WHITFORD
Aerosmith is definitely playing during Brad's acting debut though reports vary as to which song it was - fans were obviously too engrossed watching him (and the movie) to be sure. Round and Round or Nobody's Fault. I'm guessing Nobody's Fault only because it was previously reported to us that it would be used in the movie for that part. No vocals, which can make a song sound a bit different than we're used to. Brad gets smashed with a beer bottle over the head, then punched in the face a few times. There's a nice close-up before and thankfully they didn't show him all bloodied like his dining partner. Still haven't heard from anybody who caught Brad's son Zack in the movie...

MUSIC/SOUNDTRACK
In addition to the actual Aero and Porch Ghouls tracks, there are some obvious Joe Perry riffs scattered throughout. Mike Verge's song Connected was woven into a few scenes at just the perfect times with the perfect dual meaning - Connected - The Mob - The Computer. Perfect.

Rick Dufay's "Written In Stone" was apparently also used in the movie, though hard to catch, and Rick's name could be seen a couple of times in the ending credits! Supposedly it is WIS playing on a car radio in one of the scenes, you have to listen reeeaaaly hard to hear it... There was a scene where Danny pulls a car in with the front facing you and the radio is playing pretty loud in the background, that could be it... unless there was another one....

The overall score (done by Jack Douglas) has such diversity, from rock to opera to salsa to Italian, all perfectly timed without being overpowering. A good film score is one in which you don't notice each musical part but rather they enhance your sensory reaction to each scene you are watching. This is a movie about the mob. Just like the Sopranos, some of the best parts are simply the interaction and dialog among them while carrying on the "normal lives" which are anything but normal to most of us. The ACTORS dug the score and said Jack was refreshing in that he can so easily bring together so many genres and make it work so beautifully.

GENERAL
The plot is strong with lots of cool twists and turns, some high tech stuff that truly makes you go "wow" and I don't mean special effects in the film, I mean woven into the plot itself and of course wondering just who is gonna get whacked next is always there. At times it is funnier than hell, as was evident in the theater - people cracking up. The lingo is 100% legit so some things can be lost on those who are not familiar with the typical slang often used but even just some of their general conversations were a riot!

They had a blast shooting the Porch Ghoul's video, from what Paul Vario said at the meet/greet in Irvine, both at Joe's house and in Memphis. They are gonna put the video on the TTOO site for sure... hopefully soon and are gonna TRY to get airtime for it as well maybe on MTV. Steven being in the video was very last minute. The theme is The Godfather and each of them play a different role from it.

More from another fan:

I was WAAAY more impressed by this movie than I had expected to be, not being a Soprano's fan (no HBO) & all... Well-written & produced, great dialog ... hard to believe that this is Danny's (Provenzano) first movie. Jack's score fit's every nuance of the action and I can't wait to get the soundtrack! The veteran actors turned in solid performances -- James Caan, Frank Vincent, Vincent Pastore were terrific, as were the assemblage of older actors as the old-style mobsters trying to cope with a changing world. Edward Lynch was both hilarious and really scary as the hitman whom you'd REALLY want on your side. But the really topnotch performances came from Provenzano, Louis Vanaria, Christian Maelen & Paul Vario -- they were just awesome. Brad Whitfords's cameo was a riot and of course it was nice to hear Joe Perry licks in the background. Vanaria & Vario who showed up for the M&G, were extremely personable and approachable and spent a good hour or so chatting with and answering questions for the fans. Definitely worth the price of admission! I hope it gets the exposure it deserves -- I've seen Oscar contenders that I didn't like nearly as well on a variety of levels! Looking forward to seeing more from everyone involved!

I just saw the interview with Steven, Joe and Tom on the Today Show so I thought I'd give you a basic run down of what took place. It was done by Jill Rappaport and it took place in Aerosmith's studio.

Opens with Steven saying, "Good morning, welcome to smartass answers to dumbass questions!"

ABOUT THE UP COMING TOUR WITH KISS

Joe: We're just excited to be getting back out on the road, but this time, unlike other tours in the past, there is another headliner going out with us.

Jill reads a quote from Gene Simmons. "This won't be a battle of the bands. No who's going to open and who's going to close stuff."

Jill: So, who will open and close?

Joe: It depends on how you look at it. Is the bottle half empty or half full? We have to follow them!

Steven: It's like foreplay. It should start with a Kiss and end with a cigar or cigarette because it was so good.

Tom: We were just happy to get back in a room and talk to them about old times.

ON THE PROBLEMS OF THE PAST. DRUGS, ETC. (A question that will never get old I guess?)

Joe: We did have our ups and downs. Our hard times. It's been a rocky road.

Tom: We been together for 30 years but we still get to have a reputation for being unstable.

ON THE BLUES (Shows clips of the band jamming. Sounded really great and Steven's deeper rasp fits the songs perfect)

Jill: People think Aerosmith and blues? But, it's really Aerosmith's style of blues.

Tom: We recorded songs that go way back in history. Songs that haven't been touched in a really long time.

Joe: Blues purist will take offense to what we have done, but out fans will appreciate it sounds like CLASSIC Aerosmith.

ON THE BANDS CONTINUED SUCCESS OF GAINING NEW FANS DECADE AFTER DECADE.

I can't really remember the whole thing here, but Steven basically says a part of it has to do with old babies (songs) bubbling up again. Like Run DMC and Emenim covering them. Walk This Way and Dream On, etc.

INTERNET DOWN LOADING

Steven: I mean, were a bunch of rich guys anyway. Does it take out of our pockets? Yes, it does. Does it suck? Yes, it does. But, there are a lot of young bands who don't have money or a career and their being down loaded and beaten' and they don't get to reap the benefits from their music.

Joe: Why should people give their work away for free? Should Broadway plays just open their doors and let people in for free?

Jill: It keeps getting worst and doesn't look like it's going to stop anytime soon.

Tom: I think a lot of kids are into the technical side of computers and music. Computers are a big part of making music these days, so...

(I don't think they wanted to get into the question too much. AKA Metallic backlash.)

PLASTIC SURGERY

Jill: You started in 1970 and you're very honest about your age. All being in your 50's now. But no plastic surgery, right Steven?

Steven: Nope. Well, I have to admit, I had some surgery.

Jill: Oh, you did?

Steven: Yup, knee surgery!

Tom: That's why his knee still looks so great.

(Even Joe laughs)

ON SUCCESS, AWARDS, ROCK-N-ROLL HALL OF FAME, ETC.

Jill: You have a pretty good gig going here.

Steven: (very humble and soft spoken) We have it all. (smiles)

Tom: Couldn't ask for more.

Joe: It's everything you think it is. Every fantasy you can think of, that's what we do.

Steven: Fake it til' you make it!

That raps it up and they go back to the studio with Jill and Matt Laurer(sp?) and Jill says Steven invited her to the show Saturday and if he sees her, he'll pull her up on stage. Matt laughs and says, "Oh boy, I don't think he knows the type of bargain he just got himself into." Then Jill says something like, "Oh yeah, I'm ready!"

During the interview they played a lot of Aerosmith songs, videos and show many clips of the band as well. I thought the interview was really good. I'm sure there was much more talked about so maybe if we're lucky NBC will put the whole interview up on their website. I wouldn't hold my breath though.

The band is currently selecting songs for the tour and want to know what you want to hear. The list is below, you gotta click to pick! You can pick up to 17 songs.

As a special gift from Aerosmith, five voters, randomly selected, will receive a set list from the tour's opening night in Hartford, August 2nd autographed by Aerosmith.

Make It
Somebody
Dream On
One Way Street
Mama Kin
Write Me
Movin' Out
Walkin' the Dog
Song & Dance
Thighs
SOS (Too Bad)
Train
Seasons of Wither
Toys
Uncle Salty
Adam's Apple
Walk this Way
10 Inch
Sweet Emotion
No More No More
Round & Round
You See Me Cryin'
Saddle
Last Child
Rats
Combination
Sick as a Dog
Nobody's Fault
Get the Lead Out
Lick and a Promise
Home Tonight
Draw the Line
I Want To Know Why
Kings & Queens
Milk Cow Blues
Come Together
Chip Away
Ain't Got You
Mother Popcorn
No Surprise
Chiquita
Walkin' in the Sand
Cheesecake
Reefer Headed Woman
Bone to Bone
Think About It
Lightning Strikes
Let the Music to the Talkin'
My Fist Your Face
Rag Doll
Hearts Done Time
Dude
Hangman
Angel
Permanent Vacation
Young Lust
F.I.N.E.
Elevator
Monkey
Janie
Other Side
What it Takes
Eat the Rich
Edge
Cryin'
Amazin'
Fallin' in Love is Hard On The Knees
Pink
I Don't Want To Miss a Thing
Jaded
Just Push Play
Sunshine
Girls of Summer

--------------

Certainly, there are many we'd like to hear not even listed in the poll, but then there's also a LOT on there I would LOVE to hear... Given that it's the official site, maybe they WILL pass it on to the guys! Perhaps these are the songs the band feel they "could" do live which is why it's limited... cast your votes now! Maybe just maybe we can be HEARD! Vote for the rarities off of the old albums.. see if they really can pull out some other than the ones they usually do. After all, they were rehearsing Nobody's Fault the other night!

As it said, you can only vote for 17 songs total and they are giving away a "prize" to five of the voters...autographed setlists from Hartford. Wonder how long this thing has been up there for as it's a bit late to be voting now LOL.

--------------

FYI, if I personally got to choose Aerosmith's setlist for one concert... it's not easy, but my 17 songs from the list would probably be something like this:

Nobody's Fault (a given!!)
No More No More
You See Me Cryin' (very cool to see as one of their ballad picks)
Round & Round
Rats
Thighs
Seasons of Wither
Uncle Salty
Home Tonight (same as with YSMC)
Kings & Queens (another given!)
One Way Street
Make It
Adam's Apple
Combination
Lick and a Promise
Chip Away
Reefer Headed Woman

I'm still in a state of disbelief, but thanks to a very reliable inside scoop, I was finally able to meet Steven Tyler and Joey Kramer.

