Ex-Rage Against The Machine and Audioslave guitarist Tom Morello has said that he is working on a new solo rock album. Morello recently finished his touring duties with Bruce Springsteen as part of his touring band.
Morello said that “I just finished two years with Bruce Springsteen and it was awesome. Now I’m making a big, solo rock record. A big guitar record, I’m excited about it.” As for his experience of working with Springsteen, he remarked “It was a dream come true, he’s one of my favorite artists of all time. At 65-years-old, he’s playing three-and-a-half-hour long concerts. He’s the best he’s ever been. It’s a real honor to know him and play with him.” Morello became a member of Springsteen’s touring band after he recorded parts for his 2012 album “Wrecking Ball” and later contributed to Springsteen’s 2014 record “High Hopes.” Asked about his thoughts on the current status of RATM and Audioslave, Morello said “Those bands haven’t existed for a while. Nothing going on.”
Morello also recently launched his “anit-profit” label Firebrand Records, which is currently streaming its first release- a track titled “It’s Like That” by Baltimore rapper Son of Nun. Morello co-founded the label along with Ryan Harvey of the Riot Folk Collective and artists on the label include Egyptian revolutionary Ramy Essam, San Francisco indie rockers Built for the Sea, Swedish punks Lycka Till and Bronx-based post-rock singer Bell’s Roar. Morello said that “In 2015, nobody with any sense is starting a record label to try and become Interscope Records. We have a very clear mission, and that is to bring global revolutionary music to everyone who wants to hear it. As someone who’s spent a couple of decades with various labels, I see it exclusively from the artist perspective. We’re not trying to get rich off Firebrand Records, we’re trying to enrich people’s hearts and minds.”
The song is set against the backdrop of the Baltimore city riots and Son of Nun said “This song is before and after Black Lives Matter, it’s the same song we’ve been singing since we got off the boat. Y’all just haven’t been paying attention. It’s about fighting for each other in the face of white supremacy, seeing connections with other people’s struggles, and recognizing our own power.”