in Los Angeles, California in 2001. It consisted of former Soundgarden lead singer/rhythm guitarist Chris Cornell and the former instrumentalists of Rage Against the Machine: Tom Morello , Tim Commerford and Brad Wilk...
.
Early career
Morello created the identity of The Nightwatchman when a desire to return to political activism in his music struck him in 2003, after over a year of playing non-activist rock in
AudioslaveAudioslave was an American rock supergroup that formed in Los Angeles, California in 2001. It consisted of former Soundgarden lead singer/rhythm guitarist Chris Cornell and the former instrumentalists of Rage Against the Machine: Tom Morello , Tim Commerford and Brad Wilk...
. Morello describes The Nightwatchman as "the black
Robin HoodRobin Hood was a heroic outlaw in English folklore. A highly skilled archer and swordsman, he is known for "robbing from the rich and giving to the poor", assisted by a group of fellow outlaws known as his "Merry Men". Traditionally, Robin Hood and his men are depicted wearing Lincoln green clothes....
of 21st century music" and "a reaction against illicit wars, a reaction against
first strikeA preemptive war is a war that is commenced in an attempt to repel or defeat a perceived inevitable offensive or invasion, or to gain a strategic advantage in an impending war before that threat materializes. It is a war which preemptively 'breaks the peace'. The term: 'preemptive war' is...
s,
tortureTorture is the act of inflicting severe pain as a means of punishment, revenge, forcing information or a confession, or simply as an act of cruelty. Throughout history, torture has often been used as a method of political re-education, interrogation, punishment, and coercion...
, secret prisons, spying illegally on American citizens. It's a reaction against
war crimeWar crimes are serious violations of the laws applicable in armed conflict giving rise to individual criminal responsibility...
s, and it's a reaction against a few
corporationA corporation is created under the laws of a state as a separate legal entity that has privileges and liabilities that are distinct from those of its members. There are many different forms of corporations, most of which are used to conduct business. Early corporations were established by charter...
s that grow rich [off] this illicit war while people beg for food in the city streets." More specifically, he later elaborated that the format was inspired by long-time social and political activist/musician
Billy BraggStephen William Bragg , better known as Billy Bragg, is an English alternative rock musician and left-wing activist. His music blends elements of folk music, punk rock and protest songs, and his lyrics mostly deal with political or romantic themes...
. Morello first saw him performing at a concert
c. 1994, playing "fearlessly" before a crowd of 8,000 people in a tent alongside big-name rock bands of the time. The Nightwatchman first began playing political acoustic
folk musicFolk music is an English term encompassing both traditional folk music and contemporary folk music. The term originated in the 19th century. Traditional folk music has been defined in several ways: as music transmitted by mouth, as music of the lower classes, and as music with unknown composers....
in a
Los AngelesLos Ángeles is the capital of the province of Biobío, in the commune of the same name, in Region VIII , in the center-south of Chile. It is located between the Laja and Biobío rivers. The population is 123,445 inhabitants...
coffeehouseA coffeehouse or coffee shop is an establishment which primarily serves prepared coffee or other hot beverages. It shares some of the characteristics of a bar, and some of the characteristics of a restaurant, but it is different from a cafeteria. As the name suggests, coffeehouses focus on...
before a small crowd, and soon after went on
Billy BraggStephen William Bragg , better known as Billy Bragg, is an English alternative rock musician and left-wing activist. His music blends elements of folk music, punk rock and protest songs, and his lyrics mostly deal with political or romantic themes...
's
Tell Us the Truth tour.
The
Tell Us the Truth tour was supported by unions, environmental and media reform groups including Common Cause, Free Press and A.F.L.-C.I.O. with the ultimate goal of "informing music fans, and exposing and challenging the failures of the major media outlets in the United States." His Nightwatchman persona has been compared to
Woody GuthrieWoodrow Wilson "Woody" Guthrie is best known as an American singer-songwriter and folk musician, whose musical legacy includes hundreds of political, traditional and children's songs, ballads and improvised works. He frequently performed with the slogan This Machine Kills Fascists displayed on his...
,
Bruce SpringsteenBruce Frederick Joseph Springsteen , nicknamed "The Boss," is an American singer-songwriter who records and tours with the E Street Band...
and
Bob DylanBob Dylan is an American singer-songwriter, musician, poet, film director and painter. He has been a major and profoundly influential figure in popular music and culture for five decades. Much of his most celebrated work dates from the 1960s when he was an informal chronicler and a seemingly...
. He initially had no plans to record, but later recorded the song "No One Left" for
Songs and Artists that Inspired Fahrenheit 9/11Songs and Artists That Inspired Fahrenheit 9/11 is a compilation album that followed up the 2004 documentary film Fahrenheit 9/11 by filmmaker Michael Moore. It is not the original soundtrack....
. At the Festival of Bonnaroo in 2007, The Nightwatchman performed "Guerilla Radio" to protest
George W. BushGeorge Walker Bush is an American politician who served as the 43rd President of the United States, from 2001 to 2009. Before that, he was the 46th Governor of Texas, having served from 1995 to 2000....
.
One Man Revolution
In February 2007, he announced a
solo albumA solo album, in popular music, is an album headlined by a current or former member of a band. A solo album may feature simply one person performing all instruments, but typically features the work of other collaborators; rather, it may be made with different collaborators than the artist is...
,
One Man Revolution-Credits:*All songs performed by Tom Morello, with additional instruments by Brendan O'Brien*Produced by Brendan O'Brien*Recorded by Nick Didia at Buds Garage and Southern Tracks Recording, Atlanta, GA...
, which was released on April 24, 2007 in the US and May 7 worldwide. The Nightwatchman's first headlining gig was played June 17, 2007 at the House of Blues in Dallas, Texas. Morello has toured since the CD was released and said he plans to tour the U.S. again in the fall. After seeing an early screening of the
Michael MooreMichael Francis Moore is an American filmmaker, author, social critic and activist. He is the director and producer of Fahrenheit 9/11, which is the highest-grossing documentary of all time. His films Bowling for Columbine and Sicko also place in the top ten highest-grossing documentaries...
film
SickoSicko is a 2007 documentary film by American filmmaker Michael Moore. The film investigates health care in the United States, focusing on its health insurance and the pharmaceutical industry. The movie compares the for-profit, non-universal U.S...
Morello wrote the song, "Alone Without You" which featured in closing credits of the film and also with a music video directed by Moore in the DVD release. The song was also made available as an
iTunesiTunes is a media player computer program, used for playing, downloading, and organizing digital music and video files on desktop computers. It can also manage contents on iPod, iPhone, iPod Touch and iPad....
bonus track for
One Man Revolution. Morello toured in support of the album as the opening act for
Ben HarperBenjamin Chase "Ben" Harper is an American singer-songwriter and musician. Harper plays an eclectic mix of blues, folk, soul, reggae and rock music and is known for his guitar-playing skills, vocals, live performances and activism. Harper's fan base spans several continents...
During this tour, Morello joined Harper onstage on several occasions for a cover of Bob Dylan's "
Masters of War"Masters of War" is a song by Bob Dylan, written over the winter of 1962-63 and released on the album The Freewheelin' Bob Dylan in the spring of 1963. The song's melody was adapted from the traditional "Nottamun Town"...
", on which he plays the electric guitar in the style for which he's best known. Other prominent musicians who Morello shared the stage with during the
One Man Revolution tour includes,
Serj TankianSerj Tankian is a Lebanese-born Armenian-American singer–songwriter, composer, multi-instrumentalist, playwright, record producer, poet, and political activist...
,
Perry FarrellPerry Farrell is the frontman for the alternative rock band Jane's Addiction. Farrell created the touring festival Lollapalooza as a farewell tour for Jane's Addiction in 1991; it has since evolved into an annual destination festival. Farrell continues to produce Lollapalooza with partners William...
