09/01/2026
Martin in the Morning's Rock News
ZZ TOP: Sharp Dressed Hybrid Band
Billy Gibbons is defending his decision to keep ZZ Top going in the wake of the recent death of drummer Frank Beard, leaving Gibbons as the only surviving member.
In an interview with Texas Monthly he says, "It’s not a new day, but it is. It’s not a new band, but it is. It’s a hybrid. I’ve got [bassist] Elwood [Francis]. He’s been with us 30 years and used to teach [our late bassist] Dusty [Hill], for God’s sake. He was already family.
"And I’ve played enough shows with [our new drummer] Mike [Monahan] to know what we have there. He’s making me better. I told him, 'Man, thanks for being you. Beyond your talents, I want you to know the effect that’s unfolding night by night. I’m invigorated.'
For me, the sun isn’t setting. I see it as a bright light. It’s not so different, but then again it is. We miss Dusty and Frank. We loved these guys. They were everything. And yet we’re following their instructions... We’re still ZZ Top, and only now we have the luxury of adding to what took 50 years to build. And I couldn’t be happier about it."
Dusty suggested they continue with Francis, and Beard did the same with Monahan, and Gibbons adds, "We’re so gifted by getting to do what we like getting to do. We knew that we wanted to follow Frank and Dusty’s last wishes: The show must go on. Move it forward. Keep moving it forward.
"I guess the good news is that it may not be the same three guys, but it is the same three chords, same songs. And it’s working."
Asked about the differences between Monahan and Beard, Gibbons said, "[Mike is] louder, and I think his timing is much like what Frank’s timing was when we first started, meaning nearly like a metronome. After we’d played with him some, I said to Elwood, 'Are you playing things you didn’t think you could play?' He goes, 'Yes, it’s because of that drummer. He’s dragging it out of us.' And after Elwood joined the band, I had almost the same conversation with Frank. He said, 'Elwood’s showing me things I didn’t think I could do.'"
And, helping solidify Gibbons' decision was a text he received from Keith Richards, who inducted the band into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in 2004. It said, “I heard about it. I’ve done it.” And Gibbons says, "It meant a lot and gave me a lot to think about." Richards of course was referring to The Rolling Stones continuing in the wake of the death of Charlie Watts in 2021.
ZZ's tour takes them to the Northeast this week with shows in East Meadow, New York on Tuesday; Syracuse, New York on Thursday; Essex Junction, Vermont on Friday; Gilford, New Hampshire on Saturday; and Bangor, Maine on Sunday.
JIMMY PAGE: Puts an End to Communication Breakdown
Jimmy Page had long promised that he would be doing something besides reissuing the Led Zeppelin catalog, but has yet to deliver on that promise.
So, his fans are wondering if something is in the works as he relaunched his website Friday, JimmyPage.com, after more than two years of inactivity.
A message on the site read, "It’s been a long time. On this day, the new JimmyPage.com launches. The 'On This Day' series returns daily, alongside my full discography and live date history, with more exciting features coming soon."
First launched in 2011, it was taken offline in March 2024, and this time out, the code of the relaunched site contains clues that suggest he may launch a paywalled membership as some posts on the site have the option of being marked as only available for paying members.
