The Rockers With the Beards
Founded in 1969 in Houston, Texas, the Southern rock-blues-boogie band, ZZ Top, has reigned supreme as one of the greatest rock bands of all time.
With 15 studio albums, a raft of awards and a fan-base that continuously stay devoted to the hard-rockers, ZZ Top are very, very hard to beat. Synonymous with long white beards, hot rod cars and spinning guitars, the Texan Rock n’ Roll Hall of Fame’rs have produced instantly recognisable hits including Sharp Dressed Man, Gimme All Your Lovin’, Legs, and La Grange.
Set to hit Aotearoa in May, The Elevation Tour is going to be ZZ Top at their very finest.
M2 got to sit down with lead singer and guitarist, Billy Gibbons for some quick-fire questions on ZZ Top’s hugely-anticipated return to the land-of-the-long-white-cloud.
Artistically, and literally, do you still see aspects of your younger rocker selves in ZZ Top?
Keen observation…ZZ continues to roll really on the same track as when it commenced. There’s another seemingly oddly unexpected aspect of trekking from lo-tech up to the present sonic hi-tech. It’s become an elemental aspect that’s a constant. Same now as during the band’s beginnings.
What piece of advice would you give a younger Billy, just starting out?
Keep your head down, the whiskey flowing, and most importantly, turn it up.
What inspired the unique blend of blues rock and boogie that defines ZZ Top’s sound?
Blame it on the blues. These are the sounds we heard from those million-watt-radio-stations just south of the Mexican border. That stuff wasn’t ordinary Top 40. As the song says, it was, “Country, Jesus, Hillbilly, and Deep Blues”. It created the mishmash and kind of rooted us into what we’ve been doing ever since.
Is it a weird thing for you to think about? When you first started music, to now, and the cultural impact globally ZZ Top has had for decades? You’re literally musical legends!
It could’ve turned kinda weird yet we seem to remain immersed in weird anyway. That cultural impact aspect was really brought home when Bart Simpson thought he spotted us from the observation decks of Seattle’s Space Needle all the way back to San Antonio’s Hemisphere. The band continually stands in good stead that benchmarks the ZZ Top essence.
How would you describe the power of rock music?
It moves you to do things you probably wouldn’t have done if you hadn’t heard it.
How does it feel for you coming down to NZ for your humungous The Elevation Tour?
We are, in a word, stoked. Really looking forward to getting down NZ way and causing a commotion. It’s gonna be loud!
Got anything extra planned when you’re down here? Sight-seeing?
Aiming for another trek to Napier’s art-deco Mecca, as well as catching another tour with our pal, Pic Picot, and to sample that fine Pic’s Peanut Butter!
After each album, do you think your creativity gets stronger and stronger?
Once the creative capture is complete, it’s about taking a breath of what we might think we’ve delivered, and, if we like it, we await that elusive sense of accomplishment.
Do you think that ZZ Top’s legacy will stand the test of time?
That’s certainly been the case so far.
What does the future of ZZ Top look like?
Our thinking is ‘keep on keeping on’ and do what we do. It’s been policy for five decades and it feels cool to work it.