My upstairs neighbors are ignorant. Woke me up (and they know they are doing it) at 3:16 AM and 5:48 AM. I need a lawyer…..Rage Against the Machine’s Tom Morello spoke with our roving correspondent yesterday to discuss the 20th anniversary edition of their debut self titled album. The set is called Rage Against the Machine: XX and it drops Nov 27th. The set is complete with unreleased demos and tons of live material. But unfortunately, this is the only release we’re going to see from the band for the foreseeable future: guitarist Tom Morello told Billboard despite some recent hints from bassist Tim Commerford and singer Zack de la Rocha, there are “no plans” for Rage to make a new record. As for the 20th anniversary of the first Rage album, Morello told us the band had no idea when it first started out that its pioneering mix of rock, rap and radical politics would last this long: “I had literally zero expectations. It’s very different now, like, everybody’s got Lil Wayne and Metallica in their iPod. That was not the case in 1991. They were opposing musics. And to combine traditionally black and white music and then to have a multi-ethnic band, and then have the lyrical content — I didn’t think that we would be able to book a club show.” Rage Against The Machine XX, will come out in three versions: a regular single disc, a two-CD/one-DVD package, and a deluxe box set featuring the CDs, two DVDs, the album on vinyl picture disc, plus a 40-page booklet and a double-sided poster. The first CD will feature three hard-to-find B-sides along with the original album, while the second CD will contain the rare, original Rage Against the Machine 1991 demo tape that helped land the group their record deal with Sony. The song is called “The Narrows” and you can see how “green” they were then. But it’s definitely worth a listen. We’ll air it on an upcoming edition of hardDrive and share some of the interview with Tom. The first DVD will contain Rage’s free concert in Finsbury Park on June 2010. Also included are music videos and other live concert performance clips. The second DVD will feature Rage’s first public performance ever at Cal State North Ridge in October 1991, plus various rare early concert clips. Morello told Billboard about the release, “We’re really psyched to be putting this out for the fans . . . I want to really give them a motherlode of Rage Against The Machine history, past and present.” Rage Against The Machine disbanded in 2000 after the December release of Renegades, but reunited in 2007 and has played sporadic live shows ever since. Summer 2011’s L.A. Rising festival was Rage Against The Machine’s last live appearance to date. You can also be listening for Tom as Rage will certainly be a Featured Artist of the Week soon on hardDrive XL as well as on hardDrive!…Getting closer to Shiprocked 2012! Talking to the bands’ tour managers now about arranging interviews. The bands are in the process of getting their set times. Let me know if you’ll be on the boat! Email via the link on the home page! Would love to say hello! Lou Brutus can’t go because he has to be on the air and there was no way we could broadcast from the boat! Oh, the things I must do! (Did I mention my favorite band KORN was on that bill?)….I know when Revolver’s Golden Gods Awards are happening and I know who they’re honoring this year, BUT I CAN’T TELL YOU YET! But it is pretty damn AWESOME!…..Wish I was at this show! Pulse Content reports Members of the Black Keys, the Strokes, Kings Of Leon and others, including actor Johnny Depp, were on hand for a tribute to legendary rocker Tom Petty that took place in Los Angeles on Wednesday night (November 14th) at the El Rey Theatre. According to Stereogum, Strokes members Albert Hammond Jr., Fabrizio Moretti and Nick Valensi showed up to perform, along with Black Keys drummer Patrick Carney, Kings Of Leon bassist Jared Followill, Velvet Revolver drummer Matt Sorumand many other musicians. The guest list also featured comedian/actress Sarah Silverman, who sang “Don’t Come Around Here,” The Hangover star Justin Bartha, who crooned “Into The Great Wide Open,” and Depp, who stayed onstage to play guitar on six songs. Pop diva Ke$ha also showed up at the same time as Depp. All proceeds from the evening were set aside to benefit the musicians’ charity Sweet Relief and Hurricane Sandy victims….Pulse also reports a new documentary on late Nirvana frontman Kurt Cobain is in the works from filmmaker Brett Morgan, whose history of the Rolling Stones, Crossfire Hurricane, premiered last night (Nov 15th) on HBO. Morgan has been discussing the Cobain project with the musician’s widow, Courtney Love, since 2007, saying, “We’ve been trying to find the right time to put this film together and the time is now. Kurt was not only an amazing songwriter and musician, he was an incredible artist and filmmaker. So we are going to do the movie sort of like a third-person autobiography — (as) if Kurt was around and making a film about his life.” (The New York Post) ….Three original members of Black Sabbath continue to work on their first album together in 34 years, with bassist Geezer Butler recording his bass tracks on yesterday (Nov 15th). A post at the band’s Facebook page featured a picture of an empty stool and a bass guitar in the studio, with the caption reading, “Geezer Butler is all set to record some more bass tracks on the new album today.” Butler, singer Ozzy Osbourne and guitarist Tony Iommi began working on the album earlier this year in London allowing Iommi to be close to his doctors after being diagnosed with cancer. Recording has now moved to the Los Angeles area, with the album on track to be released next April and tour dates starting to surface. Founding drummer Bill Ward is sitting the sessions and all live shows out, with Tommy Clufetos taking over behind the kit. Meanwhile, Sabbath has also announced a December 12th release date for Black Sabbath — The Vinyl Collection: 1970 – 1978. The limited edition box set will contain all eight studio albums recorded by the original lineup on 180-gram vinyl with new reproductions of the artwork, the Live At Last concert album, a seven-inch copy of the group’s debut single “Evil Woman,” plus a hardback book featuring the original tour programs from the band’s 1970, 1975, 1976 and 1978 treks. (Thanks Pulse)…Happy 5-0 on Sunday to Kirk Hammett of Metallica and Happy 28th also on Sunday to Johnny Christ of Avenged Sevenfold!