I'm busier than hell here at work right now, but I'll do my best to get this out. I was originally intending to swing by the Meadows at lunch, as I did yesterday, but I changed my plans at the last minute.

Instead, I went to lunch in downtown Hartford. I parked my car, and began to make my way to the Goodwin Hotel. After walking for only a block, I made it to the corner of Trumbull and Asylum. As I'm crossing the street, I look up, and I come face to face with Tom Hamilton.

To some extent, I startled him a little because I recognized him right away. He was carrying a styrofoam container of soup, and a large white bag, which I believe contained the balance of his takeout lunch. He was cordial, but it was very apparent that he was in somewhat of a hurry. No problem. Unfortunately, he respectfully declined my request for an autograph for that very same reason... I was a little disappionted, but certainly not offended.

Here's where it gets interesting. I then proceeded to make my way down to the front of the Goodwin Hotel. I have to play it somewhat cool at this point. The Goodwin for those of you who know, is a posh hotel... Lunch there will cost you $75.00 per plate, a la carte...

I decide to enter the lounge for a bit, just to see what's happening. No sign of anyone, not even a bartender. I stick around for a few minutes, but I really can't afford to sit there forever. I take it back to the street for a bit to see if there are any cabs, limos, etc at either the front or back entrances, and there's nothing.

Again, I wait outside for about twenty more minutes, and then I decide it's time to cut bait and move on. Before I do of course, I HAVE to make one more sweep... Back through the building, out the back exit, and up the side of the building... Just then, I spot Steven in the window, with Joey, having lunch in the dining room. OMG... Time to get my *ss back in the lounge...

I get a prime spot, facing the hallway, as well as the entrance to the restaurant, and I wait patiently. Of course, I had to order a Bud, and then decide to order the Classic Ceaser with grilled shrimp...

This next tidbit is a little too unblievable, but it's true. As I'm waiting, I decide to change the channels on the lounge TV. As I'm surfing, I come across the old SNL episode of Aerosmith on Wayne's World, and then the live version of Janie's Got A Gun. If I didn't experience it, I would have trouble believing it. Even the staff couldn't believe the irony....

By then, I'm not the only one in there waiting for the guys to come out. There were three women there as well. We were all pretty anxious at this point, and finally the moment had arrived. Steven came out first, followed by Joey. Steven was dressed in a red t-shirt, and Joey in a white shirt. I didn't waste any time, I greeted Steven, and I simply told him that I couldn't wait for the tour to begin, and then I told him that I wore my heart on my sleeve, and flashed him the tattoo, which resulted in one of his patented "oh, yeahs"....

We didnt say too much more, because Steven had the ladies in his sights, who were then standing right behind me.... I moved on to Joey, who was also very cordial... Joey also signed an autograph for me (very nice handwriting by the way), and then he was out of there... No small talk, all business...!

What an experience....and certainly one that I won't forget, albeit brief....! I won't have a picture of the encounter, but a firm handshake, a personal greeting, and an autograph is fine with me....!

Now it's back to work, and time to come out of the clouds... Holy sh*t, what a day....and all because of a good lead from a fellow Aero fan...!

I truly hope there are others who report an Aero encounter here in Hartford....

Tony - MPC1.....

From: http://www.aeroforceone.com

Well, well, well.... Good morning to you all. You could've blinded me with dental floss this morning, my eyes were like two tiny slits... How many cups of coffee are in a Dunkin Donuts Box O' Joe.... Ten? That wouldn't be enough juice to get me going....

Well, the wife and I HAD to go back to the Goodwin last. I had to show her the scene of the crime, as well as try to get more inside scoop. What I learned is this...

The band arrived at the Goodwin on Monday, and they've been consistently rehearsing at the Meadows between 7:00 PM and 11:00 PM at night. Roxx, as you know, was the first to report hearing the rehearsal on Tuesday.

In case you are wondering, KISS arrives at the Goodwin today. In fact, the hotel staff were laying the drop cloths in the lobby last night, in the event Gene spits anything up during check-in. Kidding of course, just making sure you are all awake...!

In any event, we were told the band has been eating breakfast and lunch at the hotel, but they haven't had dinner there yet. Steven, Joey, and Tom have been seen out and about quite a bit. Characteristically, Joe has been elusive.... No scoop on Brad...

After having a few glasses of wine, and the best damn cobb salad I have ever had, we decided to head over to the Meadows and we bid our very friendly and social bartender adieu... At this point, it's roughly 9:00 PM.

We arrive at the Meadows parking lot within a few minutes, and we can immediately hear Joey's drums... The parking lot is being guarded by a few security guards... Some in colf carts, and others parked in their cars. No one seems to be overly concerned by our presence, so we get out and have a listen.

I have to admit, we must have caught them at a bad time...because the first 30 minutes or so were filled with repeated, aborted, versions of Cryin', followed by What It Takes. It's almost as if they were working out a few specific sections of each song, but one song always followed the other. This went on for quite a while. In addition, there were long periods of silence.

Finally, they were on to something new... As you know, Roxx reported earlier that he heard them jam to Hoochie Coochie Man.... I'm pretty familiar with that song, and this might have been it, but I can't say that it was. This was followed once again by Cryin' and What It Takes (abbreviated, snippets of each)...

After a few minutes of that, we finally got a b*lls out, blistering version of Baby Please Don't Go. This one is gonna jam live... If you are not familiar with this song, Ted Nugent has one of the best versions I have ever heard of this song from his Double Live Gonzo set 77/78... Check it out if you already haven't.

By now, it's geting on in time, and it's close to 10:30... For whatever reason, a burly guard in a golf cart drives up to the car, and determines after an hour and fifteen minutes that we were trespassing and tells us we have to leave immediately.

I'm not there to cause trouble, so I comply... As my wife and I are walking back to the car, we hear the opening guitar lines to Dream On... Now I've heard this song live more times than I ever care to admit...but I would have liked to hear the whole thing on this night, under the stars in a darkened parking lot.... It would have been cool, but we had to go....

What a treat, and what a tease, to sit it the empty parking lot, and hear the boys noodling away at their craft... God, I love this band, and I can't wait for Saturday.

More later... I'll share whatever I learn.....!

Have a great day ALL....

Tony - MPC1

From: http://www.aeroforceone.com

1993 Aerosmith plays in Costa Mesa CA at Pacific Coast Amphitheater

1993 "Cryin'" debuts on the Billboard Top 100

1997 Aerosmith plays in Hershey Park PA at Hershey Park Stadium (Jonny Lang opens)

The rock gods of Kiss bow down to no one — except maybe Aerosmith.

When the two bands start their tour together on Saturday in Hartford, Connecticut, Kiss' pyrotechnic extravaganza will be followed by the bluesy hard rock of Boston's finest. The show is being billed as a co-headlining tour, but it will be the first time since 1974 that Kiss will take the stage before another band night after night.

So, how did Aerosmith get Gene Simmons and Paul Stanley to agree to such conditions?

"Um, I'm not sure, actually," Aerosmith guitarist Joe Perry said. "I think it just kind of worked out that way. We're just glad to be closing the show, and I think it's gonna make for a whole rocking evening."

Of course, having to go on after an explosive display of blood-spitting, fire-breathing, levitation, makeup and costumes can be a daunting proposition, but for Aerosmith that's part of the kick.

"Not only is the audience warmed up beyond belief, but it makes you want to go out there and put on the best show you can," Perry said. "So in the end, the audience wins. It's gonna be the kind of experience that doesn't come around often."

Aerosmith and Kiss both emerged in the '70s and quickly climbed to the top of the hard rock scene. Aerosmith struck first in 1973 with Aerosmith, which featured the hit "Dream On." A mere 15 months later, the group issued its second disc, Get Your Wings, which featured a cover of the Tiny Bradshaw jump blues classic "The Train Kept a Rollin'" and "Same Old Song and Dance." A month later, Kiss drew blood with their self-titled debut, which included the classics "Strutter," "Firehouse," "Cold Gin" and "Deuce."

"We watched their meteoric rise right behind us," Perry said. "We're friends and our paths have crossed. I remember playing a few shows with them in the early '70s, but we've never toured together."

One reason fans have never been treated to a road trip of this magnitude is because the two bands' tour schedules have never allowed it. When Kiss zigged, Aerosmith zagged. But that wasn't the biggest problem.

"The idea of getting us to get together to share the same bill was easy," Perry said. "The harder part was technically fitting both shows on the stage. That was really tough."

During the tour, Aerosmith plan to play three or four songs from their upcoming blues album on a small revolving stage. They'll likely film these segments for possible inclusion on a DVD that may accompany their new disc, due in January.

In addition to covers of songs by Blind Willie McTell ("Broke Down Engine"), Little Walter ("Temperature"), and Willie Dixon and Muddy Waters ("I'm Ready"), the blues album will feature four originals (see "Aerosmith Get The Blues On New Album"). "Those songs are cut from the same cloth as the other songs," Perry said. "Some of the riffs came out of the jamming and the rehearsals, so the songs fit in the format of the record."

While the record will include some shuffling rhythms and heart-ripping guitar and vocal passages, this won't be your grandpappy's kind of blues album. Aerosmith pay reverence to their influences for sure, but they modernize the oldies by playing 'em in their own style.

"Some of the songs sound like classic Aerosmith from the '70s," Perry said. "Others sound like old blues songs, but we had a really good time playing it all, and I think that translates when you hear the tracks. We really wanted to get back in the basement and play a live record. And this seemed like the obvious way to go."

The Aerosmith and Kiss tour runs through October 18 in Devore, California (see "Aerosmith, Kiss Tour Dates Announced"). Saliva will open all dates.

—Jon Wiederhorn

From http://www.mtv.com

My wife, daughter and I went to the Meadows in Hartford tonight to see if by chance anything was going on with Aerosmith and come to find out they were in fact there at the Meadows practicing!! How cool is that?? We really couldn't see the stage at all only some of the stage lights but we did hear them quite well!! They did a few songs too!! First song we heard was Rag Doll then they did Crying, What It Takes, Hoochie Coochie Man (sp), Baby Please Don't Go, parts of Dream On and then they did the whole song Dream On, then they did Nobody's Fault!! That was very very cool to hear (I haven't heard them do that in a while)!! Then they did Take Me To The Other Side, Back In The Saddle, then Steven sang a few bars of All The Young Dudes and soon the whole band kicked in to finish it (that was cool too), they did Don't Wanna Miss A Thing then they ended with Sweet Emotion!!

