Rage Against The Machine guitarist Tom Morello has joined ongoing protests in Wisconsin.
Rage Against The Machine reformed in 2007, apparently as a response to increasing conservatism in American society. Playing a series of titanic shows, the band were as outspoken as ever.
Playing a one off show last year, Rage Against The Machine are now apparently on hiatus. However the band's main songwriting team have not lost their thirst for activism, with both Zach de la Rocha and Tom Morello joining recent projects.
The pair united to condemn the treatment of workers in a South Korean guitar factory, while Tom Morello went it alone in order to join protests in Wisconsin. The state is aiming to impose new legislation, which some claim is anti-trade union.
Speaking to SpinnerMusic, Tom Morello revealed the reasons behind his decision to join the protests. "I was asked to go to Madison by the individual workers and more than one union, to come and play and energize people on the street and the kids in the capitol," he explained.
The guitarist has worked tirelessly for left wing causes in the United States, often travelling long distances at his own expense. Continuing, Tom Morello described the scenes in Wisconsin.
"I was so inspired by what I saw in the streets and in the capitol building, the students of Madison, Wis. have occupied the state capitol and they're not giving it back," he said.
"There are plenty of students there, but these are firemen and policemen. It's like it's every stripe, every creed, every color, there are kids, there are religious groups, there are teachers, old hippies, they were very militant and wound up and it was very exciting."
With Rage Against The Machine taking a break, Tom Morello has focussed on a number of collaborative projects. Street Sweeper Social Club toured in 2007, while the guitarist also released an album of folk influenced material under the Nightwatchman moniker.