,
Jon ForemanJonathan Mark Foreman is the lead singer, lead guitarist, main songwriter and co-founder of the alternative rock band Switchfoot. He started Switchfoot in 1996 with drummer Chad Butler and bassist Tim Foreman ....
from
SwitchfootSwitchfoot is an American rock band from San Diego, California. The band's members are Jon Foreman , Tim Foreman , Chad Butler , Jerome Fontamillas , and Drew Shirley .After early successes in the Christian rock scene, Switchfoot first gained mainstream...
,
Shooter JenningsWaylon Albright "Shooter" Jennings is an American singer-songwriter active in the country music and Southern rock genres as well as making his first foray into psychedelic rock in 2009...
,
Nuno BettencourtNuno Duarte Gil Mendes Bettencourt is a Portuguese guitarist and singer-songwriter best known for his role as the lead guitarist of the Boston rock band Extreme whose hits include the acoustic ballads "More Than Words" and "Hole Hearted"...
,
Sen DogSen Dog is a Cuban-American rapper, and member of rap group Cypress Hill. He is the older brother of fellow rapper Mellow Man Ace.Sen Dog has been developing his own solo career in addition to his work with Cypress Hill...
from
Cypress HillCypress Hill is an American hip hop group from South Gate, California. Cypress Hill was the first Latino hip-hop group to have platinum and multi-platinum albums, selling over 18 million albums worldwide...
,
Jill SobuleJill Sobule is an American singer-songwriter best known for the 1995 single "I Kissed a Girl", and "Supermodel" from the soundtrack of the 1995 film Clueless...
,
Boots RileyBoots Riley is an American musician, vocalist, writer, and public speaker most known for being the front man and producer of The Coup as well as the front man for Street Sweeper Social Club.-Biography:...
,
Alexi MurdochAlexi Murdoch is a singer-songwriter born in London and raised in Scotland, Greece and France, now living in Berlin.- Background :Murdoch was born in London to a Greek father and Scottish-French mother and raised in Greece, just outside of Athens until he was ten, when his family moved to...
,
Wayne KramerWayne Kramer is an American guitarist, singer, songwriter, producer and film and television scorer....
from
MC5The MC5 is an American rock band formed in Lincoln Park, Michigan and originally active from 1964 to 1972. The original band line-up consisted of vocalist Rob Tyner, guitarists Wayne Kramer and Fred "Sonic" Smith, bassist Michael Davis, and drummer Dennis Thompson...
,
SlashSaul Hudson , known by his stage name Slash, is a British-American musician and songwriter. He is best known as the former lead guitarist of the American hard rock band Guns N' Roses, with whom he achieved worldwide success in the late 1980s and early 1990s. During his later years with Guns N'...
and many others.
The Fabled City
The album
The Fabled City-Bonus Disc Track listing:-Personnel:*The Nightwatchman - vocals, guitar*Serj Tankian - additional vocals on "Lazarus on Down"*Shooter Jennings - additional vocals on "The Iron Wheel"*Perry Farrell - additional vocals on "Shake My Shit"...
was released on 30 September 2008. Two songs off the record, "Midnight in the City of Destruction" (about New Orleans and
Hurricane KatrinaHurricane Katrina of the 2005 Atlantic hurricane season was a powerful Atlantic hurricane. It is the costliest natural disaster, as well as one of the five deadliest hurricanes, in the history of the United States. Among recorded Atlantic hurricanes, it was the sixth strongest overall...
) and "King Of Hell" (written about Guantanamo Bay), had previously been leaked on The Nightwatchman MySpace or performed live during live sets.
So far
The Satellite PartySatellite Party is an alternative rock band conceived by Perry Farrell, former frontman for Jane's Addiction and Porno for Pyros, following the demise of Jane's Addiction in 2004. Other members currently include Carl Restivo and Farrell's wife, Etty Lau Farrell...
