“Texas blues-rockers ZZ Top boogie into Ironstone” |
| Texas blues-rockers ZZ Top boogie into Ironstone Posted: 05 Aug 2010 08:31 PM PDT Perhaps ZZ Top didn't invent the road trip, but what fun would long-distance driving be without hard-core boogie and cheap sunglasses? The three-chord trio has been rocking audiences since 1969, spreading the gospel of Texas blues-rock worldwide with such style and flair that the band was a no-brainer inductee into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2004. ZZ Top will be riding into Ironstone Vineyards on Aug. 14, headlining a show that will be opened by '70s-'80s guitar goddess Joan Jett & The Blackhearts. Both acts will be making their first visits to Ironstone. The threesome of Billy Gibbons (vocals and guitar,) Dusty Hill (vocals, bass and keyboards,) and Frank Beard (drums and percussion,) is the most distinctive in rock 'n' roll. ZZ Top songs are recognizable after just a few seconds of the John Lee Hooker-style boogie beat — and, of course, you have those beards. To tell them apart, remember that Gibbons' beard is reddish, Hill's beard is gray, and Beard is the guy without a beard. And if the beards make them look old, well, they are, at least in rock years. No band in rock history has stayed intact for more years, with nary a shift in membership since they first played together 41 years ago. But while the image is well-honed, it's also honest. Most of the custom cars that played the leading roles in the band's videos in the early 1980s were owned and customized by Gibbons. He's a mechanic and tinkerer with nine automotive patents. Gearheads like Gibbons always are looking ahead, searching for way to make things better, and rock bands don't stay together four decades without changing, adapting and finding ways to improve. ZZ Top's early success with songs like "La Grange," "Tush," and "Cheap Sunglasses," were true to their Texas blues roots, a stripped-down earthy sound. But the 1983 release "Eliminator," the band's eighth album, showed ZZ Top embracing a greater level of studio production, including its first use of a synthesizer in backing tracks. The move may have alienated some of the band's loyal following, but the new sound sent ZZ Top to the top of the charts. "Eliminator," named after one of Gibbons' custom cars, sold more than 11 million copies and yielded the hits "Gimme All Your Lovin'," "Legs" and "Sharp-Dressed Man." The band's distinctive look played well to the MTV crowd, and videos featuring models in short skirts emerging from one of Gibbons' custom roadsters became a mainstay of the young medium. The band never has stopped touring, and while stops at regional amphitheaters and state fairs now far outnumber arena and stadium dates, the trio retains the edge and attitude that has kept it cruising for 40 years. To paraphrase one of its songs from the '70s, ZZ Top is still bad, still nationwide. Bee staff writer Brian VanderBeek can be reached at bvanderbeek@modbee.com or 578-2300. Five Filters featured article: "Peace Envoy" Blair Gets an Easy Ride in the Independent. Available tools: PDF Newspaper, Full Text RSS, Term Extraction. |
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