Gulf News, Dubai, UAE
October 31, 2009

(Image Credit: K.K. Ayub/Gulf News)

Aerosmith lead singer Steven Tyler might be in the UAE to perform at the closing of the Formula one in Abu Dhabi, but on Friday it seems he thought Dubai was the best place to party. Tyler was the guest of honour at Roberto Cavalli’s Halloween party, held last night at the glittering Cavalli Club in the Fairmont Dubai. Although Tyler didn’t come in costume, his flowing kaftan style shirt and trademark fedora meant he stood out from the vampires, devils and superheroes who clamoured to get a photograph with the Crazy singer. When asked what his costume was, he replied, “I don’t know who I am…” Tyler arrived at the party after midnight, narrowly missing a fabulously funky set by former CSI star Gary Dourdan.

More photos:  (here).

Aero Force One
October 29, 2009

Julien’s Auctions – Rock Icons & Steven Tyler

One Day – Two Amazing Auctions

On November 21, 2009, The Hard Rock Cafe Times Square New York will be the venue for two of Julien’s Auctions most anticipated auctions of the year, beginning at 10 a.m. E.S.T. with the Steven Tyler Auction benefitting MusiCares and the Musicians Assistance Program (MAP).

For the first time, the clothing and memorabilia from Aerosmith’s legendary front-man, Steven Tyler, are offered for public sale. The proceeds from this auction will benefit The MusiCares MAP fund that assists musicians in their recovery from addiction. Steven Tyler has lent his support and offered his personal items for auction, including stage and event worn clothing by renowned designers and signed memorabilia. Own a piece of Tyler’s unique style down to his boxer shorts or swim trunks. Also offered for sale, a signed Paul McCartney Hofner bass and other Paul McCartney Grammy Awards memorabilia, a U2 signed guitar, a Ron Wood signed Gibson guitar, guitars hand painted by Carly Simon, Brandon Boyd, David Lee Roth and others.

Click (here) to see the items up for auction! Bidding on these items can be done in-person at the Hard Rock Cafe in Times Square, or online in real-time at www.julienslive.com - Register today!

Letarte Swimwear Inc, HI
October 23, 2009

“Steven Tyler & entourage spent 3 hours in the Letarte flagship store in Paia, Maui on Friday, October 23rd. Everyone left with lots of Letarte goodies and Steven walked out wearing the women’s Letarte butterfly tunic!”

Chrome Hearts owner Laurie Stark, Letarte designer Lisa Cabrinha and Steven Tyler

More photos:  (here).

Aero Force One
October 27, 2009

Check out the latest video from The Joe Perry Project as they discuss the making of “Have Guitar, Will Travel.”

For more information about “Have Guitar, Will Travel” click (here).

Aero Force One
October 23, 2009

It’s ROCK-Tober once again and we’re giving you an opportunity to win some sweet treats courtesy of Aerosmith and AF1! Halloween is right around the corner and we want YOU to do your spookiest! All you’ve gotta do is send a video, photo or story to contests@aeroforceone.com with the subject line “2009 Halloween Contest” and show us that YOU have that Halloween spirit. Submit a photo of you in your costume, a pumpkin carving or crazy experience for an opportunity to WIN! Make it spooky, make it sexy or make it cool — Just make it memorable! The most spook-tacular entry will take home a $100 gift card to the Aeroforceone.com store!

The contest starts Friday, October 23, 2009 and will end on Monday, November 2, 2009 at 12pm ET. A winner will be randomly selected by 12pm ET on Tuesday, November 3, 2009.

Good luck!

Click (here) for Official Rules.

Seacoastonline.com
October 26, 2009

Tickets go on sale, Friday, Oct. 30, for DREAM ON, An Intimate Evening with Steven Tyler, Saturday, Jan. 23, 8 p.m., at the Capitol Center for the Arts in Concord. Famed as the front man for the legendary rock band, Aerosmith, who also happens to hail from New Hampshire, Tyler makes this exclusive area appearance for Child and Family Services as the official launch of the agency’s Concerts for the Cause 25th anniversary season.

DREAM ON brings people into the inner circle of a rock icon. The event features a multi-media presentation including video of Aerosmith concert footage, images captured through Tyler’s and the band’s remarkable history, stories of life on the road, discussion of Tyler’s personal journey including his struggles with addiction, a special solo presentation of two renowned songs, and a question-answer period between Tyler and the audience. All proceeds from the event will benefit Child and Family Services’ adolescent substance abuse treatment and child abuse prevention initiatives.

Having spent much of his life in New Hampshire, Tyler has become the state’s preeminent living rock legend and success story. “We are thrilled at this opportunity and honored that Steven Tyler will take to the local stage on our behalf,” says Mike Ostrowski, CEO/president of Child and Family Services, in a press release. “Tyler’s willingness to share such intimate details of his life, from the challenges of the band’s early years of survival to the effects of realizing the rock star dream…and the road to recovery in between, will make for a rare, meaningful and memorable presentation.”

Special VIP tickets to DREAM ON: An Intimate Evening with Steven Tyler are priced at $200 each and include a private meet and greet reception with the artist, priority seats, acknowledgement on the official event webpage, name inclusion in program book and other amenities. For details and to purchase VIP tickets, visit www.cfsnh.org. All other tickets are $75 – $125 and will be available at the Capitol Center for the Arts, www.ccanh.com, 225-1111.

DREAM ON: An Intimate Evening with Steven Tyler is officially sponsored by Rock 101 & The Morning Buzz.

Aero Force One
October 25, 2009

The Joe Perry Project upcoming tour dates:

Date	Venue	City, State	Ticket Info
Tue. 11/10/09   9:00pm	The Fillmore at Irving Plaza	New York, NY	$40-$45 Onsale NOW Get Your Tix HERE!
Wed. 11/11/09   7:00pm	Starland Ballroom	Sayreville, NJ	$25-$30 Onsale NOW Get Your Tix HERE!
Fri. 11/13/09   8:00pm	Hampton Beach Casino Ballroom	Hampton Beach, NH	$26-$28 Onsale NOW Get Your Tix HERE!
Sat. 11/14/09   7:00pm	House of Blues	Boston, MA	$29.50-$39.50 Onsale NOW Get Your Tix HERE!
Sun. 11/15/09   7:00pm	Northern Lights	Clifton Park, NY	$25-$28 Onsale NOW Get Your Tix HERE!
Wed. 11/18/09   7:30pm	House of Blues	Chicago, IL	$36-$38 Onsale NOW Get Your Tix HERE!
Thu. 11/19/09   8:00pm	The Colosseum at Caesars Windsor	Winsor, ONT	$28-$52 Onsale NOW Get Your Tix HERE!
Sat. 11/21/09   8:00pm	Fantasy Springs Resort Casino	Indio, CA	$49-$89 Onsale NOW Get Your Tix HERE!
Mon. 11/23/09   8:00pm	House of Blues	Anaheim, CA	$35 Onsale 10/24 Get Your Tix HERE!
Tue. 11/24/09   8:00pm	House of Blues (Sunset Strip)	West Hollywood, CA	$35.50-$45.50 Onsale 10/24 Get Your Tix HERE!
Wed. 11/25/09   8:00pm	The Fillmore	San Francisco, CA	Price TBA Onsale TBA More Info HERE!
Sat. 11/28/09   8:00pm	House of Blues	Las Vegas, NV	Price TBA Onsale 10/31 More Info HERE!

The National, UAE
October 25. 2009

The last of the Grand Prix tickets have been snapped up. The capital’s inaugural Formula One event has sold out, seven months after tickets went on sale and a week before the race. Almost 60,000 people are expected at Yas Marina Circuit on Sunday……

As well as the Grand Prix itself, three-day ticket holders will be able to walk around during the pit lane walkabout on Thursday, see all qualifying and practice sessions as well as the support races, and go to concerts by Beyoncé, Jamiroquai, Kings of Leon and Aerosmith [Sunday, Nov. 1]……

Complete article:  (here).

SexyStevenTyler.com
October 25, 2009

More photos:  (here).

The Journal Gazette, IN
October 25, 2009

Aerosmith guitarist Joe Perry gently puffs on a small cigar while talking music in a Baltimore-area radio studio.

He isn’t supposed to be smoking indoors. But no one is about to tell Joe Perry, a god of rock guitar, to stub it out. Instead, the on-air staff gives him an overturned Starbucks coffee lid to use as an ashtray and lets him speak.

“He’s a legend,” said DJ Stash, after interviewing Perry for 98Rock. “We tried to make him comfortable and get out of his way.”

Legends get to light up wherever they want. That’s just one of the perks. Then there’s the big tour bus sitting in the nearby parking lot. A promotion for the “Guitar Hero: Aerosmith” video game, which features Aerosmith’s music, the bus has Perry’s name and his ax-wielding avatar emblazoned on the side.

When Perry, 59, rolls in, you know it.

In the past couple months, Perry has spent a lot of time in his tour bus, tooling up and down the East Coast to promote “Have Guitar, Will Travel,” his new solo album with the Joe Perry Project.

The band will make a stop at the House of Blues in Chicago on Nov. 18.

The album and the coming tour in support of it both came about after a series of illnesses and accidents sidelined Aerosmith.

This year, Aerosmith was gearing up to record a new album – its first of original material since 2001’s “Just Push Play” – and hit the road. But the studio sessions had to be postponed when Perry’s artificial knee became infected, and the plan was scrapped altogether when singer Steven Tyler caught pneumonia.

