Guerrilla Radio: A Rage Against the Machine Tribute Kills at Crowbar

I think there’s never been a time more right for Rage Against the Machine, and to have music…

There’s no movement on that front, sorry to say. While fans lament the fact that Rage Against the Machine doesn’t exist, I’d say there’s a lot of music out there that speaks to these times, including my ‘Atlas Underground’ record, but not exclusively.

If like you are missing a Rage Against the Machine element in the world, then form a band. What’s on your mind? It’s your time – do it. Don’t sit around waiting, you’re wasting life if you’re waiting for some bands to emerge from the shadows to save you, it’s your time to pick up a guitar or a turntable or whatever or Ableton or whatever it is, and have your say.

Tom Morello spoke those words back in May, but some Florida musicians and Jess Phillips of Bungalow Entertainment were already well into the process of organizing Guerrilla Radio: A Rage Against the Machine Tribute, which debuted at Crowbar in Ybor City on Saturday, June 22.

Tropico Blvd opened the show. Tropico Blvd are: Miguel Lantigua, guitar, vocals; Audrey Short, violin, vocals; Dan Gailey, bass; Adam Mann, drums; Cody Moore, keyboards; and Kyle Sareyani, percussion, vocals.

Tropico Blvd – Photo credit: John Strojny
Tropico Blvd – Photo credit: John Strojny

Next up was Bangarang. Bangarang are: Senyo Fugar, vocals, beatbox; Wesley Bland, guitar; Arsenio Curry, drums; Bryant Harp, bass; and Tyson Gordon, guitar.

Bangarang – Photo credit: John Strojny
Bangarang – Photo credit: John Strojny

The main event was the tribute to RATM. For this show, the band was: Justino Lee Walker, guitar, vocals; Vinny Svoboda, bass; and Michael Garrie, drums. Vocalists were Cess Colindres, Jon Ditty, Senyo Fugar, Chris Pack, and Noah Prescott.

After the band intros near the end, they welcomed Jess Phillips to the stage to receive much-deserved praise for her Bungalow show. Miguel Lantigua then played guitar so that Walker could pour himself into the Audioslave song “Show Me How to Live.”

Jess Phillips – RATM Tribute – Photo Ccredit: John Strojny
Jess Phillips – RATM Tribute – Photo Ccredit: John Strojny
Justino Lee Walker on vocals – RATM Tribute – Photo Ccredit: John Strojny

And of course the grand finale was “Killing in the Name.”

[RATM: Bulls on Parade, Vietnow, Take The Power Back, Guerrilla Radio, Calm Like a Bomb, People of the Sun, Bullet In The Head, Sleep Now In The Fire, Born of a Broken Man, Wake up, Tire Me, Down Rodeo, Bombtrack, Renegades of Funk, Know Your Enemy, War Within a Breath, Testify, Freedom, Band intros, Show Me How to Live (Audioslave), Killing in the Name]

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