Stand With Tom Morello (And Get a Free MP3)

I generally try to steer away from talking about politics in this blog, but lately it feels harder & harder to avoid. I was both cheered & horrified to see the events that unfolded this spring up in Wisconsin and elsewhere in the Midwest — horrified because of WI Governor Scott Walker‘s thinly-veiled attempts at union-busting in the name of fixing the state’s budgetary problems, and cheered to see the massive protests those attempts provoked, even if they didn’t stop Walker and his pals from gutting labor rights in the state.

And as those protests rolled on, Tom Morello, Rage Against the Machine guitarist and now going solo as The Nightwatchman, came to town and joined the rally, playing and talking to the protesters.

The public’s eye has moved on from labor struggles in the Midwest, unfortunately, but Morello’s kept on fighting; last week he released a new album, Union Town, made up of classic labor songs and one brand-new Morello-penned track, “Union Town,” the proceeds for which will go to the America Votes Labor Unity Fund.

Naturally, it helps that “Union Town” is an impressive little track, melding Morello’s trademark sci-fi guitar sounds with Phil Ochs-style folkiness — I saw Morello perform as The Nightwatchman a few years ago, and I have to say that I like this song better than most of what he played then. And hey, you can grab it for yourself by handing over your email address:

Check out the video for the song right here: