Billy F. Gibbons is kicking off 2025 with plans for new releases from both his iconic band ZZ Top and his solo outfit, the BFG’s. The guitarist and frontman has teased that his freshly released single, "Livin' It Up Down in Texas," is just the beginning of what fans can expect in the coming months.
“We’ve been in the studio working on what could be new BFG’s material as well as with Frank [Beard] and Ellwood [Francis] on a ZZ Top piece,” Gibbons shared with Ultimate Classic Rock. He explained that the song, which premiered during the season finale of the Taylor Sheridan drama Landman on Paramount+, was “a little side trip” during those recording sessions. While progress is “about halfway done” on both projects, he hinted that 2025 “may reveal something new on both the BFG’s front as well as ZZ.”
That optimism comes with a caveat, as Gibbons acknowledged the balancing act between studio time and life on the road: “We still enjoy stepping aboard the tour bus and making the rounds. The challenge is finding time to get it all together in a recording studio as a backdrop.”
For fans, it’s been a long stretch without new material. The BFG’s haven’t released an album since Hardware in 2021, while ZZ Top’s last studio effort was 2012’s La Futura. According to Gibbons, some of the new ZZ Top material was started with the late Dusty Hill, whose 2021 passing marked a significant moment in the band’s history.
In the meantime, Gibbons’ latest single has brought fresh energy to his solo act. Co-written with Landman star Billy Bob Thornton and songwriter Mark Collie, "Livin' It Up Down in Texas" was an unexpected collaboration born of necessity. “They needed a special song for [the show],” Gibbons explained. Inspired by an image of a burning oil well, he crafted a track with a grinding, high-energy feel that captures the show’s rugged tone.
The single also helped push the BFG’s back into action. “The next thing you know we were going full-steam ahead,” Gibbons recalled. “The management office said, ‘Well, pack your bags; it looks like the BFG’s are well on their way to bring in some loudness.’”
The band—now featuring original member Mike “The Drifter” Flanigin on keyboards and Chris “Whipper” Layton from Stevie Ray Vaughan’s Double Trouble on drums—has hit the road with a series of dates across the U.S., blending material from Gibbons’ various musical ventures. “A little bit of this, a little bit of that—and a lot of loudness,” Gibbons said of the setlist.
As for the creative spark behind his music, Gibbons emphasized his enduring love for the blues: “One of the [band’s] cornerstones is it keeps one foot in the great American art form called the blues. The ZZ Top sound developed with the minimalist approach… It forces a side of creativity that demands 100 percent, 110 percent—everybody’s gotta be pumping. With these guys, really, all I have to do is walk out, stand up, and let it rip.”
With the BFG’s tour in full swing and ZZ Top hitting the road in March, 2025 promises to be a busy year for Gibbons.
With an unmistakable dedication to both his craft and his fans, Gibbons shows no signs of slowing down—whether on stage or in the studio.