Then this summer, when the band set out on its first big tour since 2007, Tyler spun around, lost his balance, fell off stage and injured his shoulder. With Tyler down for the count, the tour had to be canceled. That left Perry with free time on his hands.

“I had no intentions of making this record – until the Aerosmith record was postponed,” Perry said. “With the postponing of the album and then the tour, I didn’t sit still for a minute. … It’s kind of like ‘every man for himself’ for a while.”

Perry hunkered down in his basement studio to record “Have Guitar, Will Travel.” It’s his fifth solo album since he started the Joe Perry Project in 1980. Some of the songs on this newest album had been sitting around for years waiting to be recorded, but most were written on the fly.

“I’d get an idea for something, and I’d just have to do it,” Perry said. “I’d say, ‘I’m not going to leave the studio until it’s done.’ I’d just kind of spew it out. Sometimes I’d change it, but very rarely. Usually, the first thing you put out is the right thing.”

When making “Have Guitar, Will Travel,” Perry thought back to the guitarists who inspired him and helped shape his style of performing and recording.

Videos of Jimi Hendrix’s early shows still awe him. But above all, he admires the spontaneity and raw talent of blues greats from the 1930s and 1940s. Back then, musicians typically used one microphone and sometimes had only one take to nail a song.

“Those guys were incredibly talented players,” Perry said. “There’s so much soul, so much heart. It’s incredible. It lifts you up and takes you away. It’s the real deal. There are so many processes that music goes through now just to record. I hear so little of that feeling.”

That’s part of the reason “Have Guitar, Will Travel” was recorded so spontaneously. For certain songs, Perry would sit and write a verse at the drop of a hat. If you listen to the album with headphones on, you’ll hear accidental pops, squeaks and the occasional mistake – things most contemporary producers would edit out.

“It may not make for the best grammar … but writing from the heart takes away the conscious level of self-editing, which is the death of art,” he said.

After decades of touring and more than 150 million Aerosmith albums sold worldwide, Perry still thinks his biggest strength as a guitarist is being a listener.

“I’m a fan of rock ’n’ roll first,” he said. “My chosen instrument is guitar, and fortunately, I’m able to muddle through that. I can play guitar to the point where I can express myself artistically.”

DanasDirt.com
October 24, 2009

Photo:  (here).

YouTube.com
October 22, 2009

“Walk This Way” by Aerosmith, Maui, Hawaii, October 20, 2009

Watch video:  (here).

Maui News, HI
By Matthew Thayer
October 22, 2009

Aerosmith’s legendary frontmen, singer Steven Tyler and lead guitarist Joe Perry, kick off Tuesday’s concert with a rousing rendition of “Eat the Rich” at War Memorial Stadium.
(The Maui News / Matthew Thayer photo)

Lead guitarist Joe Perry wails through “Falling in Love.”
(The Maui News / Matthew Thayer photo)

Aerosmith singer Steven Tyler works the catwalk Tuesday before a crowd of more than 7,000 at War Memorial Stadium.
(The Maui News / Matthew Thayer photo)

WAILUKU – A judge may have ordered the “Bad Boys from Boston” to play Tuesday’s concert at War Memorial Stadium, but the legendary band members of Aerosmith certainly didn’t “mail in” their performances during a hard-rocking show that kept a crowd of more than 7,000 on its feet for two hours.

“They came in with the intent of doing it large and doing it great, and by all reports it seems as if it was worth the wait,” said Maui Arts & Cultural Center Executive Vice President and General Manager Art Vento. “People seem to be appreciative.”

Aerosmith was ordered to play the show as part of a settlement in a class-action lawsuit filed after the band pulled out of a Maui concert scheduled for Sept. 27, 2007. At the end of Tuesday’s show, lead singer Steven Tyler apologized to the crowd. He said it was his fault band members missed the earlier show, and added that they hope to return to Maui some day to do another concert. The audience gave the band a warm welcome, and cheered it back for an encore.

Mixing a healthy dose of classics such as “Sweet Emotion,” “Dream On,” “Cryin,” and “Love in an Elevator” with less-well-known songs from the band’s expansive playlist like “Mamma Kin” and “Train Kept A-Rollin’,” Aerosmith worked hard to satisfy a fan base that spans several generations.

“It was a multigenerational show,” Vento said. “The kids were there seeing how mom and dad rocked, and how they continue to rock.”

After staging such shows as The Who, Sting and the Eagles, Vento said the Aerosmith gig set a new standard for Maui rock events.

“The scale of the thing, in terms of staging, audience and logistics, as far as I know, it is the largest rock show ever on Maui,” Vento said. “Somebody called it a Herculean effort to transform an aging football stadium into a modern rock and roll venue. The scale of this was over the top. They don’t do anything small.”

The concert got off to a truly Maui start.

After the island-based Vince Esquire Band opened the show with a half-hour set, a surprised group of hula dancers and Tahitian-style drummers from Halau Kulia Ika Nu’u were led onstage to kick off Aerosmith’s act. The halau was practicing at Keopuolani Park Tuesday afternoon when Tyler reportedly heard their drums from the Maui Arts & Cultural Center.

Kumu Lehua Kekahuna said she was told that Tyler sent representatives to track down the unknown musicians and ask them to open the show. Less than two hours later, the halau took the stage. Kekahuna closed her halau’s short performance with a solo hula that ended with a hug and kiss from Tyler after she presented him with a lei.

Tyler is the band’s bombastic showman. Lead guitarist Joe Perry was its driving force Tuesday. From his iconic licks on “Walk This Way,” to his hard-driving jam of Fleetwood Mac’s “Rattlesnake Shake,” Perry lived up to his reputation as one of the best guitarists in the history of rock ‘n’ roll. Thanks to the jumbo video screens, even folks at the back of the stadium could watch his fingers fly over the strings.

While younger patrons will remember his electrifying duel with his “Guitar Hero” alter ego on the big screens, those in the front row will never forget how he didn’t let a split seat in his leather pants keep him from carrying on with the show. It was a half moon over Maui until the wardrobe malfunction was cured by a black sweater tied around his waist.

Drummer Joey Kramer, base player Tom Hamilton and rhythm guitarist Brad Whitford occasionally found themselves in the spotlight, such as during Kramer’s drum solo. But they seemed content to let the band’s two stars strut at the front of the stage and along the catwalk extending out into the audience.

LiveDaily.com
By Suzanne Kayian / LiveDaily Contributor
October 21, 2009

It may have been a court-ordered show, but Tuesday’s (10/20) Aerosmith concert at the War Memorial Stadium in Maui definitely did not seem like a “settlement.” From the opening drum beats to the extended encore, The Bad Boys of Boston gave it their all and lived up to the “do not suck” clause in the lawsuit agreement that stemmed from a canceled 2007 show on the Hawaiian island.

The band’s set opened with a gathering of percussionists pounding a very Hawaiian-sounding beat as a troupe from a local hula halau (school) shimmied and shook in a manner worthy of Steven Tyler’s notorious stage gyrations. As the Hawaiian drums gave way to Joey Kramer’s driving intro to “Eat The Rich,” there was no doubt this audience was in for a treat.

After blasting through several songs that kept the crowd on their feet, Tyler brought out a ukulele, telling the crowd he was going to play something he learned while on the island in 1974. As he started to strum the tiny instrument, the band playfully overpowered him, breaking into the opening notes of “Dream On.”

The flamboyant frontman went with the flow and gave the audience what they had been waiting for: a performance that members of the Blue Army would proudly call kick-ass, far-out, tight, sick or most-excellent, depending on the generation. Tyler’s voice was in great form and he didn’t disappoint as he hit those ultra-high notes that have made him often-imitated but not often-duplicated.

Peppering his between-song stage banter with local phrases including “Maui No Ka Oi” (Maui is the best), Tyler brought the ukulele out again, strumming a bit of the Hawaiian classic “Little Grass Shack.”

It quickly became apparent that this show was special for both the fans and the band. At one point, Perry stood under the starry sky, telling the crowd how much the band has wanted to play on the island since visiting in 1974. He practically took back his recent comments about Aerosmith being on “indefinite hiatus,” saying the band wouldn’t take that long for a return appearance.

The first all-out sing-along of the night came during “Cryin’,” as Tyler’s trademark scarves dangled from his mic stand while he twirled it like a weightless baton. After more than 30 years as a performer, his stage presence remains captivating.

However, those who think Aerosmith = Steven Tyler were pleasantly surprised to see Joe Perry carry a big chunk of the show. He shined while singing, his guitar work wailed and his showmanship was top-notch. He even gave the crowd a hushed-giggle when he busted out the butt of his black leather pants while the band rocked “Livin’ On The Edge.”

With Perry’s shirt quickly wrapped around his waist, the band was back on track as they plowed through a long, eclectic set that included “Big Ten Inch,” “Ragdoll,” and “Love in an Elevator.”

When it was Kramer’s time to shine, a fervent drum solo blazed into “Walk This Way.” The group was tight, with guitarist Brad Whitford and bassist Tom Hamilton totally in sync with their bandmates.

With cell-phone cameras snapping and audience members texting and Twittering, Aerosmith closed the night with a well-received rendition of “Sweet Emotion.” At the end of the song, Tyler got on his knees with arms overhead and repeatedly bowed to the crowd, evoking a “Wayne’s World” moment. “I’m not worthy,” he said, adding “Maui No Ka Oi” one more time.