Altogether we were there for about an hour and a half!! The sound wasn't too bad either considering we were outside of fenced in area of the lawn!! We also talked to a security guard and he said no lawn stage this time but they do have what he called a multiple level stage which has a different level for each band member!! Not too sure what he was talking about but it sounded cool!! He also said they do have a thrust catwalk type thing coming out about 20 rows from the stage too!! We waited for them to leave and when they drove by in the mini van bus they were going too fast too see and besides the windows were tinted so that didn't help but we waved anyway!! Nothing else to say beside the fact sounded real good and polished!!

From: http://www.aeroforceone.com

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WEBMASTER'S COMMENTS and stuff...

Simply TOO cool to see them finally doing NOBODY'S FAULT again, let's hope it wasn't only for this rehearsal... Would love to have heard their takes on classics like "Hoochie Coochie Man" and "Baby Please Don't Go." ..and Mott The Hoople's (or, Bowie's, if you prefer..) "All The Young Dudes" was an unexpected one.. very cool! Though I really have no idea, I'm guessing it wasn't a planned one, and probably nothing they'll do on the tour. If so, "Roxxguitars" was even more lucky to have been there to hear 'em do it! *crawls into a corner and sulks* ;-)

Let's review that again...

Rag Doll
Cryin
What It Takes
Hoochie Coochie Man
Baby Please Don't Go
Dream On
Nobody's Fault(!!!)
The Other Side
Back In The Saddle
All The Young Dudes
I Don't Wanna Miss A Thing
Sweet Emotion

Personally, I'd rather have seen them drop songs like Rag Doll, Cryin' and IDMTMAT totally for this tour, with the shorter set list and the "rock and energy friendly competition"... especially IDWTMAT since it really does kill the buzz of an energized rock concert - #1 hit or not!

...Well, they were just rehearsing so I guess we won't know the real setlists until after each night's show...

From: http://www.aeroforceone.com

(7/29/03, 4 p.m. ET) -- The fans aren't the only ones happy about the Kiss/Aerosmith coheadlining tour, which starts Saturday (August 2) in Hartford, Connecticut. The musicians are just as excited.

Even though Kiss will go on before Aerosmith every night, singer-guitarist Paul Stanley told LAUNCH that his band is happy to share the stage with Aerosmith, and there's no ego involved.

"Well, you know, somebody has to go on first, and it really doesn't matter to us," Stanley said. "I mean, honestly, we do what we do, and nobody can do it better, as Aerosmith does what they do, and nobody does it better. This is a win-win for the audience, and it's a great chance for us to be sharing the bill with arguably the other premiere American band."

Saliva will open every show, followed by Kiss, before Aerosmith closes each night.

Kiss is touring to promote its new album the Kiss Symphony: Alive IV, as well as an upcoming DVD from the concert where it was recorded. The show took place February 28 at the Telstra Dome in Melbourne, Australia, with Kiss accompanied by the Melbourne Symphony Orchestra, the Melbourne Chamber Orchestra, and the Australian Children's Choir.

Aerosmith is expected to release a blues-based album in January.

From launch.com

EXCERPT:
The two-day bus tour in Wisconsin and Minnesota, both of which Bush narrowly lost in the 2000 election, was timed to coincide with the lower payroll tax withholding, which took effect this month, and with the mailing of child-tax credits of up to $400 per child. Both are elements of the $330 billion tax-cut package Congress passed in May.

The Cabinet secretaries traveled in a two-bus caravan; theirs was the lead bus, decked out with leather bench seats, bunk beds in the rear and a a mirror on the ceiling. Its next assignment is an Aerosmith tour.

From: http://abcnews.go.com

1983 Aerosmith plays in Phoenix AZ at Compton Terrace (Dio opens)

1988 Aerosmith plays in Mears MI at Val Du Lakes Amphitheatre (Guns N'Roses open)

1994 Aerosmith plays in Montreal Canada at The Forum (Jackyl opens)

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Derek adds:

1999 Aerosmith's roller coaster in MGM Studios (Walt Disney World), Rock N' Roller Coaster, officially opened to guests.

I just found and re-posted my EXCLUSIVE interview with Jack Douglas from 12/18/2000. He talks about Mob Story, A Hip Hopera which has some of the same "crew" as This Thing of Ours. Check it out at http://www.aerosmithshow.com

Edited By Jonathan Cohen. July 28, 2003, 3:30 PM ET
Britney, Blige To Rock NFL Kick-Off

Britney Spears and Mary J. Blige are on board for a Sept. 4 free concert at the National Mall in Washington, D.C., to kick off the 2003 National Football League season, Billboard.com has learned. Organizers are eyeing additional acts for the event, including Kid Rock and Aerosmith. The show will precede the first NFL game of the year later that evening between the Washington Redskins and New York Jets at D.C.'s FedEx Field.

ABC will broadcast the concert from 8-9 p.m. ET, followed by the Redskins/Jets game. An NFL spokesperson would not confirm the concert lineup, but acknowledged the league was exploring plans for "an entertainment-driven" event to kick off the season.

To open last year's season, the NFL staged a similar event in New York's Times Square. Bon Jovi, Enrique Iglesias, Alicia Keys and Eve performed before a crowd of 500,000, preceding the San Francisco 49ers' matchup between the New York Giants. Bon Jovi also played at halftime during the game.

Spears, who also has plans to appear at the Jets' training camp next month, will release her fourth Jive album in late fall, according to her spokersperson. The set is expected to include contributions from the production teams the Neptunes and the Matrix. Blige's upcoming Geffen album, "Love & Life," is due Aug. 26.

-- Jonathan Cohen, N.Y.

From: http://www.billboard.com

They now have a lot more things to sell. You can buy T-shirts that are signed by Steven Tyler and Joe Perry for $200.00, they only have 20 for sale.. also, 3 bottles are available of Joe's hot sauce signed numbered on a stand with a guitar pick for $100.00. Portion of the proceeds go to the South Shore Habitat for Humanity, which also happens that their summer fund raiser was last night Monday, July 28th.

Few new things in the restaurant since last year. A large poster of the JPP cover and a large poster of Steven with yahoo streamin on add in the background signed by all the boys that's in the bar area.

Also if anyone remembers from a few years ago the boat that is in the marina down the street from my friends house is still there... Says (permanent vacation) with the Aero logo

..and of course did the annual ride by the homes, (no stalking just ride bye's) seems Joey still building the new house saw some workers there, Joe's gate was open on sat but closed on Sunday...

1983 Aerosmith plays in Pueblo CO at Colorado State Fairgrounds (Dio opens)

1984 Aerosmith plays in St. Louis MO at St. Louis Arena (Orion the Hunter opens)

1988 Aerosmith plays in East Troy WI at Alpine Valley Music Center (Guns N'Roses opens); Jon Bon Jovi joins them on I'm Down

1994 Aerosmith plays in Montreal Canada at The Forum (Jackyl opens)

1997 Aerosmith plays in Virginia Beach VA at GTE Virginia Beach Amphitheater (Jonny Lang opens)

I read in the newspaper this week that the 'Australian Top 40' radio program is celebrating it's 1000th episode by voting on the greatest Number 1 of all time. So far, Aerosmith are at #17 with 'I Don't Want To Miss A Thing'. The only other song they have in contention is 'Janies Got A Gun', but I'm not sure how that is fairing.
If your interested, Number 1 (and it's a surprise) is Stevie Wonder, 'I Just Called To Say I Love You'

I was pleasantly surprised at how good Danny Provenzano was, as he's not done any acting prior to this. The plot was cool, and the insight into the mob was cool too. I'm glad I read about some of the "true" stories that Danny weaved into the movie... I could pick them out very easily, but they fit right in with the theme. Brad got a great close up before he got socked in the face, no lines... not even an "OW", lol!

The cast and crew didn't show up for the meet and greet after the 2:45 showing, but they were waiting for us at the end of the 5:05 show. Only two actors showed up, the guy who played the computer geek and the huge mobster that is shown in the Porch Ghoul's pics from the video shoot. The others were all busy doing shoots for TV or cable shows, and Danny was getting ready to do the Howard Stern show tomorrow. Didn't stick around for autographs, but got one pretty good shot that I'll post in the photos forum.

I tried to draw a little info from the huge mobster about the video shoot, but he wasn't very talkative. He said that Steven Tyler just "stopped by" that day and became part of the video. But, cheer up..... we were told that the entire video will be put up on the TTOO website very soon.

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From what the promo guy at the "This Thing Of Ours" movie said today.... the Porch Ghouls video is going to be put up on the TTOO website shortly.

What the heck - for those of you going to this huge event - no matter WHO ELSE shows up it's gonna be an incredible event. If Aero were to show up…over the top indeed! So here ya go…..

Jul. 27, 2003. 01:00 AM
No one's ruling out surprise big-name guest stars
CHRISTOPHER HUTSUL
STAFF REPORTER

First it was U2.

Then it was just Bono.

And now it's Paul McCartney.

Only three days away from the Rolling Stones super-concert, rumours about a surprise stage appearance are flying.

While such prognostications are based solely on hearsay at this point, there is reason to believe that the audience will see more than the 15 acts that have been officially announced by promoters.

Organizers alluded to as much at last Tuesday's news conference.

"I think we're going to hear ... some nice surprises," said Riley O'Connor of House Of Blues, the company promoting the event.

Some would argue that if a superstar such as Paul McCartney has been added to the concert's roster, it would be made public to give ticket sales a last-minute boost.

But the show's organizers seem content with the number of tickets sold so far, and don't seem keen on having to deal with the thousands of extra fans a big name would draw.

The Bono appearance would make sense. Not only did Bono sing on a recent Mick Jagger solo album, he also joined the Rolling Stones onstage at a Chicago show in September.

The U2 front man shocked the crowd by stepping on to the stage to sing "It's Only Rock And Roll" with his old pal Jagger.

