The Dust Off (sort of): Zach de la Rocha

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one-day-lion-200.jpgHere at the Riff, we’re not above dusting off obsolete items with a high awesomeness/cheesiness quotient. I wouldn’t call Zach de le Rocha, politically outspoken front man for Rage Against the Machine old and dusty (his awesomeness/cheesiness is debatable), but he has been mostly off the radar since Rage’s heyday (and some more recent reunion performances). Until now.

Together with drummer Jon Theodore (formerly of the Mars Volta), de la Rocha’s got new music coming out under the moniker One Day As A Lion on July 22 (Anti- is releasing). Their press statement about the music is a mouthful:

It reads: One Day As A Lion is “a defiant affirmation of the possibilities that exist in the space between kick and snare. It’s a sonic reflection of the visceral tension between a picturesque fabricated cultural landscape, and the brutal socioeconomic realities it attempts to mask.” They go on to say, “One Day As A Lion is both a warning delivered and a promise kept.”

Yikes. Are they gearing up to kick people’s asses or play music?! Either way, I have to say I’m intrigued. Tracks haven’t been released yet (officially, anyway), so for now we’ll have to revisit some oldie-but-goodie Zach de la Rocha moments, like this one:

And this clip of him and Rage at the 2000 DNC in Los Angeles:

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None of it should surprise us. The problem with American journalism has always been that we entrusted this vital public service to for-profit companies whose allegiance could shift with the political winds and the bottom line.

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We’re funded by our readers too. This week, we have a generous $50,000 match for all donations, meaning that your donation—and your impact—will be doubled. Gifts from readers like you help keep us fiercely independent and telling the truth about those in power.

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