The encore got underway with Perry playing dueling axes with his “Guitar Hero” alter ego. He told the audience, “Every week, someone comes up to me and says, ‘I played you and I beat you,’” and then he proceeded to blow his digital self off the big screen.

Tyler returned to the stage for a rousing rendition of “Mama Kin” but the show wasn’t over yet. He once again showed his affection for his bandmates, sharing a story about meeting Perry and being impressed with his cover “Rattlesnake Shake.” As the band played the tune, the reported love-lost between Tyler and Perry seemed to be long gone and in its place stood the not-so-Toxic Twins in all their glory.

Wrapping up the evening with “Train Kept A-Rollin’,” one could see that Aerosmith had been touched by the magic of Maui. It was hard to believe that only a few days earlier, Perry didn’t have many nice things to say about his old friend, Tyler.

Before leaving the stage, Tyler took responsibility for the canceled 2007 show while expressing his love for the crowd, and Perry–almost tearfully–thanked the audience for making the band’s dreams come true.

Oh yeah, the fans loved it too.

Set List

Eat the Rich
Falling in Love (Is Hard On the Knees)
Ragdoll
Walking the Dog
Dream On
Last Child
Same Old Song and Dance
Combination
Stop Messin’ Around
Love in an Elevator
Cryin’
Livin’ on the Edge
Big Ten Inch
Walk This Way
Sweet Emotion

Encore

Guitar Hero
Mama Kin
Rattlesnake Shake
Train Kept A-Rollin’

Blabbermouth.net, NY
October 20, 2009

Aerosmith returned to the live stage this past Sunday (October 18) to play a gig at Honolulu, Hawaii’s Blaisdell Arena. It marked the band’s first “official” gig since frontman Steven Tyler was injured during a performance in Sturgis, South Dakota, prompting several cancellations. (Note: Aerosmith’s actual first performance since the Sturgis incident took place last week at an Oracle private event in San Francisco.)

The band’s setlist was as follows:

01. Eat The Rich
02. Fallin In Love (Is Hard On The Knees)
03. Ragdoll
04. Walkin’ The Dog
05. Dream On
06. Last Child
07. Same Old Song and Dance
08. Stop Messin’ Around
09. Love In an Elevator
10. Cryin’
11. Draw The Line
12. Livin’ On The Edge
13. Walk This Way
14. Sweet Emotion

Encore

15. Guitar Hero Joe
16. Train Kept A Rollin’

Watch fan-filmed video footage of the performance [at link] below.

Photos can be found at this location.

Aerosmith will also take the stage tonight (Tuesday, October 20) at Maui’s War Memorial Stadium as part of the settlement of a class-action lawsuit set off when the band canceled a 2007 concert at the same venue.

Tyler told promoter Tom Moffatt that the group has wanted to come to Hawaii since 1976.

Watch video:  (here).

Honolulu Star Bulletin, HI
Photos by FL Morris / fmorris@starbulletin.com
October 19, 2009

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More photos:  (here).

Honolulu Advertiser, HI
By Dave Dondoneau,TGIF Editor
October 19, 2009

Band rocks in Blaisdell stop

No matter what happens to Aerosmith off stage, the legendary rockers showed last night at the Blaisdell Arena that when they do play, they remain arguably the greatest American rock band of all time.

No small feat, considering its iconic lead singer, Steven Tyler, is 61 and last night’s performance was both his and the band’s first together in public since Aug. 5, when Tyler severely injured himself falling off stage during a concert in South Dakota.

Tyler had to be airlifted to the hospital from that concert venue. Prior to this week, guitarist Joe Perry, 59, said the band hadn’t spoken to its flamboyant lead singer since.

But any questions of whether Tyler had recovered enough to perform were quickly answered when Tyler nailed every tune from “Ragdoll” to “Love in the Elevator,” ”Crying,” “Dream On,” “Living on the Edge,” and a whole lot more.

He did his patented Tyler Shuffle, plus a burlesquelike striptease, as he shed his cloak, hat, glasses and scarfs; busted out maracas; and wailed on the harmonica when Perry played some blues.

He also took every opportunity to sidle up next to Perry, his longtime bandmate and friend who has openly criticized him for his continued rock-star lifestyle, and declared he “loved” the guys in the band.

If there was any discomfort between the two, or any of the band, it didn’t show on stage or in the music.

They were hitting the notes as if they had turned back the clock and the Bad Boys from Boston were all twenty-somethings again.

The sold-out crowd seemed to love every minute of it, regardless of age — and there was a mixture.

Many of the fans were in their 30s, 40s, 50s and — yes — 60s, and they were all making their decade look like the new 20s for a night.

The band looked comfortable together on stage, as it should after 30 years. Mostly, it looked like they were enjoying themselves as much as the crowd.

Perry, at one point near the end, played himself in “Guitar Hero: Aerosmith” — and won.

Aerosmith is off today, but plays again tomorrow night at War Memorial Stadium on Maui.

That concert is part of a court settlement after the band canceled its performance on Maui in 2007.

Perry may have summed up the band’s arrival in Hawai’i best when he took a break to announce a song.

“It’s been way too long since we played this place,” he said.

It sounded like pure “Sweet Emotion” when he said it, too.

Honolulu Star Bulletin, HI
By John Berger
October 19, 2009

Maybe Aerosmith decided to save “Dude (Looks like a Lady)” and “I Don’t Want to Miss a Thing” for Tuesday night and the show on Maui they’ll be doing for all the fans who got stood up when they cancelled a date there two years ago.

Whatever the reason, when the “Bad Boys from Boston” left the stage for the second and final time Sunday night at the Blaisdell Arena after a powerful 75-minute main set and an 8-minute encore, those two iconic pop hits had not been played.

Think about it for a minute. “Dude (Looks Like A Lady)” is the song that brought Aerosmith back to the pop charts in late 1987, almost eight years after their last pop chart hit; it is also one of their most memorable music videos.

“I Don’t Want To Miss A Thing” from the movie “Armageddon,” is Aerosmith’s all-time biggest single hit to date – a million-seller, four weeks at #1 on the Billboard Hot 100 singles chart in 1998, and a respectable return to the Top 40 as a reissue in 2002.

You’d think that if Aerosmith had time to do their 1973-vintage album track remake of Rufus Thomas’ “Walkin’ the Dog” they’d have time to do two of their biggest and best-known originals.

Aerosmith fans, who paid $195-a-ticket to see them Sunday, were happy with what they got.

J.D. Parker, attending the concert with Hawaii actress Leigh Marcello said that “It wasn’t like a lawsuit gig they were playing because they had to. You could see them working (hard). They rocked.”

If he could get away, Parker added, he’d go to Maui for the concert on Tuesday. He’d heard they were going to do a longer show on Maui; maybe they’d those two songs there.

Local actor Theo Voudouris said he’d been waiting years to see Aerosmith in concert and thoroughly enjoyed the show. Jay Chandler, who’d returned from deployment in Iraq on Friday, echoed that assessment.

And, judged only for what they did, and not for the songs they didn’t do, Aerosmith lived up to expectations. Steven Tyler looked none the worse for his well-publicized fall from a concert stage in August; his voice was strong, he performed with all the expected panache, and he used his trademark microphone stand with all the brightly colored streamers as an eye-catching prop in several numbers.

Tyler is a charismatic showroom and the charisma was in full effect.

“Dream On” and “Livin’ on the Edge” – obvious choices as sure-fire audience favorites — were two highlight numbers. “Walk This Way” was another. Tyler had the crowd primed to “walk” with him, and the fans were singing along almost from the first notes. When Tyler told the audience to “put your hands in the air” it seemed that every one in the arena, from the front row to the highest reaches of the upper level, was at his command.

Guitarist Joe Perry was equally impressive as a musician and an entertainer. Perry’s guitar work held its own as the instrumental counterpoint of Tyler’s theatrics. He got a shot as lead vocalist near the mid-point of the show when Tyler stepped aside for a number Perry described as “Boston blues.”

Perry teamed up with drummer Joey Kramer to bring “Sweet Emotion” to a memorable close. He leaned back across Kramer’s drums and continued to play for a while with Kramer playing percussion on the neck of his guitar.

Perry teamed up with Kramer a second time to start the encore with number inspired by his work on the “Guitar Hero: Aerosmith” video game.

A runway extending 10 rows out into the audience gave more people than usual an opportunity to be close to the performers. Tyler and Perry spent a good deal of time out there working the crown. Bassist Tom Hamilton also took a stroll out to the end.

Guitarist Brad Whitford provided backing for most of the show but was showcased several times as a soloist.

The crowd was surprisingly diverse. It did not consist solely of nostalgic long-hairs or aging hippies. State Sen. Brickwood Galuteria was there with his 17-year-old daughter, Kawehi. Ron “The Real Ron O’Neal” Klohs was there “because my daughter has homework, and I’m very happy to be here!”

Otto of the 86 List had seen Aerosmith’s previous shows here and didn’t want to miss this one. Donna Walden was enjoying a night out with her daughter, Jana Walden. Regina Kawananakoa explained that, yes, she likes Aerosmith.

So do guitarist Zanuck Lindsey, make-up and fashion maven Crystal Pancipanci, and professional Madonna look-alike Aileen Fairbanks.

No one seemed to enjoy the concert more than Rio Marais, who saw Aerosmith for the first time when they played at Boston College 30 years ago. Seeing them close-up on Sunday was like seeing them then, but much better.

