Founding member of Rage Against the Machine performing at CMHR Friday

Musician and activist Tom Morello, an original member of Rage Against the Machine and Rock & Roll Hall of Fame inductee, will be taking the stage at the Canadian Museum of Human Rights (CMHR) Friday night.

Morello is hosting a one-night performance to kick off the CMHR's new exhibit "Beyond the Beat: Music of Resistance and Change." The performance is sold out.

Boasting a rich and stories musical career comparable to his achievements in activism, Morello describes his life as one "filled with triumph and tragedy, interwoven with music, politics and personal history." Those stories will make up a part of Friday's show, along with a selection of songs from Morello's catalogue.

"The most intimate moments are what we're going to do tonight," said Morello. "It's when I feel that I'm most seen and heard as a person and as an artist."

A Harvard alumnus, Morello found early success in the music industry as a founding member and guitarist of Rage Against the Machine. The band never shied away from political discourse, often including themes of labour and Indigenous Rights in songs.

The van that belonged to the band, a 1985 Chevy Astro, was featured in an early exhibition in December.

Morello describes his entire musical career as one centred on activism and feels "right at home" at the CMHR.

"A museum like this reminds us of struggles, both local and global, and that we are not on the sideline of those struggles today," said Morello.

Beyond the Beat: Music of Resistance and Change explores the ways music has inspired social and political change. Other artists featured in the exhibition, which runs until Sept. 2024, include Elton John, Tegan and Sara, Bruce Cockburn, and Heart, among others.

“Music, when the right combination of rhythm and rhyme feels like the truth, it's in a way that is different from any other art form,” said Morello.

"There's nothing like music that can affect the human soul."