Why ZZ Top released track on YouTube

Cutting edge: ZZ Top

Billy Gibbons admits many ZZ Top fans will be surprised to find them embracing the digital era after they released their first new music in nine years via an online ad. Check it out below.

A clip of upcoming track I Got To Get Paid is used in a YouTube promo for Jeremiah Weed Root Brew – and Gibbons says that’s just the start for his outfit.

He tells USA Today: “ZZ Top would be the last guess for the most internet-savvy band. However, I think we’re just in the initial stages of a very fast-moving platform.

“Sooner rather than later, any other form other than digital media will be a thing of the past. It won’t vanish – but let’s face it, this is the way of the future.”

But that doesn’t mean he has no doubts about what comes next. “We’re in the middle of probably the most prolific access to music,” he reflects. “You may know what you want, but there are so many different targets where it may be lurking. It’s not that there’s a shortage of musical expressions – it’s, where do you find it?”

Gibbons uses his iPhone to shoot video on the road which the band then project behind them on stage. He explains: “Song by song, we’re attempting to create a threat that will tether the evening’s performance into a cinematic expression as well. The scenes are of Texas, California, sand, cactus trees, rocks, a lot of fast cars and fast women.”

Last month Gibbons suggested producer Rick Rubin was behind delays to the release of their next full-length record, saying: “Everything’s buzzing. I guess the irony is that the band is wondering, ‘Where is this thing? When do we hear it?’”