Rage Against The Machine bio

[1991]

First public performance, somebody's living room, Orange County, California.

[1992]

Self-produced 12-song cassette released. Includes "Bullet In The Head"this original version is later included on Epic debut album. Through fan club and at live shows, this tape sells over 5,000 copies.

07/13/1992

Rage support Porno For Pyros on the latter's debut performance, Los Angeles, CA.

09/11/1992

First of two shows on the second stage of Lollapalooza II, Irvine Meadows, Los Angeles, California.

10/01/1992

First European tour begins, supporting Suicidal Tendencies (through 10/24/1992).

11/06/1992

Rage Against The Machine released on Epic Records.

12/26/1992

"On the strength of the album, they must be viewed as one of the most original and virtuosic new rock bands in the nation..." Timothy White, Billboard.

03/08/1993

Rage begin US tour with House Of Pain.

07/18/1993

Appearing at Lollapalooza III in Philadelphia, Rage create a silent protest against censorship by standing naked on stage for 15 minutes without singing or playing a note. Each band member has duct tape across his mouth and a letter scrawled on his chest, spelling out "P-M-R-C."

09/11/1993

Rage headline sold-out Anti-Nazi League benefit, Brixton Academy, London, England. Supporting acts include Lush, Senser, Headswim and Green Apple Quickstep. Show raises money for League activities, publicizes 10/16/1993 anti-Nazi march.

10/14/1993

Rage begin headlining US tour with "Rock For Choice" benefit at The Palladium, Hollywood, California.

11/04/1993

First sold-out headlining show at Roseland, New York City.

11/17/1993

Rage begin a US tour with Cypress Hill in Denver, Colorado.

12/19/1993

MTV "120 Minutes" premier of "Freedom" video, directed by Peter Christopherson. The video combines live performance footage with scenes from 1992 documentary Incident At Oglala and text from Peter Matthiessen's In The Spirit Of Crazy Horse.

01/23/1994

Rage headline Rock For Choice benefit, The Palladium, Hollywood, CA. Also appearing: Screaming Trees, Eddie Vedder, Mary's Danish, 7 Year Bitch, Green Apple Quick Step, Exene Cervenka.

02/01/1994

"Freedom" is the #1 video in the country, according to CVC Broadcast & Cable Top 50 chart.

04/28/1994

Rage organize a benefit concert "For The Freedom Of Leonard Peltier," California State University, Dominguez Hills, California. Rage headlines a bill including Cypress Hill, Quicksand, Mother Tongue, X and Stanford Prison Experi-ment, with guest appearance by the Beastie Boys. A check for $75,235.91 is later presented to the Leonard Peltier Defense Fund.

10/22/1994

Rage play "Latinpalooza," a joint benefit for Leonard Peltier Defense Fund, United Farm Workers, and Para Los Niños, at Grand Olympic Grounds, Los Angeles, CA. Cypress Hill, Ligher Shade Of Brown, Fobia, Little Joe Y La Familia, and Thee Midnighters share the bill.

12/30/1994

Higher Learning, with music from film directed by John Singleton, is released on Epic Soundtrax. It features new Rage track, "Year Of Tha Boomer-ang," which is later included on Evil Empire.

08/17/1994

Rage Against The Machine is certified platinum for sales of one million copies. The album also certified platinum in Canada, UK, France, Belgium, and Chile; double platinum in New Zealand; and gold in Germany, Denmark, Holland, Norway, Sweden, Switzerland, Australia.

08/13/1995

Rage organize and headline a benefit concert at the Capitol Ballroom, Washington, D.C. The show raises more than $8,000 for the International Concerned Friends And Family Of Mumia Abu-Jamal. Also appearing: Handsome, Sullivan Brothers, Girls Against Boys, Chuck D. of Public Enemy, and Kathleen Hanna of Bikini Kill.

04/13/1996

Rage appear on NBC's "Saturday Night live." Their two-song performance is cut to one song when the band attempts to hang inverted American flags from their amplifiers.

04/14/1996

Rage video for "Bulls On Parade," directed by Peter Christopherson, premiers on MTV's "120 Minutes."

04/16/1996

Evil Empire is released on Epic Records.

04/20/1996

Rage play free concert at the Velodrome at California State University, Dominguez Hills, California.

05/03/1996

Rage begin a headlining European tour in Madrid.

05/04/1996

Evil Empire enter Billboard Top 200 Albums chart at #1*.

06/16/1996

Rage play the Tibetan Freedom Concert, Golden Gate Park, San Francisco. The two-day event draws a sell-out crowd of over 100,000 making it the largest U.S. benefit concert since live Aid in 1985, according to event producers Bill Graham Presents. Proceeds go to the Milarepa Fund, a San Francisco non-profit group working for the cultural survival of Tibet. Also appearing: Beastie Boys, Smashing Pumpkins, Fugees, Red Hot Chili Peppers, John Lee Hooker, Beck, Sonic Youth, Yoko Ono, De La Soul, Richie Havens.

