Rage Protests Sweatshops As Che Guevara Gets A Dance Make Over

Rage Against The Machine guitarist Tom Morello joined 700 protesters on Saturday in a march through the Los Angeles garment district to protest sweatshops and child labor.

The demonstration was organized by several religious, labor, and public policy groups, including Korean immigrant worker advocates and the union of needle trade, industrial and textile employees.

Rage will release a home video November 18 with performances from European festivals, and from it's recent shows at California's Irvine Meadows.

Meanwhile, one of Rage's heroes, the Argentine-born guerrilla fighter Che Guevara, is experiencing a renaissance of sorts right now.

Wednesday marks the 30th anniversary of Che's being shot to death in Bolivia, and the occasion brings two new biographies to stores, as well as a tribute by the British dance outfit Up Bustle And Out.

Their E.P., "Che Guevara: Land of Hope and Freedom," is out this week, featuring samples from speeches the Cuban revolutionary gave in his quest to bring Fidel Castro to power. All samples featured on the track bear the Cuban government's seal of approval.

Up Bustle And Out says it will give proceeds of itsE.P. to the Cuban radio station which Che Guevara used to broadcast his anti-imperialist speeches.

Rage's Zack Sounds Off On Police Crackdown

So how tight was Sheriff William Weister's crackdown on fans at Friday's Rage Against The Machine show in George, Washington.

Well, while initial reports had 80 fans rounded up by the police, it looks like the figure was closer to 90.

Rage Plays The Gorge With Beefed-Up Police Presence

The Foo Fighters, as already announced, will open the last two Rage dates -- September 19th in Los Angeles and the 21st in Phoenix -- with new guitarist Franz Stahl replacing Pat Smear. Smear confirmed much-denied rumors by quitting the band right in the middle of our live pre-Video Music Awards show on Thursday. More on that later in this show.

As for reports from Chicago that four Wu-Tang members allegedly beat up a promotion man from their record label after last Friday's Chicago show, their last on the Rage tour, a Wu spokesman denies any knowledge of it, and Chicago police say they're investigating the alleged incident, and have yet to file any charges.

One other Rage tour note: a 17-year-old fan collapsed and died two songs into Rage Against The Machine's set on August 29th at the Deer Creek Amphitheater near Indianapolis. The fan, Brad Gavin, is now said to have suffered from a pre-existing heart condition.

Rage Wins Right To Play The Gorge

Rage Against The Machine have reportedly been given the green light for their show this Friday at the Gorge Amphitheater in George, Washington.

Reuters news reports that a Grant County Superior Court Judge ruled that Sheriff William Wiester had failed to drum up "sufficient evidence" to block the band's scheduled performance. The sheriff had argued that the band was likely to whip the masses into a frenzy with its "violent and anti-law enforcement" messages.

In arguing against the concert in court Wednesday, the sheriff reportedly pointed to problems raised by other concerts at the Gorge this summer, and said that stops by Phish and this summer's Lollapalooza line-up were especially troublesome. Wiester reportedly went on to present videotape of underage drinking and drug use in areas surrounding the concert site.

However, Judge Ken Jorgensen reportedly ruled that the evidence did not prove that the band posed a serious threat to public safety, and declined to grant Weister the restraining order he sought to stop the show.

Rage's Zack Plays With Pain

One day after spraining his ankle in an on-stage accident, Rage Against The Machine frontman Zack De la Rocha went on with the show yet again with a sold out date at the Great Woods Center in Mansfield, Massachusetts Thursday night.

During a performance Wednesday at New Jersey's Continental Airlines Arena, De la Rocha, a boisterous performer, was jumping around during the fourth song of Rage's headlining set when he landed on the edge of a monitor and twisted his ankle. The singer collapsed and was rushed off stage, returning to finish the set 20 minutes later with a bandaged sprained ankle. Yesterday afternoon, Rage's record label said the band was considering postponing Thursday's show, De la Rocha was still in pain.

Zack (apparently taking a cue from Iggy Pop, who returned to the stage after dislocating his shoulder earlier this year) decided to soldier on, and joined his bandmates for their usual headlining set.

