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September 11, 2009
ZZ Top Rolls on Following Aerosmith Crash
By now, just about every Aerosmith fan on the planet has seen the video of Steven Tyler taking his now-infamous dive off the catwalk in Sturgis, S.D. Well, maybe “dive” is not the right word, since that sounds more like an intentional act, and at 61 years of age, nobody in their right mind is diving off of a catwalk like that!
While Tyler is on the mend and the rest of the “bad boys” ponder their future, the Texas trio we’ve known for some forty years as ZZ Top keeps on rocking. Either the Tres Hombres are a luckier lot than their bad boy brethren, or perhaps they have just been a bit more sensible through the years and taken better care of themselves. I did not manage to uncover any dirt on ZZ Top regarding drug or alcohol abuse, unlike so many of their contemporaries.
How lots of money, fame and millions of adoring fans leads to substance abuse is something that has always stymied me. Then again, I’m not a rock star, and with alcohol and substance abuse so pervasive in our society, perhaps it’s not as hard to understand as I have always thought. With all those things come great temptations that regular folks can
only dream about. The ZZ Top guys deserve credit for keeping their heads on straight and feet on the ground. On the other hand, perhaps it’s all about extraordinary discretion and very loyal friends and associates. I prefer to believe the former, however.
Although it is probably a result of Steven Tyler’s unfortunate accident, the spotlight is shining a bit brighter on ZZ Top as they continue to tour, choosing to showcase their enduring material in a more intimate settings by booking smaller venues, which is an experience the group seems to be enjoying.
Still, one gets the feeling that ZZ Top’s days in front of the larger crowds at stadiums and amphitheaters is not over. Recent comments from guitarist Billy Gibbons reveals the group’s disappointment about the cancellation of the tour with Aerosmith, something they had always wanted to do. “The A to ZZ Tour,” as he put it. Might we see a second more successful version of that tour some day?
The recent (and inevitable) rumors about the breakup for Aerosmith, Steven Tyler’s sobriety or simply bickering within the band does not seem to concern Billy Gibbons all that much.
“The good news is they’ll rebound and make a big bounce. Their show is tight as a drum, so all they need to do is get back after it,” according to Gibbons. It’s likely that a lot of Aerosmith fans are hoping that he is right.
Along with the current tour, ZZ Top is planning to spend some time in the studio soon. If that were not enough for a bunch of 60-year-old dudes, they are also moonlighting as fashion models for John Varvatos’ fall fashion campaign. When asked how that came to pass, Gibbons seems as mystified as anyone.
“I don’t know. We always considered ourselves immune to fashion. He’s got a real talent, and we were quite flattered that he thought our rather unusual style was a complement to his great line,” Gibbons says.
Whatever the circumstances, you have to admit, they do look pretty cool.
To read more about ZZ Top, check out The Tufts Daily or The Boston Globe.
June 12, 2009
ZZ Top: Still Surprising Each Other After All These Years
The current Aerosmith/ZZ Top tour seems to be favoring the bad boys from Boston when it comes to media coverage, but the enduring rock legends from Texas who are sharing the stage with them have the distinction of being together a bit longer than even Aerosmith’s nearly four decades as a group. In fact, this year marks ZZ Top’s 40th anniversary.
That fact is not lost on Aerosmith guitarist Joe Perry who readily admits that, “They’ve been together longer than us.”
What makes that even more impressive is that ZZ Top is the same three guys that started out together all those years ago. And like those couples you hear about that stay married for 50 or 60 years who are asked what the secret of their enduring relationship is, Billy Gibbons was recently asked that very same question.
“I think first and foremost is the fact we still enjoy getting to do this more than anything we could imagine and somehow that translates into the nightly performance,” Gibbons says. “Those two hours on stage, that’s the real payoff. That’s when we get together and we may not know what each other is gonna do. Some of it is because we’re trying to outguess the next guy, trying to think of what he’s gonna do next.”