07/16/1996

Rage begin a headlining US tour in Atlanta, GA including five nights at Roseland in New York City; four shows at the Hollywood Palladium, and three performances as the special guest band on the main stage of Lollapalooza.

07/31/1996

(1) Rage's "Bulls On Parade," directed by Peter Christopherson, is nominated for Best Hard Rock Video in the MTV Video Music Awards. (2) Evil Empire certified platinum for US sales of more than one million copies.

09/04/1996

Rage begin a West Coast headlining tour in San Jose, CA with dates through 10/10/1996.

01/04/1997

Two songs from Evil Empire, "Bulls On Parade" and "Tire Me," are nominated for Best Hard Rock Performance and Best Metal Performance respectively in the 38th Annual Grammy Awards sponsored by the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences.

01/08/1997

Rage Against The Machine is certified double platinum for US sales of more than two million copies.

01/20/1997

More than 50 US commercial radio stations carry the two-hour debut of "Radio Free L.A." The broadcast includes two live sets by a band comprised of Tom Morello (guitar), Zack de la Rocha (vocal), Flea (bass, of Red Hot Chili Peppers), and Steven Perkins (drums, of Porno For Pyros), including versions of "Down Rodeo," "Vietnow," "Tire Me," "People Of The Sun," "Bulls On Parade," and "Year Of The Boomerang." Also featured are live performances by Beck and Cypress Hill, and commentary by Leonard Peltier, Mumia Abu-Jamal, Noam Chomsky, Amy Ray (Indigo Girls), and Chuck D (Public Enemy).

02/26/1997

"Tire Me" wins Best Metal Performance in the Grammy Awards ceremonies held at Madison Square Garden in New York.

04/25/1997

At Sam Boyd Stadium in Las Vegas, Rage Against The Machine begin a series of stadium concerts supporting U2. Rage's net earnings from these performances are donated to a group of activist organizations, including Friends & Family of Mumia Abu-Jamal; FAIR (Fairness and Accuracy In Reporting); the National Commission for Democracy in Mexico; FZLN (Zapatista Front For National liberation); and Women Alive.

08/21/1997

In West Palm Beach, Florida, Rage begin a headlining US tour with special guests Wu-Tang Clan. The Wu withdraw from the tour after just one week of shows; subsequent opening slots are filled by Foo Fighters and The Roots, among others.

10/30/1997

Evil Empire is certified double platinum.

11/25/1997

Rage release a self-titled full-length home video, concert footage, non-album songs, and full-length, uncensored versions of the band's controversial music videos. The home video comes with a bonus CD single: a new Rage studio recording of Bruce Springsteen's "The Ghost of Tom Joad."

12/13/1997

In Santa Monica, California, Rage's Tom Morello is arrested during civil disobedience in a "March Of Conscience" against sweatshop labor. The arrests are part of a protest by garment workers and their supporters against sweatshop abuses by Guess? Inc. In the same week, advertisements appear on billboards and bus shelters in Las Vegas and New York reading. A caption under a photo of the band reads: "Rage Against Sweatshops: We Don't Wear Guess? - A Message from Rage Against The Machine and UNITE (Union of Needletrades Industrial and Textile Employees)."

01/06/1998

"People Of The Sun," from Evil Empire, is nominated for Best Hard Rock Performance in the 39th Annual Grammy Awards.

01/12/1998

The home video is certified US platinum for sales of 100,000 copies.

02//1998

Rage record "No Shelter."

05//1998

Rehearsals begin for The Battle of Los Angeles.

06/30/1998

Live & Rare, a compilation of live and rare performances is released only in Japan in advance of their summer tour dates. It is an album made up of "official bootlegs" such as the cover of N.W.A.'s "Fuck The Police"

09/01/1998

Recording of The Battle of Los Angeles begins (completed 10/01/1998).

01/23/1999

Unadvertised show at the 500-capacity Troubador in Los Angeles.

01/28/1999

Rage organize and headline a benefit concert at the Continental Airlines Arena in East Rutherford, NJ, with proceeds donated to the International Concerned Family And Friends Of Mumia Abu-Jamal. Also appearing are Black Star, Bad Religion and the Beastie Boys.

01/05/1999

"No Shelter," Rage's track on the platinum Godzilla soundtrack, is nominated for Best Metal Performance in the 40th Annual Grammy Awards.

04/12/1999

In Geneva, Switzerland, Zack de la Rocha speaks before a full session of the International Commission of Human Rights of the United Nations on the case of Mumia Abu-Jamal and the application of the death penalty in the United States.

04/24/1999

Zack addresses a rally for Mumia Abu-Jamal rally in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Later in the day, he presents a check for $80,000 to to the International Concerned Family And Friends Of Mumia Abu-Jamal, representing proceeds from the 1/28/1999 benefit concert.

