“The first thing that makes a great protest song is that it’s a great song,” he told us. “Nobody wants to hear a college lecture with a beat to it, there has to be an artistry there and an authenticity and a power and a chemistry behind it. All of those songs have that.”
Tom Morello has teamed up with Serj Tankian and the former’s son, Roman, on a powerful new single – listen to ‘Adjourn It’ below.
The Rage Against The Machine guitarist and the System Of A Down frontman’s collab comes on the heels of Morello announcing his new Power To The People festival – the line-up for which boasts Tankian, along with the likes of Bruce Springsteen and Foo Fighters.
- READ MORE: Tom Morello: “In the past, I’ve wanted to use music as a battering ram for social justice”
“At this historical juncture every act of art is an act of resistance, and ‘Adjourn It’, a collaboration with long-time friend Serj Tankian and my 15-year-old guitar wiz son Roman Morello, is a clarion call for justice in unjust times,” Morello explained.
“Produced by Zakk Cervini (Bring Me The Horizon, Yungblud, Aerosmith) this latest tune from my upcoming solo album combines multi-generational Morello bulldozer riffs with the great Serj Tankian’s prophetic wailings.
He continued: “Inspired by the persecution of immigrants across the land and the heroic resistance to the rising tide of fascism, it’s just about damn time to rock for freedom, justice and equality.”
Kicking off with a distorted, highly processed riff, ‘Adjourn It’ explodes into a heavy call to arms anthem.
“Burn it/ Turn it/ Have them fucking learn it/ Make them pay for their crimes,” Tankian demands in the first verse. “Adjourn it/ Never buy their racist lies/ Unearth it/ Help our brother sisters stay/ They’ve earned it.”
The track is accompanied by an official video showing the trio in the studio, interspersed with black-and-white clips from the 1954 film Salt Of The Earth. This “reflect[s] the song’s theme of resistance in the face of prejudice and injustice”, per a description.
“The film is based on a true story of Mexican-American miners fighting against labor exploitation, racism, and institutional oppression, and was made by three Hollywood executives blacklisted for their political beliefs,” it adds.
“Salt Of The Earth was a powerful act of defiance in its time and more than half a century later, its themes continue to echo through today’s political climate.
“‘Adjourn It’ channels the defiant legacy of the film reinforcing the importance of solidarity in bringing people together against fear and division.”
Speaking to NME at Download Festival 2024, Morello discussed the power of music to spark political change, and revealed his all-time favourite protest songs.
Morello is currently touring with Springsteen on the latter’s ‘Land Of Hope And Dreams’ US tour. The Boss released a live video of his cover of Prince‘s ‘Purple Rain’ featuring Morello, filmed at a gig in Minneapolis earlier this year.
At the start of this year, Springsteen debuted his anti-Donald Trump song ‘Streets Of Minneapolis’ at Morello’s benefit show in the titular city.
The concert was held as a show of “solidarity and resistance” in the wake of the deaths of Renée Good and Alex Pretti, who were both shot and killed by US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents on separate occasions.
Last summer, the guitarist – a longtime critic of the US President – shared a “Fuck ICE” playlist, and he was one of the many figures from the entertainment world who attended the anti-ICE protests.
Morello’s Power To The People festival is due to take place in Columbia, Maryland on October 3. Other names on the line-up include Joan Baez, Dave Matthews, Brittany Howard, Dropkick Murphys, Jack Black, Cypress Hill, Killer Mike, Taylor Momsen and The Linda Lindas, as well as Morello himself.
The guitarist will return to Download Festival next month, ahead of an intimate gig at London’s Electric Brixton. He is also scheduled to appear at numerous European events over the summer, such as Rock For People, Hellfest and Pinkpop.
The post Tom Morello teams up with System Of A Down’s Serj Tankian and son Roman for powerful new single ‘Adjourn It’: “Every act of art is an act of resistance” appeared first on NME.