More likely, and, to some, perhaps less scintillating than some of the other rumours, is that Christina Aguilera will make an appearance. She's in town for shows with Justin Timberlake, who's already on the playbill, on the nights before and after the Downsview Park spectacle.

But the possibilities don't end there. There are a handful of intriguing talents touring in or near southern Ontario this week who might be keen on taking part in the event.

Joe Cocker played in Toronto last night and plays tonight in London. He's got some time in southern Ontario before he plays Cohasset, Mass., Friday. Would he drop in to get a "little help from his friends?"

Legendary progressive rockers Roxy Music are doing a show at the Molson Amphitheatre tomorrow night , while Chicago is playing Casino Rama the night after the big bash.

Another intriguing possibility is an appearance by Aerosmith. They're kicking off a pan-American tour next Saturday in Hartford, Conn., and a warm-up in front of 400,000 people might serve them well.

Another reason we can anticipate a surprise guest is because it happens routinely with concerts of this scale.

At the 1997 Tibetan Freedom Concert in New York City, Pearl Jam did a surprise 15-minute set.

Sheryl Crow has hopped onstage with the Dixie Chicks, Stevie Wonder has crashed a Billy Joel show, and Joel did the same at a Garth Brooks concert.

Said O'Connor last week: "I've done a lot of concerts in the last 30 years, and I can tell you I've had special guests show up the night before the show or while the band's on stage."
Additional articles by Christopher Hutsul

From: http://www.thestar.com

1976 Aerosmith plays in Richfield OH at Richfield Coliseum (Rick Derringer opens)

1978 Aerosmith plays in Billings MT at Yellowstone Metra Park (AC/DC opens)

1979 Aerosmith plays in Cleveland OH at Cleveland Stadium; Joe leaves the band after a backstage incident

1990 Aerosmith plays in Landover MD at The Capital Center

From: http://www2.bostonherald.com

All the boys from Aerosmith are at their new studio next door getting ready for the upcoming tour. Just saw Joey Kramer giving an interview outside of my work. They all drive nice cars...Ferrari, Porsche, BMW, Mercedes. Pretty interesting stuff. One of the NJ Devils players just dropped by to visit with them. He had the Stanley Cup trophey with him.

--

Wonder if this was the "source" for the Herald...?

As first tipped here last month, Kiss and Aerosmith are finalizing plans to follow their summer tour of outdoor venues with a run of arena dates this fall, Billboard Bulletin reports.

The acts stand to gross up to $46 million this summer from about 35 dates beginning Aug. 2 at ctnow.com Meadows Music Theater in Hartford, Conn. The new arena leg, which will comprise about 20 shows starting Oct. 24-25 at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas, could add another $25 million to the year's tally. The tour could also move into international markets next year, according to Kiss manager Doc McGhee.

"We're talking about Australia and Europe next summer, but we've got to do this summer first. If everybody gets along and has fun, I'm sure it could continue," he says.

Several major markets will be revisited during the arena leg, including Boston, Detroit, New York and Los Angeles. Also on tap are secondary markets such as Omaha, Neb.; Oklahoma City, Okla.; Grand Forks, N.D.; and Minneapolis.

"We always figured we'd be on the road until Christmas," Aerosmith guitarist Joe Perry told Billboard.com last month. "And, apparently, in spite of what some of the other tours are doing, we're doing pretty well."

-- Ray Waddell, Nashville

From: http://www.billboard.com

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From: http://www.thisthingofours.net (1 2 3 4)

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Per the ad in the L.A. Times, they are also doing the Meet the Cast & Crew thing at the UA Marketplace Pasadena tonight following the 7:20 and 9:55 pm shows.

http://www.thisthingofours.net/soundtrack/index.html

They've also added a link where you can view the two film versions of Mob Story (2 minute and the 5 minute one that was aired at the Sarasota Film festival) at: http://www.thisthingofours.net/A_Mob_Story Danny directed these "mini-films/commercials" as well.

Be sure to watch the 2 minute video clip..... Brad is in it for about two nanoseconds at the very beginning!

Keep in mind, This Thing Of Ours is/was Danny's first attempt at film making. I guess he has some film ideas for the future...figuring he'll have plenty of time to polish up some script ideas and learn even more about making films while doing his time in prison. Like I said, when I briefly met him, he seemed SO NOT what the media had made him out to be....and obviously the guys in Aero feel the same way. I love the pic of Danny and Brad with Danny holding the guitar behind his head like Joe does LOL. And the one of Steven in the bed with Danny standing next to it LOL. A lot of these collaberative projects have to do, in part, with the six degrees of Jack who loves bringing people together from all facets of entertainment (genres of music, film, TV, etc.) on projects which I think is very cool.

I doubt James Caan will be at the meet/greet tomorrow as his part in the movie is kinda small I think like Brad's...but of course his name is a huge draw and tie back to the Godfather as Frank Vincent is to Goodfellas. I'm guessing that if any of the "stars" come out...maybe Danny, Eddie Lynch, Frank Vincent and/or Vinny Pastore. Paul Vario maybe too. I'd love to see them ALL but as I posted before, New York was their big party for this thing and this is just the "press" needed due to it's limited release. Regardless of what the movie is like, it will be nice to see if after hearing about it for TWO YEARS now LOL. Hope I don't blink and miss Brad's scene and music in the background! I also heard that James Caan is gonna be on TV come the fall with a new TV series by the way.

1975 Aerosmith opens for ZZ Top in Tulsa OK at Tulsa Pavilion

1984 Aerosmith plays in Minneapolis MN

1988 Aerosmith plays in Ames IA at the Hilton Coliseum (Guns N'Roses open)

1990 Aerosmith plays in Norfolk VA at The Scope Arena

1993 Aerosmith plays in Englewood CO at Fiddlers Green Amphitheater

1976 "Walk This Way" debuts on the Billboard Top 100

1978 Aerosmith plays in Spokane WA at Spokane Coliseum (AC/DC open)

1983 Aerosmith plays in Denver CO at Red Rocks Amphitheater (Dio opens)

1988 Aerosmithe plays in Bonner Springs KS at Sandstone Amphitheater (Guns N'Roses open)

1990 Aerosmith plays in East Rutherford NJ at Meadowlands Arena

1993 Aerosmith plays in Englewood CO at Fiddlers Green Amphitheater (Jackyl opens)

1975 Aerosmith opens for ZZ Top in San Antonio TX

1976 Aerosmith plays in Toronto Canada at Maple Leaf Gardens

1976 "Home Tonight" debuts on Billboard Top 100

1976 Aerosmith plays in Toronto Canada at Maple Leaf Gardens

1978 The movie Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Heart's Club Band debuts with Aerosmith as the Future Villain Band

1988 Aerosmith plays in Dallas TX at the Starplex Amphitheater (Guns N'Roses open)

1990 Aerosmith plays in Philadelphia PA at The Spectrum (Black Crowes open)

1993 Aerosmith plays in Albuquerque NM at Tingley Arena

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Toonses adds:

1998 It is announced that Aerosmith will postpone the first 13 dates of its 50-date U.S. tour following a freak gas station fire that leaves drummer Joey Krammer with second-degree burns. This marks the second setback to the Aerosmith tour; 18 earlier dates had to be postponed following Steven Tyler's knee injury and surgery the preceding April.

(Remember, some or ALL of these songs may or may not make the album. Just remember, they have been RECORDED...and would make great B Sides even if not released...)

Baby Please Don't Go - Big Joe Williams
Roadrunner - Jr Walker and the All-Stars
Broke Down Engine - Blind Willie McTell
I'm Ready - Muddy Waters
Temperature - Little Walter
House Of The Rising Sun - The Animals
You Gotta Move - Mississippi Fred McDowell
Back Back Train - Mississippi Fred McDowell
Killing Floor - Howlin' Wolf
Eyesight For The Blind - Sonny Boy Williamson
All Your Lovin'
Stop Messin' Around - Fleetwood Mac
Into The Grind (new Aerosmith track)

The album looks to have 12-14 tracks on it, with at LEAST 3 "new" tracks...so it's reasonable to assume not ALL of these tracks will make it. Can anyone say DOUBLE ALBUM? ;-)

I highly suggest checking out the songs above, from the original artists to get a feel for them. EVERY SONG listed above can DEFINITLY be "Aerozized", and the guys are going to make these sound so f*cking sweet. Can't wait!

I was looking your page and I found the section in wich I could see CD covers from various bands doing Aerosmith songs.

I just wanted to tell you that there's another cover of I Don't Want To Miss A Thing, performed by Deja Vu feat. Tasmin. It's a dance version, and it comes from the Konami game for Playstation Dance Dance Revolution extra mix.

1983 Aerosmith plays the Celebrity Tennis Jam in New York City at Pier 84 with Buddy Guy, Rush, & Stevie Ray Vaughan

1984 Aerosmith plays in Toledo OH at the Sports Arena

1990 Aerosmith plays in Burgettstown PA at Star Lake Amphitheater (Black Crowes open)

1993 Aerosmith plays in El Paso TX at El Paso County Coliseum

2001 Aerosmith plays in Englewood CO at Fiddler's Green Amphitheatre (Fuel opens)

I´m writing you this time because I bought the Cosmopolitan mag of June in its Spanish version and there is an article about Eva Mendes, which I haven't read until now and it talks about this girl that plays a detective named "Monica Clemente" in the 2 Fast 2 Furious movie, and it says "her face might be familiar because we have seen her before in the Aerosmith video Hole in my Soul", so I didn´t know it and in your page you don't have her name in the section of girls that have appeared in Aerosmith's videos. This girl is the one that is cloned at first, the one of brown hair with the USA flag bikini and red boots. A site about her can be found at http://www.forensicsupergirl.com

Because of this I remembered the discussion of the girl in the GOS video and guess what, in the official page of Kim Smith they have put in her bio that she was in that video, you can check it out in this link: www.kimsmithmodel.com/bio.cfm

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The Webmaster adds:

1983 In the north of Sweden, a little boy was born who'd eventually spend way too much time making a website about some old rock n' roll band.... ;-)

From: http://www.nydailynews.com

1984 Aerosmith plays in St. Paul MN at Navy Island

1990 Aerosmith plays in East Troy WI at Alpine Valley Music Center (Black Crowes open)

1993 Aerosmith plays in Lubbock TX at Municipal Coliseum (Jackyl opens)

1993 Done With Mirrors is certified Gold

2001 Aerosmith plays in Bonner Springs KS at Sandstone Amphitheater (Fuel opens)

A film you can't refuse

Aerosmith wild man Steven Tyler, guitarist Brad Whitford and their main man Mike Verge blew into the Big Apple the other night to make the red carpet scene at the premiere of Danny Provenzano's ``This Thing of Ours.''