's
Carl RestivoCarl Restivo is an American born musician, songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, record producer and sound engineer. His unique abilities as a lead singer, multi-instrumentalist , songwriter, producer, and arranger have landed him spots on tour with Perry Farrell's Satellite Party and Tom Morello's...
has been confirmed to be part of
The Freedom Fighters as a second guitarist. To promote the new album Morello and the band appeared both on
The Late Late Show with Craig FergusonThe Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson is a Peabody Award-winning American late-night talk show hosted by Scottish American comedian Craig Ferguson. Ferguson, the third regular host of the Late Late Show franchise, follows Late Show with David Letterman in the CBS late-night lineup...
and on
Late Night with Conan O'BrienLate Night with Conan O'Brien is an American late-night talk show hosted by Conan O'Brien that aired 2,725 episodes on NBC between 1993 and 2009. The show featured varied comedic material, celebrity interviews, and musical and comedy performances. Late Night aired weeknights at 12:37 am...
before heading out on 'The Fabled City tour', an eighteen stop tour in the United States.
World Wide Rebel Songs
To support the many unions affected by the anti-negotiation/bargaining laws due to the 2011 Wisconsin budget protests, Morello performed outside the Madison Capitol building on February 21, 2011, to rousing support. He also teamed up with fellow rock musician
Wayne KramerWayne Kramer is an American guitarist, singer, songwriter, producer and film and television scorer....
in support of the protesters performing the title song of his upcoming album,
World Wide Rebel Songs-Personnel:*The Nightwatchman - vocals, guitar, mandolin, harmonica*Carl Restivo - guitar, keyboards, backing vocals*Chris Joyner - keyboards*Jonny Polonsky - toy piano*Eric Gardner - drums, percussion...
. Kramer appears on said song on the album, performing backing vocals.
On The Nightwatchman website, it was announced that Morello has signed with the label
New West RecordsNew West Records is a record label based in Los Angeles, California, Austin, Texas, and Athens, Georgia. It was established in 1998, and has been home to several indie rock and alternative country bands as well as representing the PBS show Austin City Limits...
to release his third album as The Nightwatchman moniker,
World Wide Rebel Songs, due out on August 30, 2011.
Before the release of the album, Morello released an EP entitled
Union Town-Personnel:*Tom Morello - lead vocals, guitar, harmonica*Carl Restivo - bass, backing vocals*Eric Gardner - drums, percussion, backing vocals*Chris Joyner - piano, keyboards, backing vocals*Ed Roth - organ*Wayne Kramer - backing vocals...
on May 17, 2011. All proceeds of the EP sales will go to benefit The America Votes Labor Unity Fund.
In October 2011, Morello performed in support of the protesters at Occupy LA and
Occupy Wall StreetOccupy Wall Street is an ongoing series of demonstrations initiated by the Canadian activist group Adbusters which began September 17, 2011 in Zuccotti Park, located in New York City's Wall Street financial district...
.
The Freedom Fighters Orchestra
Current members
- Tom Morello
Thomas Baptiste "Tom" Morello is a Grammy Award-winning American guitarist best known for his tenure with the bands Rage Against the Machine, Audioslave, his acoustic solo act The Nightwatchman, and his newest group, Street Sweeper Social Club...
– lead vocals, electric and acoustic guitar (2003–present)
- Carl Restivo
Carl Restivo is an American born musician, songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, record producer and sound engineer. His unique abilities as a lead singer, multi-instrumentalist , songwriter, producer, and arranger have landed him spots on tour with Perry Farrell's Satellite Party and Tom Morello's...
– electric guitar, backing vocals (2008–present)
- Eric Gardner
Eric Gardner was an Australian rules footballer who played with Melbourne in the Victorian Football League . The younger brother of Corrie Gardner, Eric was a long kicking forward. He played as a wingman and missed out on playing in Melbourne's 1900 premiership side, in his debut season, through...
- drums, backing vocals (2011–present)
- Dave Gibbs
Dave Gibbs, born August 22, 1965, is an American singer-songwriter, best known for his work in the Boston-based power-pop band, Gigolo Aunts....
– bass guitar, backing vocals (2008–2011)
Former members
- Flea
Michael Peter Balzary , better known by his stage name Flea, is an Australian-American musician and occasional actor. He is best known as the bassist, co-founding member, and one of the composers of the rock band Red Hot Chili Peppers...
