Steven Tyler has quit Aerosmith

[savafan]

http://www.boston.com/ae/music/blog/...ent_vacat.html

By Mark Shanahan
and Sarah Rodman
Globe Staff

Has Steven Tyler quit Aerosmith? It sure seems so.

After 40 years fronting one of rock 'n' roll's most successful bands, the singer famous for his elastic lips and shrill scream has apparently decided to walk that way, and his departure is raising questions about whether Aerosmith could carry on with a new singer.

The band, which has been roiled by internal tension for months, is not confirming the split. But after a concert last week, Tyler told the British magazine Classic Rock that he had pulled out of the band's scheduled tour of South America and will focus on a solo career, which he referred to as "brand Tyler." In the same interview, Aerosmith guitarist Brad Whitford mused on the possibility of replacing the 61-year-old singer, prompting fans, disc jockeys, and others to wonder about the band's commercial viability with a new or unknown singer.

"I think the odds are probably against it," said Gary Bongiovanni, editor in chief of Pollstar, a music industry trade magazine. "That’s assuming that they go out and calls themselves Aerosmith with a singer that sounds just like Steven Tyler."

Long one of rock's most combustible acts -- the band broke up in the early 1980s and then enjoyed a wildly successful comeback -- Aerosmith has been rumored to be on the rocks since a disastrous summer tour during which Tyler fell off the stage and broke his shoulder. The friction within the band was particularly evident in recent weeks as the band played contractually obligated shows in San Francisco, Hawaii, and Abu Dhabi. Tyler not only didn't rehearse with the band, but he traveled separately and did not see or speak to the other members off stage.

In an interview yesterday, guitarist Joe Perry said he and Whitford, bassist Tom Hamilton, and drummer Joey Kramer were surprised by Tyler's comments, and aren't sure what the singer is thinking.

"Like everyone else, we just read it online," Perry said. "We were kind of knocked back on our heels."

The guitarist sounded subdued as he spoke about the complicated dynamics within Aerosmith. He said Tyler initially signaled his unhappiness during the recording of Aerosmith's latest studio CD, which is not finished. (The band has not released a record of original material since 2001's "Just Push Play.) Then, over the summer, Tyler also abruptly dropped his association with the band's longtime manager, Howard Kaufman, and signed a separate management deal with Union Entertainment Group. Tyler could not be reached yesterday, and a publicist at Union did not respond to a call or e-mail.

Perry did not rule out the possibility that Aerosmith might take the stage with someone other than Tyler. It's a dilemma many other bands have faced, he said, mentioning Led Zeppelin, in particular.

"I go between then Robert Plant school of thought -- that Led Zeppelin could never exist without [drummer] John Bonham -- and the [Jimmy] Page side of things -- that you just go out get somebody to add to the mix and call it Zeppelin," Perry said. "I think performing without Steven has crossed people's minds."

It likely would be a tough sell for fans, who expect to see the sinuous Tyler, his microphone stand draped in scarves, howling the hits that in 2001 earned the band a spot in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. Van Halen and Journey, among other bands, had success with replacement singers, but Tyler ranks among the most iconic frontman in rock history.

Carter Alan, music director at rock station WZLX-FM (100.7), said he has difficulty envisioning fans embracing Aerosmith without Tyler. "I think the band has the right to try that, but I don’t know if the audience would accept it, because it’s the Toxic Twins, the doppelgangers, it’s those two guys," Alan said. "Not to take anything away from Joey, Tom, and Brad, but the creative drive that drives the band is from Joe and Steven."

Chris Kopchak, who began the "Aerofanatic" group on Facebook, blames Tyler for the band's recent problems but concedes the singer is essential to the band's success.

"Would I go see them with another singer? Of course," said Kopchak, who's seen the band 27 times. "The music is what's most important to me, but I don't think they'd viable, commercially, without Tyler."

Fans may get their first glimpse of "brand Tyler" in January when the singer appears at the Capitol Center for the Arts in Concord, N.H. The event, "Dream On: An Intimate Evening With Steven Tyler," is billed as a multimedia presentation with video, a two-song performance, and a Q&A with the singer. The evening, which promises "a revealing look at the intimate details of Tyler's life," is a benefit for Child and Family Services' adolescent substance abuse treatment and child abuse prevention initiatives.

Stephen Davis, who wrote the best-selling Aerosmith biography "Walk This Way," said he is reminded of the band's break-up in 1981, when Perry quit and swore he would never return. (On the band's 1982 LP "Rock in a Hard Place," Jimmy Crespo and Rick Dufay played in place of Perry and Whitford.)

"Joe and Steven are like brothers who hate each other but can't live without each other," Davis said. "There are no permanent vacations in the Aerosmith camp."

[Degenerate39]

You can't have Aerosmith without Steven Tyler.

[Unassisted]

Since the only way old bands can make money these days is to tour, my guess is that they'll patch things up at some point in the future... unless they've invested wisely and have enough to live on for the rest of their lives.

[redsfanmia]

Wish it would have happened before they recorded that god-awful song for Armeggedon and tarnished their career.

