Tom Morello, the guitarist for Rage Against The Machine and Audioslave who plays firebrand folk guitar as The Nightwatchman, launches the Justice Tour in Los Angeles on April 15. The two-week outing stops in New York, New Orleans, Asheville, NC, Washington, DC and Boston before concluding with a May Day show in Chicago on May 1.
Each stop of the Justice Tour will include a day of activism to focus on a sphere of social justice in America: homelessness (Los Angeles), safe, secure and affordable housing (New Orleans), a living wage (Asheville), peace and veterans care (Washington, DC), affordable healthcare (Boston) and labor organizing (Chicago). In addition, Amnesty International’s TearItDown.org Campaign to Close Guantánamo, Project Noise and Morello’s own Axis Of Justice have joined as partner organizations throughout the tour. The itinerary also includes a previously announced show April 17 at New York’s Nokia Theater to benefit Road Recovery, a nonprofit that helps young people forge a future free from addiction and other adversities.
“There has been much talk about change this election season, but real change must start with people, not politicians. No matter who is elected, we the people must create justice on the ground,†said Morello, who will perform on the Justice Tour as The Nightwatchman.
Sharing the stage with The Nightwatchman will be different special guests on each stop of the Justice Tour. Among those who have signed on are Ben Harper, Slash, Perry Farrell, Sen Dog of Cypress Hill, Davey Havok of AFI, Boots Riley of the Coup, Maynard James Keenan of Tool and Puscifer, Shooter Jennings, State Radio, Mike Einzinger of Incubus and MC5 founder Wayne Kramer. In addition, each stop of the tour will include a local special guest artist.
While the tour’s activism highlights the hard work that must be done to achieve social justice, its mood is celebratory. “Each night of this tour is going to be a freedom party,†Morello said. “We are going to create a little bit of the world we’d like to see.â€
“Throughout American history, progressive change has always been driven by activists who blow the winds of social change,†said Danny Goldberg, longtime activist and band manager and the author of How The Left Lost Teen Spirit. “Without such energy, even the most idealistic public officials cannot prevail against the self-interested partisans of the status quo.â€
JUSTICE TOUR 2008 TOUR DATES
DATE CITY VENUE Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â SOCIAL JUSTICE PARTNER
15-April Los Angeles Troubadour           Axis of Justice and People Assisting the Homeless
17-April* New York Nokia Theater           Road Recovery
20-April New Orleans Parish Room at         Sweet Home New Orleans and
                         the House of Blues         Amnesty International
22-April Asheville, NC Grey Eagle Tavern         Just Economics
                          & Music Hall
24-April Washington, DC Black Cat              Iraq Veterans Against the War
28-April Boston TBA Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â HeathCare-Now
1-May Chicago Park West         Service Employees Intl. Union
*This show is a previously announced benefit for Road Recovery, featuring Slash, Jerry Cantrell, Wayne Kramer and others.
TICKET INFORMATION
People’s price tickets are $10 for all shows except the April 17 Road Recovery benefit in New York. Proceeds from each show benefit the local social justice partner.
Los Angeles: Tickets on sale now at TicketMaster outlets, at ticketmaster.com, and at the Troubadour box office.
New York: Tickets for this previously announced benefit are $60, $100, and $250 and are on sale now at TicketMaster outlets and at ticketmaster.com.
New Orleans: Tickets on sale now at TicketMaster outlets, at ticketmaster.com, at the House of Blues box office and hob.com.
Asheville, NC: Tickets on sale now at www.thegreyeagle.com, or 800-594-TIXX, and at the Grey Eagle box office after 5 PM on a day with another event scheduled, at Harvest Records and at Orbit DVD.
Washington, DC: Tickets on sale now at TicketMaster outlets, at ticketmaster.com, and at the Black Cat box office between 8 PM and midnight.
Boston: TBA
Chicago: Tickets on sale now at TicketMaster outlets, at ticketmaster.com, and at the Park West box office.
