Frank Beard, laying down some drum tracks for the new ZZ Top album...

...at least that's what it seems from a recent Twitter post from Rick Rubin.

BFG 44

Supposedly this is Billy's new brand of hot sauce? BFG or BFG 44. We have't heard anything abotu it, so not sure if it's true or one of those things Billy just tells people.

Anyway, if anyone has one of the bottles he supposedly handed out in Austin at SXSW, please send us a scan/photo of the label!

OK< this looks to be something close to the full ZZ/Skynyrd Tour Schedule for May

As always, subject to change, check zztop.com when they eventually add the dates:


May 12, 2011 Intrust Bank Arena
Wichita. KS US More Info »

May 13, 2011 Bell County Expo Center
Belton. TX US More Info »

May 14, 2011 Zoo Amphitheatre
Oklahoma City. OK US More Info »

May 19, 2011 Bangor Waterfront
Bangor. ME US More Info »

May 20, 2011 Tag's Summer Sound Stage
Big Flats. NY US More Info »

May 21, 2011 Times Union Center
Albany. NY US More Info »

May 22, 2011 Covelli Centre
Youngstown. OH US More Info »

May 26, 2011 Peoria Civic Center
Peoria. IL US More Info »

May 27, 2011 Black Oak Mountain
Lampe. MO US More Info »

May 28, 2011 CenturyTel Center
Bossier City. LA US More Info »

May 29, 2011 Amphitheater at the Wharf
Orange Beach. AL US More Info »

More Spring Datezz on the Way...

...including May 29 in Orange Beach, AL.

Another new ZZ/Skynyrd date

May 19 in Bangor Maine.

Another new date

ZZ and Lynyrd Skynyrd May 20 in Upstate New York.

So maybe that early May Lubbock date is correct and they are planning an
early summer tour with Skynyrd.

Reality show/fall tour.

A bit of news. Apparently Billy is in talks to host a reality show about competitive beard and mustache competitors.

Also, a fall concert date has been announced by the venue for Fresno California in early
October. Still no summer or spring dates in the US though.

Another European tour?

Looks like the Boyzz may be booking festivals and the like for another summer tour of Europe. With the Oz tour and alleged recording of a new album, are we even going to see them this year in the U.S?

Only one date in France has popped up so far, but expect others to follow. Check last.fm which is a great source for European dates.

ZZ Top cruise

In December with Thorogood and others. Could be interesting.

Big Newzzz!

They found Dusty's hat! OK, that's true, but it's not the big newzz. Billy G is endorsing this new Pura Vida Tequila and doing some bottle signings. OK, that's not the big newzz. The big newzz is that Billy claimed at one of those signings that the band goes into the studio with Rick Rubin TOMORROW (ie January 31, 2011) to start tracking the new album.

Now, we have no way of knowing if this is true or another Texas Tall Tale, but it is an encouraging sign. No upcoming tour + Billy spending a lot of time in Texas + Rubin wanting to record in Texas are all good signs. They have from now until about April to crank something out, possibly do a few Texas warm-up shows, then on to Australia for a short tour.

Find Dusty's hat!

ZZ Top bassist is missing Stetson
Comments 3
Hat gone from dressing room before Odessa concert
January 19, 2011 4:40 PM
BY LYXAN TOLEDANES
WANT TO HELP?:

>> ZZ Top's Dusty Hill is missing his Stetson and needs help getting it
back. If you know the whereabouts of the hat in question, contact Lyxan
Toledanes at the Odessa American at ltoledanes@oaoa.com or call
333-7786.
Missing: Gray-brown Stetson. Reward: $150 worth of ZZ Top merchandise.

After more than a month of waiting, ZZ Top's bassist and vocalist, Dusty
Hill, is ready to get his beloved Stetson back. Hill's hat went missing
a few hours before ZZ Top's concert at the Ector County Coliseum Dec. 9.

"You travel all over the world and then it comes up missing in Texas,"
Hill said. "It just killed me."

In an attempt to recover his hat, Hill and the ZZ Top team are offering
up a $150 reward to spend at the ZZ Top merchandise website to the
person who currently has the Stetson.

"We're going to give that person the key to the ZZ Top website," Bob
Merlis, ZZ Top's publicist, said.

Merlis said there will be no questions asked of the person, and they can
even remain anonymous.

Hill has worn his Stetson, trimmed with a ribbon of black horse hair, to
most of the shows for the past two ZZ Top tours. Fans at the Coliseum,
however, may have noticed that instead of the cowboy hat, Hill wore a
baseball cap.

The day of the concert started out normally for Hill, spending that
Thursday afternoon performing a sound check with the rest of the band
and crew. Shortly thereafter, Hill went back to his hotel room, leaving
his hat in his dressing room. He returned later to find the hat gone.