The indie mob flick about cybersavvy criminals who pull off a big bank heist stars James Caan, Vincent ``Big Pussy'' Pastore and Frank Vincent. But it was directed and written by New Jersey homeboy Provenzano, who just so happens to be headed to the Joint next month on racketeering charges!

``It ran simultaneously in two packed theaters to an incredible response,'' said Verge, who had ex-Van Halen front man Gary Cherone in tow at the Village East Cinemas in Manhattan.

Whitford and his son, Zack, have cameos in the flick (both get the bleep kicked out of them) while Verge contributed music to the soundtrack and will soon head into the studio to cover ``LA Woman'' for the movie trailer.

The Porch Ghouls, who are signed to Aerosmith ax man Joe Perry's Roman Records label, also do their Thing on the soundtrack. And at the post-premiere bash at The China Club, where there were many ``Sopranos'' bit players in attendance, the band debuted their new video, ``Roadhouse Blues'' - which stars Tyler, Perry and Frank Vincent - to much applause.

The wiseguy flick opened in New York Friday and will hit Boston in a few weeks. Bada Bing!

From: http://www2.bostonherald.com

29 more after-party pics up at http://www.wireimage.com, aswell. This page has several of the Porch Ghouls AND STILL one with TOM'S name under BRAD's pic! Uggggh...

The video was fun and in fact a switch of character. The director is a sports nut but salivated at the shot to produce, in essence, a rap video to be spliced with sports footage. BUSTA had to break out on tour so he shot a car driving scene that I would have done in LA, the next two days the rest of us shot our scenes in VEGAS. FLAV and I shot the mandatory club scenes with the party chicks and the whole nine. PHIFE shot the pool shots. It was done at the MALOOF’s PALMS CASINO where the REAL WORLD was shot on the roof suite. I don’t drink, smoke or gamble, so to me VEGAS has always been some place where old people do their thing. The PALMS is geared for a younger fresher attitude, it’s a great place. All in all it was a great time and a throwback to when FLAV and I were running clubs back in the day.

and I’m out... MKLVFKWR

From http://www.publicenemy.com

http://www.rosshalfin.co.uk

http://backstagecreations.com

1974 Aerosmith opens for Uriah Heep in Columbus OH at St. John's Arena

1975 Aerosmith open for ZZ Top in San Jose CA at the Civic Auditorium

1990 Aerosmith plays in Tinley Park IL at the World Music Theatre (Black Crowes open)

1997 Aerosmith plays in Saratoga Springs NY at Saratoga Performing Arts Center (Jonny Lang opens)

1975 Aerosmith opens for ZZ Top in Long Beach CA at Long Beach Arena

1988 Aerosmith plays in Richfield OH at Richfield Coliseum

1993 Aerosmith plays in Woodlands TX at C.W.Mitchell Pavilion

2001 Aerosmith plays in Maryland Heights MO at Riverport Amphitheatre (Fuel opens)

1990 Aerosmith plays in Ames IA at the Hilton Coliseum (Black Crowes open)

1993 Aerosmith plays in Dallas TX at Starplex Amphitheater (Megadeth opens)

1997 Aerosmith plays in Camden NJ at Blockbuster-Sony Entertainment Pavilion (Jonny Lang opens)

Here are two more air dates according to listings on Yahoo.

ESPN, Thu Jul 17 12:00pm NOON PDT (3:00pm EDT)
ESPN, Sat Jul 19 12:30am PDT (3:30am EDT)

Steven and Joe's song/video collaboration with Chuck D, Busta Rhymes, Phife Dawg, MC Lyte, and Public Enemy's Flavor Flav (named the SPITBALLERS) debuted last night on ESPN at the VERY BEGINNING of the ESPY awards. First showing was 9pm ET (6pm PT), then a second showing which started a bit late at what..about 11:20 ET (8:20 PT). Commercial aired again too. Very cool.. Steven and Joe hangin' out on and "ridin' Harleys, etc. LETS GET LOUD! Sure hope that's the THEME for the new album as well!

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Steven and Joe are both on motorcycles, lying on them and talking about the espys. THEN, they're raoring away and singing GET DOWN or what ever it's supposed to be.

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My favorite two moments on the first viewing...the very beginning when da boyz are just sitting/layin' there on da bikes and when Steven sings with a skull on his shoulder LOL.

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OMG and could steven not sit on his COUSTOM FAT BOY any better....oh man...wow..im speechless about this!

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Damn! I turned on ESPN expecting to see something like Joe & Steven in the background of a rap video, and whoa! Then there they are stretched out on bikes, cool as hell! Blew MY socks off!

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I'm watching the ESPY Awards with my 17yr old athlete son, he loves anything sports! We watched the intro which began with Steven and Joe reclining on Hogs (the two wheeled kind). The two ride off and the song begins. The guys are shown on a daylit stage, Steven singing and Joe playing guitar everytime the chorus came around. I've seen them better...it seemed too staged for what I am used to, but I love to watch them in any venue!

*********

Guess the live show is running over a bit...also saw it posted on AF1 board by AJA_luvz_StevenTyler that at about an hour and 13 minutes into the show they have a commercial break and they show a clip of the video again with Steven and Joe!

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The female rapper's lip syncin' or the director's editing sure was off huh? I'm not a huge fan of rap but Chuck D is one I can take depending on the material because he's often actually in tune and you can understand a lot of what he raps LOL. But no, let's leave our discussion to Steven and Joe in this thing. Even if it's Steven's hair extensions in the video LOL!

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I liked it...it was cool. I would have liked it better if the rest of the band had been involved...at least in the stage section.

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I kinda liked the extensions..gave him a certain look like a biker look. Thought it was cute, and the purple monkey on the front of the Fat boy..thats great! But im stillll speechless, i loved it.

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It was cool...but I want to grab those stupid random hair extensions Steven was sporting and drag him to a hair stylist who knows what they are doing.;)

1988 Aerosmith plays in Hoffman Estates IL at Poplar Creek Music Theatre (Guns N'Roses open)

1990 Aerosmith plays in St. Louis MO at St. Louis Arena (Black Crowes open)

1993 Aerosmith plays in Woodlands TX at C.W. Mitchell Pavilion (Megadeth opens)

1999 Aerosmith plays in Lisbon Portugal at Super Rock (Black Crowes open)

2001 Aerosmith plays in Cuyahoga Falls OH at Blossom Music Center (Fuel opens)

Tracy Bonham is on the rebound. The former Bostonian just finished performing on four songs for Aerosmith's upcoming blues album -- and she is now the opening act for a surprise summer shed tour by Blue Man Group, with which she also sings four songs during its set.

All of this was made possible by one December night at a New York club called Fez.

''Aerosmith's producer Jack Douglas was there to see my show,'' says Bonham. ''And three of the original guys in Blue Man Group were there, too. It was a great night. And it taught me a valuable lesson: Don't take small club gigs for granted, because good things can happen.''

Bonham has experienced some bad luck since receiving two Grammy nominations in 1997 for the hit ''Mother Mother,'' from her CD ''The Burdens of Being Upright.''

Those burdens grew heavier in subsequent years as she endured a professional divorce -- from her record label -- and a personal one, from her Belgian husband. Hopefully her luck has turned. Fans can judge for themselves when she performs tonight at FleetBoston Pavilion with Blue Man Group, the performance artists who are emphasizing music more than theatrics on this tour.

Now living in Los Angeles, Bonham resided in the Boston area from 1987 to 1998 and was discovered here. Before ''Mother Mother'' became a hit, she still had enough local buzz to open for Aerosmith when the group debuted its Mama Kin club on Lansdowne Street. So it was an additional thrill when Douglas dug her set at Fez and asked her to come to Steven Tyler's home studio on the South Shore recently. ''I was immediately welcomed with open arms,'' she recalls. ''We started off by singing an old spiritual together, and that really set the tone. . . . And then we started doing some blues.''

Bonham will play an acoustic-driven set tonight. She will be followed by buzz band Venus Hum, then Blue Man Group. She is also selling a new EP at the shows.

''Tracy has been a peach to work with,'' says Peter Moore, who is playing keyboards and strings for Blue Man Group. ''She's terribly talented, and we didn't even have to rehearse long because she is so good.''

Tracy Bonham performs with Blue Man Group at the FleetBoston Pavilion tonight. Tickets are $30-$50. Call 617-931-2000.

This story ran on page D5 of the Boston Globe on 7/16/2003.

From: http://www.boston.com

Caisse comedy short on laughs
JENNIFER WELLS

There's no evidence yet that the brain trust at the Montreal headquarters of the Caisse de dépôt et placement du Québec has been hit over the head with dust-laden copies of such filmic money pits as Ishtar or Heaven's Gate or Treasure Planet, yet the mighty pension plan appears at last to be coming to its senses where Hollywood is concerned.

In a brief, and oblique, release Sunday, the Caisse announced that it is reorganizing its Hollywood foray, citing differences with its point man in the movie-cum-TV business, one Henry Winterstern.

All that's left for the Caisse to do now is sell down and sell out. The Caisse, still a makeover in progress under the leadership of CEO Henri-Paul Rousseau, has made no such commitment, but if it knows what's good for it, it will.

I can't imagine that Mr. Winterstern's name tripped easily from the tongue of even those in the know in Tinseltown, until, that is, it became apparent that the deal-maker had a Caisse chequebook in his back pocket.

Via the private equity venture, held under the broad umbrella of CDP Capital Communications, and within that an even narrower portfolio subset dubbed CDP Capital Entertainment, Winterstern undertook an investment mandate that extended to movies, television and music.

