News Roundup: 11/11/2009
November 11th, 2009 | 3:30 pm est |
Contrary to recent reports, Steven Tyler is not leaving Aerosmith. Tyler joined guitarist Joe Perry at one of Perry’s recent shows promoting his solo album Have Guitar, Will Travel for an ad hoc performance of “Walk This Way”. Tyler subsequently announced that he had not left Aerosmith. [Billboard.com]
Online music archive wolfgangsvault.com is now offering downloads of classic shows from the famed 1959 Newport Jazz Festival. Included are sets from artists such as Count Basie, Dakota Staton and Art Blakey’s Jazz Messengers. Future downloads are to include sets from other years of Newport Jazz as well as the Newport Folk Festival.[NYTimes.com]
Indie-rock ensemble Vampire Weekend says that the title of the band’s forthcoming album Contra , is apparently a reference to both a 1987 Konami videogame as well as the infamous Nicaraguan rebel group. In an interview with MTV, lead-singer Ezra Koenig says it is also about preconceived notions that may not be correct about the band. [NME.com]
Dirtnap Records is offering a free digital sampler of the label’s current roster. Included are tracks from bands like The Raydios, The Girls and Impulse International as well as an unreleased track from The White Wires. You can can download the sampler here. [Dirtnaprecs.com]
Former AmIdol winner Carrie Underwood has taken the number one spot on Billboard’s Top 200 chart this week with her new album Play On. [Billboard.com]
Oh great, Aerosmith is still together. Get in the car kids, Grandpa’s going to take you to see his favorite band! Then maybe we’ll get some ice cream.
Not so fast! The Associated Press had this article after Steven jammed with Joe:
Aerosmith’s guitarist Joe Perry says the future of the band is still uncertain.
Perry said Wednesday that he thinks front man Steven Tyler wants to take some time off from the band - even though the two appeared together on a New York stage.
“As it stands, Steven wants to take a couple years off and do some of whatever he wants to do and the rest of the band wants to keep working,” Perry said in a telephone interview.
“The band is a really well-oiled machine and we’re going to work one way or another and I don’t know what form that’s going to take,” he added.
Tyler’s publicist, Kim Estlund, said the 61-year-old rock star was not going to issue a statement on Perry’s recent comments.
The status of the band - which also includes Joey Kramer, Brad Whitford and Tom Hamilton - has been the topic of rumors since Tyler was quoted as saying he was considering a solo career. Perry tweeted late Monday that Aerosmith was “not splitting up” but “looking for a new singer to work with.”
The rumors of a potential break-up seemed to be quashed Tuesday night when Tyler joined Perry and his band for their encore at a concert in New York City. According to Rolling Stone and Billboard magazines, Tyler told the crowd: “I am not leaving Aerosmith” and then he and Perry performed “Walk This Way.”
But in his interview, Perry said he was stunned to hear that Tyler was outside his dressing room as he rested before the encore. He said he hadn’t been in recent contact with Tyler.
“He was the last person I expected to see,” Perry said. “You never know with him. Every time I figure I’ve got him sussed, he always does just the opposite.”
Of Tyler, Perry added: “I think over the last few years he’s just kind of drifted away from the band’s goals and plans, and really without communicating that stuff to the guys.”
Personally I think it’s about time they hung it up. No album of new material in eight years, no album of decent new material in some sixteen years, & their basically being reduced to a touring “greatest hits jukebox”, like so many once great bands. They, (& we), deserve better than that. They began working on a new studio album over a year ago, (September of 2008), & had yet to finish it by the time they started touring in June of this years. I think the muse has deserted them.
They did something remarkable; they “died” & rose again in the music industry, & had a solid second run for a longer period than their first one was. Now they’re on the verge of becoming nothing more than a sad self parody, much like Elvis did.
Give it a rest guys, it’s past time.