MTV
Aug 30 2004

Tom Morello, Serj Tankian Releasing Axis Of Justice CD/DVD

Tom Morello at an Axis Of Justice event
Photo: Kevin Estrada
“It just seemed like it was a really special, even historic, evening
of musicians coming together for social change.” – Tom Morello

Audioslave guitarist Tom Morello and System of a Down singer Serj
Tankian were thinking the same thing midway through last month’s
benefit for their Axis of Justice political action group. “Maybe we
should release this,” Tankian recalled.

“As it was going on, it just seemed like it was a really special,
even historic, evening of musicians coming together for social
change, but in an artistic atmosphere that was pretty unprecedented,”
Morello said. “So we started discussing putting it out.”

Those discussions have led to Axis of Justice Concert Series Volume
1, a CD/DVD set recorded and filmed by friends for free at the July
17 concert at the Avalon in Hollywood (see “Flea, Tool Singer Join
Fight Against Hunger, Homelessness”).

“Everyone did everything out of [the goodness of] their hearts, and
that’s what made it so special,” Tankian said. “It wasn’t a gig, it
was more like friends that care about causes getting together and
making music.”

Axis of Justice will release the collection on November 2 – Election
Day. “It’s making a statement in saying that we need a more just
America,” Tankian said. “We have the biggest hearts in the world, but
the people who represent us don’t show that and instead foster hate
against us.”

Both the CD and DVD will include the memorable all-star
collaborations from the show, including an encore of U2’s “Where the
Streets Have No Name” with Tankian and A Perfect Circle’s Maynard
James Keenan on vocals, Pete Yorn on guitar and vocals, Morello on
guitar, the Red Hot Chili Peppers’ Flea on bass, Audioslave’s Brad
Wilk on drums and Jonny Polonski on keyboards. That lineup, minus
Keenan and Polonski and with Tankian on piano, also covers Bob
Dylan’s “Chimes of Freedom” and Funkadelic’s “Alice in My Fantasies.”
An improvisational jam featuring Flea, Wilk and Tankian is also
included.

The CD features Tankian’s “Charades” and an improv piano number, two
songs from Morello as the Nightwatchman (“Until the End” and “Union
Song”), Pete Yorn’s cover of Junior Kimbrough’s “I Feel Good Again,”
two songs from Jurassic 5 (“What’s Golden” and “Freedom”), and two
spoken-word tracks from Knowledge: the self-explanatory “President
Evil” and “Speak on It,” about the Armenian genocide and featuring
Tankian on piano.

As a bonus, the CD will include a cover of Nick Lowe’s “(What’s So
Funny ‘Bout) Peace, Love and Understanding” performed by Chris
Cornell and Keenan at last summer’s Lollapalooza.

The DVD will include most of the same tracks, along with the
Nightwatchman’s “The Road I Must Travel” with Tankian on piano, Yorn
on guitar, Polonski on bass and Wilk on drums, and Yorn’s “Strange
Condition” and “Broken Bottle.”

Bonuses on the DVD will include excerpts from Morello and Tankian’s
Axis of Justice radio show, such as interviews with Michael Moore and
Janeane Garofalo, as well as four songs from an early Axis show at
West Hollywood’s Troubadour.

Morello and Tankian have yet to schedule their next concert, although
Axis is sponsoring a show Tuesday at the Knitting Factoring in New
York featuring the Nightwatchman, the Coup’s Boots Riley, Spearhead
and a special guest. The Nightwatchman is also performing Wednesday
at a protest of the Republican National Convention in New York, and
the Axis of Justice radio show is taking over New York’s K-Rock for
three hours on Monday afternoon.

“I’ll be playing rebel music and telling the truth as I see it, so
look out,” Morello said.

– Corey Moss

From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress