The Joe Perry Project Announces Tour

So this is interesting. Aerosmith guitarist Joe Perry just announced a tour and part of his Project this go-round is fellow 'Smith guitarist Brad Whitford! The entire band is really a supergroup with members of The Black Crowes and Stone Temple Pilots joining along.

There have been rumblings that something is brewing in the Aerosmith camp and that a show or two might happen by the end of the year. This would be a good warm-up for such an event.

I Had No Idea Joe Perry Worked With Pitbull

Happy Easter! Picture it: I'm doing a weightlifting session with my Tempo earlier today. I had the music muted on the device because I was listening to the trainer. I did happen to notice the song title scrolling at the bottom was "Get Ready" by Pitbull, Blake Shelton... and Joe Perry. I thought that was totally odd and made a mental note to check it out after my workout.

Turns out, "Get Ready" isn't the first time my beloved guitarist Joe Perry collaborated with Pitbull. He also appears on the song "Bad Man" alongside Travis Barker and Robin Thicke. Gotta say, I much prefer "Bad Man" to "Get Ready." I just can't do country music. Even if it features Joe Perry and some rap.

Aerosmith Teases Tour Announcement

Guitarist Joe Perry let the cat out of the bag on this one via a recent Boston Globe interview, but Aerosmith is apparently going out on a 40-stop tour this fall. Now the band is teasing a big announcement May 1. Obviously I am very interested in this and I hope the band comes somewhere near me.

Apparently the band isn't too worried about Steven Tyler's current legal issues. Tyler had a romantic relationship with Julia Holcomb, a 16 year-old at the time (he was 26). This relationship is pretty well known and was discussed in the 1997 band biography Walk This Way. Tyler later talked about the relationship again in his 2012 autobiography Does The Noise In My Head Bother You? The short of it is, the statute of limitations on sex crimes were lifted in California for a limited time and Holcomb sued Tyler for sexual assault. He filed a legal response arguing the relationship was consensual.

At the time of the filing, which was at the end of December, things looked dire for Tyler and any future touring plans for Aerosmith. The band had just canceled its remaining Las Vegas residency dates because Tyler had an undisclosed illness.

Then the lawsuit happened.

Then silence.

Now things in Aerosmith world are seemingly revving up again. This tells me the lawsuit is probably either going to quietly fade away or dissolve completely and most of the band members are healthy again. I say most because it isn't clear if drummer Joey Kramer will be on tour with Aerosmith in the fall, but it doesn't seem likely. I guess we will know more May 1.

Sunday's Best: Week 3, 2022

Welcome back to Sunday's Best! I swear, January is like the month of Mondays or something. It just feels never-ending. Cold, dark, boring... at least we've got some good playoff football as a distraction. Did you hear? A little team called the Cincinnati Bengals are going to the AFC championship game next week. That's right - the team won their first road playoff game in franchise history last night. Obviously, I'm pumped!

WE'RE GOING TO THE AFC CHAMPIONSHIP GAME! pic.twitter.com/gXde7z27DP

— Cincinnati Bengals (@Bengals) January 23, 2022

But back to the music. Way back in the dark ages of 2009, both Jeff Beck and Metallica were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. Toward the end of the induction ceremony, there was a big jam session featuring Beck, Metallica, plus Joe Perry (Aerosmith), Ronnie Wood (Rolling Stones), Flea (Red Hot Chili Peppers) and Jimmy Page (Led Zeppelin). This group of wealth and talent got together to do "Train Kept A Rollin.'" Most people know the song because of Aerosmith, but the track was originally recorded in the early 50s and covered by The Yardbirds in the sixties. The performance below is magic: simply one of the best gatherings of music legends on a single stage at the same time. Enjoy.