Mevio Music

Dean Goodman of www.reuters.com reports that back in their youthful heyday, the members of Aerosmith indulged in every sort of hedonistic pursuit backstage after their concerts. These days, they head straight to the tour bus and surf the Web to see what their fans thought about the show, says lead guitarist Joe Perry.

The feedback is important in the early stages of a tour, such as the one that began last Wednesday in St. Louis, as the band struggles to regain match form after a 20-month absence from the stage.

“They don’t hold anything back,” Perry said of the comments on sites such as the official Web site, aeroforceone.com. “It’s a lot of fun to read it. Some of it isn’t so much fun, but it still gives you good feedback… We can take care of the technical stuff and what we expect out of ourselves, but the most important thing is how it affects the fans.”

The band has been playing one album from top to bottom on this tour. For the first two weeks it will be 1976′s “Toys In The Attic“. So far the only song not played from that album is “You See Me Crying” (my favorite song on the record). Joe Perry says that this one is too difficult for Steven Tyler to sing so soon on the tour, at least until his throat gets into shape. There are rumors that they will be playing “Rocks” in its entirety soon on the tour.

But what Perry really wants to do is exhume is the unloved 1979 album “Night in the Ruts,” recorded during the band’s lengthy, drug-fueled nadir. Perry plays on only some of the tracks because he left the band before the album was released.

“I think there are probably two songs on there that we could play pretty much right off the bat,” he said. “The rest of them we’d have to sit down and really take them apart, relearn all the guitar parts. There are some rockin’ songs on there and it would be fun to play them live.”

So far on the tour Perry takes to the microphone for the “Rocks” cut “Combination,” and he envisages adding other solo outings such as “Bright Light Fight” (from 1979′s “Draw the Line“) and “Walk on Down” (from 1993′s “Get a Grip“).

In the meantime, he started mixing a new solo album on Sunday, and hopes to premiere some new music during the summer ahead of an official release in September or October. The nine-track disc was recorded during a frantic 40-day burst of activity after sessions for Aerosmith’s long-delayed album were postponed when Tyler came down with pneumonia.

The album, with the working title of “Freedom,” will be credited to the Joe Perry Project, a combo he formed during his five-year hiatus from Aerosmith.

Perry does some vocals, and also brought in a singer in the bluesy Paul Rodgers mold, whom he declined to identify. One of the tracks Perry sings is called “Oh Lord,” which he likened to a Jim Morrison-style prayer set to music. Some high-school choristers, including his son Roman, are featured on the tune.

“That’s the kind of thing I really don’t hear on an Aerosmith record,” Perry said.

So on the Rock and Roll Geek Forums this question was posted: WHICH WOULD YOU RATHER HAVE? NEW AEROSMITH OR NEW JOE PERRY PROJECT?

Super rock geek Sleazy Rock and Roll posted this reply:
Blind faith and ceaseless optimism are the reasons I have gone for an Aerosmith album. Had the question been, “which will be the far more satisfying experience?” then of course the Joe Perry Project album would win, but I live in hope that after going into rehearsals to practice Rocks/Toys (depending on which reports you read) that the conversation went something like:

Steven: “Eeeeawwooo, zipabadidooo, doooo doooo doooo daaa doooow”
Joe: “Cool guys, we really used to rock, why don’t we do that again?”
Steven: “Yaaakkkkaaaaa yyyyyyyyaaahhhhhh yayayayayayaya”
Brad: “True, all this messing about with outside songwriters sucks, we haven’t written anything even close to being as cool as Back In The Saddle in 20 years….. lets get back to rockin’”
Joey: “Has anyone seen my vitamins?”
Dean Goodman of www.reuters.com reports that back in their youthful heyday, the members of Aerosmith indulged in every sort of hedonistic pursuit backstage after their concerts. These days, they head straight to the tour bus and surf the Web to see what their fans thought about the show, says lead guitarist Joe Perry.

“They don’t hold anything back,” Perry said of the comments on sites such as the official Web site, aeroforceone.com. “It’s a lot of fun to read it. Some of it isn’t so much fun, but it still gives you good feedback… We can take care of the technical stuff and what we expect out of ourselves, but the most important thing is how it affects the fans.”Steven: “Zzzzoooooooowwwww biba biba biba yyyoooowww”

So as an Aerosmith Fan and from the Rock and Roll Geek Forums, we pose this question:
Joe:”Right then, all agreed. No more lame assed ballads or Disney songs, just low down and dirty rock n’ roll – and a bonus track that sounds like Train Kept A Rollin’ so I can suck up to Jeff Beck some more”
Brad: “Of course, better throw in something Steven can ‘scat’ on.”
Joe: “Obviously. All agreed”
Steven: “Zippaaaaa dibooo dading, powwww”
Joey: “I need my Sanatogen”
Brad: “Let’s do this thing”
Tom: “Yeaaahhh. But shouldn’t someone tell Steven?”
Steven: “cocaaaaiiiiinnnnnee and puuuuuuuuuussssssssssyyyy”
Joe: “I think he is already on the case”

Which would you prefer? I’m voting for a new Joe Perry Project!

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