"Our goal at CDP Capital Entertainment," he said last August, heralding a 50 per cent investment in the entire Aerosmith song catalogue, "is to create a synergistic portfolio that leverages each individual asset. We look forward to taking the Aerosmith catalogue to the next level with our existing interests in film and television production, distribution and talent management."

Aerosmith fans may have been thrilled to see renewed interest in such faded albums as Toys in the Attic and Rock in a Hard Place.

Caisse pension plan contributors may have wondered why their contributions were back-stopping empire building - the CDP songbook includes the entire ZZ Top oeuvre - by a one-time Montreal investment manager with Hollywood aspirations.

Under Winterstern, substantial investments included taking the lead position last summer in the acquisition of dick clark productions inc., a company founded by teen-culture impresario Dick Clark, who evinced an inexplicable lower-case affectation and investments running to American Bandstand restaurants and such television fare as TV Bloopers and Practical Jokes.

As to the big screen, a minority investment in Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer put Winterstern on the MGM board alongside Priscilla Presley, Kirk Kerkorian and Francis Ford Coppola.

Henri-Paul Rousseau has been shortening the string on such escapades. Last December, 19 Caisse executives were axed, including the president of CDP Capital Private Equity and the president of CDP Capital Communications. This was the same purge that claimed Chantal Lévesque, whose women's wear company had been enfolded into a Caisse fashion incubator called Montreal Mode, with Lévesque at the helm. Last month, Quebec's interim auditor-general criticized the Caisse for selling the fashion company back to Lévesque and categorized a swath of expenses at the high-spending enterprise as unjustified.

Bikini tops

Rousseau, no doubt glad to see the pension fund out of the business of ruched bikini tops, decreed post mortem that Montreal Mode "was on the margins of the Caisse's normal mission."

That goes double for the Hollywood gamble, an environment famously captured by Raymond Chandler for its "bogus enthusiasm, the constant drinking and drabbing ... the constant fear of losing all this fairy gold and being the nothing they have never ceased to be."

It's a stretch to equate the high-stakes word of moviemaking - it costs, on average, close to $90 million to produce and distribute a major studio film - with the mission of the largest public-sector pension fund in the country to seek maximum returns for contributors while assisting in the dynamism of the Quebec economy.

You don't have to be on the inside to know that the chief characteristics of the movie industry are runaway production costs and egregiously excessive expense accounts. (See Peter Guber's reign at Sony Pictures and his habit of sending flowers on private jet transoceanic journeys. See the reprise of the David Begelman years in Bruce McNall's new book.)

The Caisse had put all of its outlying investments on notice that a reorganization of operations, including CDP Capital Private Equity, will result henceforth in "more rigorous and effective investment processes." Valuation committees, composed of external board members, now oversee all the outliers and report to the audit committee.

It's a start.

In the latest twist this week, the Caisse at least made it clear that it was reeling in decision making in the entertainment endeavour to Montreal headquarters. It will name its own board representatives to the likes of dick clark productions. And Winterstern will no longer represent the Caisse in securing deal flow for CDP Capital Entertainment.

Then what?

Does anyone at HQ really want to handle this file? I doubt it.

The Caisse has not extricated itself altogether. Winterstern is a 50 per cent partner in the entertainment unit and the contractual terms of any escape clauses between the two parties have not been made public.

We can hope that the pension fund will take the next step, and wend its way out of the alliance altogether. And we can hope that Rousseau will ensure that such misadventures are a thing of the past.

From: http://www.thestar.com

(initial press release of transaction last year follows)

***************************

For immediate release - Tuesday, August 13 2002
Mosaic Music Acquires Early Aerosmith Library; Rights Include Classic Hits and More

LOS ANGELES, Aug. 13 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ - Mosaic Music Publishing, a joint venture between Mosaic Media Group and CDP Capital Communications, has purchased a 50% interest in a catalogue of songs composed by multi-Grammy(TM) winning band Aerosmith. Aerosmith will continue to own the other 50% and Mosaic will be responsible for the administration of the catalogue and its assets worldwide.

The catalogue is comprised of seven albums produced from 1973-1982: Aerosmith, Get Your Wings, Toys in the Attic, Rocks, Draw the Line, Night in the Ruts and Rock in a Hard Place. The albums encompass 53 songs including the hits "Walk This Way," "Back in the Saddle," "Toys in the Attic," "Sweet Emotion," and "Dream On," which rap artist Eminem recently re-mixed and released as "Sing For the Moment" and is featured on his ten million worldwide selling CD "The Eminem Show." The catalogue was acquired from Daksel, LLC and Seldak, LLC companies operated by Aerosmith's early managers Steve Leber and David Krebs.

With Mosaic Music Publishing having recently acquired the Hamstein catalogue the addition of the Aerosmith library affords Mosaic an even deeper infusion into the classic rock publishing arena. Mosaic now has one of the largest rock and country libraries which boasts over 8,000 titles, including the entire ZZ Top Catalog, 40 No. 1 country hits, and the current George Strait single "Living and Living Well," which stayed at #1 for several weeks on the Billboard and R&R's country charts.

"I am both honored and excited to be representing the copyrights of this legendary rock group," stated president of Mosaic Music Publishing Lionel Conway. "This is a perfect addition to the ZZ Top classics we currently own, and we will certainly do it justice."

"This acquisition affirms our commitment to music publishing," stated Henry Winterstern, co-founder and managing partner of CDP Capital Entertainment "Our goal at CDP Capital Entertainment is to create a synergistic portfolio that leverages each individual asset. We look forward to taking the Aerosmith catalogue to the next level with our existing interests in film and television production, distribution, and talent management."

"We love this music and are thrilled to own it," stated Allen Shapiro, president of Mosaic Media Group. "Music such as Aerosmith's has the ability to be used in all aspects of entertainment including motion pictures, television, commercials and recordings. We are confident our team will do a great job with it."

Mosaic's Allen Shapiro and legal counsel Peter Paterno from King, Holmes, Paterno & Berliner, LLP negotiated the deal on behalf of Mosaic Music Publishing.

About Mosaic Media Group
Mosaic Media Group, launched in July 1999, merged two well-established entertainment forces to create a hybrid with unrivaled synergies in artist management, motion picture, television and music publishing. Mosaic unites film and music company Atlas Entertainment, and its affiliated division Atlas/Third Rail Management, with the talent management group The Gold/Miller Company Mosaic is also a principal shareholder in dick clark productions, Signpost Films and Mosaic Music Publishing. Most recently producing the $150 plus million domestic box office hit "Scooby-Doo," Atlas Entertainment is also responsible for such film successes as "Cool Runnings," "12 Monkeys," "City of Angels" and "Three Kings," and is currently in post-production on "Bulletproof Monk," starring Chow Yun-Fat, Seann William Scott and James King. The Mosaic music management client roster includes Alanis Morissette, The Goo Goo Dolls, Outkast, Green Day, Wallflowers and Jagged Edge. Gold/Miller guides the careers of talent including Jim Carrey, Ellen DeGeneres, Garry Shandling, Will Ferrell, Kevin Sorbo, Vince Vaughn, Marlon Wayans, Damon Wayans, director Jay Roach, writer/producer Judd Apatow, and numerous members of the "Saturday Night Live" cast.

Guiding its publishing division, President Lionel Conway has a long and successful track record in the business. Having managed and co-produced the first recording of Elton John, Conway went on to sign some of the most influential artists in pop music history including Cat Stevens, U2, Tom Waits and Robert Palmer. President of Island Music until its sale to PolyGram in 1990, he subsequently served as president of PolyGram Music, launched Madonna's Maverick Music in 1992 (where he signed Grammy winner Lucinda Williams, Vertical Horizon and other well-known artists). In 2000, after the sale of Maverick Music to Warner Chappell, Conway ran his own publishing company, representing Tom Waits and Robert Palmer.

About CDP Capital Entertainment CDP Capital Entertainment is an investment management and advisory services company for the entertainment industry, based in Los Angeles, co-managing investments with CDP Capital Communications.

From: http://www.cdpcapital.com

***************************

The only "change" that was affected by the August 2002 was the sale of the 50% publishing to this company from Leber/Krebs. A year was spent trying to work out something where Aero would end up with this share as well but they couldn't reach an agreement so the window of opportunity ran out on them. (I think they're nuts). An example of when publishing shares come into play is when one of your songs is licensed to use commercially (TV for example). And when ya get right down to it...none of this stuff is really our business as fans LOL. Just posted cause that current article about that company struck me as so odd - I think perhaps it was just poorly written or something. Then I figured I might as well repost the news from a year ago as some still think Leber/Krebs own that publishing which they do not.

1988 Aerosmith plays in Hoffman Estates IL at Poplar Creek Music Theatre (Guns N'Roses open)

1997 Aerosmith plays in Burgettstown PA at Star Lake Amphitheatre (Jonny Lang opens)

The Bad Boys of Boston, who have been busy, busy, busy this year laying down tracks for a new blues album, plan to release ``making of'' footage from their sessions in a South Shore studio.

``While making this record, we had a video camera on us 90 percent of the time,'' Aerosmith ax man Joe Perry told Billboard.com. ``Sony Columbia's parent company is talking about having CDs playable in all these different formats and in DVD players, so there are lots of opportunities to utilize the video.''

Of course, all the really juicy stuff is in the other 10 percent. Now, that's the money tape!

Aerosmith previously chronicled the recording of its 1989 album, ``Pump,'' on the 1990 home video documentary with a most original name, ``The Making of Pump.''

In other Aeronews, Joe says he's contributed score music to the indie flick, ``This Thing of Ours,'' which opens Friday in some U. S. cities. The band's rhythm guitarist, Brad Whitford, has a cameo in the film. Word is, he ``gets the bleep kicked out of him'' in his big scene.

Perry's involvement in ``This Thing of Ours'' came about because he met the film's star/director, Danny Provenzano, through producer Jack Douglas, who is working with the band on the new blues album.

Provenzano, in that art-imitating-life kind of thing, is due to check into a New Jersey prison next month to begin a maximum 10-year stretch for racketeering. The nephew of Teamsters boss and reputed mobster Anthony Provenzano has been on $1 million bail for a few months.

The indie mob drama, about made men involved in a bank fraud scheme, stars James Caan, Frank Vincent and ``The Sopranos'' Big Pussy aka Vincent Pastore.

Perry said he is considering releasing the film's soundtrack on his Sony-distributed Roman Records label. Porch Ghouls, a Memphis-based rock band signed to Roman, has filmed a music video for their cover of the Doors' ``Roadhouse Blues,'' which is used in the film.

``We filmed the video at my house,'' Perry adds. ``I'm in the video and so are some people from the movie.''

(Pastore has been hanging around the Hub a lot, but we haven't had any sightings of him in Duxbury. . . .)

Joe, who played a cop on ``Homicide: Life on the Street'' a few years ago, said he could have copped a role as a wiseguy in the flick, but he had to turn it down.

``I was supposed to have a scene with James Caan but I was right in the middle of getting ready to do a tour, so I didn't have time to be in the movie,'' he told Billboard.com.

Our guess is he heard about Brad's big celluloid moment and took a pass!

From: http://www2.bostonherald.com

JULY 18th:

Village East Cinemas
181 2nd Avenue, New York, NY, 10003

Loews Cineplex State
1540 Broadway, New York, NY, 10036

Loews Cineplex Route 17 Triplex
S-85 Route 17, Paramus, NJ, 07652

United Artists Columbia Park Stadium 12
3115 Kennedy Blvd, North Bergen, NJ, 07047

JULY 25th:

Laemmle Fairfax Cinemas
7907 Beverly Blvd., Hollywood, CA, 90048

United Artists Pasadena Marketplace
64 W. Colorado Blvd., Pasadena, CA, 91105

United Artists Long Beach-Marketplace
6601 Pacific Coast Hwy., Long Beach, CA, 90803

Edwards University
4245 Campus Dr., Irvine, CA, 92618

AUGUST 1st:

Sunrise Cinemas The Gateway Cinema 4
1820 East Sunrise Blvd, Fort Lauderdale, FL, 33304

Regal Cinemas South Beach 18
1100 Lincoln Rd, Miami Beach, FL, 33139

Regal Cinemas Shadowwood 16
9889 West Glades Road, Boca Raton, FL, 33434

Regal Cinemas Jupiter 18 Cinemas
201 North U. S. 1, Jupiter, FL, 33477

Regal Cinemas Hollywood 20
1993 Main Street, Sarasota, FL, 34236

From: http://www.thisthingofours.net

Steven Tyler = The reason I got started in this thing in the first place. None cooler.

Check out http://www.toxictwins.net for pictures, sound, video clips and Tour Dates!

There was also this other things on VH1 about songs in movies, I'm not sure what it was called, but they had a long part talking about Steven singing I Dont Want To Miss A Thing...

Rockers have been making music for ESPY Awards, appearing on Food Channel.

by Jon Wiederhorn

They've already finished their next record and they won't be hitting the road with Kiss for another three weeks, so Aerosmith have been keeping busy with various side projects.

Last week frontman Steven Tyler and guitarist Joe Perry contributed music to a piece that Public Enemy's Chuck D wrote for the introduction to the ESPY Awards. The cut, "Let's Get Loud," features music by the Aerosmith members and rapping by Chuck, Busta Rhymes, MC Lyte and Fife. The ESPYs will air July 16 on ESPN.

Also, look for Perry hamming it up on the Food Channel. On June 27, the guitarist shot a spot for "Food Finds," which will air in the fall. The segment will feature Perry talking about his tasty, hot licks — and not of the six-string variety. Perry will plug his Rock Your World Boneyard Brew barbecue sauce and demonstrate its many applications on fleshy food products.

Aerosmith's side ventures aren't limited to television. The bandmembers are also diving into home video and the silver screen. Guitarist Brad Whitford has a cameo in the movie "This Thing of Ours," while Perry contributes score music. The movie about Mafia bank fraud opens Friday and stars Danny Provenzano, James Caan, Frank Vincent and Vincent Pastore.

The soundtrack, which may surface on Perry's Roman Records label, features the Porch Ghouls covering the Doors' "Roadhouse Blues." A video for the song, shot at Perry's house, will feature Tyler, Perry and various cast members. Porch Ghouls and Saliva are scheduled to open the Aerosmith/Kiss tour, which begins August 2 in Hartford, Connecticut, and runs through October 18 in Devore, California.

On November 5, Tyler will perform at the Musicians' Assistance Program's Stevie Ray Vaughan Award ceremony at the Beverly Hills Hotel in Beverly Hills, California. Jimmie Vaughan will also be honored by MAP, which provides help for artists struggling with substance abuse problems.

This report is provided by MTV News

From http://www.vh1.com

2 weeks ago I sent out a "SET LIST REPORTER" email detailing what AeroFANatic.com will be doing to follow Aerosmith's set lists at ALL this summer's shows. Here is a VERY brief rundown.

AeroFANatic.com "assigns" a SET LIST REPORTER to each and every show on the tour. That reporter in turn attends the concert in their area, and REPORTS the set back to AeroFANatic as SOON AS THE SHOW ENDS via phone call. Then, AeroFANatic.com will post that night's set list...as well as spread it ALL over the internet...for fellow fans' viewing pleasure. This system as worked WONDERFULLY in the past, and we have gotten VERY positive feedback from it (higher ups included)....

That simple! We have done this for the last 3 tours, and have gotten EVERY SINGLE set list from EVERY single show....but I could not done it without the set list reporters.

If you have reported for AeroFANatic before, we'd LOVE to use you again. If you are a newbie and want to help out....PLEASE DO. The following shows are shows we do NOT HAVE anyone for yet. If you are going to ANY of the following shows and would like to help out...PLEASE email me at Chris@AeroFANatic.com....

WE DEFINITLY NEED REPORTERS FOR:
-BRISTOW
-CINCINNATTI
-CAMDEN
-CHARLOTTE
-RALEIGH
-ENGLEWOOD, CO
-DALLAS
-PHOENIX
-AUBURN
-CHULA VISTA
-DEVORE

The REST of the shows have been accounted for, but if you'd like to help...PLEASE DO NOT hesitate. Just because I have someone penciled in for a show, its not definite. Sh*t happens in life...and it's good to double up. So even if the show you are attending isnt listed about, STILL contact me if you want to help! Like an orgy...the more the merrier!

Anyways....we HOPE to hear from you soon so fellow Aerosmith fans can get the set lists from ALL the shows so we can all view em, enjoy em, and discuss em.

Once again, email me at Chris@AeroFANatic.com if you would like to be a SET LIST REPORTER...or if you have ANY QUESTIONS!

Chris
@ AeroFANatic.com

1976 Aerosmith plays in Peoria IL at the Civic Center

1978 Aerosmith plays in Fresno CA at Selland Arena (AC/DC opens)

1984 Aerosmith meets John Kalodner for the first time in Cleveland OH

1990 Aerosmith plays in Dallas TX at Starplex Amphitheater (Black Crowes open)

1993 Aerosmith plays in Biloxi MS at Mississippi Coast Coliseum (Megadeth opens)

1998 Joey Kramer burns his hand, arm, and leg when his car catches fire at the gas station

1999 Aerosmith plays in Barcelona Spain at St. Jordi (Black Crowes open)

2001 Steven sings Amazing Grace and Lean On Me at the Church of Today service in Warren MI

2001 Aerosmith plays in Darien Lake NY at the Darien Center (Fuel opens)

1984 Aerosmith plays in Charlevoix MI at Castle Farms

1990 Aerosmith plays in Oklahoma City OK at Zoo Amphitheater (Black Crowes open)

1993 Aerosmith plays in Birmingham AL at Birmingham-Jefferson Civic Coliseum (Megadeth opens)

1997 Aerosmith plays in Richmond VA at Classic Amphitheatre (Jonny Lang opens)

Aerosmith singer Steven Tyler has been named to receive the Musicians Assistance Program's Stevie Ray Vaughan Award, and will perform at the organization's banquet Nov. 5 at the Beverly Hills Hotel. Also honored that night will be Jimmie Vaughan and attorney John Branca. This is the fourth annual event for MAP, the key organization working with musicians dealing with chemical dependency.

Bill Ellis of GoMemphis.com is reporting that the PORCH GHOULS, the Memphis-based rock band signed to Joe Perry's record label Roman Records, will be the opening act for the September leg of the upcoming KISS/AEROSMITH tour. The PORCH GHOULS, who are being described as an alternative rock band that specializes in blues rock, released their Roman/Sony debut, "Bluff City Ruckus", in April. The band recently shot a music video for their cover of the DOORS' "Roadhouse Blues", which is used in the Small Planet Pictures film "This Thing of Ours". The film, which opens July 18 in select U.S. cities, features a cameo by AEROSMITH rhythm guitarist Brad Whitford.

Was told to turn on a show last night cause there was someone trying to meet Steven Tyler. The show was called 21c. This episode was about meeting your idols.

3 young ladies were trying to get backstage at the Aerosmith show that was in Toronto. They showed how they had different plans, like calling the limo drivers, the hotel, and even talking to security. The ladies talked about how they can get into the shows to meet the stars.

Well this time...NOPE. No matter what they did, they could NOT meet Steven. They kept getting stopped by security.

At the end of the show, the one lady went to NY and waited to meet Steven. Well 7 hours later she met him. They didn't have it on tape, but the tv show did show the picture of the lady and Steven.

I just found the website, and looks like you can watch that episode there. Don't know how long it will be on the site.

http://www.21c.ca

When you go to that site, you will see the picture of the lady and Steven. Like I said, dont know how long it will be online..

joecookin1.jpg
joecookin2.jpg

1975 Aerosmith plays in Honolulu HI at HIC Arena

1984 Aerosmith plays in Springfield IL at the Fairgrounds; Steven goes face down into the audience half way through the set

2001 Aerosmith plays in Clarkston MI at the DTE Energy Music Theatre (Fuel opens)

----

Toonses adds:

July 13, 1997, Mount Blue is opened.
http://www.mountblue.com

About a month later (August 5) the opening party is held. There are some photos from the opening available at http://www.aerosmith.mu

1978 Aerosmith plays in Long Beach CA at Long Beach Arena (1994 opens)

1984 Aerosmith plays in Chicago IL at Rosemont Horizon

1990 Aerosmith plays in Wichita KS at Kansas Coliseum (Black Crowes open)

1994 Aerosmith plays in Tel Aviv Israel at Hayarkan Park (Extreme opens)

1997 Aerosmith plays in Mansfield MA at Great Woods (Jonny Lang opens)

1999 Aerosmith plays in Naples Italy at the Neapolis Festival (Black Crowes open)

Aerosmith is eyeing "making of" footage from sessions for its forthcoming album for a possible home video release. Meanwhile, lead guitarist Joe Perry has contributed score music to the Small Planet Pictures film "This Thing of Ours," which opens July 18 in select U.S. cities. Aerosmith rhythm guitarist Brad Whitford has a cameo in the film.

