Joe Perry Says Aerosmith Not Breaking Up, Confirms Band Will Replace Steven Tyler

Aerosmith's Joe Perry took to his Twitter yesterday to relay some potentially positive news to fans: despite Steven Tyler's apparent departure, "Aerosmith is definitely NOT breaking up." Perry also confirmed that the remaining four members of Aerosmith would seek out a new singer while Tyler did "his own thing."

"Aerosmith is positively looking for a new singer to work with. You just can't take 40 years of experience and throw it in the bin!" Perry tweeted yesterday. "Band is playing hotter than ever and our songs need to be played live! Don't despair; Aerosmith not splitting up. Promise that's the last you'll hear from me on the subject till we gear up again."

Aerosmith Live: Check out photos of concerts from the past four decades

As Rolling Stone reported yesterday, following Aerosmith's concert in Abu Dhabi on November 1st, Tyler left without talking to his bandmates, instead telling a reporter for Classic Rock Magazine that he was going to focus on "Brand Tyler. " Perry and Tyler have been at odds in recent years over what direction the four-decade-old band should take. Perry wants to pursue a sound closer to the band's bluesy, Seventies records while Tyler is more interested in a poppier path that brought the band hits like "Jaded" and "I Don't Want to Miss a Thing." The tension reached fever pitch when their summer tour was cancelled after Tyler fell off the stage in South Dakota on August 6th.

In an interview yesterday with Boston's WZLX 100.7 (via Blabbermouth), Perry said he called Tyler before the band's recent Hawaii concerts to see if the singer had any interest in playing three December gigs in South America, but midway through the conversation Tyler hung up on Perry. "I kind of got the hint that he pretty much wants to be alone and wants to do his own thing," Perry said. Still, Perry reiterated that he doesn't think this is the end of Aerosmith. "As long as we're still kicking, it's not over. We'll probably get bored and come back."

Related Stories:
• Aerosmith on the Rocks Again? Perry Says Tyler Quit Band
• Perry Dismisses Breakup Rumors, Aerosmith Are "Taking a Breather"
• Steven Tyler Speaks Out About Injury, State of Aerosmith: "We're One for All, All For One"

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Song Stories

“Smells Like Teen Spirit”

Nirvana | 1991

"Smells Like Teen Spirit," named after a brand of deodorant marketed to girls, was Kurt Cobain's attempt to "write the ultimate pop song," he said, using the soft-loud dynamic of his favorite band, the Pixies. Cobain "had that dichotomy of punk rage and alienation," the song’s producer, Butch Vig, told Rolling Stone, "but also this vulnerable pop sensibility. In 'Teen Spirit,' a lot of that vulnerability is in the tone of his voice." Sadly, by the time of Nirvana's last U.S. tour, in late '93, Cobain was tortured by the obligation to play "Teen Spirit" every night. "There are many other songs that I have written that are as good, if not better," he claimed.

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