06/13/1999

Rage Against The Machine play the Tibetan Freedom Concert at Alpine Valley in East Troy, Wisconsin. The bill also includes The Cult, Run DMC, the Beastie Boys, Blondie, live, Biz Markie, Outkast, The Roots, Otis Rush, and Pearl Jam's Eddie Vedder.

07/25/1999

Rage perform at Woodstock 99 in Rome, New York. A song from the set, "Bulls On Parade," is later included on the Epic double album Woodstock 99 (released 10/19/1999).

07/30/1999

Performance at the Mount Fuji Festival in Naeba, Japan

08/01/1999

Performance at Olympic Park in Seoul, South Korea.

08/03/1999

Performance at Blaisdell Arena in Honolulu, Hawaii.

10/10/1999

Rage headline the Coachella Festival in Indio, California.

10/12/1999

"Guerrilla Radio," the first single from The Battle of Los Angeles, arrives in stores.

11/02/1999

On Election Day, Rage's third album The Battle of Los Angeles is released on Epic Records. The band makes its first ever appearance on "Late Night With David Letterman" (CBS network), performing "Guerrilla Radio" live on the streets of midtown Manhattan.

01/26/2000

The shoot for the music video for "Sleep Now In The Fire," directed by Michael Moore, caused the doors of the New York Stock Exchange to be closed and the band to be escorted from the site by security, after band members attempted to gain entry into the Exchange. Trading on the Exchange floor, however, continued uninterrupted.

07/25/2000

Rhyme and Reason 2000 is cancelled due to a shoulder injury sustained by Beastie Boys' Mike D.

08/01/2000

The 5-track CD single of "Testify" is released in the US.

08/16/2000

After weeks of harried negotiations, a federal judge's ruling and some luck, Rage Against the Machine manages to stage a blistering, politically charged concert at the very doorstep of the Democratic National Convention at Staples Center.

09/13/2000

Rage Against The Machine performed their last shows before they disbanded on September 12 and 13th, 2000.

10/18/2000

RATM disbands.

11/07/2000

The Single from "Renegades", "Renegades of Funk", begins radio airplay.

12/05/2000

"Renegades" Hits the streets as a collection of songs originally written and recorded by artists such as MC5, The Stooges, EPMD, Bob Dylan, Minor Threat, The Rolling Stones, Afrika Bambaataa, Devo, Volume 10, Erik B and Rakim, and Cypress Hill. In keeping with the spirit and concept of the Renegades album, a newly remixed, alternate version of Bruce Springsteen's "The Ghost of Tom Joad" (previously only available as a single along with Rage's 1997 home video) was also included.

02/20/2001

"The Battle of Mexico City" DVD is released... a full-length concert and video journal of the band's trip to Mexico City which was clearly one of the musical and political highlights of RATM's career.

02/21/2001

RATM wins Best Hard Rock Performance for "Guerrilla Radio" at the 43rd Grammy Awards

03/13/2001

Tom Meets with Mumia Abu-Jamal in the SCI Greene penitentiary, taking messages from fans on the site along with him to deliver to Mumia.

4/21/2001

Timmy C, Brad Wilk and Tom Morello from Rage Against the Machine participate in the protest against the Free Trade Area of the Americas (FTAA) in San Ysidro, California.

09/2001

Following the 9/11 attacks, Clear Channel creates a list of "songs with questionable lyrics." RATM has the distinction of being the only band to have all its songs on the list.

12/08/2002

"Renegades Of Funk" is nominated for Best Hard Rock Performance

11/25/2003

Live At The Grand Olympic Auditorium is released on CD containing performances from the final 2 shows of 2000.

12/09/2003

Live At The Grand Olympic Auditorium is released on DVD consisting of the September 13th show in LA as well as their performance at the 2000 Democratic National Convention in Los Angeles.

01/22/2007

Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival confirms RATM's plan to re-unite and headline the final day of the Southern California festival.

04/29/2007

Rage Against The Machine closes the Coachella Valley Music And Arts Festival to the largest crowd of the weekend.

07/27/2007

Rage Against The Machine and Evil Empire are certified triple platinum in the US with sales over 3,000,000.

07/28/2007

RATM headline the Hip Hop festival Rock The Bells, in Randalls Island, NY in the first of a 2 night sold out stand with Wu Tang Clan, Public Enemy and Cypress Hill.

08/18/2007

Rock The Bells dates featuring RATM as headliner concludes at McCovey Cove in SF following their So Cal appearance at the Hyundai Pavilion on August 11.

08/24/2007

Rage Against the Machine play their first non-festival concert in 7 years at the Alpine Valley Music Theater in East Troy, Wisconsin.

10/26/2007

Rage co-headline the New Orleans Voodoo Music Experience.

10/28/2007

Rage headline the third annual VEGOOSE Festival in Las Vegas, Nevada. This appearance is the last scheduled show of 2007.