Pop & Hiss

The L.A. Times music blog

Category: Breakups

So you say you wanna be a singer in Aerosmith?

AEROSMITH_6_

No word on auditions, but you may want to bombard Aerosmith guitarist Joe Perry via Twitter.

That's where he posted the above statement, all but confirming that the band has parted ways with original voice Steven Tyler. Either that or he's passively aggressively trying to reach Tyler. All's been quiet on the Tyler front, and Perry later posted that he would not be discussing the potential split with Tyler any further.

But if you're at all intimidated about replacing one of the most distinct voices in classic rock, know that the perks are great, and all those hours playing Guitar Hero or Rock Band shouldn't have been for naught.

Pop & Hiss will keep an eye on Craigslist classifieds to see if any info on auditions pops up. But really, how long before the effort to replace Tyler turns into a reality show?

-- Todd Martens

EARLIER:

Curtains for a Steven Tyler-led Aerosmith?


Curtains for a Steven Tyler-led Aerosmith?

Steven_tyler_getty_images_4

Classic rock band Aerosmith may be calling it a day.

Comments made to the media from Aerosmith principals Steven Tyler and Joe Perry cast doubt on the band's future, and the act's official camp is mum on providing any sort of clarification.

At this point, however, it doesn't sound as if the band knows much more than us down here at Pop & Hiss HQ. “Steven quit, as far as I can tell,” Perry told the Las Vegas Sun in an article posted online Friday. “I don’t know any more than you do about it. I got off the plane two nights ago. I saw online that Steven said that he was going to leave the band. I don’t know for how long, indefinitely, or whatever. Other than that, I don’t know.”

The online comments referenced by Perry are a recent Tyler interview with British magazine Classic Rock, in which the frontman discussed his previously announced solo project. Said Tyler, “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.”

Not exactly a damning declaration that Aerosmith is no more, but Perry's interview with the Las Vegas Sun sounds rather definite. He told the paper that Tyler hadn't returned his phone calls, and hinted at tension in the band over the numerous canceled gigs after Tyler fell off a stage and broke his shoulder at a concert in South Dakota.

Continue reading »

I Am One: Corgan now the last Pumpkin standing as longtime drummer Jimmy Chamberlin departs

Corganchamberlin

Ladies and gentleman, Jimmy Chamberlin has left the building. According to a press release, the longtime Smashing Pumpkins drummer has “left the group.” Chamberlin joined the Pumpkins in the late 1980s and played on every release save 1998's "Adore." For those keeping track at home, the Smashing Pumpkins are now down to just one original member: chief songwriter and driving creative force  Billy Corgan. Per the same release, Corgan will “continue to write and record as Smashing Pumpkins with plans to head into the studio this spring.” No reason was given for Chamberlin's departure.

The Los Angeles Times' Randy Lewis spent time with Corgan and Chamberlin in December, when the band taped an episode of "The Chris Isaak Hour" in Hollywood.  According to Lewis, the two were getting along well and Chamberlin talked about those who would buy tickets for the group's concerts and then bad-mouth them. "A lot of people just need something to hate," Chamberlin told Lewis, "and they seem to have found it in us."

Regardless of why Chamberlin decided to walk away, the larger question now becomes this: Can there be a Smashing Pumpkins without Chamberlin?  His distinctive, powerful and damn-near perfect drumming helped define the band; arguably more than former member James Iha or original bassist D’arcy Wretzky.

But without Chamberlin, can you really call any forthcoming record a Smashing Pumpkins release?  Chicago Sun-Times music critic Jim DeRogatis wondered earlier this week "what's going on in Billy's head," a question many have been attempting to answer lately.  Sure, it's his band, but at a certain point, Corgan must know that older fans retain a strong connection to the original lineup. 

I, for one, wouldn't mind another Corgan solo record (his 2005 solo release, "The Future Embrace," is underrated), as long as it is billed as such. As much as I like the new band, especially Jeff Schroeder's guitar work, to continue on as Smashing Pumpkins without Chamberlin seems wrong somehow. Count on a heated weekend of discussion over at smashingpumpkins.com (some fans are already incredulous, others despondent).

Cry, complain and discuss in the comments below.

*Update/correction: Jim DeRogatis was incorrectly spelled as Jim DeRegatis in an earlier version of this post.

-- Charlie Amter

Photo by Tim Mosenfelder/Getty Images


Phantom Planet is going on hiatus after show at the Troubadour tonight

Phantom Planet

Sad news for fans of snappy power-pop and snazzy fedoras: The L.A. quartet Phantom Planet is playing its last show at the Troubadour tonight, after 15 years (!) together. Music supervisors across the L.A. Basin will be extra bummed by this development, as they became something of a go-to act for any film or TV series that needed something "indie." I spent some time with them at a taping of, fittingly, Josh Schwartz's "Rockville, CA" a while back and everything seemed cool, but the band had this to say about it on their blog last month:

Continue reading »



Advertisement





Categories


Archives
 



From screen to stage, music to art.
See a sample | Sign up


Get Alerts on Your Mobile Phone

Sign me up for the following lists: