ANKH TV

“Hollywood 151,” one of the key tracks from The Big Bad Blues, Billy F Gibbons’ award-winning solo album, is the subject of a new video set for release this week. “Hollywood 151” follows the video for “Missin’ Yo’ Kissin’” that has become an online sensation with sales of The Big Bad Blues, both physical and digital, soaring since that video debuted early this spring.

As with “Missin’ Yo’ Kissin’,” Texas filmmaker Harry Reese shot “Hollywood 151” with the ZZ Top front man along with Matt Sorum (drums) and Austin Hanks (guitar). Gibbons literally plays bottleneck guitar with a beer bottle serving as the slide along the fret board.

The group had been together at The Roxy Theatre in LA on August 15 to perform on a MusiCares livestream benefit event that included participation by Ringo Starr, Linda Perry, Slash, Macy Gray, Jesse Malin, Cheap Trick, Taylor Momsen, Badflower, David Johansen, Darryl McDaniels (a.k.a. DMC), Gilby Clarke, and Donita Sparks. While together, yet socially distant, they moved locations to the streets of Hollywood which they cruised in a slammed and lowered ’54 Chevy to the famed “”Bourbon Room”” on Hollywood Boulevard where the performance was shot.

The song takes its inspiration from a late night Mexican club duo in Los Angeles from back in the day, fueling their twin guitars and drum machine with 151 proof rum… a beverage so potent that they analogized it to a pre-mixed Molotov cocktail. While some of it may very well have been consumed over the course of the video shoot, visual and musical focus was maintained, and the result is a rollicking travelogue/performance piece that underscores the endurance of The Big Bad Blues album, initially released nearly two years ago.

Billy F Gibbons commented, “Us three guys gathered for a special occasion, so we figured the next good idea was building on that happenstance and slate the video shoot immediately on site. We seized and pleased the moment and glad we did.”

The Big Bad Blues, named Best Blues Rock Album of the year at the Blues Music Awards in May of 2019, has remained a fixture on Billboard’s Blues Chart since the release. At present, BFG is working diligently on the follow up solo-album with Sorum and Hanks while creating the next ZZ Top release.

“Hollywood 151” credits:
Directed by Harry Reese
Produced by Matt Sorum
Thanks to Kenny Brown and the great production team at Rolling Live Studios

Author: Ectoplasm