LOCAL SOCIAL JUSTICE PARTNERS FOR JUSTICE TOUR 2008
Los Angeles (April 15): People Assisting the Homeless (PATH)
PATH’s mission is to break the cycle of homelessness by empowering homeless people with the tools for self-sufficiency. PATH provides services that help homeless people find work, save money, secure housing and empower their lives. www.epath.org
New York (April 17): Road Recovery
Road Recovery is a non-profit organization comprised of entertainment industry professionals whose lives have been touched by addiction and other adversities and who now wish to make a positive impact on the lives of others. Through mentoring, educational and live performance-based programs, Road Recovery’s goal is to help young people find their way towards a healthy future. www.roadrecovery.org
New Orleans (April 20): Sweet Home New Orleans and Amnesty International
Sweet Home New Orleans works to revitalize the music and cultural community within the neighborhoods of New Orleans by helping the city’s tradition bearers access resources and secure stable, affordable housing. www.sweethomeneworleans.org
Amnesty International, the Nobel Peace Prize-winning human rights organization, established a New Orleans-based project after Hurricane Katrina to address human rights concerns for displaced residents returning to the Gulf Coast. The office also produces educational materials, holds local trainings and organizes events for community members to develop advocacy skills. www.musicforhumanrights.com
Asheville, NC (April 22): Just Economics
The mission of Just Economics is to educate, advocate, and organize for equitable economic conditions, increased union representation, and a fair share for all in the prosperity of our region, regardless of race, gender, or citizenship status. www.justeconomicswnc.org
Washington, DC (April 24): Iraq Veterans Against the War (IVAW)
IVAW, an organization leading the movement of veterans and GIs working to bring troops back now, aims to mobilize the military community to withdraw its support for the war and occupation in Iraq. IVAW is also the beneficiary of the Body of War film and CD. www.ivaw.org
Boston (TBA): HealthCare-Now
HealthCare-Now is a national grassroots organization dedicated to the passage of universal, single-payer health care for all. The group is based in New York City and has chapters and membership throughout the US. www.healthcare-now.org
Chicago (May 1): Service Employees International Union (SEIU)
SEIU is an organization of more than 1.9 million members united by the belief in the dignity and worth of workers and the services they provide, and dedicated to improving the lives of workers and their families and creating a more just and humane society. www.seiu.org
TOUR PARTNERS FOR JUSTICE TOUR 2008
TearItDown.org—Amnesty International’s Campaign to Close Guantánamo
Tear It Down.org is Amnesty International’s global online campaign to close Guantánamo and end illegal U.S. detentions. Amnesty International is calling on US authorities to charge Guantánamo detainees and give them fair trials or release them immediately and unconditionally. Amnesty International is also calling on US authorities to stop subjecting detainees to torture and other cruel, inhuman and degrading treatment. Amnesty International will have a presence at all shows to engage audiences in this campaign. www.musicforhumanrights.com
Project Noise
Project Noise is an organization founded on the conviction that music is a powerful and unifying force of change. Formed in San Francisco in 2008, Project Noise is committed to maximizing the impact of musicians and organizations working together for change by utilizing the evolving convergence of music, technology, media and the internet-empowered individual. Through partnership with musicians and organizations, Project Noise aims to support their efforts, amplify their message to greater awareness, and mobilize and empower their supporters to act as effective participants. www.project-noise.org
Axis of JusticeÂ
Axis of Justice is a non-profit organization formed by Tom Morello and Serj Tankian to bring together musicians, fans of music, and grassroots political organizations to fight for social justice. AOJ aims to build a bridge between fans of music around the world and local political organizations to effectively organize around issues of peace, human rights, and economic justice. www.axisofjustice.org
ABOUT TOM MORELLO
Tom Morello’s great uncle was the first president of Kenya, Jomo Kenyatta, and his mother, Mary Morello, founded an anti-censorship organization. Harlem-born and Libertyville, IL-bred, Morello graduated with honors from Harvard University in Political Science. His previous bands, Rage Against the Machine and Audioslave, have collectively sold 30 million albums and have won two Grammys; Audioslave was the first U.S. band to play Cuba. In 2007, Morello released his first solo album, the hard-left, acoustic One Man Revolution, under the name The Nightwatchman. The Nightwatchman recently contributed a track to Body Of War: Songs That Inspired An Iraq War Veteran, a 2-CD benefit collection for Justice Tour partner Iraq Veterans Against the War.
Morello was named one of Rolling Stone‘s “100 Greatest Guitar Players,” at #26. He has produced artists as diverse as Puff Daddy, Indigo Girls, Joe Strummer, KRS-1, Wu Tang Clan, Crystal Method and Anti-Flag, and has scored such films as Collateral, Charlie’s Angels, Talladega Nights: The Ballad of Ricky Bobby and XXX: State of the Union. Morello hosts the weekly radio show Axis of Justice Radio Network on KPFK Los Angeles and various syndicated stations. He was the recipient of the 2006 Eleanor Roosevelt Human Rights Award.
PLEASE NOTE- THE NYC DATES tickets are NOW $25!!!!!!!
Show also includes performace by Denis Leary and his band, and the band OURS