Rage Rethinks Show After Zack Stage Accident

As we went to press, Rage Against The Machine was in throes of deciding whether to postpone its sold-out show at Boston's Great Woods on Thursday, because singer Zack De la Rocha sprained his left ankle while performing on Wednesday at New Jersey's Continental Airlines Arena, and was still in pain.

De la Rocha, a boisterous performer, was jumping around during the fourth song of Rage's headlining set when he landed on the edge of a monitor and twisted his ankle.

The singer collapsed and was rushed off stage, returning to finish the set 20 minutes later with a bandaged sprained ankle.

Rage Record Springsteen Ballad

The day after playing Atlanta Sunday night, Rage Against The Machine stayed in town to record their own unique version of Bruce Springsteen's ballad "The Ghost Of Tom Joad."

Rage entered the studio with producer Brendan O'Brien, the man who twiddled the knobs on the band's last album, "Evil Empire."

Fans who have caught Rage in concert may be familiar with the band's take on the Springsteen tune as it has been a part of the Rage set for several months now.

"It's a song which we started playing on the shows with U2, and it's been great and we want to document it while it's in top form, which it seems to be lately," Rage guitarist Tom Morello told MTV News.

"Brendan witnessed it about a month ago when we played with U2, and he was like, 'Lets record it,'" Rage bassist Tim Bob added."So this was the first chance we've had to go into the studio and record it. It's exciting. It's something new, and that's something different than we've been doing in a while now. First time we're in the studio since the last record."

Considering Rage's support of Mexico's Zapatistan rebels, it's no surprise that the band identifies with the song, which is based on the main character of John Steinbeck's "The Grapes Of Wrath."

There's no word yet on when Rage will release their version of "The Ghost Of Tom Joad," but it is known that the track will not turn up on the Springsteen tribute album that is due out next month.

Ghost Face Killa Absent, But Wu Rages On

The Wu-Tang Clan and Rage Against The Machine kicked off their month-long tour last Friday in West Palm Beach, Florida, but Wu's Ghost Face Killa missed the show.

All Wu members were present and accounted for however when the tour rolled into Atlanta's Lakewood Amphitheater Saturday night for its second stop. Not too surprisingly, the group performed a slew of songs from its new double album, "Wu-Tang Forever," but also reached back into its back of tricks to pull out material from as far back as its first album, "Into The 36 Chambers Of Death."

Rage was also in top form, playing songs from its latest album, "Evil Empire" and its self-titled debut, and the band also covered the KRS-One song "The Sound Of Da Police."

The set wound down with Rza of Wu-Tang joining Rage Against The Machine's frontman, Zach De La Rocha on-stage for an impromptu freestyle.

Rage, Wu Talk About Getting Together

Not only will this summer's Rage Against The Machine/Wu-Tang Clan/Atari Teenage Riot tour offer the expected overdose of intensity, but it will also serve up some musical surprises as well.

On the second date of the tour, in Atlanta on Sunday night, Wu-Tang's Rza joined Rage for some freestyling on "My Country 'Tis Of Thee" of all songs.

"We've got more songs from the record," Rage guitarist Tom Morello told MTV News of the impromptu jam after Sunday night's show. "There was a brand new song tonight, you know, and there may be a brand new one tomorrow. You never know, that was a one-and-only so far of that version, that thing we did with Rza tonight."

"We just made it up," Rza explained. "You see how the hook came. He just had a hook all of a sudden. It was on."

According to Morello, fans could be seeing more of these spontaneous collaborations throughout the tour.

"We do that a lot. It's always great to bring on artists we admire," Morello said.

Rage Explains Wu-Tang Connection

As the Wu-Tang Clan and Rage Against The Machine prepare to storm across America with Atari Teenage Riot on what is sure to be a devastating tour, you may be wondering precisely how this monstrous union was formed.

"Zach (De La Rocha, Rage frontman) was a big fan of their record for a long time," Rage guitarist Tom Morello told MTV News. "He was playing that on the tour bus last summer when we were in Europe, and what I really like about them is they have stripped away all the schmaltzy, R&B, baby-making music crap which infects a lot of otherwise decent hip-hop. It's really raw and they are really the standard bearers for taking hip-hop to another level."

As we previously reported, don't be surprised if a Rage/Wu-Tang project emerges from this tour.

