Slaves to the music

[KiwiCoromandel]

AUDIOSLAVE are a rarity in the world of rock supergroups. They appear to get along OK. But the group comprising erstwhile Soundgarden frontman Chris Cornell and the instrumentalists of Rage Against the Machine (guitar maestro Tom Morello and its rhythm section of Brad Wilk and Tim Commerford) wasn't always so rosy.

Morello, who visited Australia last month to preview the band's new album, says Audioslave's beginning was inauspicious. "Chris had a terrible drug problem and we had two hostile camps of management that hated each other," he says.

The solution: both parties fired their management groups and Cornell attempted to sober up. The result was a platinum-selling debut album.

Born out of the ashes of Rage Against the Machine when, Morello says, the group's volatile frontman Zack de la Rocha quit in 2000, the suggestion of Cornell to replace de la Rocha came from producer Rick Rubin. Yet Cornell insisted he did not want to front Rage Against the Machine mark II, setting out conditions that he would be the band's lyricist and politics would be omitted.

Morello, Rage's most strident political activist, says the three ex-Ragers did internally wrestle with Cornell's stipulation. "The two things I'm interested in doing is playing music and being involved in political activism. Rage was not a great band because it was political, it was a great rock band that happened to also be political," he says.

Activism the Harvard-educated Morello has participated in recently includes playing for striking grocery workers in LA, backing American Indians in a boycott of fast-food giant Taco Bell, being tear-gassed along with steel workers at free-trade protests in Miami, and protesting at the 2004 Republican Convention in New York. "When you pick up a guitar, you do not forfeit your right to free speech," he says.

Audioslave might have been rendered toothless politically, but Morello formed Axis of Justice, a non-profit-making organisation devoted to fighting for social justice, with System of a Down's Serj Tankian. "It's all about philanthropic work, latching ourselves to bulldozers, sticking it to the man and fighting the power," he says without a trace of irony.

Morello has also toured solo under the Nightwatchman moniker, playing folk music with Billy Bragg and Steve Earle: "Having the balls to get up and sing my own songs felt like a great leap artistically," he says.

Though Morello loathes the "supergroup" tag, he cannot deny its appropriateness. The band's albums are produced by Rubin and have spawned umpteen hit singles. Audioslave's first gig was in the middle of New York City for David Letterman on the rooftop of the Ed Sullivan Theatre. Last year they became the first American rock band to headline a show (to more than 70,000 people) in Havana, Cuba.

They might proclaim Audioslave is one big happy family but it's hard to overlook the differences between Cornell and Morello. Last month Cornell appeared in an Esquire fashion spread wearing clothes by designers Prada and Louis Vuitton. It's hardly something you can imagine the downmarket, baseball cap-wearing Morello bothering with. While Cornell now resides with his second wife and their two children in Paris, where he also runs a restaurant, the rest of Audioslave remain steadfastly Californian.

Morello notes: "We love the guy. It was life and death for a while with him. Revelations is the first record he didn't smoke, drink or take drugs through the recording. It's the first time in his career he hasn't been doing those things."

The album also includes the somewhat clumsy track about Hurricane Katrina, Wide Awake. Morello says Cornell's slightly political lyrics were a pleasant surprise.

The band almost replicate the intensity of Rage on the new track Sound of a Gun. The album also has funk and soul influences from the likes of Funkadelic and Sly and the Family Stone.

"It's the hardest, most groove-oriented Audioslave yet," Morello says.

Audioslave have also begun performing old Soundgarden and Rage songs live. "It's awesome," Morello enthuses.

"To be able to authentically draw from a catalogue of 12 platinum albums is unbelievable. When we rock Spoonman, Chris says we do a pretty fine job doing it and it's goddamn Chris Cornell singing it!"

Like any supergroup, keeping Audioslave together will remain a battle. Cornell is rumoured to have already recorded a second solo album. "I've come to know that any band worth its salt has a good share of dysfunction and crazy behaviour," Morello says.

"We've been cantankerous enough in our careers that when we have a new record to put out, regardless of the timing of circumstances, the record company is pleased."

source:AP

image:supplied:AUDIOSLAVE....revelations..

[CTC Command]

cool--if they are going into their respective back catalogues, especially Soundgarden, i will consider seeing Audioslave live again.

Really miss Soundgarden...

[method77]

they were good but Rage Against The Machine was better and Morello did some amazing stuff with them. Now he just plays the guitar

[DudeAsInCool]

Rage Against the Machine are needed now more than ever!

[CTC Command]

I liked RATM when they first came out--their first album is imo in the top 10 releases of the '90s. But after a while they started to sound like...the same three songs, over and over?* SG on the other hand, have a discenable sound, but there is also an evolution to their music over the course of their existence that is lacking in RATM.

*edit: maybe it was the same ONE song, over and over...

Edited August 31, 2006 by CTC Command

[rainbowdemon]

It's funny, I never really cared for either band. Except maybe for "Black Hole Sun". But Audioslave is a very good band!!

[method77]

RATM knew that all their sounds were similar but they wanted to get a message across using their hard sounds. That's why they split so early and moved on. Actually Zack de la Rocha stopped the whole thing. He was always considered as an activist more than a musician. He has done some nice tunes with artists such as DJ Shadow as well.