On July 17 of this year, Hollywood’s Avalon ballroom hosted a concert in support of Serj Tankian (System Of A Down) and Tom Morello’s non-profit political organization, Axis Of Justice. Featuring performances from the two previously mentioned main men, The Nightwatchmen, Pete Yorn, and Jurassic 5, the concert will be captured on CD and DVD format and released to the masses on November 2 through Columbia Records. The event also featured a number of interesting artist pairings. For example, a performance of “Where The Streets Have No Name” with Tom Morello, Serj Tankian, Pete Yorn, Flea, Brad Wilk, Tim Walker, Maynard James Keenan, and Jonny Polonsky, will be included. According to Billboard, a cover of the Elvis Costello-popularized “(What’s So Funny ’bout) Peace, Love, and Understanding” by Tool’s Maynard James Keenan and Audioslave’s Chris Cornell, taped on the 2003 Lollapalooza tour will show up as well.
The DVD will boast extras such as interviews with Michael Moore and Janeane Garofalo and clips from previous Axis benefits. There is no word as to where the proceeds from the sale of this CD will go. I’m sure Serj and Morello will put their portion of the loot to good use, but what will Columbia do with their slice of the pie? We shall see. It’s great that a major is willing to put out a politically-inspired compilation, lets hope their motivation is something more than the revenue it will generate.
Track Listing:
“Intro” – Ahmed Ahmed
“Speak on it” – Knowledge, Serj Tankian
“Until the End” – The Nightwatchman
“Union Song” – The Nightwatchman
“I Feel Good Again” – Pete Yorn
“Piano Improvisation” – Serj Tankian
“Charades” – Serj Tankian
“Free Jam” – Serj Tankian, Brad Wilk, Flea
“Chimes of Freedom” – Tom Morello, Serj Tankian, Pete Yorn, Flea, Brad Wilk
“Alice in My Fantasies” – Tom Morello, Serj Tankian, Pete Yorn, Flea, Brad Wilk
“What’s Golden” – Jurassic 5
“Freedom” – Jurassic 5
“Where the Streets Have No Name” – Tom Morello, Serj Tankian, Pete Yorn, Flea, Brad Wilk, Tim Walker, Maynard James Keenan, Jonny Polonsky
“(What’s So Funny ’bout) Peace, Love, and Understanding,” Chris Cornell, Maynard James Keenan
