“Raw” was recorded in connection with the group’s 2019 Netflix documentary, “That Little Ol’ Band From Texas”; the Grammy-nominated feature from Banger Films and director Sam Dunn includes an interlude that finds the group’s classic line up - Billy Gibbons, Frank Beard and the late Dusty Hill - gathering for a very intimate session at Gruene Hall, “the oldest continually run dance hall in Texas”…that performance provided the basis for the new live package.
Due July 22, “Raw” is dedicated “in righteous memory of Dusty Hill”, the bassist who passed away at his home in Houston, TX last July after stepping away from a 2021 tour to address a hip issue; the group enlisted longtime guitar tech Elwood Francis to handle bass duties during what was expected to be a short-term absence, and who continues to perform with the group.
The 2022 album’s title is derived from the unfettered and straightforward manner in which the tracks were recorded. As seen in the film, the band members played, for the most part, together within sight of each other in the course of one day. The methodology employed was something of an homage to the way ZZ Top recorded at the start of its epic five plus decades run at the pinnacle of rock’s pantheon.
“It was, in a very real way, a return to our roots,” explains Gibbons and Beard in the set’s liner notes. “Just us and the music, no audience of thousands, no concession stands, no parking lot social hour, no phalanx of tour busses. Just us and the music. We knew right then it was a very special circumstance, all of us in the same place at the same time and what a time it most certainly was!
“It was as bare bones as when we first started touring in a behemoth Chrysler station wagon, driving vast stretches between those early far-flung shows under blackened Texas skies and first hearing our records on the radio. We were bonded as brothers.
‘The Dust’ may have left the building but he’s still very much with us.”
“Raw” will be available on 180 gram vinyl, CD and through digital platforms.
A companion summer tour of North America will begin May 6 in Niagara Falls, ON.
ZZ Top
“Raw”
Release date: July 22
"Brown Sugar"
"Just Got Paid"
“Heard It On The X"
"La Grange"
"Tush"
"Thunderbird"
"I'm Bad, I'm Nationwide"
"Gimme All Your Lovin'"
"Blue Jean Blues"
"Certified Blues"
"Tube Snake Boogie"
ZZ Top
Raw Whisky
2022 North American Tour
May 06 - Niagara Falls, ON @ Fallsview Casino Resort
May 29 - Paso Robles, CA @ Vina Robles Amphitheatre
Jun 01 - Redding, CA @ Redding Civic Auditorium
Jun 02 - Saratoga, CA @ The Mountain Winery
Jun 05 - Jacksonville, OR @ Britt Pavilion
Jun 07 - Bend, OR @ Hayden Homes Amphitheater
Jun 08 - Walla Walla, WA @ Wine Country Amphitheater
Jun 09 - Spokane, WA @ First Interstate Center for the Arts
Jun 12 - Billings, MT @ MetraPark – First Interstate Arena
Jun 14 - Grand Junction, CO @ Las Colonias Park Amphitheater
Jun 17 - Tucson, AZ @ Casino Del Sol’s AVA Amphitheater
Jun 19 - Colorado Springs, CO @ Pikes Peak Center for the Performing Arts
Jun 21 - Loveland, CO @ Budweiser Events Center
Jun 22 - Grand Island, NE @ Fonner Park – Heartland Events Center
Jun 24 - Park City, KS @ Hartman Arena
Jun 25 - Oklahoma City, OK @ Zoo Amphitheatre
Jun 26 - Little Rock, AR @ First Security Amphitheater
Jun 29 - Rogers, AR @ Walmart Arkansas Music Pavilion
Jul 01 - Toledo, OH @ Toledo Zoo & Aquarium – Amphitheater
Jul 02 - Sterling Heights, MI @ Michigan Lottery Amphitheatre at Freedom Hill
Jul 05 - Fort Wayne, IN @ Foellinger Theater
Jul 09 - Greenville, WI @ Greenville Lion’s Park
Jul 22 - Boston, MA @ Leader Bank Pavilion
Jul 23 - Watertown, NY @ Watertown Fairgrounds Baseball Diamond
Aug 27 - Beaver Dam, KY @ Beaver Dam Amphitheater
See also:
ZZ Top sells music catalog for $50 million
Rock News Artist Of The Year No. 3: ZZ TOP
Rock News Story Of The Year No. 7: ZZ TOP
ZZ Top: Billy Gibbons shares Jingle Bell Blues animated video
Search ZZ Top at hennemusic
