Recent Press

Ron talks with sax legend Bill Evans about playing with Miles Davis, building a fanbase in Europe, wearing bandanas, getting help from MTF, and living in New York City in the ’80s.

As Rosanne Cash prepares to make her eagerly awaited return to the National Concert Hall, the multi-Grammy-Award-winning singer-songwriter discusses star-studded collaborations, health struggles, and her – and her late father Johnny Cash’s – ties to Ireland.

Musician Treatment Foundation (MTF) presented an All-Star benefit concert at the Brooklyn Bowl in Nashville, Tennessee on March 12, 2023. Headliners Elvis Costello and Billy F Gibbons along with plenty of special guests rocked the house. The live show raised funds for MTF who supports uninsured/underinsured professional musicians with medical expenses associated with their trade.

The show started with speakers along with a short film that outlined the important work of MTF. As the line-up of artists for set one were introduced, we were told that a number of them had to have surgery where parts were reattached punctuating the importance of assisting musicians with medical costs so that they can continue playing for all of us.

Last Sunday (March 12), the Musician Treatment Foundation(opens in new tab) – an organization that assists in paying for surgical and nonsurgical care for the shoulder, elbow, and hand injuries of uninsured and underinsured professional musicians – held a benefit concert at the Brooklyn Bowl Nashville.

Elvis Costello, who serves on the Musician Treatment Foundation’s board of directors, headlined the show, alongside ZZ Top electric guitar legend Billy Gibbons.

ZZ Top‘s Billy Gibbons and Elvis Costello joined forces to jam on a clutch of classic ZZ Top songs at a benefit concert for the Musician Treatment Foundation in Nashville on Sunday night, March 12.

According to Rolling Stone, Gibbons joined Costello and his band The Imposters to play Sharp Dressed Man, Jesus Just Left Chicago, Thunderbird and La Grange.

Elvis Costello and Billy Gibbons staged an unlikely team-up on Sunday at Nashville’s Brooklyn Bowl.

The veteran rockers both headlined a benefit concert for the Musician Treatment Foundation, whose “core mission is to fund free surgical and nonsurgical care for the shoulder, elbow and hand problems of under- and uninsured professional musicians.” They were accompanied by musical powerhouses such as longtime Bob Dylan guitarist Charlie Sexton, jazz saxophonist Bill Evans, veteran session drummer Keith Carlock and dobro master Jerry Douglas.

Elvis Costello and ZZ Top frontman Billy Gibbons are both legendary veteran road-dog types with long resumes and distinctive looks, and both of them did pretty well on MTV in the network’s early years. Still, Costello and Gibbons are not necessarily two people I would necessarily consider to be natural collaborators with one another, so it’s cool that they shared a stage and played some songs together in Nashville last night.

BILLY GIBBONS LINKED up with Elvis Costello to play a handful of ZZ Top classics during a special charity gig in Nashville Sunday night, March 12.

Gibbons and Costello played a slew of hits, including ZZ Top’s “Sharp Dressed Man,” “Jesus Just Left Chicago,” “Thunderbird,” and “La Grange.” Gibbons also jammed on Sam & Dave’s “I Thank You,” Robert Johnson’s “Sweet Home Chicago,” and Costello’s regular encore song, “(What’s So Funny ‘Bout) Peace, Love and Understanding.”

We may have our share of all-star concerts in Music City, but the one taking place Sunday at Brooklyn Bowl Nashville is in a league of its own in terms of musical range and resumes — and led by two Rock and Roll Hall of Famers.