“It was so beautiful,” she said breathlessly. “It was absolutely stellar. And I had my best friend (here) with me rocking out. I’m feeling better than I’ve ever felt in my entire life. Rock ‘n roll is Aerosmith and it is still alive.”

Honolulu Advertiser, HI
October 18, 2009

“Joe Perry, Steven Tyler and the rest of Aerosmith pound through Blaisdell tonight and TGIF reporter Kawehi Haug is there. Follow @TGIF_HonAdv to get her wry, spry observations live from the concert.”

Follow:  (here).

Honolulu Star-Bulletin, HI
October 16, 2009

Aerosmith has some unfinished business to attend to over the next few days while in Hawaii…….. Aerosmith got back on stage earlier this week, performing a private concert in San Francisco sponsored by software giant Oracle Corp. It marked the first time after a two-month layoff that Perry has seen Tyler.

“The private gig should make for a good warm-up for our shows in Hawaii,” Perry told the Star-Bulletin last week during a brief phone interview……. As for the future viability of the band, Perry candidly admitted he didn’t know, “given the context of what’s been going on.” After the early years of drug and alcohol abuse and now a comparatively sober and healthy lifestyle for all concerned, Perry still said that “we’re all fragile healthwise, but you get used to it as best you can. It seems our lives are woven into the gigs. We still feel we can do it. But it’s like driving your old car — one day it doesn’t start.

“When we play live, this is flesh and blood. I play every show like it’s my last,” he said.

Perry has obviously found some rejuvenation with his own solo project — the “Have Guitar, Will Travel” album, just released last week, was finished during the band’s downtime, and he’s even done some shows in preparation for a later tour (the set-list even includes reworkings of Aerosmith songs).

“I’m hoping this record will preview to people what’s in store for the Joe Perry Project and what the band can do live,” he said.

In the meantime, Perry is looking forward to revisiting the islands. One distinct sensory memory he still retains is tasting mango for the first time.

“Hawaii is a very special place for Steven and I, (and) I’m sorry it’s been so tough to line up concerts for us there,” he said. “At one time I thought Steven and I would rent out a house on Maui to write songs, and maybe do some acoustic gigs there.

“But now we’re looking forward to going back to Maui to play.”

Aerosmith

» When: 7:30 p.m. Sunday

» Where: Blaisdell Arena, 777 Ward Ave.

» Cost: $195

» Note: Aerosmith also performs at 7 p.m. Tuesday at Maui War Memorial Stadium, tickets ($65, $85 and $125, plus applicable fees) still available; call (808) 242-7469 or visit mauiarts.org.

Complete article:  (here).

Twitter.com/ZUrlocker
October 15, 2009

“Photos from Aerosmith yesterday at Oracle Open World ”

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More photos:  (here).

The Rock and Roll Geek
October 15, 2009

“Aerosmith performs ‘Rag Doll’ at the Oracle Party in San Francisco, Oct 14, 2009.”

Watch video:  (here).

Aero Force One
October 14, 2009

“Check out exclusive footage of Brad at the Volkswagen Jetta TDI Cup race weekend at Road Atlanta!”

Watch video:  (here).

RockDirt.com
October 13, 2009

Joe Perry stopped by Billboard.com to talk about his new album ‘Have Guitar, Will Travel’, how it compares to Aerosmith, and if there will be another Aerosmith tour and album. “Yeah, definitely do,” Perry said, even though he confessed he hadn’t spoken to singer Steven Tyler since his fall and hospitalization at Sturgis in early August. “I think that things will come around. We’ve learned that the band belongs together, it’s just gonna take a little time for it to kind of settle out. We’ve been together too long to fade away.

Watch the interview (here).

JoePerry.com
October 13, 2009

Aero Force One
October 13, 2009

Mohegan Sun

The drummer for Aerosmith takes part in a live discussion and book signing on November 14th for his new autobiography Hit Hard: A Story of Hitting Rock Bottom at the Top

Mohegan Sun’s Winning Authors welcomes Joey Kramer, the legendary drummer from one of the most successful bands in America, Aerosmith. Joey Kramer will host a live discussion on Saturday, November 14th in The Cabaret Theatre at 2:00pm followed by a book signing in The Shops at Mohegan Sun, at 3:00pm for his new autobiography Hit Hard: A Story of Hitting Rock Bottom at the Top.

In 1997, amidst Aerosmith’s sold out world tour and #1 album release, Joey revealed in an interview his ongoing struggles with depression. The response from fans and people battling those same internal demons was overwhelming. Joey, who has been the drummer of Aerosmith since it was founded in 1970 and the first member of the band to release his own book, now tells the complete story: the early days of the band, glamorous drug-addled events leading up to their eventual sobriety, battles within his family and among bandmates and the explosive internal dynamics in Aerosmith that continue to unleash a fury of endless creativity.

This is not just another Rock & Roll memoir. In addition to the never-before-told Aerosmith war stories that abound in the book, Hit Hard unpacks the history of a Rock star who was both fragile and tough, who after years of insane wildness became willing to accept help and finally kick a serious alcohol and drug addiction, only to find that the real terrors and hard work were still ahead. It’s the story of an average kid from an average American suburb who went through physical and emotional trauma. It’s about years of depression and the nervous breakdown at the height of the band’s comeback success. Ultimately, it is about how Joey recognized his confusion between love and abuse, awakening to the kind of self-acceptance and compassion that makes healthy relationships possible in the “real world.”

Joey Kramer has been rocking with Aerosmith since the band began in 1970. Kramer and his partners have sold over 150 million albums, and today their multigenerational, global audience is bigger than ever. In addition to the Grammys and the twenty-one multi-platinum albums, Aerosmith was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2001. The band has been the subject of several documentaries, including a film dedicated to Joey Kramer and his lasting influence called It’s About Time. Visit the author online at www.joeykramer.com.

Winning Authors is an experience offering an intimate and unique environment for book lovers. All events are free and open to the public of all ages. Books by featured authors will be available at the Spin Street store in The Shops at Mohegan Sun for purchase. For more information on Joey Kramer and other Winning Author events at Mohegan Sun, visit mohegansun.com/winning-authors.

Billboard.com
October 12, 2009

“I do like being on the road,” says Joe Perry, Aerosmith’s legendary lead guitarist, and he isn’t letting the band’s accident-plagued and ultimately cancelled summer tour slow him down. As he told Billboard.com doing a recent interview as he preps the release of his fifth solo album, “Have Guitar, Will Travel,” he bought a tour bus and is taking his other band out on their own tour this fall. “Most places that have electric power can probably expect a call from me,” he says.

“Have Guitar, Will Travel” was recorded in Perry’s home studio, The Boneyard, with both longtime musical collaborators and showcases the voice of a young German singer known as Hagen. “My wife found him on You Tube, we sent him a ticket and he mixed in really well,” Perry explains. “He sings incredible.” From the hard rock power ballad “Do You Wonder” to sleek sheen of “We’ve Still Got A Long Way To Go” to “Somebody’s Gonna Get (Their Head Kicked In Tonite)”, a rockabilly tribute to Perry’s own hero Gene Vincent, the album highlights the many facets of Perry’s incredible guitar vocabulary.

As for Aerosmith, Perry is circumspect. “The thing that bothers me the most is how it affects the fans,” he says. “The only reason you’re there is because of the fans. You owe them a lot, and when you start taking them for granted it’s just wrong. I think that a lot of what happened with Aerosmith over the last two or three years has been a case of that. And I’m not talking about everybody in the band. I think at this point the four band members are willing to not play for a while until the fifth member gets together and decides to come and join us again.”

Watch video:  (here).

From Twitter.com/Aeroforceone
October 12, 2009

“Grab your tickets for Joe Perry at Hampton Beach Casino Ballroom…”

Ticketmaster.com

Date: Friday, November 13th, 2009
Time: 8:00 PM
Price: Starting at $33.25
Venue: Hampton Beach Casino Ballroom, NH
Get Tickets: (here)

The Windsor Star, Canada
October 8, 2009

Caesars Windsor Events/Entertainment

“Experience Joe Perry Project featuring Joe Perry from Aerosmith as they rock the Colosseum. Joe is a Grammy nominated guitarist and he will be performing his solo hits as well as Aerosmith favorites.”

Date: Thursday, November 19th, 2009
Time: 8:00 PM
Price: Starting at $25
Venue: The Colosseum at Caesars Windsor
Reservations: 1-888-345-5885
Online Reservations: Buy Tickets Now!

Inside Bay Area, CA
By John Carucci, Associated Press
October 10, 2009

Joe Perry says there’s still life in Aerosmith, but after an unlikely turn of events, he focused his energy on his latest solo project, “Have Guitar, Will Travel.”

While the record was in the planning stages, it was the cancellation of the Aerosmith’s tour because of lead singer Steven Tyler’s stage accident that propelled Perry to finish his fifth solo effort, out this week. Perry says it came together in record time, using his other band’s latest effort as a measuring stick.

The guitarist was candid in a recent interview on the making of the new album, how he found his singer and his touring plans.

Q: After Steven’s accident canceled the tour, you quickly assembled this band. Tell us about it?

A: I knew when he walked by, we’re off the road again, and at that point I knew I was going to … push my record on the way home. And that’s what I did. … so the bottom line is that every hole that Aerosmith left I filled. And I’m still doing it.

Q: Once you got the band together, how long did it take to record the album?

