Aerosmith's Joe Perry: 'Steven Tyler Has Quit'

Aerosmith guitarist Joe Perry has said that singer Steven Tyler has quit the band "as far as I can tell".

Perry's comments follow those of rhythm guitarist Brad Whitford, who last week (November 6) said that Aerosmith are to hold crisis talks about their future after relations with Tyler became strained.

Now Perry has confirmed that Tyler is unlikely to perform with the band again.

"Steven quit as far as I can tell," he told the Las Vegas Sun, adding that the singer "has had no contact with me or the other band members".

Reacting to Tyler's supposed departure, Perry vowed to carry on with Aerosmith. He echoed Whitford's recent comments by saying he is considering replacing Tyler with a new vocalist.

"Right now i'm adjusting to how we're going to go on," Perry explained. "Aerosmith is such a powerful band, I mean it's like a steam locomotive. You just can't disregard 40 years of four guys who play together as well as they do.

"As far as replacing Steve, it's not just about that, it's also four guys that play extremely well together, and I'm not going to see that go to waste. I really don't know what path it's going to take at this point, but we'll probably find somebody else that will sing in those spots where we need a singer."

As previously reported, in a recent interview with Classic Rock Magazine, Tyler said he wants to concentrate on "Brand Tyler".Until the inevitable lure of reunion big bucks, that is.

Aerosmith To Carry On Without Tyler?

FMQB is reporting that before Aerosmith's recent show at the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix, Steven Tyler said he will spend 2010 working on solo projects. "I don’t know what I’m doing yet, but it’s definitely going to be something Steven Tyler: working on the brand of myself – Brand Tyler," he told Classic Rock magazine. He also cryptically stated, "Once the band hit the final note and I walk off stage – then I’ll tell you the whole story."

The magazine also said that off stage there appears to be some friction within the band, and that no one sees Tyler until they go on stage as his dressing room is located far away from the rest of the group. Aerosmith will reportedly meet over the next couple of weeks to discuss future plans, possibly without Tyler.

"I'm not sure how good that would look, it would largely depend on who we could get and who would want to do it. That’s big shoes to fill," guitarist Brad Whitford told Classic Rock, referring to the idea of the group performing with a different singer. "Nobody could replace Steven or imitate him – he's one of a kind. But if somebody was willing to do it and the chemistry was right, why not?"