Spotlight: Morello, guitarist for rock bands Rage Against the Machine and Audioslave, has put down the ax and picked up the microphone for his new solo career. Under his alter ego The Nightwatchman, Morello, who wants to be “the black Robin Hood of 21st century music,” sings folk acoustic music with a political edge. Named #26 on Rolling Stone’s 100 Greatest Guitar Players of All Time list, Morello recently released his first album, called One Man Revolution, in April.

A Passion for Politics: Morello’s fiercely anti-establishment politics are not an overnight development. During the 1980 mock elections at Libertyville High School, the young Morello campaigned on behalf of a fictitious anarchist candidate named Hubie Maxwell (Maxwell came in 4th, losing out to Ronald Reagan). Morello’s political fervor reached a crescendo when he joined forces with the other members of Rage, who were active supporters of the Zapatista Army of National Liberation. The band also campaigned on behalf of prison inmates such as Mumia Abu-Jamal and Leonard Peltier, gaining notoriety for their outspoken political protesting. And while the music in One Man Revolution is softer, the message is not: The Boston Herald says that the ultimate point of the new album is to encourage listeners to “rise up and put a brick through The Man’s window.” True to his words, Morello recently played at the Move Against G8 Protest, where he was the only American performer at the 50,000-person rally in Germany.

Still Raging?: Rage, which has released four platinum records and won two Grammys, recently reunited to headline Coachella alongside artists such as Lily Allen and the Roots. The festival, which also featured Morello performing as The Nightwatchman, marked the first time the band had played together since singer Zack de la Rocha departed in 2000. While the performance got off to a shaky start due to technical hitches, the band’s fiery stage antics won them rave reviews from most attendees. Though the band had previously insisted that the reunion would be a one-time occurrence, they recently announced that they will be joining Wu-Tang Clan for three performances on this summer’s Rock the Bells tour.

Legendary Aspirations: Morello calls himself the reverse Bob Dylan, comparing his electric-to-acoustic switch to Dylan’s opposite change. The singer, who hopes to be seen as a “black Woody Guthrie,” also cites Bruce Springsteen and Johnny Cash as inspirations for his new musical style.

In his own words: “I was the only black kid in an all-white town growing up. I was the only anarchist in a conservative high school. I was the only heavy-metal, punk-rock guitar player at Harvard University, and I was the only Harvard grad in an underground Hollywood band. Now, I am one of only a few committed activists in a commercialized pop-music world. And so, I think making this record was a very important step for me."