A: This took place over the course of about a month. It’s kind of unheard of in the business these days, when it takes a year to make a record or in Aerosmith’s case, five years to make a record, which hasn’t been made yet. But it was a lot of fun. We went down there and played, and all the guys were skilled and talented and paid their dues.

Q: How would you describe the record?

A: I forget if it was Martin Mull quoting Frank Zappa, or — it sounds like a Frank Zappa line, where he said, “Talking about music is like dancing about architecture.” And that’s why I named my first solo record, “Let the Music Do the Talking.”

Q: Where did you discover your new lead singer, Hagen?

A: My wife found him on YouTube, and it was one of those chance things … she’s not in the habit of looking at rock singers on YouTube. We’re both conspiracy fans, and we usually look … for the news. As it turned out, she came across this guy singing on YouTube. His name is Hagen. He’s from a small town in Germany. He really, really had the pipes.

Q: What was Hagen’s response when you tapped him to be your singer?

A: I think he was nervous at first. He’s 30. He comes from a small town. I come from a small town near Boston … that’s kind of out in the boondocks. … Given Hagen being 30 and working in club bands and things like that — if I would have gotten a call from Jimmy Page or from Robert Plant saying I need a guitar player … I would still be in shock.

Q: What is the single Hagen’s on?

A: The single is called, “We Got a Long Way to Go,” and that was one of the songs that I wrote after I started working with Hagen and realized what he could do.

Q: What about the Aerosmith tour?

A: Aerosmith has four gigs that we have to do at the end of October. We were contracted to do those months and months ago. I hope Steven is well enough to do those. Aside from that, it’s kind of wide open. My plan — and I hope it works out — is basically to put the record out, promote it and do kind of what we’re doing now.

Q: Will you perform any Aerosmith songs on your solo tour?

A: We are rehearsing some Aerosmith songs to play in the set and there are some songs that I really want to do from Aerosmith. … “Walk This Way,” is probably one of my most recognizable riffs; why shouldn’t I play it if the band can pull it off?

Q: What makes playing live special to you?

A: We have an unwritten contract with the fans that we got to deliver. … What I put into Aerosmith or what I put into the Joe Perry Project, it’s the fans that matter and the fans that count.

RossHalfin.com
October 6, 2009

Ross Halfin Diary: “Joe Perry at the Viper Room. Saw Roger Daltrey who invited me to his show – I couldn’t go as it was a Joe day. Shot soundcheck at a venue with no lights, but I did get a good moody portrait of Joe in a corner booth. He looked evil, not to be messed with.

Came back to the club and shot the show. It was challenging to say the least, with no light. Joe did a good jammed out Rockin Train plus East Coast West Coast and a reggae Dream On. Got photos of Joe, Slash and Tom Morello afterwards on Joe’s bus…..”

More photos:  (here).

Aero Force One
October 9, 2009

Thanks once again to everyone that contributed to the Tom Hamilton live chat. Tom had lots of fun answering many of your questions! Here’s the transcript for those of you that may have missed it:

 

TH: Hi everybody! Welcome to the chat. I’m sure there’s going to be some interesting questions…I can handle interesting. Just be gentle. Nah…don’t be gentle. Well, maybe…

Robin_B: Hi Tom, What have you been doing to keep yourself busy during this down time? Boy that didn’t sound right?? LOL
TH: I’ve been woodshedding. That’s a musician term for practicing a lot. I’ve been doing a lot of that and recording riffs and working on my studio chops.

TomGirl: testing….testing…..
TH: 1.2.3.

mojo: Are the band members speaking to one another,so much has be said on various different web pages about band turmoil and friction. Will Aerosmith remain part of
TH: I guess we have been avoiding each other a little. We’re getting ready to do a few stray gigs out west and way out east…so we’ll probably break the ice and start talking about getting the record going. I hope everybody isn’t getting sick of me saying that…but things will start moving in the next few months.

CLeM: i am ready to chat
TH: I am ready to rock!

KevinW: It says "The Farm" is your favourite Aero song , on Wikipedia. I have a hard time believing that. Is it true?
TH: That was kind of an old answer. I’d like to take this moment to reset my favorite Aerosmith song setting. I’ll get back to you…but I still do like that song a lot.

TomGirl: What is your daily car, and what is your favorite care that you own?
TH: I have a 1974 Dino Ferrari. At least I think I do. It’s been in pieces for 10 years. When it’s done it’s gonna be a knockout!

KevinW: Is it true that you will be dressed as Katy " I Kissed A Girl " Perry at an upcoming Banned In Boston?
TH: I already did it but I wasnt dressed as katy Perry. I was dressed as the Queen of England singing "I Touched Michelle." Everybody know what that is?

raven: First of all I enjoy you checking in at AF1. Do you have any hidden talents and is there an outfit that you reget wearing?
TH: Read the last answer.

mrs-nikki-sixx: Okay, I heard on our local radio station that we shouldn’t expect another Aerosmith tour until atleast 2010. Is this a fact, or is the radio station lying to us? Hah.
TH: Sounds about right.

aerosmithrocks: Do you guys have any songs finished for the new album?
TH: My answer would be we have a ton of songs that are really close. But you never know what’s going to happen until we get the process going again. Songs that you thought were done could be thrown into the back seat as new ones pop up.

Jaded2662: What inspires you to write songs?
TH: I’ve been to a lot of shows in the last year. I always leave feeling really inspired. Gets me working the next day.

aerosmith0406: is this thing on?
TH: Whoa! Not so loud.

ltlmrm: Are you planning on writing a book about your Aerosmith experiences?
TH: I crave reading. Hopefully by the time I consider writing one people will still be reading them. I do think about it…

raven: angelsoft or charmen?
TH: Sand…I don’t want to miss anything.

aerosmith0406: am i able to talk to aerosmith’s bassist? the most amazing bassist in the world!?
TH: Hey, tell that to the Grammy Committee.

Robin_B: Can’t wait to see you again. I was lucky enough to see you in St. Louis and you were fantastic as usual. Are you looking forward to getting back on the road again?
TH: It hasn’t been that long but I still miss it. I know we still owe some shows to a lot of people out there.

warlez: are there any places that you guys do not like having to play? I’ve heard stuff like Phoenix and Philadelphia
TH: Where the hell did you hear that?

Bone_to_Bone: Just wondering…..when your playing live how many watts are you pushing through those Hartke cabs?
TH: I’m using Ampegs at the moment but I forgot how many watts exactly. I quit counting after a zillion. I seriously don’t know…I just know it’s a lot.

AeroSmith0406: is this working?
TH: God, I hope so.

BoneyardBoy: Greetings from the Netherlands!
TH: Thanks and greetings from the States. We had a blast playing in Rotterdam the summer before last.

CLeM: whats up with all the sounds
TH: Do you hear voices?

Robin_B: You haven’t answered the big question. How have you been feeling??? And don’t say with your hands LOL You have had a lot of support and love around you.
TH: I’m feeling great. I’m feeling the support. Thanks!

aerosmithAARON: Have you heard joe perry’s new album? if so what do you think?
TH: Haven’t heard the whole record yet. I’m looking forward to getting my copy. I admire how he willed it into existence. That’s Joe.

KevinW: who are some of your favorite bassists?
TH: I saw Les Claypool at the House of Blues a few months ago. I was blown away. It was a lot more musical than I expected.

love-me-jaded: in my math classroom, we can bring in pictures to hang up on the wall, and natually, i did a aero-collage, starring Tom of course, anyway whats the weirdest thing a fan ever did for you, like a shrine or something
TH: I love the irony. I was horrible in math.

Bone_to_Bone: Who is your favorite opening band that you have toured with?
TH: I hate to go so far into the past. But I’d have to say AC/DC.

WSG55: Tom, is any of the new material finished?
TH: Man, you guys are like my mom with homework.

Robin_B: wish there was a way to get all you guys in one room and just let you all duke it out until everything is smooth again.
TH: We’ve tried that…it only works once in a while.

pthfndr2976: Looking forward to the upcoming Honolulu concert. Any chance the gang will have time to enjoy the sun & surf?
TH: Yeah…we’re pysched. We’re not coming all that way without hanging on the beach.

Luis_Galarraga: Hi, I’m Luis Galarraga from Venezuela, I’m fan since 1988, I want to know if you would come to our country, many fans are waiting for you in Southamerica, I keep mi ticket for the gig since february 2008
TH: I really wish I had an answer for you. Even though we’ve never played in Venezuela before I know it would be a great experience. We know we have fans there…and we DO think of you guys.

crash_78: Do you have any side-projects in mind since your obscenies adventure ended?
TH: I like to think of Obscenies as being in a state of light hibernation, ready to pounce and dominate the market as soon as I can convince people to buy them.

KevinW: apparently you don’t like playing in places that start with Ph
TH: That’s not true. Just last week I was thinking about playing in Phicago.

CLeM: i feel really left out have you seen any of my questions yet
TH: No, I’ve been avoiding them.

TH: By the way ("CLeM")…you forgot the question mark

TH: oops…I forgot to add a "."

trickymicky: I’m right into garage and psychedelic bands from the 60’s, as well as you guys of course, do you like that type of music and if so do you have any favourites??
TH: Of course…I grew up on that. How about the Byrds or Moby Grape?

ExcitedElaine: Tom, I"ll give you $20.00 in AF1 gift cards if you answer one of my questions. j/k
TH: Are you kidding me? Seriously? Oh my God…I’m freaking out. I’ll do anything…anything at all!