[GIDP]

Now only if their fans would quit also

[Blimpie]

Aside from Tyler doing the header off stage, I did not realize that their summer tour had been so lackluster.

Does anybody know how bad have the attendance numbers actually been?

[westofyou]

Wish it would have happened before they recorded that god-awful song for Armeggedon and tarnished their career.

I'd say that Love in an Elevator already did that.

[kaldaniels]

Talk about going out with a whimper.

[redsfanmia]

I'd say that Love in an Elevator already did that.

Pump was OK, after that they just kept putting out the same thing every few years to milk out money.

[savafan]

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/33868028...t-celebrities/

By Joey Bartolomeo
updated 1 hour, 12 minutes ago

Joe Perry still isn't sure which way Steven Tyler's walking.

After reports swirled that Tyler might be leaving Aerosmith, his unexpected performance with bandmate Perry in New York City on Tuesday night wasn't just a shock to fans but also to Perry. At the performance, Tyler said, "I just want New York to know I'm not leaving Aerosmith."

"I was totally surprised. I had no idea he was going to show up," Perry tells PEOPLE in his first interview since the show. In fact, the pair hadn't spoken in weeks. "All I know is we walked off stage and were sitting taking our break [before] the encore and there was a bunch of commotion and I looked up and Steven was there."

Tyler asked what songs they had left to play, and Perry — who just released a solo album, "Have Guitar, Will Travel" and was kicking off a tour with his own band, the Joe Perry Project — invited the singer to join him on the Aerosmith classic "Walk This Way."

"I thought I'd be a nice guy and let him sit in," Perry explains. "After 40 years I can say, 'If you want to join in with my band, so much the merrier.'"

After he performed the song, Tyler (who has been recovering from injuries sustained when he fell off the stage over the summer) left without seeing or speaking to Perry again. "He appeared so fast and was gone so fast," says the guitarist, noting that physically, Tyler "seemed fine. He stood up there and sang and that was it."

So what does all of this mean for the future of Aerosmith?

"Nothing has really changed between two days ago and today," says Perry, who believes that Tyler's intention to take two years off from the band still stands.

[GAC]

Steven Tyler: Back with Aerosmith

http://www.people.com/people/article...319050,00.html


Did he ever leave?

[pedro]

http://www.theonion.com/content/news..._laid_off_from

[RFS62]

http://www.theonion.com/content/news..._laid_off_from

Sweet.

[Raisor]

In other news RFS quit Redszone but then came back when Chip agreed to feed RF's goat.

[redsfandan]

Guess who might be getting a temporary singer now:

Aerosmith to hold auditions for replacement singer
Reuters, Jan 21, 2010 2:00 pm PST

Aerosmith has begun its search for a singer to replace Steven Tyler -- though whether it's permanent or temporary is uncertain.
Guitarist Joe Perry told Canada's QMI Agency that the group is "already getting the word out there. The word's been out there for a while.".

After his Canadian swing with Motley Crue -- which ends February 5 in Montreal -- Perry said that Aerosmith will "start having some auditions, making some phone calls. Hopefully, we'll have found a new singer by the summer, and Aerosmith will be able to go back out on the road.".

Tyler is currently in rehab for an addiction to painkillers after a tumultuous last few months of 2009. In his December 22 announcement, Tyler indicated that he planned to "enthusiastically be writing, recording and performing with Aerosmith as soon as things are handled.".

Perry, however, contends that it may take a while for those things to be handled, longer than he and the rest of Aerosmith -- guitarist Brad Whitford, bassist Tom Hamilton and drummer Joey Kramer -- care to wait as they gear up for the group's 40th anniversary in 2011.

"It's kind of hard to get a straight answer about what's going on," Perry said. "He has to have leg surgery and foot surgery and it's basically going to take him out of the picture for about a year, year and a half. So, in the meantime, the rest of the band wants to play. And I want to play with the other guys in Aerosmith. So the four of us are just making our plans. We're gonna find somebody to get in there and fill that spot. Just like when Tom was sick -- we got David Hull to come in and play bass. When Brad was sick, we got somebody else to come in and play for him. That's basically how I look at it; we need another singer to fill in.".

Perry would not mention any candidates for the job yet but did say there are "a few people we've talked to, and we'll see how it goes ... As far as auditions go, we'll probably just sit around and have a couple of drinks and see if we get along. Because we're already gonna know that they can sing.".

He also said he felt it would be "appropriate" for the new configuration to work under the Aerosmith name, though he expressed hope for Tyler's eventual return to the lineup..

"I'm ready to write with him, to play on stage with him anytime he's physically ready and wants to do it," Perry said. "But it's really up to him ... And the last things he said to the press were that he wanted to work with the band and sing with the band, so we'll see.".

The guitarist, meanwhile, is keeping busy with the Joe Perry Project. After the Canadian run Perry is expected to play more U.S. dates (a handful have already been announced) before heading to the U.K. in April to open for Bad Company.

If anyone is thinking about seeing them this year you might want to find out who their singer will be first.