November 9, 2009 14:11

Aerosmith's Joe Perry: 'Steven Tyler has quit'

Guitarist says band 'will probably find somebody else to sing'

Photo: PA Photos

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".

The past few months have blighted with problems for Aerosmith. In August Tyler was airlifted to hospital after falling offstage at a gig in Dakota. As a result, the band were forced to cancel a US tour.

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."

In a recent interview with Classic Rock Magazine, Tyler said he wants to concentrate on "Brand Tyler".