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Revolution in the Head: Rage Against the Machine and the Art of Protest

Rage Against the Machine, one of the most popular and influential bands of the 1990s, is the focus of a brand new documentary called Revolution in the Head, out later this month. Bursting onto the music scene in 1992, the LA-based band echoed the frustrations and critiques of a generation in the year that the Rodney King street riots captured the attention of the nation. Their self-titled debut album became a huge success leading to a performance at the 1993 Lollapalooza where the band members made a controversial on-stage protest against attempted censorship of music. Rage’s 1996 album entitled Evil Empire was followed by The Battle of Los Angeles in 1999, a year before the Democratic National Convention which was held here in LA. A stage performance as part of a political rally outside the Staples Center where the convention took place ended in police violence and a real battle in the streets of LA. Rage Against the Machine provided the soundtrack to movements at a time when most rock bands were relatively devoid of political expression, making them profoundly influential to millions of people. With their explosive mix of rap and rock, they were able to make huge waves on the mainstream music scene, perhaps influencing fans that were otherwise politically uninformed. While Rage Against the Machine broke up in 2000, leading men Zack de la Rocha and Tom Morello have gone down very different paths releasing their own individual solo albums. Over the past couple of years the band has begun playing live at various venues including the Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival.

Today we are pleased to feature a limited collector’s edition of the brand new documentary, Revolution in the Head: Rage Against the Machine And the Art of Protest, to be released on February 23rd. Dissecting the work and career of Rage Against the Machine, the film places the band in the tradition of American protest music and features interviews with Rage’s producer, engineer, and biographer, as well as the LA Times’ Ann Powers, and OC Weekly’s Gustavo Arellano also a KPFK programmer.

Thank you Gifts:

Revolution in the Head – DVD – $100
One Day as a Lion – CD – $40
RATM Pack – $120