Tom Morello says that when he and his Rage Against the Machine brethren first heard about the passing of Arizona's controversial SB 1070 immigration bill, they knew they had to do something about it.
So the band decided to do what it does best: bring the sound and fury.
In tandem with Sound Strike — an organization that calls on musicians to boycott the state until SB 1070 is repealed — Rage organized a benefit show set for Friday in the band's hometown of Los Angeles. Considering the heft of the situation (and the fact that the gig will be RATM's first L.A. appearance in 10 years), well, you can expect that it's going to be a pretty monumental evening.
"Sound Strike is artists united against Arizona's recently passed, racist immigration legislation," Morello told MTV News on Wednesday. "[And] Rage Against the Machine are playing our first show in 10 years in our hometown of Los Angeles to support activists within the state of Arizona who are against this legislation. We're playing with Conor Oberst and the Mystic Valley Band, and it's going to be a pretty fantastic time."
Morello said that all proceeds from the show, which is already sold out, will go to the Sound Strike Fund, which directly supports the Arizona-based organizations PUENTE Arizona and The Florence Project. And he promised that fans will be in for a fiery night. After all, the stakes are high, and the band's anger is even higher.
"Rage is playing just one show in North America this year, and the reason we're doing it is to stand up against legislation that just reminds me of the worst aspects of apartheid," Morello said. "It's a soft-core apartheid, so we're going to rock until that f---ing thing's kicked out."
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