"We're hoping to do some stuff together," Morello told MTV News. "I'm not going to make promises that we can't later keep, but at least playing together and perhaps recording together before the end of the tour."

The Rage Against The Machine/Wu-Tang Clan co-headlining tour will kick off August 8 in West Palm Beach, Florida, with tickets going for $20.

Rage, Wu-Tang Clan, Atari Teenage Riot Set To Conquer America

In a double bill likely to rattle the sturdiest of venues to its foundations, Rage Against The Machine are set to hit the road with special guest the Wu-Tang Clan, and show openers Atari Teenage Riot.

Rage is still riding high on the success of their "Evil Empire" LP, which has gone double platinum, and Wu-Tang scored a major success recently when "Wu-Tang Forever" debuted at number one on the "Billboard" album chart. Meanwhile, Atari Teenage Riot has been bringing its digital hardcore to the masses on "Burn Berlin Burn."

Rage was most recently seen in the States slamming crowds on the opening dates of U2's PopMart tour.

If you think you're up to the challenge, here's where you can catch the Rage/Wu/ATR tour:

• 8/8 - West Palm Beach, FL @ Blockbuster Coral Sky Amph.
• 8/10 - Atlanta, GA @ Lakewood Amphitheater
• 8/12 - Nashville, TN @ Starwood Amphitheater
• 8/13 - Charlotte, NC @ Blockbuster Pavillion
• 8/15 - Washington DC @ Meriweather Post Pavilion
• 8/16 - Philadelphia, PA @ Blockbuster Entertainment Ctr.
• 8/17 - Hartford, CT @ Meadows Music Theatre
• 8/19 - New York, NY @ TBA
• 8/20 - New York, NY @ TBA
• 8/21 - Boston, MA @ Great Woods Amphitheater
• 8/23 - Detroit, MI @ Palace of Auburn Hills
• 8/24 - Pittsburgh, PA @ Star Lake Amphitheater
• 8/25 - Toronto, ONT @ Molson Amphitheater
• 8/27 - Cleveland, OH @ Blossom Music Center
• 8/28 - Indianapolis, IN @ Deer Creek Amphitheater
• 8/29 - Chicago, IL @ World Amphitheater
• 8/31 - St. Louis, MO @ Riverport Amphitheater
• 9/1 - Kansas City, MO @ Sandstone Amphitheater
• 9/3 - Minneapolis, MN @ Target Center
• 9/5 - Dallas, TX @ Starplex Amphitheater
• 9/6 - Austin, TX @ TBA
• 9/8 - Denver, CO @ Fiddlers Green Amphitheater
• 9/11 - Vancouver, Canada @ PNE Coliseum
• 9/12 - Portland, OR @ Rose Garden Arena
• 9/13 - Seattle, WA @ Tacoma Dome
• 9/15 - San Francisco, CA @ Shoreline Amphitheater
• 9/16 - Sacramento, CA @ Arco Arena
• 9/18 - Los Angeles, CA @ Irvine Meadows Amphitheatre
• 9/20 - Phoenix, AZ @ TBA

The Wu Tang/Rage Connection

The Wu Tang Clan may be doing more than just touring with Rage Against the Machine, later this summer.

According to the Wu Tang Clan's manager John Gibbons, the two groups are hoping to record together, and take the stage together, for some numbers during their August tour.

"Both teams are trying to put together some studio time to record a few tracks together," Gibbons said. "We hope we'll record some tracks and then perform those songs live, together." Rage Against the Machine's management was unavailable for comment.

It would be an unusual mix of styles, Rage Against the Machine being a political thrash act, and the Wu Tang Clan being a rap group. Adding to the diversity of the tour, German hard-core band Atari Teenage Riot is also on the bill.

The Wu-Tang Clan and Rage Against the Machine will hit the road on August 9th, playing first at the Coral Sky Amphitheater in West Palm Beach, Florida.

Rage Helps Hale House
Rage pledged items to a charity raffle, where there items were
placed next to donations from the Offspring, Marilyn Marson, 
Lunachicks, Descendents, Sick Of It All, NOFX, Gwar,
Epitaph Records, Caroline Records, and many
others.
Rage donated an autographed 10' vinyl copy of "People of the Sun."
The concert and raffle raised more than $4,000 for Hale House, which is
devoted to helping babies born with the HIV virus or addictions to drugs or
alcohol.

Rage And Prodigy Spawn "Serial Thrilla"

-- Their schedules wouldn't mesh, but that didn't stop a collaboration between Rage Against the Machine guitarist Tom Morello and The Prodigy. The musical marriage is for a soundtrack contribution to the movie "Spawn."

Morello told Britain's New Musical Express magazine that he first got a call from Prodigy's Liam Howlett out of the blue with a request to add guitar to "Serial Thrilla," a song from The Prodigy's new album, "The Fat Of The Land." However, with opening for U2, Rage's inclusion on a new Snoop Doggy Dogg EP and the planning of a summer tour with Wu-Tang Clan, they had no time.

Morello told NME that Howlett then asked for "a DAT of "some f***ed-up guitar." The Rage guitarist says he went into a studio "in a sleepy Illinois town" and complied, recording 15 minutes of a "freeform bunch of squirrelly guitar playing." Morello says he gave the Prodigy an array of "new hoots and howls and squonks and stuff" as well as some more traditional Sabbath heavy grooves.

"Working the project was excellent," Rage Against The Machine's buzzsaw guitarist Tom Morello told MTV about his work with the Prodigy. "We did a song called 'One Man Army'... and it was difficult to get our schedules to mix, so I called up Liam (Howlett of the Prodigy) and I said, 'Why don't you just send me a track, and I'll put some guitar on it.' He suggested that I should just send him a DAT of some f***ed up guitar, and I said, 'Well, that's easy, that's my specialty.'"

Howlett described the Morello offering as quite "Prodigy-ish," and a Prodigy spokesman said Howlett would be Raging it up a bit. The spokesperson told NME that "It's gonna be called Prodigy Versus RATM, it's kind of a sound clash-type vibe. The music that Liam's doing is all totally new."

A Prodigy spokesman later confirmed that Howlett spent two days last week working on the track at his Earthbound studio.

In other news, NME also reports that Sony is trying to stop Manifesto Records from using a reference to Rage Against the Machine in the selling of a product by Lock Up, a band Morello recorded with in 1990. Sony threatened legal action after Lock-Up re-issued their LP, "Something Bitchin' This Way Comes," with stickers that read, "featuring Tom Morello currently of Rage Against The Machine." Manifesto has beat Sony to the legal punch by seeking a resolution of the issue through the Los Angeles court system.

Here is a setlist from the RATM concert on 5/27 in Haifa, Isreal

People of the Sun
Vietnow
Take the Power Back
Tire Me
Know your Emeny
Bullet in the Head
Without a Face
Fuck the Police
Fistful of Steel
---(encore)---
Killing in the Name
Bombtrack
Freedom

Rage-Snoop Remix Due In July

While preparing for his stint on this summer's Lollapalooza tour, the prolific Snoop Doggy Dogg also plans to release an 8-song EP this July called "Doggumentary."

The EP will finally see the release of the much-discussed remix of "Snoop Bounce" by Rage Against the Machine (minus frontman Zack De La Rocha).

"Snoop's phenomenal. He is the Eddie Van Halen of rap," Rage guitarist Tom Morello told MTV News.

"He came in -- we had the tracks together -- and he came in and in one take. I have trouble leaving a one take coherent message on my answering machine. And he had this this six minute freestyle extravaganza," Morello said.

"When you hear it, it does sound like if you took one part Gap Band, one part Snoop Dogg, one part Rage Against The Machine. It sounds like those songs," Morello explained.

Fans will also find "Midnight Love," which features Raphael Sadiq of Tony Toni Tone, as well as remixes of four tracks from Snoop's "Tha Doggfather" album.

Snoop will retread "Vapors," "Doggfather," "Snoop Upside Ya Head," and the Rage-flavored "Snoop Bounce."

Wu-Tang Clan To Tour With Rage Against The Machine

Rage Against The Machine plans to hit the road later this summer with the Wu-Tang Clan, who have a new album due out next month called "Wu-Tang Forever."

