Send "Tom Morello " Ringtones to your Cell 
| Popmatters |
 If this is your initial introduction to Tom Morello’s “Nightwatchman” saga, then you’re in much better luck than the Rage and Audioslave fanatics who purchased his first solo album on a whim figuring he’d tear up the acoustic guitar like he does the electric. This was far from the case on One Man Revolution, which showcased pure Bob Dylan folk with Morello as a man musing about our governmental problems. The Fabled City took it up a notch with some more instrumentation and background singers, but still, the lack of soloing on Morello’s part made his activist friends the only real audience to whom to sell this stuff. Which, of course, was all Morello ever cared about. This time, though, Union Town tightens up the sound Morello’s been testing with his alter-ego, blending the simple folk he always wanted out of this project, but mixing it with the electric guitar talent he’s been known for since the early ‘90s. On four of the eight songs, Morello squeals quick riffs at each bridge, though not in his signature scratchy vein, but rather in a cleaner, more rehearsed style. It’s a smart move, though, and one that could gain more Rage and Audioslave listeners without losing the point of this project, which this time is to spark protest against Wisconsin Governor Scott Walker and his bill to end collective bargaining. Since 2004, Morello has been performing his Nightwatchman songs at various rallies, such as the Tell Us the Truth Tour, which aimed to raise awareness during the 2004 presidential campaign, as well as at Axis of Justice, a series of concerts associated with the activist group he founded with System of a Down frontman Serj Tankian....full text |
| Rollingstone |
| Inspired by protests against Wisconsin governor Scott Walker's war on collective bargaining, Tom Morello recorded this bracing benefit EP. Veering from acoustic strumming to searing electric solos, and calling on comrades like the MC5's Wayne Kramer, Morello combines "class-war classics" like "This Land Is Your Land" with originals such as "Union Song," which he cut live before thousands of protesters in Madison. When Morello declares, "If you come to strip our rights away/We'll give you hell every time," you'll know which side you're on....full text |
| Nodepression |
| Few people inspire me in such a profound way as my good friend, The Nightwatchman - the alter ego of guitar hero, Tom Morello. That's not because he's a big rock star or even that he does rip that guitar apart every time he picks one up, but because he speaks his mind exactly, never minding if it rankles the G.P. (general population) or has fans that want him to shut up about social justice and just shred. In a time when so much music and its attendant celebrity is up its own ass, pointless, platform-wasting, and so empty it echoes ... He's here to make a difference. I've stood beside him many times in complete solidarity, and can tell you from experience that the guy is beyond 100% authentic, in both talent and conviction. His brand new EP, Union Town, (available now here) illustrates that absolute fact better than anything he's done yet, especially as ALL proceeds will go toward the fight for the rights of Union workers across the country. ALL proceeds. The album of Pro-Union, Pro-Labor, Pro-Working Class songs was recorded in four days right after Tom returned from the massive rallies and Capitol sit-ins in opposition to Governor Scott Walker's (BOO! HISS!) attack on worker's rights in Madison, Wisconsin this past February. He and his Freedom Fighter Orchestra (Wayne Kramer, Dave Gibbs, Carl Restivo, Chris Joyner and Anne Preven) play the 8 songs of originals and classics with such gusto, you can almost feel the chill of the Wisconsin winter - indeed, I had chills many times during listening to these seriously important tunes. None more so than the live version of The Nightwatchman's own Union anthem (from his first album, One Man Revolution), "Union Song" that ends the EP. It starts with Tom belting out a speech to rile up the 100,000 people he's playing to in Madison, and you can hear the crowd starting to believe that they really can make a difference ... that we can ALL make a difference, when we stand UP, and stand STRONG - Together. That one is book-ended on the front side by "Union Town" which Tom wrote the day he returned to L.A. from Madison, as inspired as he'd ever been. The recorded version is a true rabble-rouser, complete with the hoped-for and received Morello-ian guitar solo that sears through all the madness as much as the lyrics do. "Solidarity Forever" is sung to the tune of, appropriately, "The Battle Hymn Of The Republic" ... Solidarity Forever, for the Union makes us strong! Amen to that. The EP has its acoustic ballad moments in "Which Side Are You On?" (written in 1931 by a Kentucky coal miner's 12 year old daughter, Florence Reece) and even a finger-snapping jazzy turn in the Merle Travis classic, "16 Tons". I was listening along to the opening notes to "Wall Against The Wind" when I thought, "This sounds like a Nightwatchman song" - which it is. Meaning, he's been around doing this for long enough now that I recognized the sound as distinctly his, without question. Cool. "I Dreamed I Saw Joe Hill Last Night" is slow and serious, and Tom made up the music to go with the lyrics that he'd read in a Joe Hill biography. They recorded it with the lights down way low, to capture the haunting quality of the ghost-y lyrics. They succeeded. Three generations of Morello's (and friends) sing along to the now-signature closer of a Nightwatchman show, Woody Guthrie's "This Land Is Your Land" - always with censored versions intact, and always a reminder of what our great country is SUPPOSED to be. And, sadly, how far we've been led astray from those ideals....full text |
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