– bass at The Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson (2008)
- Breckin Meyer
-Early life:Meyer was born in Minneapolis, Minnesota, the son of Dorothy Ann , a travel agent and former microbiologist, and Christopher William Meyer, a management consultant. As a child of divorced parents, he lived in California, Texas, West Virginia and New Jersey. He has an older brother,...
– drums, percussion, backing vocals (2008–2011)
- Robbie Seahag Mangano - bass guitar, backing vocals (Bass on performances August 2011 to Oct, 2011)
Discography
Studio albums
| Year |
Title |
| 2007 |
One Man Revolution -Credits:*All songs performed by Tom Morello, with additional instruments by Brendan O'Brien*Produced by Brendan O'Brien*Recorded by Nick Didia at Buds Garage and Southern Tracks Recording, Atlanta, GA...
- Released: April 24, 2007
- Label: Epic Records
Epic Records is an American record label, owned by Sony Music Entertainment. Though it was originally conceived as a jazz imprint, it has since expanded to represent various genres. L.A...
- Formats: CD
The Compact Disc is an optical disc used to store digital data. It was originally developed to store and playback sound recordings exclusively, but later expanded to encompass data storage , write-once audio and data storage , rewritable media , Video Compact Discs , Super Video Compact Discs ,...
|
| 2008 |
The Fabled City -Bonus Disc Track listing:-Personnel:*The Nightwatchman - vocals, guitar*Serj Tankian - additional vocals on "Lazarus on Down"*Shooter Jennings - additional vocals on "The Iron Wheel"*Perry Farrell - additional vocals on "Shake My Shit"...
Released: September 30, 2008
Label: Epic Records
Formats: CD |
| 2011 |
Union Town -Personnel:*Tom Morello - lead vocals, guitar, harmonica*Carl Restivo - bass, backing vocals*Eric Gardner - drums, percussion, backing vocals*Chris Joyner - piano, keyboards, backing vocals*Ed Roth - organ*Wayne Kramer - backing vocals...
Released: May 17, 2011
Label: New West Records
Formats: CD |
| 2011 |
World Wide Rebel Songs -Personnel:*The Nightwatchman - vocals, guitar, mandolin, harmonica*Carl Restivo - guitar, keyboards, backing vocals*Chris Joyner - keyboards*Jonny Polonsky - toy piano*Eric Gardner - drums, percussion...
Released: August 30, 2011
Label: New West Records
Formats: CD |
Live album
| Year |
Title |
| 2009 |
Live at Lime
- Released: December 10, 2009
- Label: None
- Formats: MP3
|
Singles
| Year |
Album |
Song |
Ref. |
| 2007 |
One Man Revolution -Credits:*All songs performed by Tom Morello, with additional instruments by Brendan O'Brien*Produced by Brendan O'Brien*Recorded by Nick Didia at Buds Garage and Southern Tracks Recording, Atlanta, GA...
|
"The Road I Must Travel" |
|
| 2008 |
The Fabled City -Bonus Disc Track listing:-Personnel:*The Nightwatchman - vocals, guitar*Serj Tankian - additional vocals on "Lazarus on Down"*Shooter Jennings - additional vocals on "The Iron Wheel"*Perry Farrell - additional vocals on "Shake My Shit"...
|
"Whatever it Takes" |
|
Other appearances
| Year |
Album |
Song(s) |
Ref. |
| 2004 |
Songs and Artists That Inspired Fahrenheit 9/11 Songs and Artists That Inspired Fahrenheit 9/11 is a compilation album that followed up the 2004 documentary film Fahrenheit 9/11 by filmmaker Michael Moore. It is not the original soundtrack....
|
"No One Left" |
|
| Tell Us the Truth: The Live Concert Recording |
"California's Dark"
"House Gone Up in Flames" |
|
| Axis of Justice: Concert Series Volume 1 |
"Until the End" |
|
| 2008 |
Sicko soundtrack Sicko is a 2007 documentary film by American filmmaker Michael Moore. The film investigates health care in the United States, focusing on its health insurance and the pharmaceutical industry. The movie compares the for-profit, non-universal U.S...
|
"Alone Without You" |
|
External links