EmGHAVanWinner: Am I connected?
TH: That’s a question for your therapist.

mclovin: What advice could you give someone who is facing a life changing moment?
TH: Just know that what ever changes you go through, even bad ones, you will get something good from it.

NYaerofan: Are you collecting unemployment? lol
TH: I don’t need it. I get a nickel for every dumb question I answer.

TH: Ok everybody…I’ll answer a couple more questions before I gotta go.

FIREDRAGON: youre from Colorado howd you get on the east coast in the early years?
TH: My father, may he rest in peace, was in the Air Force and got transferred a lot. It got me used to moving around.

BoneyardBoy: You mean in 1997 Rotterdam Ahoy? I was there!!! lol The Summer before last should be Biddinghuizen, right?
TH: Oh yeah…how’d I get that wrong?

trickymicky: How about you guys coming Down Under and perform after the F1 Grand Prix in Melbourne? This year it was The Who and last year KISS.
TH: These are the kind of ideas that make me want to do this forever. Thanks everybody…I’ll see ya next time!

 

Billboard.biz
October 8, 2009

Aerosmith singer Steven Tyler is back in the saddle, two months after the rock band was forced to cancel its troubled North American tour when he fell off the stage and broke his shoulder.

The group will perform a private concert next week at a San Francisco convention sponsored by Oracle Corp, the software giant run by billionaire Larry Ellison.

“Aerosmith is a go,” Oracle spokeswoman Karen Tillman said. The event was scheduled before Tyler’s accident.

Tyler, 61, broke his left shoulder and needed 20 stitches in his head after the Aug. 5 mishap at a show for thousands of motorcycle aficionados in Sturgis, South Dakota. Several earlier dates had been scrapped when Tyler hurt his leg, and guitarist Brad Whitford and bassist Tom Hamilton also missed shows because of medical ailments.

It was just the latest misfortune for the singer, who was stricken by pneumonia earlier this year and checked into rehab in May 2008 to recover from painful foot surgeries.

Aerosmith is also scheduled to play two shows in Hawaii later this month…..

Article continued:  (here).

YouTube.com
October 8, 2009

Watch video:  (here).

Twitter.com/Aeroforceone
October 8, 2009

“Make sure and tune in!”

Boston.com
October 7, 2009

Can’t wait to read Steven Tyler’s memoir? Neither can his publisher. Ecco, an imprint of HarperCollins, bid more than $2 million for the flamboyant frontman’s story, but he’s yet to deliver the book. And it could be awhile before he does. We’re told Tyler is unhappy with the results of his work with ghost writer David Dalton, and is starting over with Mark Hudson and former Hustler editor Lonn Friend. In recent days, the three have been huddled in Sunapee, N.H., trying to salvage something of the book, which is titled “Does the Noise in My Head Bother You?” Tyler has been mostly MIA since August, when he fell off the stage during a show in Sturgis, S.D., breaking his shoulder. Dalton, a respected scribe who’s written about Janis Joplin, James Dean, and Jim Morrison, had been working with the 61-year-old singer for about a year. The new team is friendly with Tyler. Hudson is an occasional collaborator who co-wrote Aerosmith’s 1993 smash hit “Livin’ on the Edge.” (He was with Tyler at BookExpo America last spring when the scarf-wearing screamer spoke about his memoir.) Friend, meanwhile, was a Larry Flynt protege at Hustler before becoming editor of RIP, a magazine devoted to metal bands. He chronicled his exploits with the heroes of heavy metal in his own memoir, “Life on Planet Rock: From Guns N’ Roses to Nirvana, a Backstage Journey through Rock’s Most Debauched Decade.” Sounds like the right man for the job.

JoePerry.com
October 7, 2009

The Tampa Tribune
Curtis Ross

ST. PETERSBURG – “I hate days off,” says Joe Perry. “Days off are the death of creativity to me.”

The Aerosmith guitarist is talking about the upcoming tour with his Joe Perry Project, but he could just as easily be talking about his frustrations with his main gig.

Perry was in St. Petersburg last month chatting up his new solo album, “Have Guitar, Will Travel,” which is being released today. He’s excited about the album, but sounds even more excited about getting back on the road with the Project, which features bassist David Hull, Paul Santo on keyboards and guitar, drummer Marty Richards and a German vocalist named Hagen.

It’s the latest version of the outfit Perry led after leaving Aerosmith in 1979 and before the original lineup reunited in the mid-1980s.

“It was time to resurrect the Project, roll up our sleeves and play some of the places Aerosmith has not played in a long time,” Perry says.

Aerosmith’s “day on, day off” schedule has “made it hard to come back to some cities that helped build the band up,” Perry says. “That’s the heart and soul of our fan base, all those fans who supported us through all those years, through thick and thin.

“I wanted to get back and play some of those places,” he says. “Clubs, theaters, open for other bands, have other bands open for me – that was the mandate: Get out there and play.”

The set, he says, will be a mixture of songs from the new album, cuts from the earlier Project albums and some Aerosmith tunes.

“This band is so good. I can name just about any Aerosmith song and they’ll be able to play it our own way with our own kind of vibe to it,” Perry says.

“They’re road warriors,” Perry says. “They’re into the same thing I am: feeling that energy and translating it through the speakers to the audience and getting it back form the audience.”

Given his love of playing live, this summer’s Aerosmith tour must have been trying for Perry. First, singer Steve Tyler injured his leg, forcing several cancellations, including a show in Tampa. Then Tyler took a spill from a stage in Sturgis, S.D., injuring himself badly enough that the tour was scrapped.

Not long after the St. Petersburg interview, Perry told The Associated Press that Tyler needed to “get his act together. I mean, he and I haven’t written a song together alone in the same room in over 10 years.”

He tempered those remarks to The Boston Herald, saying, “This is my brother, and we’ve been together for 40 years,” adding “We’ve all fallen off the stage at one time or another, maybe twice in some cases.”

In St. Petersburg, asked about the long-awaited next Aerosmith album, the first all-new material since 2001’s “Just Push Play,” Perry sounded cautiously hopeful.

Aerosmith, he said, “just needs to go on hiatus and make sure everybody’s really healthy and everybody’s really got their sights set on the right thing.”

Perry wants the Boston rockers to “really just get back to being five guys who want to make a great record and then go on the road.”

“That’s’ what I want,” he said. “That’s what the goal has always been. Having lost sight of that over the last three or four tours, with shows postponed or shows canceled at the end – that’s not fair to the fans. We owe the fans too much. We need to give ourselves a little time to get some good ideas for new songs.”

Aero Force One
October 7, 2009

Hitting It Hard:
Footage from Joey Kramer Book Signings

“Joey Kramer recently held book signings in Hyannis, MA, Providence, RI & Marlborough, MA for his book ‘Hit Hard.’ We have compiled some footage from these events to give all of you a glimpse into what you may experience at a Joey Kramer book signing!”

Watch video:  (here).

Aero Force One
October 7, 2009

“Listen Up AF1 – This is YOUR Chance to Chat LIVE with THE Tom Hamilton (yeah – That Tom Hamilton) of Aerosmith in this AF1 Exclusive, Absolutely Live OnLine Chat. If there’s anything that you wanna know from Tom – what it’s like to be a Rock ‘N Roll demi-god, the meaning of life, how to solve a Rubik’s Cube, etc. then this is the time (actually, Wednesday, October 7th at 7pm ET is the time) and AeroForceOne.com is the place to connect with Tom and to ask your questions.

Through the wizardry of computer hocus pocus your questions will then be magically zapped to Tom and if you’re among the lucky TH will answer your question Live during the chat! So – Tune In, (All Access Members) Log-In, and Rock Out with TH on October 7th at 7pm ET Right Here at AF1!

Note: You Gotta Be an AF1 All Access Member to check out the Chat. Not signed up yet???!!! (Well, nobody’s perfect.) That’s an easy fix! Click (here) to sign-up for an All Access Membership today so you can check out the chat with tom on 10.07.09!

There will be a specific chat page on AF1 that you’ll be directed to in order to participate in the chat. You’l lhave to login to AF1 with your All Access Membership in order to see the page. Stay tuned!”

RockStar Weekly
October 6, 2009

Aerosmith guitarist Joe Perry releases his new CD Have Guitar, Will Travel today (Oct. 6) and will be appearing with the recently reformed Joe Perry Project at the Viper Room in Hollywood, CA tonight.

He told the Tampa Tribune he was excited about the album, but sounded even more excited about getting back on the road with the Project, which features bassist David Hull, Paul Santo on keyboards and guitar, drummer Marty Richards and a German vocalist named Hagen.

It’s the latest version of the outfit Perry led after leaving Aerosmith in 1979 and before the original lineup reunited in the mid-1980s.

“It was time to resurrect the Project, roll up our sleeves and play some of the places Aerosmith has not played in a long time,” Perry says. “That’s the heart and soul of our fan base, all those fans who supported us through all those years, through thick and thin.

Only a few selected dates have been announced, including tonight’s Viper Room show.

Joe Perry Project Tour Dates:

10/6/09 – Viper Room – West Hollywood, CA
11/21/09 – Fantasy Springs Resort Casino – Indio, CA

ABC12.com
Josh Daunt
October 5, 2009

From the opening notes of “We’ve Still Got A Long Way To Go,” you know “Have Guitar, Will Travel” isn’t an Aerosmith album with legendary guitarist Joe Perry’s name slapped on it.

The programmed percussion and synthesizer intro give the song a modern, almost electronica feel without sacrificing any rock ‘n’ roll power.

