07/26/2022

ZZ TOP BEST SERVED RAW: ALBUM OF NEWLY RECORDED CLASSIC TRACKS FROM GRAMMY-NOMINATED DOCUMENTARY

LISTEN TO RAW HERE: https://lnk.to/ZZTopRAW 

This Friday, July 22 will see the release of RAW, a new album from the original lineup of ZZ Top -- Billy F Gibbons, Frank Beard, and Dusty Hill -- created in a singular circumstance. The album, released through Shelter Records/BMG was recorded at Gruene Hall in Texas, in conjunction with the GRAMMY-nominated feature documentary ZZ Top: That Little Ol' Band from Texas. The film’s director Sam Dunn sought a means to visually convey how the band made albums at its inception with all three members in the same room at the same time.

The classic honky-tonk setting of Gruene Hall established back in 1878, was chosen for an unfettered, roots-oriented recording session that is chronicled in the documentary. Released by Banger Films, the feature offers insight into the history of the band’s classic Gibbons/Beard/Hill incarnation.

The new album’s liner notes by Gibbons and Beard note of the RAW sessions, “..it was, in a very real way, a return to our roots. Just us and the music, no audience of thousands, no concession stands, no parking lot social hour, no phalanx of tour busses. Just us.  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!”

Gibbons commented, “The Director suggested we find a way to illustrate the early style from the start of our five-plus decades run. Gruene Hall, the oldest dance hall in Texas, was selected as a fitting backdrop to replicate the look of the band’s very beginnings. When we arrived, we were surprised to see that all our gear had been transported there so, as cameras rolled, we picked up the instruments and commenced an unplanned jam session. Fortunately, our stage engineers were on hand with tape machines in place to capture the performances that went down. That became, in essence, the soundtrack to the film and now it’s also an audio document of ZZ Top’s early beginnings.  Still going strong today.”

Gibbons continues, “Our director suggested going back to what it was like when we first started recording in our early days: the band in the studio together in a mostly unfettered way. We were quite comfortable in the room as heard on the tracks, with that level of branded intimacy.”  

RAW’s 12 tracks include “Certified Blues” which was originally heard on ZZ Top’s First Album as well as “La Grange,” the band’s 1973 breakthrough, and “Tush,” “Gimme All Your Lovin’,” “Legs” and other eternal ZZ Top song catalog standouts. The album was captured in one day, keeping the whole process simple and straightforward.  A nod to the band’s early days. Billy F Gibbons served as producer, with engineering by Jake Mann and G.L. G-Mane Moon; RAW was mixed by Ryan Hewitt. It is available on 180-gram vinyl, CD, and digital platforms.   

RAW Track Listing:

Brown Sugar
Just Got Paid
Heard It On The X
La Grange
Tush
Thunderbird
I’m Bad, I’m Nationwide
Legs
Gimme All Your Lovin’
Blue Jean Blues
Certified Blue Jeans
Tube Snake Boogie

The release of the RAW album is supported by ZZ Top’s ongoing RAW WHISKY TOUR which, when all is said and done, will have consisted of more than 100 dates across North America. The tour’s title is a hat tip to both the forthcoming album as well as the recent release of ZZ Top Tres Hombres whisky from Balcones Distilling of Waco, TX, a flavorful 100-proof mash bill of roasted blue corn, malted barley and rye.

RAW WHISKY TOUR dates

Go to:  www.zztop.com/tour to purchase tickets

Date:                        City / State:                     Venue:

July 22nd                 Boston, MA                     Leader Bank Pavilion

July 23rd                  Watertown, NY              Watertown Fairgrounds Arena

July 24th                  Grantville, PA                 Hollywood Casino

July 26th                  Baltimore, MD                MECU Pavilion

July 27th                  Harrington, DE               Delaware State Fairgrounds

July 29th                  Cuyahoga, OH               Blossom Music Center

July 30th                  Cincinnati, OH               Riverbend Music Center

July 31st                  Burgettstown, PA           The Pavilion at Star Lake

August 2nd              Portsmouth, VA              Atlantic Union Bank Pavilion

August 3rd               Asheville, NC                 Thomas Wolfe Auditorium

August 5th               Greensboro, NC             White Oak Amphitheatre

August 6th               Atlanta, GA                     Cadence Bank Amphitheatre at Chastain Park

August 7th               Simpsonville, SC             CCNB Amphitheatre at Heritage Park

August 10th             Hyannis, MA                   Cape Cod Melody Tent

August 12th             Gilford, NH                      Bank of New Hampshire Pavilion

August 13th             Bethel, NY                       Bethel Woods Center for the Arts

August 14th             Darien Center, NY          Darien Lake Theme Park Resort

August 16th             Des Moines, IA               Iowa State Fair

August 17th             Sedalia, MO                    Missouri State Fairgrounds

August 18th             St Louis, MO                   Saint Louis Music Park

August 20th             Mystic Lake, MN             Mystic Lake Casino

August 21st             Lincoln, NE                      Pinewood Bowl Theater

August 23rd             Dubuque, IA                   Five Flags Center

August 24th             Madison, WI                   The Sylvee

August 26th             Indianapolis, IN              TCA Amphitheater at Whiteriver State Park

August 27th             Beaver Dam, KY            Beaver Dam Amphitheater

August 28th             Pikeville, KY                   Appalachian Center Arena

September 17th      Catoosa, OK                   Hard Rock Live Tulsa

September 23rd      Del Valle, TX                   Germania Insurance Amphitheater

September 24th      Dallas, TX                        Dos Equis Pavilion

September 25th      The Woodlands, TX        Cynthia Woods Mitchell Pavilion

October 21st           Atlantic City, NJ              Ocean Casino Resort

December 3rd         Las Vegas, NV                 The Venetian

December 4th         Las Vegas, NV                 The Venetian

December 7th         Las Vegas, NV                 The Venetian

December 9th         Las Vegas, NV                 The Venetian

December 10th       Las Vegas, NV                 The Venetian