Nandi Bushell puts her Tom Morello-gifted Fender Strat to good use in hard-rocking Cochise cover

You might recall Tom Morello gifting 10-year-old viral star Nandi Bushell his signature Fender Soul Power Stratocaster, after the Rage Against the Machine guitarist witnessed her incendiary cover of his band’s Guerrilla Radio, in support of Black Lives Matter.

Now, Bushell has put his gift to the test in a storming performance of the track that first introduced Soul Power to the world: Audioslave’s monstrous 2002 hit Cochise.

As with her Guerrilla Radio performance, Bushell plays electric guitar, bass and drums on the track, even employing a drum stick to recreate Morello’s iconic string-slapping ‘helicopter’ intro.

Morello himself has praised the performance, stating “That guitar is in good hands!”, while RATM/Audioslave drummer Brad Wilk commented, “You are awesome Nandi!”

In an interview with Guitar World, the TxLips Band leader Gabriella ‘Guitar Gabby’ Logan said of Bushell, “I can only imagine the inspiration other girls will feel watching her videos.

“I have so much respect and admiration for her. She’s putting on for the girls of the current generation and the ones behind her. And you have to remember she inspires not even young girls but adults as well. Honestly, I’m inspired by her every day.”

Michael Astley-Brown
Editor-in-Chief, GuitarWorld.com

Mike is Editor-in-Chief of GuitarWorld.com, in addition to being an offset fiend and recovering pedal addict. He has a master's degree in journalism from Cardiff University, and over a decade's experience writing and editing for guitar publications including MusicRadar, Total Guitar and Guitarist, as well as 20 years of recording and live experience in original and function bands. During his career, he has interviewed the likes of John Frusciante, Chris Cornell, Tom Morello, Matt Bellamy, Kirk Hammett, Jerry Cantrell, Joe Satriani, Tom DeLonge, Ed O'Brien, Polyphia, Tosin Abasi, Yvette Young and many more. In his free time, you'll find him making progressive instrumental rock under the nom de plume Maebe.