Hispanic Heritage Month

September 15 to October 15

Hispanic Heritage Month

Zack De La Rocha

Zack de la Rocha, born January,12,1970 is an American Rock Star, musician, poet and activist of Mexican-American descent. He is

best known as the vocalist and lyricist of one of the most influential bands in recent memory, Rage Against The Machine or simply

known as RATM. Early, Zack's father was a member of Los Four, the first Chicano art collective to exhibited at a museum. His father

suffered a nervous breakdown and got a little extreme.  When Zack visited his father on the weekend, he was forced to fast, sit in a room

with the curtains closed and the door locked and help destroy his father's paintings. His first involvement in the punk scene was when he

and Tim Commerford (future bass player for RATM), started a band called Juvenile Expression. He later met Tom Morello( known as of

the most influential guitarist of all-time) and Brad Wilk. Which would later be known as the the phenomenon Rage Against The Machine.

RATM quickly became a household name and main stage performer, and became one of the most politically charged bands ever to

receive extensive airplay. De La Rocha became one of the most visible champions of left-wing political causes around the world. He even

spoke on the floor of the UN plenty of times. Rage's second, third and fourth album peaked and number one inthe us. But didn't result in

the political action de la Rocha had hoped for. Therefore came the break-up of Rage Against The Machine. After some solo work and

One day as a Lion work, Rumors that Rage Against the Machine could reunite were circulating in Mid-January of 2007. and were

confirmed on January 22. and the band headlined that week for Coachella 2007. The reunion was described by Zack as primarily being

a vehicle to voice the band's opposition to the "right-wing purgatory" the US has "slid Into" under the George W. Bush administration.  

Political Views and Activism

Integral to their identity as a band, RATM voice revolutionary viewpoints highly critical of the domestic and foreign policies of current and

previous US government. RATM and its members participate in political protests and other activism to advocate these beliefs. The band

saw there music as a vehicle for social activism. De la Rocha said "i'm interested in spreading those ideas through art, because music

has the power to cross borders, to break military sieges and establish real dialogue. On January 26,2000 filming of 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. RATM also played a free concert at the 2000 Democratic National Convention in protest of the two-

party system. On September 2, 2008 during the republican National Convention, Rage Against the Machine was scheduled to play a

free show in protest of what Zack called the white and power abusing party on the State Capital lawn for Ripple Effect, after the

concert an impromptu demonstration spilled out into the street afterwards. 102 people were arrested as riot police ended the

gathering.          

Rage against the Machine performs next door to the republican national convention.

http://www.ratm.com/

http://www.zdlr.net/bio/zdlrbio.htm

http://www.biographybase.com/biography/de_la_Rocha_Zack.html

http://picasion.com/