Politically charged guitar hero Tom Morello, a.k.a. The Nightwatchman, has nearly doubled his "Fabled City" tour itinerary since last check.
The Rage Against The Machine and Audioslave co-founder is set to play 20 North American cities over the next couple of months, starting with a November 1 gig in San Francisco. Recent additions to the schedule include Detroit, Toronto, Baltimore, the Boston area and Seattle, where Morello will play the November 3 "Get Out The Vote" rally alongside members of Pearl Jam. The musician is currently scheduled to wrap with three December shows in Southern California.
Fellow political activist
Boots Riley of the Oakland, CA-based hip-hop group
The Coup will open the tour.
Morello will also play with
Michael Franti November 20 in Philadelphia and
Steve Earle November 22 in Chicago.
The outing is Morello's first round of live performances to support his new solo album, "The Fabled City," which broke into The Billboard 200 last month. The set offers up more complex electric arrangements than The Nightwatchman's 2007 debut, "One Man Revolution," and is said to bridge the gap between Morello's guitar-god persona and his folk alter ego. The tour reflects that.
"On 'The Fabled City Tour,' I will be playing both acoustic and electric guitar," Morello said in a statement. "I want to start off with the darker acoustic songs and then build to some of the wildest electric guitar playing I have ever unleashed on stage in my career. The idea is half Dylan/half Hendrix. I have been practicing my ass off and can't wait to rock."
Music from the new album is streaming at Morello's MySpace page, as is a new song, "Shake My Sh--," which the Grammy winner recorded with Perry Farrell a few months ago. Proceeds from iTunes sales of the single will go to the Kenyan Red Cross to help families in need following the recent violence in the African country, according to a blog posting at Morello's MySpace page.
In between gigs with his rock bands, Morello has performed as The Nightwatchman at coffee houses and political events for about five years. The singer/guitarist graduated from Harvard University with honors as a Political Science major and has been a widely recognized political activist throughout his career. In 2006, he was the recipient of the Eleanor Roosevelt Human Rights Award.
Along with System Of A Down's Serj Tankian, Morello is a co-founder of the non-profit Axis Of Justice, which aims to bring together musicians, fans and grassroots political organizations to fight for social justice.
11/01 - San Francisco, CA - The Fillmore
11/02 - Portland, OR - Wonder Ballroom
11/03 - Seattle, WA - Showbox at the Market
11/05 - Vancouver, British Columbia - Commodore Ballroom
11/07 - Salt Lake City, UT - The Depot
11/08 - Aspen, CO - Belly Up Aspen
11/09 - Boulder, CO - Fox Theater
11/11 - Minneapolis, MN - Fine Line Music Cafe
11/12 - Milwaukee, WI - Turner Hall Ballroom
11/13 - Indianapolis, IN - The Vogue
11/15 - Detroit, MI - Majestic Theater
11/16 - Toronto, Ontario - Opera House
11/17 - Cambridge, MA - Middle East
11/19 - Baltimore, MD - Sonar
11/20 - Philadelphia, PA - Electric Factory
11/21 - New York, NY - The Fillmore NY at Irving Plaza
11/22 - Chicago, IL - Vic Theatre
12/09 - Los Angeles, CA - El Rey Theatre
12/11 - Solana Beach, CA - Belly Up Tavern
12/12 - Anaheim, CA - House of Blues
Thanks for the report to Livedaily.com.
