Guitarist Tom Morello, famous for his work with his bands Rage Against the Machine and Audioslave, has joined forces with Pussy Riot to create a new song, “Weather Strike.” Tom Morello is no stranger to politics, his father was the first Kenyan ambassador to the UN, his paternal great-uncle was the first president of Kenya, and Morello also studied social sciences at Harvard University, and of course being in a band such as Rage Against the Machine that it’s not surprising to see such a perfectly fit collaboration.
“Pussy Riot is one of the most radical and important activist musical groups of all time. Their fearless blending of art and confrontation is a constant inspiration and it’s an honor to combine forces on this powerful, revolutionary track “Weather Strike,” said Morello.
WARNING: Flashes of red/blue (for epileptic readers).
Instantly Morello’s iconic guitar riffs are recognizable and heard throughout the song. Pussy Riot has always been a band that is difficult to place in terms of genre as each of their songs is different, sometimes you get this type of heavy music, other times it can be folk, or hip hop, etc. The band is more interested in making big political and artistic statements than being defined by style. The song is another anti-police state song as sung through the lyrics.
“Both for Tom and me politics have been always closely intertwined with our music, like two sides of a Möbius strip. It’s an honor to collaborate and be friends with Tom. I feel strong, empowered, supported, seen, respected, when I work with Tom, I feel that we’re forming a good part of a revolutionary art army together, true allies and comrades. “Weather Strike is a dreamy, utopian track for me, we loudly proclaim the future we want to see: alternative systems of public safety where police violence is no longer an issue, an ultimate joy of rebellion and rejecting injustice, and also I sing about my dream to turn the main FSB (ex-KGB) building into an immersive museum where we’re going to learn about dark moments of Russian history – I’ll make it happen when Putin is no longer in power,” stated Pussy Riot’s Nadya Tolokonnikova.
Pussy Riot is to release a their debut album later this year. Their most recent release was Panic Attack EP which included a song called “TOXIC” featuring queer artist Dorian Electra. The audio-visual “Panic Attack” was sold as an NFT artwork and raised $370 000 to benefit Russian women’s shelter as well as support for Pussy Riot’s continued activism. During this year they also released a new music video called “Sexist”.
Pussy Riot’s Masha Alekhina and Lucy Shtein are currently being held under house arrest and are facing two years in jail for their support of Putin’s popular opposition Alexey Navalny.
Photo credit Brett Padelford.
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