Tom Morello and Boots Riley Form Street Sweeper Social Club

If you thought the pairing of Chris Cornell and Timbaland was a bad idea, well, go ahead and keep thinking that. Meanwhile, the new collaboration between Tom Morrello (the ex-Audioslave guitarist who once helped funkify the politically charged Rage Against the Machine) and hip-hop vanguard Boots Riley (of Oakland, Ca.'s The Coup) is a bit more respectable and infinitely cooler.

The duo, dubbed Street Sweeper Social Club, will release its debut album June 16, shortly after playing a number of shows in support of Nine Inch Nails and Jane's Addiction. Three of the 11 songs ("Clap for the Killers," "Fight! Smash! Win!" and "The Oath") are streaming on the band's MySpace page, and feature Morello's trademark rifftastic assault mixed with some old-school hip-hop vox. And what's more, they ain't too bad.

Street Sweeper Social Club opens for NIN and Jane's Addiction on the following dates:

May
8 - West Palm Beach, Fla. @ Cruzan Amphitheatre  
9 - Tampa, Fla. @ Ford Amphitheatre  
10 - Atlanta, Ga. @ Lakewood Amphitheatre
14 - Albuquerque, N.M. @ Journal Pavilion  
15 - Phoenix, Ariz. @ Cricket Wireless Pavilion  
16 - Chula Vista, Calif. @ Cricket Wireless Amphitheatre   
18 - Las Vegas, Nev. @ The Pearl  
20 - Irvine, Calfi. @ Verizon Wireless Amphitheater
22 - Mountain View, Calif. @ Shoreline Amphitheatre at Mountain View  
26 - Englewood, Colo. @ Fiddler’s Green Amphitheatre  
27 - Kansas City, Mo. @ Starlight Theatre  
29 - Chicago, Ill. @ Charter One Pavilion at Northern Island (NIN and SSSC only)
30 - Noblesville, Ind. @ Verizon Wireless Music Center Indianapolis
31 - Clarkston, Mich. @ DTE Energy Music Theatre  

June
2 - Toronto, Ontario @ Molson Amphitheatre  
3 - Darien Lake, N.Y. @ Darien Lake Performing Arts Center  
5 - Camden, N.J. @ Susquehanna Bank Center  
6 - Holmdel, N.J. @ PNC Bank Arts Center  
7 - Wantagh, N.Y. @ Nikon at Jones Beach Theater  
9 - Columbia, Md. @ Merriweather Post Pavilion
10 - Burgettstown, Pa. @ Post-Gazette Pavilion  
12 - Charlotte, N.C. @ Verizon Wireless Amphitheatre Charlotte

Related links:
News: Tom Morello readies new solo album, stays busy
A/V: Bonnaroo 2008: Boots Riley of the Coup
Street Sweeper Social Club on MySpace

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