Video Of The Week: Outernational

Again, a repeat artist in this feature: Outernational, once more featuring Tom Morello (Rage Against The Machine, Audioslave, The Nightwatchman) and Chad Smith (Red Hot Chili Peppers, Chickenfoot).

This time, for their flagship song, We Are All Illegals / Todos Somos Illegales, where they asked fans to send in footage of them singing, miming or acting out to the song's lyrics, a concept Cake has also explored of late but makes for fun, entertaining and cheap film making. And that's good for everybody, and helps level the playing field.

Video Of The Week: Outernational

While the streets of Montréal are taken by storm daily and nightly by protesters, 6 months or so after the winter break of the Occupy movements worldwide, it's good to take a step back and realize there are still some forces of change happening elsewhere, and New York's Outernational are definitely one of them.

I picked this song because it was produced by Tom Morello, but also because it doesn't let its strong message get into the way of their groove, a mix of hard rock, funk, balladry and something resembling slow ska (à la GrimSkunk) that reminds me of the Red Hot Chili Peppers before they went soft and repetitive. It's therefore fitting Peppers' drummer Chad Smith makes an appearance on their record... All of this, by an absolutely indie band who are doing it by their own means.

And although they have very little in common, I still have to put them in the same category as Soul Coughing as bands I really enjoy listening to, whose sounds and words resonate with me, but don't listen to enough.