The Roanoke Times from Roanoke, Virginia • 36

XtheroanokeX I TIMES Thursday September 10 4 2009 OTKilBHffp! mmebi Ksl IB TB BflB SsR'in wM mH hB MbH rtSaS aSteJf isMHry 'MM mHBi '1 Imsm maM 3gg SSU' Ml I 5 Ml Hal HK EaE me Ml i figjUf IHMMfe mhh jgBiB' mBbO Bsteilr 1 MHf 'i IMSl MMR emss 1 BSI fiB ES Mt HI fcfc "I LB Kill Hard al work Guitaristsinger Billy Gibbons HBHH Srf JKmmE BffffH tjafc wlI WB jfc JHrSHHHolKOaHaSHESEEEHHHEiHsHHHVvcJswKHlMMBCTEEl MwTKSKAMMMMMr MpMMMBtEq BarBW yWCTwaBHlfMjl: WWMrZ wMMIIM 117 a tf GSVVtV 2 MViVn Jf i MaWEy Ww wMMb I flfln i Mt wmwkmI BOtQfcgX'W Kw 2 Zv 13 ww KijyT ffi Ki saaaafiBESSK a ii'Vi fit wro tV XL jkia Kiff rarst Affimwtd I HbBv cy j'' "S' JL eTHMhifiSl sMI IEra i aitiwHfc tawwi MHMwMWgB ISral AlffkyViT "J5k (51 at It TOWfcdmBBSgSfffiMl neaKffl KAau MWj iJj Jr1 sWTinM'irw WnHr Wife Sk raggyMBi fr "JSSiTSr fij Tfi wsw isoja sirfa Mi Courtesy of ZZ Top" By Tad Dickens taddickensroanokecom 777 6474 easy to take ZZ Top for granted The self styled band from celebrating its 40th year had a hit single since 1985 and had an album in the Top 10 since 1990 But you count out an act with a track record like ZZ And you count out a band so willing to work It was sharing bills with Aerosmith when that singer Steven Tyler fell off a stage and broke a shoulder forcing Aerosmith to cancel its tour ZZ Top almost immediately began booking new gigs including its riday night show at Roa noke Civic Center Coliseum a show that will feature a lot of hits The 1970s era catalog alone made it worthy of its 2004 Rock and Roll Hall of ame induction Tunes such as Just Left? It on the and offered something to blues purists and rock hell raisers alike Later songs Dressed Man" All Your and others established the band atop the 1980s mainstream synthesized bass and drum effects accompanying the usual three to five chord crunch ZZ Top still tours the world to appre ZZ Top 8 pjn riday Roanoke Civic I Center Coliseum $43 $53 $63 (877) 722 8496 I roanokecivic centercom i zztopicom jj Sum ciative fans but wants more It recently signed on with career reviving producer Rick Rubin for an upcoming album that will include new blood bluesrockers The Black Keys Guitaristsinger Billy Gibbons said in an mail interview that the band will be recording soon but he promise any new material at show looking forward to spending studio time with Rick as soon as we complete these next few months of touring then we really funk Gibbons 59 wrote huge Black Keys fans and we just know we can work something out with them the stars are aligning never quite certain what the set list will be from one night to the next so no predictions However when we come up with something on the coach on the way in lay it on down at the Here is the rest of our mail with Gib bons After fall you guys quickly sched uled a new tour ZZ Top could easily kick back you're Rock and Roll Hall of amers and sold millions of records It seems done it all orty years in what motivates the band to keep kicking it worldwide? Billy Gibbons: We always enjoy getting down for folks who had been expecting the show to go on so we just booked a continuation tour after Aerosmith was forced to cancel Getting out and playing for the people is just what we do Otherwise get on our own nerves! The band will be headed out to tour Europe in late October and obviously played all over the globe Which countries respond best to your music? German and Scandinavian audiences are incredibly receptive and the rench and English fans are really into it When out to our show they much is lost in transla tion so to speak been cool to see video of you playing recently with Roky Erickson (Note: Erickson is a Texas based psychedelic rock pioneer whose troubles with drug abuse and mental illness 40 years ago included shock treatment in a Texas institute called Rusk State Hospital for the Criminally Insane) read that you two were making a record together Just a rumor? If it's true how is it going? We did have a great time with Roky in Austin and inspiring to see him being productive and creative again He was an early inspiration and his rebound is robust We had spoken about getting together to record when our schedule permits Jimi Hendrix once sang your praises What do you think he heard in your playing that he liked so well? What sticks out most in your mind about his playing? thinking it's pos sible that you heard him play stuff that no one else ever heard when earlier band the Moving Sidewalks toured with the Experi ence He was fond of the slide work and the truth is we are still in awe of him It started as soon as we got together He made the guitar do things it was not necessarily engi neered to do his spirit of adventure continues to move us all forward It was like the guitar was an extension of his frame and the result was a man ner of playing of the most organic and original kind Yes we heard him on stage and off we main tain our personal mental video with a truly indel? ible memory of his One of my favorite ZZ Top songs is it on the Is there a modern equivalent of the old megawatt outlaw stations? Does the Inter net count? And if there is are you still getting licks from it? Great question In fact all three of us were listening to the same crazy stuff coming over the border before we even knew each other so it kind of bonded us when we first met The Internet certainly counts yet the wild and woolly DJs and adverts for baby chicks and roach holders are rare rare rare in the digital domain Gimme the Wolfman and John any day Del Rio here we come' i i i i to If.