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After a disastrous summer tour marred by long simmering internal tensions, injuries, and poor ticket sales, it appears that Aerosmith and frontman Steven Tyler may be parting ways. “Steven quit as far as I can tell,” guitarist Joe Perry told the Las Vegas Sun late last week. “I saw online that Steven said that he was going to leave the band. I don’t know for how long, indefinitely or whatever.” Perry said he and his fellow Aerosmith bandmates usually have “no contact” with Tyler.
Following a November 1st gig in front of 50,000 in Abu Dhabi, the band had become so frustrated Tyler — who recently hired his own manager and began working on his first solo album — that guitarist Brad Whitford spoke openly about touring with a new singer. “Nobody could replace Steven or imitate him — he’s one of a kind,” Whitford said to a British reporter. “But if somebody was willing to do it and the chemistry was right, why not?” Perry, meanwhile, wouldn’t confirm whether they’d proceed with a different singer. “I really don’t know what path it’s going to take at this point,” he told the Sun, “but we’ll probably find somebody else that will sing in those spots where we need a singer and then we’ll be able to move the Aerosmith up a notch, move the vibe up a notch.”
For years, Perry and Tyler — who co-wrote most of Aerosmith’s hits — have been unable to agree on a direction for the band’s music. As a result, it’s been nearly a decade since the group released an album of new material, despite repeated stints in the studio. “[We] haven’t written a song together alone in the same room in over ten years, so there’s been some changes in paradigm of what Aerosmith is,...
Article Source: Rolling Stone : Rock and Roll Daily