"About 30 minutes before the show, my hat's (still) not there. Everyone
was scrambling around trying to find it," Hill said.

Hill said he tried looking again after the concert, but the search
turned up empty, and Hill left Odessa the next morning, hatless.

"Dusty Hill walked into Ector County Coliseum wearing his hat, and when
he left the hat was gone," Merlis said. "It sounds silly, but it's a big
drag separating a Texan from his favorite hat - that's harsh."

Hill's attachment to the hat is reasonable, considering the fact that
it's was custom made for him when he had a cameo appearance on the third
season of HBO's "Deadwood."

"I went and had one made by the people who do that show. It's not shaped
like your everyday rodeo hat, it's more round," Hill said.

Hill hopes that the person in possession of his Stetson will return the
hat as soon as possible. He even wants to thank the person, should they
choose to return it.

"The thing is, if I were that person, I wouldn't get my satisfaction out
of wearing it or showing it to people under the circumstances," Hill
said. "It's not going to create a lot of enjoyment in their hands."

NEW video with BFG

How did we miss this one?

Possible new concert date?

May 11, 2011 in Lubbock Texas with Lynyrd Skynryd?

Rehearsals?

Two nuggets of news: First, ZZ was apparently supposed to play a 175th
Anniversary concert to raise funds for the Alamo, but that has been
cancelled.

Second, Billy has invested in a tequila company, and while being
interviewed he stated that they had not yet worked with Rick Rubin but
were slated to go into the rehearsal studio in about a week. For a new
album? For the 2011 tour? Who knows. But at least something is
happening.

Finally, the full Houston Rodeo entertainment lineup will be announced at 10 am on Monday morning, so we should see if ZZ are playing this year at that time.

Some interesting newzzz about a Tribute album with some big-name contributors

This has been floating around the web today, check it out:

(hennemusic) Aerosmith's Steven Tyler recently jammed with Camp Freddy in Los Angeles. During the jam Mick Fleetwood popped behind the drum kit as Tyler took center stage for the Fleetwood Mac track, "Rattlesnake Shake."
Then, Tyler and band jammed the Aerosmith classic, "Sweet Emotion," before closing out the show with Led Zeppelin's "Whole Lotta Love."

But that isn't the only collaboration the two have embarked on. In a new interview, Fleetwood spills the beans on the two rock legends working together. "Steven and Johnny Lang and John McVie and I are doing a track on a new tribute album for ZZ Top," Mick tells the Maui News. "We all got together and we had a ball."

2011 and Beyond!

Merry Christmas to those of you who are still reading the once-in-a-while updates to this blog. Apaprently no one in Odessa Texas has the Internet because no set list has turned up anywhere (although there is some YouTube video out there.)

I think we are all going to have a very Happy New Year, things should be very busy in ZZ Top-Land.

A new album? Perhaps.

Touring Australia and New Zealand? Most certainly.

A lengthy U.S. Tour, with cheaper ticket prices? Definitely.

Some cool shows in Japan or someplace? Possible.

zztop.com updated more than once every three months? Not very likely.

Another surprise-filled appearance at the Houston Rodeo? I hope so, we should find out no later than January 10, if they are playing it may leak a day or two before then.

If the play the Rodeo, we will be there. If they do any west coast warm-up shows before the Aussie tour, we will be there. If they play in Europe this summer, we will be there. We will be everywhere!

How how how for now.

More December showzz???

If anyone has the scoop on additional December/Christmas shows, please
let us know. Other than the Odessa (December 9, 2010) show we have
heard a rumor of December 4 in the Dallas area but nothing more for
December. No confirmation yet on the Houston Rodeo next year, either,
which, if it's gonna happen, will probably be on March 15.

ZZ Top to tour Australia in 2011???

Well, it's just a rumor, but a pretty specific one: An Australian paper
is reporting the ZZ Top may play some shows in Australia in April 2011.
If that is true, maybe some additional Asian shows as well?

Stay tuned.

Meet Billy Gibbons!

Don't know if this is legit or not but it looks real, Billy appearing to
"sign autographs and take photos" at a motorcycle show:

Billy Gibbons will be appearing at:
Louisville, Kentucky on November 13
Kentucky International Convention Center
221 South 4th Street, Louisville, KY
(502) 595-3141
www.kyconvention.org

Supposedly Billy will also be at the same show in Georgia on November
20.

European notes???

OK, the Tom Petty tour is over and the Boyzz are back in Europe again. We had hoped to make some of these shows but it looks like that may not be possible now.

If anyone is going to the European shows, please send us a report. We know a few of the regulars will be there, so far it seems like the set list is unchanged. Billy appears to be using a new guitar. No further details yet.

So, what's next after they finish up this very brief tour in Europe. Work on the new album? Do some Christmas shows as they traditionally do in Colorado or Florida? We'll keep out eyes and ears open.