Once the full band kicks in, it becomes a full-on exercise in punk rock with some great guitar work by Perry and solid vocals by newfound German sensation Hagen.

“Have Guitar, Will Travel” is Perry’s fifth solo album, and is hitting stores Oct. 6. The platter was written and recorded in 47 days last spring at “The Boneyard,” Perry’s home studio, just before he hit the road for Aerosmith’s ill-fated summer tour.

The urgency and raw energy of the hastily arranged project is evident throughout the disc. It has an unpolished feel that’s reminiscent of Aerosmith’s early days.

“Slingshot” blends out of the aforementioned “We’ve Still Got A Long Way To Go,” with Perry’s distorted vocals queuing a fuzzy-riffed blues rocker.

Featuring some extended guitar breaks — as most of the tracks do — Perry really shows off his chops — something he doesn’t get to do nearly enough with his other, more famous band.

But “Have Guitar … ” isn’t all brilliance. “Do You Wonder” drags down the fiery pace quite a bit.

With lyrics written by Perry’s wife, Billie, “Wonder” is a syrupy ballad and it’s pretty good, but it sticks out like a sore thumb compared to the rest of the album.

“Guitar” kicks back into gear — literally — with a cover of Fleetwood Mac’s “Somebody’s Gonna Get (Their Head Kicked In Tonite).” Some outstanding keyboard work highlights this ’50s-style rocker.

Perry’s vocals seem a little monotone and forced, but the droning fits in with the song’s raw appeal.

“Heaven and Hell” follows, with haunting guitar licks and some of the deepest lyrical themes on the album. And at seven and a half minutes, the tune definitely serves as the disc’s most epic track.

“No Surprise” goes back to a more traditional rock sound before Perry kicks the door down on “Wooden Ships.”

The five-minute instrumental, which is dedicated to the memory of the late Les Paul, is an outstanding follow to “Mercy,” the Grammy-nominated instrumental off 2005’s “Joe Perry.”

“Oh Lord (21 Grams)” is a hauntingly slow, acoustic-and-pipe-organ-infused piece complete with a choir over Perry’s chanting: “Lord, Lord, cover my eyes; Take this pain away like a soft, soft rain.”

To close out the album, Perry goes back to the dirty rock that established Aerosmith in the ’70s.

Both “Scare The Cat” and “Freedom” could easily be mistaken for early Aerosmith tunes, with screaming licks over fuzzy riffs. Even Hagen’s vocals have a Tyler-esque quality on “Scare.”

Perry is obviously making the most of his spare time during Aerosmith’s hiatus. “Have Guitar, Will Travel” is a solid solo effort.

There’s nothing groundbreaking here, but there’s certainly a creative burst present that probably wouldn’t have meshed with his primary band’s sound, anyway.

The National
September 22, 2009

“The pop star Beyoncé and rock band Aerosmith will be performing in the capital as part of the Formula One racing weekend.

Beyoncé, the singer of hits including ‘Single Ladies’, will open the Grand Prix festivities with a performance on October 29, sources close to the organisers have confirmed. Aerosmith, known for theme song to Armageddon ‘I Don’t Want to Miss a Thing’ will perform the grand finale for the event, following Formula One’s first day/night race on November 1……”

Complete article:  (here).

Boston Globe, MA
October 4, 2009

DUXBURY – Being in a band for nearly 40 years is not something you plan, says Joe Perry.

“It’s like, what are you going to watch on TV in three weeks?’’ asks the Aerosmith guitarist. “You don’t think about things like that. So the way that everything turned out, it just . . . evolved.’’

Perry, 59, is stretched out on a comfy gray sectional in his family room, in a house chock-full of evidence of the success of that evolution, from MTV moon men trophies on hallway tables to scores of photos with rock ’n’ roll royalty lining the walls of his basement studio, the Boneyard. The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame-anointed guitarist is attempting to balance a delicate discussion of the recent troubles at his multiplatinum day job with the full-tilt thrill he’s currently getting out of his smaller-scale side gig.

On Tuesday, Perry will release “Have Guitar, Will Travel,’’ his fifth, and strongest, solo album. The record was cooked up in 47 days, mostly at the Boneyard with a clutch of old, good friends as well as his wife Billie’s YouTube discovery, the German vocalist Hagen.

Perry was able to release the album at this precise moment because of an unexpected gap in the Aerosmith schedule created in August, when frontman Steven Tyler fell from a stage in Sturgis, S.D., breaking his shoulder, among other injuries. Although Perry has recently expressed his aggravation over the truncation of the ill-fated tour, saying he hasn’t spoken to Tyler in weeks, he recognizes that “Have Guitar’’ wouldn’t exist in its current form without the forced hiatus.

Which is perhaps why Perry gingerly dances around any problems Tyler may be having beyond medical issues related to the fall. Instead he obliquely references Tyler “not taking care of himself.’’ Asked outright whether that is a veiled reference to Tyler’s sobriety, Perry says: “I just know that he was there for three days at Sturgis staying up all night, and when I watched him walk and I watched him move around I knew he wasn’t as spry as he had been.’’ It’s clear that Perry cares about his friend’s health as well as that of the band’s. He likens the rift to a family squabble, saying you can dearly love a relative but be angry with him and not speak to him but know that eventually things will be OK. (Through his publicist, Tyler declined to speak with the Globe for this story.)

“The band is not breaking up,’’ Perry says. “I think it’s smart to just take some time off.’’

That doesn’t mean Perry isn’t going to play. There’s nothing he likes to do more, and “Have Guitar’’ is providing him with an opportunity to bust out of the same old song and dance.

The 10 tracks cover a lot of ground. There is some overlap with the big, burly, hard rock candy rush of Aerosmith, including the infectious “Do You Wonder?’’ There are also nods to Perry’s beloved fuzzy blues rave-ups, glimpses of psychedelia, and a winding instrumental called “Wooden Ships’’ that showcases Perry’s lyrical guitar work and the interplay among the members of the latest iteration of the Joe Perry Project. While his axe is front and center, “Have Guitar’’ is a song-oriented album, not a shredfest.

“I really, really worked at keeping it simpler than the last one,’’ Perry says of his 2005 self-titled effort, which featured more instrumental layers and exotic guitar tunings. “That always comes back to bite you on the butt, because then you have to lug all those guitars around to play them live. So this one I really made an effort to play everything in standard tuning so, if I had to, I could do the whole album live with two guitars. And I really pictured this being a band record. And I focused more on the lyrics, since the lyrics you don’t have to put in a roadbox.’’

Although “Have Guitar’’ features music that was written as far back as 14 years ago, Perry says all of the lyrics were written in the past six months. Existential themes as they relate to love, life, and the wider world wind their way through the album. “The last record I dedicated to my wife, and it was more like rock ’n’ roll standard love stuff,’’ Perry says. “But this record I was thinking outside instead of inside.’’

He was also thinking about his legacy, he says, wanting to commit some of the “jars and jars’’ of music he had to tape so he wouldn’t be remembered for, as he puts it, “a bunch of guitar riffs’’ but songs.

“I think one of Joe’s great strengths is as a writer, and that’s probably the thing that gets most commonly overlooked,’’ says bassist David Hull, who has known Perry for nearly 40 years playing in the original Joe Perry Project in the late ’70s and with Aerosmith as a fill-in for Tom Hamilton. “The perception is he’s this virtuoso guitar player, the nose cone on the missile of Aerosmith. But a lot of the substance of what the songs are, he’s responsible for.’’

In addition to Hull, the latest incarnation of the Project includes latter-day J. Geils Band drummer Marty Richards, Paul Santo on keys, and Hagen tearing up the vocal parts that Perry doesn’t handle himself. The low-key guitar hero becomes most animated when talking about these guys, most of whom live in and around Boston. He talks in turn about each one’s skills, careful to share credit. “I totally respect everybody else’s talent, and it feels like a real band,’’ says Perry.

That respect is clear when the band performs live. A few days earlier at Fusion 5 in Foxborough, the group played a warm-up gig to a packed house. Although a bit tentative at first, they settled into a groove that brought a grin to Perry’s face as he laid back, watching them solo. The Project set list does feature Aerosmith songs, including a reggae take on “Dream On.’’

On his couch, Perry lights up again when discussing the firming up of the set list, the potential for the Project to tour overseas, and the lining up of gigs this winter, possibly including a date at the House of Blues. He does not seem angry about or preoccupied with the Aerosmith situation.

“This last break was definitely epiphanous, I think for everybody,’’ he says. “We realized how fragile everything is and we should take advantage of the things we need to do. We are getting closer to the end than the beginning. And I know Steven and the other guys feel the same way. So instead of keeping pushing – ‘When’s Steven gonna be better?’ – it’s more like, ‘Let’s take our time. Let’s let everybody get better, but let Steven especially take care of everything he needs to take care of so he can be the old Steven we know and love.’ And then get back in the studio.’’

Until then, he says with a smile, “I’m having a lot of fun, there’s no doubt about it. I’m getting my ya-ya’s out, as they say. The band’s rocking, and I’m really looking forward to doing this. But I’m also looking forward to when Aerosmith gets back together and feels fresh.’’

