TOM MORELLO’S STREET SWEEPER SOCIAL CLUB WRITING ANTHEMS FOR THE REVOLUTION

Street Sweeper Social Club is picking up right where Tom Morello and Rage Against The Machine left off as far as writing “songs for the revolution.”

Rage Against the Machine’s Tom Morello, perhaps the generations most innovative guitarist has teamed up with vocalist Boots Riley of The Coup in Street Sweeper Social Club to write anthems for the revolution. Whether performing with Rage Against the Machine or touring as The Night Watchman, Tom Morello has always created politically charged hard rock and in Street Sweeper Social Club, Morello takes the music into a more funky direction with the musical influence of Boots Riley. On the bands debut album “Street Sweeper Social Club” which debuted at #37 on the Billboard Top 200 Chart, Morello and Riley clearly have connected on a musical level to bring out the best in both musicians especially on the hit single “100 Little Curses.”

Artisan News caught up with Tom Morello to get his thoughts on wanting to work with the brilliant lyricist Boots Riley.

“Well Boots and I have known each other since…well first of all I’m Tom Morello. How are you? And I’m Boots Riley. We are Street Sweeper Social Club. We began our collaboration back in 2003. We played many shows and tours together. Normally in a charity capacity or a demonstration capacity and working together I realized what a brilliant little lyricist Boots Riley was and when my band Audioslave broke up I knew I wanted to make a record that was very heavy, a record that was very funky and a record that had Boots Riley on it.”

Boots Riley also talked about being approached by Tom Morello to form Street Sweeper Social Club and write anthems for the revolution together.

“He took me out to dinner and he said ‘We’re in a band. It’s called Street Sweeper Social Club. We’re going to make anthems for the revolution.’ And he slapped down a tape and it had 26 jams on it and he said ‘Get to writing.’ He didn’t ask me. I didn’t say yes or no. I never answered. I’m waiting until we do about two albums and then I’ll answer. I’ll decide.”

Tom Morello also thinks “Street Sweeper Social Club” is the heaviest album he’s made in a long time.

“I haven’t followed the charts in sometime. I think in an era where music is as free as water, it means something different that it used to. I think the important thing is people get the music. That people see the band play. It’s something that I’m really proud of. It’s the heaviest record that I’ve been involved in a long time. So, it’s something that we’re very glad to get out there. It’s great that people responded to it. The songs are doing well on the radio and people buy the record or whatever but it’s like however people get the music, it’s exciting to see them in the shows losing their minds.”

Tom Morello is a founding member and guitarist of the rock bands Rage Against the Machine and Audioslave who have combined for multiple Grammy Awards and a combined 30 million albums sold worldwide. Morello has also received critical acclaim as a solo artist known as The Nightwatchman as well as fouding member of Axis of Justice along with System of a Down’s Serj Tankian. As of press time Street Sweeper Social Club don’t have any tour dates booked, although fans can expect a new round of tour dates in the near future as they continue to tour in support of their hit debut album.