Rage Against the Machine's Tom Morello to Honor Joe Hill

Rage Against the Machine’s Tom Morello to Honor Joe Hill

2015-10-26

Story by Anne Erickson

Guitarist Tom Morello will lend his talents to a show celebrating late folk artist and labor rights activist Joe Hill

Tom Morello of Rage Against the Machine will headline a tribute show to honor the work of Joe Hill, labor rights activist and folk singer. Other artists set to take part in the tribute include former Black Crowes guitarist Rich Robinson, Rancid’s Tim Armstrong, Joan Baez and Ziggy Marley.

“Joe Hill’s influence is everywhere,” Morello said in a statement. “Without Joe Hill, there’s no Woody Guthrie, no [Bob] Dylan, no [Bruce] Springsteen, no Clash, no Public Enemy, no Minor Threat, no System of a Down, no Rage Against the Machine.”

Hill, who was a folk artist in the early 1900s, created such famous songs as “The Preacher and the Slave,” “There Is Power in a Union” and “Casey Jones — the Union Scab.” In 1915, he was killed by a firing squad following a murder conviction that was decided upon in an extremely controversial trial.

The tribute event will take place on Nov. 17 at The Troubadour in Los Angeles.

In other news, Rage Against the Machine’s 1999 music video for “Sleep Now in Fire” has resurfaced thanks to some foreshadowing. At the video’s 1:04-mark, a man is spotted holding up a sign that reads “Donald Trump for President 2000.” That’s a reality now, as Trump, indeed, is in the running for the 2016 Republican presidential nomination.

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Anne Erickson

Meet the expert - Author, writer and editor Anne Erickson is a Detroit-based reporter and radio host. She has written for the USA Today Network, Consequence.net, Blabbermouth.net, and many more. Anne holds a master's degree from Michigan State University. Contact Anne at anne@audioinkradio.com.