The tour is tentatively set to run from August 9 through September 17. Check out Dates in the Tourdates Section .

Rage just finished opening the first nine dates on U2's "Pop Mart" tour, and will rejoin U2 for one more show, June 21 at the Los Angeles Coliseum.

U2 lands in Dallas ... As RATM flys by!
May 11 97
Rage Setlist included:
1. People of the Sun
2. Bombtrack
3. Vietnow
4. The ghost of Tom Joad cover from Bruce Springteen
5. Bulls of Parade
6. Bullet in the Head
7. Killing in the Name
8. Spoken Word by Zack about combating 
   police brutality and the murder of 
   a 14 year boy in L.A.
9. Freedom 
10. Ending with the last part of
    Township Rebellion

Rage is supporting the TJ Martell Foundation for cancer and leukemia research by donating an autographed boxing glove. You can bid on it, as well as many other music related items by going to Celebrity Auctionline. If you would like to put a link to the auction on your own site go to the Participate area of the Auction site and grab a banner. Thanks for supporting Rage and the TJ Martell Foundation.

 The sleeping volcano Mt. Fuji may be awoken from its peaceful slumber this summer,
when The Fuji Rock Festival takes place on July 26th. The event will feature some of the
biggest names in music including Rage Against the Machine, The Red Hot Chili Peppers, 
Green Day, Beck , Foo Fighters and Weezer. 

Rage Against The Machine is supporting U2 on a series of stadium concert dates beginning April 25 at Sam Boyd
Stadium in Las Vegas, Nevada.

Rage's total net earnings from these performances will be donated to a group of activist organizations including
(but not limited to) Friends & Family of Mumia Abu-Jamal; FAIR (Fairness and Accuracy In Reporting); the
National Commisson for Democracy in Mexico; the Zapatista Front For National Liberation; U.N.I.T.E. (garment
workers union), and Women Alive.

The Grammy for Best Metal Performance was given to 
Rage Against The Machine for "Tire Me" from Evil
Empire. (<--These awards are a joke, in my opinion!-->)


 
Radio Free L.A. Has Hit the Net.

NEWS: In Los Angeles, "Rage Against The Machine" guitarist Tom Morello offered a single-finger salute to the partying politicians with a sort of anti-inaugural satellite radio concert called "Radio Free L.A.," which featured performances by Morello and "Rage" frontman Zack De La Rocha, Beck, Flea, Cypress Hill, and Porno For Pyros drummer Stephen Perkins.

TOM MORELLO, Rage Against The Machine: Obviously the show was filled with plenty of messages, and I think that's it appropriate to have a rebuttal to all the glad handing and smiling, and "Oh, it's gonna be another great four years." For a lot of people it's not going to be another great four years, just like the last years wasn't a great four years. And so those are some of the stories we wanted to tell tonight. And, while there's a lot of celebration, a lot of joy in the music tonight that happened tonight, there's a serious content as well.

Also, Tom Morello's close friend, Beastie Boy Adam Yauch recently spoke at a rally for
Tibetian rights infront of the United Nations Center.  Despite his strong feelings he made clear about non-violence as a
viable solution to violence, about a dozen of the protesters were arrested after the draped themselves in Tibet flags and lay
in the street, getting up when threats from police were heard...I'm also slowly but surely faclifting the page just to keep things
interesting.  If you don't have a reasonable comp you may have to bear with slow response due to the applets and Java. Anyway,
that's all for now...March 24
  The next single appears to be Down Rodeo, which should be released soon,as
Gavin Rattmann tells me.  Also, two of the three versions of the People of the Sun
single have been accounted for.  Here is the track listing of one of the Epic releases;

The artwork is of a sickle and a corn cob 
2)Zapata's Blood (live)

3)Without a Face (live)

The 10" vinyl record released by Revelation;

Same artwork

Side A


1)People of the Sun(Album Version)

2)Without a Face(live)

3)Intro(Black Steel in the Hour of Chaos) with vocals from Chuck D (Public Enemy)(live)

4)Zapata's Blood(live)

Side B


5)Bulls on Parade(Album Version)

6)Hadda Be Playing on the Jukebox(live)

Also contains a Zapatista essay by Cecilia Rodriguez in the liner notes