Aerosmith makes nice

Good news for Aerosmith fans from this morning's RAMP newsletter...

"Aerosmith guitarist Joe Perry has announced that the band, including once-estranged frontman Steven Tyler, will soon begin work on their first new album in 10 years. Using today's handiest news-delivery service, Twitter, Perry recently tweeted, "Whole band has plans to go into the studio with [producer] Jack Douglas second week of July to work on new Aero CD." Aerosmith have not released an album of new material since 2001's Just Push Play. According to Rolling Stone, things had become so strained between longtime friends Perry and Tyler that Perry didn't show up at Aerosmith's initial writing sessions earlier this year; however, the band did record several demos in Los Angeles a while back with tentative track titles that include "Bobbing for Piranha," "Asphalt" and "Legendary Child."

One of my favorite concert memories was driving to Springfield Illinois in 1984 to see the recently reunited Aerosmith perform. Tyler was so wasted that when he went down to do the splits during "Back in the Saddle" (the opening song), he had to be helped back up. He later fell off the stage, got his hair caught in a fan, and had a fist-fight with Joe Perry on stage. The stage went dark, and the band came back out a few minutes later (without Tyler) and did a few Hendrix songs before realizing they couldn't do it without their singer. The concert lasted about eight minutes, but I'll never forget it.