Monday, August 29, 2011

Hurricane Irene; Va Beach VA 2011-09-03; A Look Towards the Future

Well hurricane Irene has come and gone. Having escaped major damage I am limited by no electricity and serenaded by the hum of generators. Very thankful and happy no one in my area was hurt - that is the most important thing.

I have tickets in hand for ZZ's show in Virginia Beach, VA on Sept 3rd. There is a possibility I may not be able to go if I am still without electricity. But the show date is still five days away so hopefully I'll get lucky.

The late summer shows have featured a shorter than usual set list, and for the first time I can remember there is no specific "blues" song being performed. No one works harder than ZZ (at least not anyone over 50 years old) but I'm sure many of us fans would prefer to see the band's energies redirected to more fruitful endeavors.

The group still has a pretty good number of shows to go. Those VIP packages, platinum or gold, are both rather expensive - too rich for my blood however if someone who reads this elects to partake of the experience please write in about your take and thoughts.

In my opinion only it is time to start thinking about the band ending it's aggressive touring days. The European and large scale American tours may come to an end after next year. I am confident the upcoming new release will be the final album from ZZ Top proper; there may be additional tours here and there but if you are holding out on seeing the group one or two or three final times it is probably a good idea to start buying tickets and making plans.

That being said I continue to remain of the mind next year will be very exciting, both with the new album and what is sure to be a new and updated live show. Looking back to the RCA era, both 1996 following Rhythmeen and 2003 during Mescalero were the best tours of latter ZZ. Perhaps 2012 will be another banner trek.

I really hope the group plays the Houston Rodeo next year - the perfect place to debut some new songs. And I would bet my bottom dollar that if the band decides to undertake a "final retirement" show it will occur in Houston in some form or fashion.

As always thank you to everyone for continuing to support this blog. Your comments, suggestions, critiques and criticisms are always welcome.

Have Mercy!

Monday, August 22, 2011

Results of first test for new online promoter ground(ctrl) - FAIL

Ground(ctrl) - ZZ's new online promoter, has issued their first BIG NEWS e-mail. And here it is....ZZ is doing six shows with Lynyrd Skynyrd in October. Ta da!

Big freakin' deal. This is what, the 3rd or 4th time they have toured together? Good news fans, you get to pay higher ticket prices to watch each band play a shortened set! And don't forget, they won't play any songs that are more recent than 20 years old, ensuring they convey the lack of confidence they have in their current artistic, musical and commercial viability.

Here is some news. Lynyrd Skynyrd was formed in Jacksonville, FL. Ground(ctrl) thinks they are from Alabama - wonder where they got that idea from. So much for this new promoter being hip and with it. Here are the requirements to be an employee of these online promotional firms: post graduate undeserved sense of entitlement, wardrobe consisting of wrinkled shirts and khaki pants (much wear sandals every day), spend more time playing video games than working, and conduct the minimal amount of research while maintaining ability to get paid to do crappy work.

More ticket advertisements under the guise of news. This is the kind of crap that makes it hard to be enthusiastic about the current state of music.

Tuesday, August 16, 2011

Operation "Finale": Part Three: New Album / New website news??

It is indeed official. ZZ, per their Facebook page, has elected to delay the new album until March or April 2012. I do not fear this to be one of the usual delays, the kind that have been happening since 2005. The new album has been recorded, tracked, and mixed. It may not be in its final state however, additional mixing could still take place, even some more overdubs, who knows?

Don't get me wrong, it is very frustrating to have to wait another 4 to 6 months for the new album, but taken in the context of a marketing / publicity / support standpoint this is good news. The band needs to tour in conjunction with the new release, simple as that. Common sense would appear to indicate you shouldn't release a new album then tour six months later, after the shiny new appeal has worn off. This presents ZZ with the opportunity to sell copies of the record at shows, sell shirts promoting the album, hats, whatever. And I have mentioned before, new songs, more than two, need to be played. If the band still wants to keep the show under 90 minutes than drop all the crappy covers and replace them with new material.

It would appear the new album is shaping up to be a winner. Someone even indicated they have heard the record in it's entirety, I believe in the comments section on Youtube for the "Flyin' High" audio track. I don't know how said individual would have heard it however. The comments on Youtube for the song are pretty interesting, be warned however there is some rough language from people that have trouble putting pen to paper.

As long as the record features a mix of styles and arrangements, while retaining that unique ZZ sound and character, sales should be brisk. People are hungry for some good music - today's scene is so abstract and inconsistent that a whole album of strong tunes will be a welcome change. Time for the group to release an official single, just to get the excitement and anticipation going in the general public.

Also, today, for the first time ever, I offer my solid gold guarantee: Every fan across the world would shit themselves if ZZ replaced "Pincushion" with "Driving While Blind" in their live set. That's right, you have my personal guarantee.

Oh, and "Precious and Grace" would be killer as well.

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Anybody got any updated news on the official website? When will it be up and running? A lot of fans paid for forum access that they can't currently use. Let's do this thing!

Tuesday, August 9, 2011

New Album Delayed???

I have received the second indication that the new album will not be coming out until next year, likely in the early spring. This makes a lot of sense when you think about it: Rubin likes things to be pretty perfect, few details have leaked out so far and August is already almost half way over, and ZZ traditionally begins their touring season in early spring, which would be proper timing to tour in support of  the new album.

In March of 2003 ZZ debuted two new Mescalero tracks at the Houston Rodeo. Maybe they will again debut new songs at the Rodeo in 2012.

More on this as details are learned.

Monday, August 8, 2011

Latest update on official website / set list status / Terry Manning discusses Top

Most likely fans are checking the official website every few days or so. Today a new teaser appeared, indicating some of the upcoming features. To join the mailing list simply enter your e-mail address in the white box and click enter (return); you should receive a confirmation if everything went through.

Per Senor Volto there is no exact launch date for the full site, just a matter of getting everything completed and ready to go. I can't imagine it would be too much longer however. Hopefully the new album, complete with artwork and a title, will make its debut on the fan page.

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No set list changes to date. In fact a few songs have been dropped here and there. It looks like the short gap in September and return in early October would be the logical time and place for new songs to appear. Really important that they tour in support of the new album this time. Mescalero did not get the respect it deserved, even from the band itself.

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I found this really cool link the other day. Features a lot of technical talk regarding ZZ's recording process on past albums, straight from Terry Manning. Great stuff.

http://recforums.prosoundweb.com/index.php/t/3849/0/

Tuesday, August 2, 2011

Details of new ZZTOP.com website

Word on the street is that the website will be brand new and run by a completely different company, that
being "ground(ctrl)". Appears they have a number of higher profile clients and are much more "fan-centric" than the prior provider. It is hoped that a real focus on actual news, updates and unique giveaways will be undertaken, a stark contrast to the prior site which was really nothing more than an occasional updated billboard advertisement. A focus on the fan club, including some people that have been around for approaching 30 years, is also imperative. I myself, and likely many others, will not mind paying a membership fee if it includes real dividends. Here's hoping.

Homepage for "ground(ctrl)":

http://www.groundctrl.com/

Set List Update

Same old set list in Big Flats, NY on Sunday July 31st. The show was co-headlined with Lynyrd Skynyrd however. If anyone receives info regarding a set list with new additions please let us know. Thanks