When I first woke up in the morning at SXSW 2007, I picked up the SXSW insert from the Austin Chronicle and noticed an interview with Tom Morello. He had several solo, acoustic performances at the festival under his new moniker, “The Nightwatchman.” Interestingly enough, I never saw The Nightwatchman printed without (Tom Morello) next to it or vice versa.
Unlike most of the lesser known acts at SXSW struggling for attention, Morello knows marketing. He didn’t go to SXSW to be discovered. He was there to launch his new product. He’s building his new Nightwatchman brand by adding credibility with his real name, which helps draw the crowds and the press. He even had celebrity endorsements on stage with him in the form of Slash and Perry Ferrell. What do you expect from a Harvard graduate?
And then there’s the PR. After reading his interview in the Austin Chronicle, I became really intrigued when he said “My aspiration is to be the black Woody Guthrie.” Wow. I was almost sold, but ended up passing on his shows in Austin. After seeing this footage, I have zero remorse (other than missing Perry Ferrell and Slash jam with him to Jane’s Addiction’s “Mountain Song”)
I’m not sure if being Tom Morello is an unfair advantage at SXSW or not, but it bugs me. I do know I would have liked to see another band earn that spot in the Chronicle. It also would have been nice for some band that hasn’t “made it” to draw in those onlookers that were standing in Morello’s crowd. And imagine the impact of Slash or Perry Ferrell hopping up on stage with a no-name band to give their seal of approval? Who knows what kind of doors could be opened for a talented group of guys or girls currently sleeping in a van.
What I do know is that The Nightwatchman bores me and I consider myself a Tom Morello fan. I guess the two are mutually exclusive, so I can like one and not the other, but it just goes to show that all the marketing, press, and hoopla in the world won’t do a lick of good if the product ain’t no good. Have a listen for yourself.
He lost me at “la la-la-la la la-la la la.”
[youtube]FskJXtNjjyU[/youtube]
You can stream more at: http://www.nightwatchmanmusic.com/
{ 1 comment… read it below or add one }
It is odd that for as much as I might enjoy Tom Morello’s other work, this project bores the snot out of me. I can’t buy him as a folk artist. A protest artist, yes, but this isn’t a style that suits him.
Maybe Rage have already begun rehearsals for Coachella, and he needed SOMETHING to mellow out. Funny choice, right?
Leave a Comment