Now the fact that three guys who have been playing with each other for forty years can still surprise and challenge each other on stage says a lot about their dedication to their craft. ZZ Top obviously loves what they do and still they remain sharp and energetic enough to tour on a regular basis.
ZZ Top is currently on the road with Aerosmith until September.
Check out all of Gibbons’ comments on Spinner.
April 6, 2009
New Aerosmith Album Delayed But Tour Gets Green Light
Fans of the “Bad Boys From Boston,” are likely to be a bit disappointed to learn that the group has decided to put off work on their new album due to health issues and tour commitments. Guitarist Joe Perry recently told Billboard that the first delay was due to his knee surgery earlier this year, and with a tour looming, the group had to refocus on preparations for that and put the album work on hold.
To complicate matters further, frontman Steven Tyler had to deal with some health issues of his own when he came down with a case of pneumonia last month. Surely not something a lead singer can “work through” behind a microphone in the studio.
The tour, which starts in June and has the veteran rockers sharing a stage with fellow classic rockers ZZ Top, will consists of about 40 dates. Although there are currently plans for the tour to remain in North America, Perry reports that some dates in South America and Japan are also being contemplated. No firm dates are available yet, but should be announced in the near future.
When the tour wraps up, the group plans to reconvene in the studio and get to work on the album. Perry reports that, “Aerosmith has probably two or three (songs) that could be mixed right now, maybe even more. But there’s a long way between two or three and doing the 12 or 14 that you have to have to do a whole project.”
It appears Perry is not completely bummed out by the delay, since it will give him an opportunity to go “full blast” on his next solo album, which he hopes will enjoy success similar to his Grammy-nominated Joe Perry, which he released in 2005.
“I have a big chunk of time before the tour, so I’m gonna try to get the solo record done as soon as I can,” Perry says. “Chances are you’re gonna be hearing that before you hear an Aerosmith record…’cause I expect the Aerosmith tour, God willing. to continue through the fall.”
You can visit Billboard for the full story.
July 3, 2008
ZZ Top Hopes To Recapture 1980’s Popularity
It was no secret that ZZ Top was making plans for a big comeback, and now we are starting to hear a few details about they plans they have to make it a reality.
Having signed with Rick Rubin’s American Recording label the band is now in the studio with the Rubin working on their new album. With the limited success of their last album five years ago, Mescalero, Rubin is steering the Texas trio back in the direction of their glory days of the 1980’s when albums sales could reach well into the millions.
Rubin has been a very successful producer and has worked with other artists like AC/DC, Red Hot Chili Peppers, Linkin Park, Metallica,U2 and Green Day. He’s hoping to use his expertise to put ZZ Top back on top with a hit record that could put the group in the running for a Grammy Award.
If they can come up with a track that sounds as good as “La Grange” or “Cheap Sunglasses,” which are my two favorite ZZ Top tunes, they’ll be well on their way towards getting my vote.
March 19, 2008
ZZ Top Getting To Work on New Album
We last saw a new studio album from Texas rockers ZZ Top back in 2003 when they released Mescalero. Late word from Billy Gibbons is that the other two members of his group, bass player Dusty Hill and drummer Frank Beard (I just love the way the only guy in the band without a beard is named Beard!) are in the studio in the Dallas area making preparations for their new album.
Gibbons visited with Billboard recently while hanging out at the South By Southwest Music And Media Conference in Austin, Texas.
Gibbons told Billboard that they hope to have the new album finished before the summer and describes the difference between working on the road and working in the studio. He described recording as “fun,” but there was no word on which activity he or the group prefers.
The group is hoping to hit the road and do some touring early this summer in Europe and perhaps schedule some dates here in the U.S.
Another interesting tidbit of news revealed is that Gibbons taped a guest appearance on the season finale of the Fox series Bones, where he plays someone’s dad. As the Stones famously put it, “What a drag it is growing old.”
Catch the full story over on Billboard.com.
