Prophets of Rage: ‘In 2017 There Will Be New Music and a Lot More Shows’
Earlier this year, Prophets of Rage emerged on the scene, combining members of Rage Against the Machine, Public Enemy and Cypress Hill. The group felt that the timing was right to bring back the messages of each act's music during an election year, but the response has been overwhelmingly positive and Prophets of Rage are set to exist well beyond the recent presidential election.
During a chat with Tom Morello at the Bowl 4 Ronnie event in Los Angeles, the guitarist stated, "We had a great time. It was a band we put together because the times demanded it, but I think the band transcended that original mission. It was probably the most fun I've had on any tour. We rocked well, we rocked people hard and in 2017 there will be new music and there will be a lot more shows."
Meanwhile, bassist Tim Commerford delved into their plans even further during a separate interview. The bassist initially spoke about the delivery of the messages to the people, explaining, "There's more work to be done for sure, let's see what happens with the election. But one thing I do know is that - I have been changed because of music. I am a different person because of the band's I'm in, and have been in. I know first hand that music can change the way you think. It was Cypress Hill and Public Enemy that taught me Black history and Latino culture, for sure. I didn't learn that in Orange County, Irvine, as a kid coming up. There were no classes in my high school that taught that. I learned that from hip hop music."
He continued, "To take it a step further, I became a member of Rage Against the Machine but as much as I'm a member of the band, I'm also a fan. I love the music and I felt blessed to be in the same room with Zack de la Rocha and Tom Morello from a political standpoint. Those guys are on point. Now here I am with Chuck D and B-Real and I'm blown away. Music can change the way you think. We represent with Prophets of Rage, a 35-year chunk of the musical pie and there's a lot of politics in that chunk. I felt like we went out there and became better and better. We donated from every single show, money to homeless grassroots organizations around the country at every single show. There was a lot of work done there and I met so many people that were at the shows that were moved by it and we definitely were - from a press standpoint, there was a lot. Any time there was any press on the band it was always our politics were always front and center. So yeah, at the end of the day I feel like there's a lot of kids and adults out there that don't believe the hype. They don't believe what is happening. Hopefully they will figure out their way to taking it to the streets, whether it's with music or just a protest with their voice. I really believe that did make a difference."
As for the band's future, the bassist states, "It was never meant to be a one-off, or we're just doing this because of the election. I think a lot of people maybe think that and I understand why people may think that, but that's not the case and we already have studio time booked out. We're gonna make another EP. This next EP will be at least 5, maybe 6 songs that are gonna all be originals. We have the dates in the studio and it's a few months from now, so we have a little time to think about riffs and thinking about catchphrases and prepare."
Commerford says, "The plan is to make an EP every six months. Ultimately balance the scale, and whenever I see Chuck and B-Real, I always say, 'Balance the scale' and they know exactly what I'm talking about. We gotta balance the scale. We need to make our catalog, with Prophets of Rage balance against the catalog with Rage Against the Machine, Cypress Hill and Public Enemy. Right now it's not balanced, so we have a lot of work to do and I'm very confident that in the next year or two people are no longer going to be looking at this project as a one-off or looking at it as a super band that's a super karaoke band."
He continues, "We are eventually going to be a real band and kids are eventually are going to be going for our music. I'm so excited for the next EP, I'm so psyched I'm gonna get something in six months and maybe potentially it's gonna be the best thing they've ever done. That's the way I'm looking at it."
Prophets of Rage have already started adding dates for 2017, as part of the European festival season. Check out all of their stops here.
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