GettyImages.com
October 3, 2009

Joe Perry and Slash performs at the 20th anniversary of the Mirage Hotel and Casino at BARE Pool Lounge at The Mirage Hotel and Casino on October 2, 2009 in Las Vegas, Nevada. (Photo by Denise Truscello/WireImage)

Slash and Joe Perry performs at the 20th anniversary of the Mirage Hotel and Casino at BARE Pool Lounge at The Mirage Hotel and Casino on October 2, 2009 in Las Vegas, Nevada. (Photo by Denise Truscello/WireImage)

More photos:  (here).

Aero Force One
October 2, 2009

More photos:  (here).

Boston Herald, MA
October 1, 2009

“A healthy-looking Steven Tyler kibbitzing with fans in Lawrence . . . ”

Photo:  (here).

Providence Journal, RI
By Rick Massimo
October 2, 2009

By now we’ve all read the stories about the supposed turmoil in the Boston-based hard-rock legend Aerosmith, with guitarist Joe Perry fuming on the sidelines while singer Steven Tyler recovers from a separated shoulder that led to the cancellation of much of the band’s summer tour.

And in a recent conversation, Perry touched on those frustrations. But he also spoke at length about the writing and recording of his latest solo album, Have Guitar, Will Travel, which comes out on Tuesday.

The solo disc is Perry’s second in four years, coming on the heels of 2005’s Joe Perry, a true solo album on which Perry played everything but drums. That was the first Perry record since 1984, the year he rejoined Aerosmith after a five-year breakup.

Perry says he went 21 years without making his own record because “Aerosmith’s always been a full-time job. … The fact that we were able to come back, and come back as strong as we did, was so stunning that we didn’t want to mess with that.”

Now, however, his attitude has changed: “Why wait until I’m gone and my kids are putting this music out? I might as well finish these songs.”

The spur for recording Have Guitar, Will Travel came when Tyler’s bout with pneumonia left the band unable to complete a new studio album in time to head out on the summer tour.

“I just couldn’t not record at that point,” Perry recalls. I was so ready for this [Aerosmith] record; I was so excited. And I’m always writing; I’m always in the studio.” With one son still in school, he explains, he and his wife are home every day. He spends his days down in his basement studio, and keeps a guitar and a notebook in every room in case inspiration strikes, like the middle-of-the-night revelation that led to the moody “O Lord (21 Grams).” “I called some friends and said, ‘You want to be a part of this? Come on down,’ because I was down there anyway.”

Those who came down include drummers Ben Tileston (from TAB The Band, which includes two of Perry’s sons) and Marty Richards, as well as a singer from Germany who goes only by the name Hagen. He and Perry got together in a thoroughly modern way.

Perry’s wife was looking for Alex Jones videos on YouTube — “we’re both conspiracy freaks” — and stumbled across a video of Hagen singing. She told Perry to give it a listen, and he was impressed enough to call Germany to ask Hagen to come over and give it a try.

There were two snags, of course — Perry had to trust that the guy he was talking to on the phone was really the singer from the video; Hagen had to trust that it really was Joe Perry. But once Hagen got there, Perry says, “he never left.”

Perry sings about half the songs on the disc, and compares his own voice to that of Jim Morrison (aptly). While he does a good job on the sleazy shuffle “Slingshot” and the roots-rock “Somebody’s Gonna Get (Their Head Kicked In Tonight),” he says “There were songs I knew I couldn’t do justice to.” And Hagen has a more classic hard-rock tenor, sometimes comparable to Tyler, especially on “We’ve Got a Long Way to Go,” but finds his own voice on the four-on-the-floor rocker “Scare the Cat.”

Any band member who maintains a solo career faces the question, when a new song comes up, whether to share it with the band or to keep it for a solo disc. Perry says that the band always comes first, but that after a while, the writing’s on the wall for a particular idea. “There are very few circumstances where I’ll hold something back and not offer it to Aerosmith first. But after 10 years of not having some of these songs being used, I think, ‘I’ll play it for them, and if it doesn’t catch, it’s open season.’ ”

Perry says that the band’s usual method of working was for him to play some riffs or chords to singer Steven Tyler, who will write lyrics to the ones that particularly inspire him. They haven’t done that in more than a decade, he says — they’ve been working with outside songwriters, or finishing up old material. “He hasn’t put lyrics to any of my songs in about 10 years.”

Some of the 10 songs sound like Aerosmith — Perry cites the arena-rock sway of “Do You Wonder,” from Have Guitar, Will Travel, as a song the band had been working on, but that Tyler hadn’t come up with lyrics to it yet, so he took it back and recorded it with lyrics by his wife, Billie — and some sound in the vein of Perry’s rough-and-ready solo material, such as the speedy leadoff single “We’ve Got a Long Way To Go.”

Perry says he was inspired by the desert scenes of Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas — “driving in the desert at night with the top down. Having lived that experience, I just kept recalling that.” The entire disc sounds sun-baked, with a sound that includes a classic, organic roughness with a modern clarity. And Perry says that thanks to recent events, such as flu pandemics, the election and its attendant protests “it’s a darker record” than previous solo efforts and Aerosmith discs, and “a lot more about what’s going on out there as opposed to in here,” he said, pointing to himself.When it’s noted that he recorded Have Guitar, Will Travel from start to finish in a length of time that was deemed too short to finish an already-started Aerosmith record, Perry’s deadpan voice goes even deader: “Funny thing,” he says. “Depends on what drives you, I guess.” Later, he says, “That’s a question that you would have to ask Steven,” adding that Joe Perry was also recorded in the time since Aerosmith’s last studio record.

As for the future of the band, Perry says they’re committed to do four shows in late October and early November in Abu Dhabi and Hawaii. “It remains to be seen whether Steven will be well enough to do those dates; I think he will be … I know he wants to be.”

After that, he says, “I think we’re going to have to take at least six months off, maybe even longer, to get everybody kind of settled down, let a lot of this [expletive] die down, a lot of the bad press wash away, as it does, and then start up again. And make a really great studio record. We know the fans want it; I know it’s what I want, and it’s what the other guys want. And then do a tour. …

“That’s what I hope happens. But in the meantime, I want to be touring with my band.”

He seems to go back and forth between confidence and wariness: “I’d like to see us play for another 10 years. But we’re all getting older, and everybody has different lives. But I know that everyone loves playing together. This tour, we were probably playing better together than we’ve ever played. …

“But either way, I’m up for anything, and that’s why I can’t sit still, and I have a solo album ready to go. And I don’t know what the other guys are gonna do while we’re waiting, but I wasn’t going to waste any time.”

Blabbermouth.net, NY
October 1, 2009

Video footage of Aerosmith guitarist Joe Perry talking about “We’ve Got a Long Way To Go”, the first single from his fifth solo album, “Have Guitar, Will Travel”, can be viewed [at link] below.

“Have Guitar, Will Travel” will be released on October 6 via Roman Records. The hard driving, ten-song, in your face, collection features Perry’s trademark rock and blues ferocity. Recorded this past spring at the BoneYard, Perry’s state-of-the-art home studio, where Aerosmith’s “Honkin’ On Bobo” and “Just Push Play” were recorded, “Have Guitar, Will Travel” is entirely written and produced by Perry.

“Have Guitar, Will Travel” track listing:

01. We’ve Got a Long Way To Go
02. Slingshot
03. Do You Wonder
04. Somebody’s Gonna Get (Their Head Kicked In Tonight)
05. Heaven and Hell
06. No Surprise
07. Wooden Ships
08. Oh Lord (21 Grams)
09. Scare The Cat
10. Freedom

Check out audio samples (here).

Article continued:  (here).

Aero Force One
September 30, 2009

“Listen Up AF1 – This is YOUR Chance to Chat LIVE with THE Tom Hamilton (yeah – That Tom Hamilton) of Aerosmith in this AF1 Exclusive, Absolutely Live OnLine Chat. If there’s anything that you wanna know from Tom – what it’s like to be a Rock ‘N Roll demi-god, the meaning of life, how to solve a Rubik’s Cube, etc. then this is the time (actually, Wednesday, October 7th at 7pm ET is the time) and AeroForceOne.com is the place to connect with Tom and to ask your questions.

Through the wizardry of computer hocus pocus your questions will then be magically zapped to Tom and if you’re among the lucky TH will answer your question Live during the chat! So – Tune In, (All Access Members) Log-In, and Rock Out with TH on October 7th at 7pm ET Right Here at AF1!

Note: You Gotta Be an AF1 All Access Member to check out the Chat. Not signed up yet???!!! (Well, nobody’s perfect.) That’s an easy fix! Click (here) to sign-up for an All Access Membership today so you can check out the chat with tom on 10.07.09!

There will be a specific chat page on AF1 that you’ll be directed to in order to participate in the chat. You’l lhave to login to AF1 with your All Access Membership in order to see the page. Stay tuned!”

Modesto Bee, CA
September 30, 2009

LAS VEGAS — Promoters in Las Vegas say the lineup for a weekend poolside show to celebrate the 20th anniversary of The Mirage hotel-casino has changed.

Officials for The Light Group say Maroon 5 singer Adam Levine, Motley Crue drummer Tommy Lee and former White Zombie frontman Rob Zombie are unavailable for the show because of scheduling conflicts.

In their place, promoters say they have booked Pussycat Dolls singer Nicole Scherzinger, Aerosmith guitarist Joe Perry and former “American Idol” contestant Chris Daughtry.

Rockers Slash and Courtney Love are still in for the Oct. 2 show hosted by actor Kiefer Sutherland.

The Mirage, developed by casino mogul Steve Wynn, opened in November 1989 as the city’s first megaresort. Its current owner is casino operator MGM Mirage.