As previously reported, the band has recorded a blues album with producer Jack Douglas, who worked with the band on several of its 1970s albums, including "Toys in the Attic" and "Rocks." The still-untitled set is due early next year on Columbia Records.

"While making this record, we had a video camera on us 90% of the time," Perry tells Billboard.com. "Sony [Columbia's parent company] is talking about having CDs playable in all these different formats and in DVD players, so there are lots of opportunities to [utilize the] video."

Aerosmith previously chronicled the recording of the its 1989 album "Pump" on the 1990 home video documentary "The Making of Pump."

Perry's involvement in the film "This Thing of Ours" came about because he met the film's star/director, Danny Provenzano, through Aerosmith producer Douglas. Douglas and Lawrence Manchester also wrote score music for the film. The feature film drama -- which also stars James Caan and Frank Vincent and Vincent Pastore of HBO's "The Sopranos" -- is about mafia members involved in a gigantic bank-fraud scheme.

Perry says he is considering releasing the film's soundtrack on his Sony-distributed Roman Records label. Porch Ghouls, a Memphis-based rock band signed to Roman, has filmed a music video for their cover of the Doors' "Roadhouse Blues," which is used in the film.

"We filmed the video at my house," Perry adds. "I'm in the video and so are some people from the movie."

The guitarist reveals that he was chosen to have an acting role as a gangster type in "This Thing of Ours" but had to turn it down. "I was supposed to have a scene with James Caan but I was right in the middle of getting ready to do a tour, so I didn't have time to be in the movie.

"On very few occasions will I do something that takes time away from the band," Perry says. "After losing the band in the early '80s, I wouldn't want to do anything that would screw that up again." Perry exited Aerosmith following the release of 1979's "Night in the Ruts," formed the Joe Perry Project and released several albums before rejoining the band in 1984.

Aerosmith's track record for contributing music to films has ranged from the group's bad-boy turn in the 1978 musical "Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band" to achieving the band's first No. 1 hit on Billboard's Hot 100 with "I Don't Want to Miss a Thing" from the 1998 movie "Armageddon." This year Aerosmith contributed a new song, "Lizard Love," to the animated feature "Rugrats Go Wild."

Perry says of the band's diverse film choices: "We don't necessarily lean to one kind of film. We have a pretty loose attitude about those things. We've always chosen to do film music that reflects positively on the band."

He adds that writing music for movies can sometimes be risky: "You never know how much of the music will make it into the final cut. All the directors we've worked with on films have the same intensity and love for their work and they help guide the process with feedback. If you don't want to work that way, then don't do film music."

As for the band's much-anticipated tour with Kiss, Perry promises that Aerosmith will have a rotating set that will differ each night. "We're going to do our hits but we're also going to do about four or five songs from the new album. We'll also do deep cuts from albums like 'Night in the Ruts' and 'Rocks' -- songs that weren't big hits but are songs we haven't played live in a long time."

Perry adds that the band has been considering offers to do a TV special about the tour, although nothing has been finalized. In addition, expect to see Aerosmith as part of Martin Scorsese's "The Blues" documentary airing this fall on PBS.

Although Aerosmith has seen its share of ups and downs through its 30-plus year career, Perry says the band will keep touring for as long as possible: "That's where we get our fire. We have an unspoken commitment to this way of life."

-- Carla Hay, N.Y.

From: http://www.billboard.com

--------------

WEBMASTER'S COMMENTS: Wow! Let's hope all of these things actually happen... a home video containing "making of" footage from sessions for their forthcoming album, and setlist with "deep cuts from albums like 'Night in the Ruts' and 'Rocks' -- songs that weren't big hits but are songs we haven't played live in a long time." Sounds almost too good to be true, doesn't it? =)

The Boston Music Awards are under new ownership with a more extensive outreach, as seen in the nominations released yesterday. Artists up for the top award -- act of the year -- include veterans Aerosmith and James Taylor, but also younger acts such as Godsmack, John Mayer, Staind, and Cave In.

''There is a lot of great music that came out of Boston this year,'' says Chip Rives, a new co-owner. He also cites the emergence of rap, notably Mr. Lif, though it is regrettable that no rapper is up for act of the year. The nominations were chosen in an industry poll of 270 people around town, from music critics to disc jockeys to promoters.

This year's awards ceremony -- Sept. 4 -- will also move from the Orpheum Theatre to the Wang Theatre. Tickets are $28-$100 and go on sale 10 a.m. today at the Wang box office, online at www.wangcenter.org, or by calling Telecharge.com at 1-800-447-7400.

Among the nominations:

Act of the year: Aerosmith, Cave In, Dropkick Murphys, Godsmack, John Mayer, Staind, James Taylor

Album of the year (major label): ''The Art of Losing'' (American Hi-Fi), ''Rendezvous in New York'' (Chick Corea), ''Faceless'' (Godsmack), ''One Quiet Night'' (Pat Metheny), ''Transform'' (Powerman 5000), ''Rise'' (rubyhorse), ''14 Shades of Grey'' (Staind), ''October Road'' (James Taylor)

Album of the year (independent label): ''Corporate America'' (Boston), ''Go with the Flow'' (Walter Beasley), ''Baby I'm Bored'' (Evan Dando), ''Lost in Space'' (Aimee Mann), ''A Jackknife to a Swan'' (Mighty Mighty Bosstones), ''I Phantom'' (Mr. Lif), ''Wait for Me'' (Susan Tedeschi), ''Sleepless'' (Peter Wolf)

Debut album of the year: ''Redhead'' (Bleu), ''Antenna'' (Cave In), ''From the Attic'' (Damone), ''Australia'' (Howie Day), ''Rise'' (rubyhorse)

Song of the year: ''Girls of Summer'' (Aerosmith), ''I Stand Alone'' (Godsmack), ''Your Body is a Wonderland'' (John Mayer), ''Bring on the Rain'' (Jo Dee Messina), ''Free'' (Powerman 5000), ''Sparkle'' (rubyhorse), ''Price to Play'' (Staind), ''Nothing But the Wheel'' (Peter Wolf)

Outstanding pop rock band: Aerosmith, American Hi-Fi, Cave In, Dropkick Murphys, Guster, Godsmack, Staind

Male vocalist of the year: Bleu, Evan Dando, Howie Day, Sully Erna (Godsmack), Aaron Lewis (Staind), John Mayer, Steven Tyler (Aerosmith)

Female vocalist of the year: Patty Griffin, Kristin Hersh, Aimee Mann, Jo Dee Messina, Susan Tedeschi, Dar Williams

Local album of the year: ''Standing Still in the USA'' (Damn Personals), ''Let the Show Begin'' (Flynn), ''28 Plastic Blue Versions of Endings Without You'' (Francine), ''Blondes Prefer the Gentlemen'' (the Gentlemen), ''Drunk with You'' (Mistle Thrush), ''We are the Only Friends We Have'' (Piebald), ''Dark Thirty'' (Quintaine Americana)

Outstanding local male vocalist: Jake Brennan, Flynn, Iron Lung (Scissorfight), Mike Gent (the Gentlemen), Jed Parish (the Gravel Pit), Joe Pernice

Outstanding local female vocalist: Amy Fairchild, Melissa Ferrick, Kay Hanley, Blake Hazard, Noelle (Damone), Amanda Palmer (Dresden Dolls), Meghan Toohey

Outstanding club band: Averi, Damn Personals, the Explosion, the Gentlemen, John Brown's Body, Mappari, Missing Joe, Spookie Daly Pride

Outstanding new local rock/pop band: Apollo Sunshine, Averi, Consonant, Kingsize, Moonraker, Officer May, Read Yellow

Outstanding hard rock band: Converse, Dogfight, Isis, No December, Scissorfight, Shadows Fall

Outstanding punk band: Crash and Burn, Drexel, the Explosion, Kicked in the Head, Kings of Nuthin', Lost City Angels

Outstanding rap/hip-hop act: 7L & Esoteric, Akrobatik, D-Tension, Insight, Krumb Snatcha, Mr. Lif

This story ran on page D12 of the Boston Globe on 7/11/2003.
© Copyright 2003 Globe Newspaper Company.

From: http://www.boston.com

(7/10/03, 1 p.m. ET) -- Aerosmith leaders Steven Tyler and Joe Perry have teamed with some of the biggest names in hip-hop on the theme song for the upcoming ESPY Awards. The song is called "Let's Get Loud," and it was written by Public Enemy's Chuck D and Gary G-Wiz.

Tyler and Perry were brought in by Chuck D to add a rock hook, and the goal is to have the track become a stadium anthem along the lines of Queen's "We Will Rock You" and Gary Glitter's "Rock And Roll, Part 2." A video was also filmed, and it will air at the beginning of the awards show.

Chuck D says the song will then be released under the heading the Spitballers. Besides Aerosmith and Chuck D, that version will also feature hip-hop stars Busta Rhymes, Phife Dawg, MC Lyte, and Public Enemy's Flavor Flav. The exact release date hasn't been announced yet.

The ESPY Awards, which honor sporting achievements from the past year, will air July 16 on ESPN.

It's not the first time Tyler and Perry have joined forces with rap stars. In 1986, they partnered with Run-D.M.C. on a remake of "Walk This Way," which peaked at Number Four on the pop chart and Number Eight on the R&B chart.

From: http://launch.yahoo.com

Public Enemy's Chuck D and Flava Flav, Aerosmith's Steven Tyler and Joe Perry, Busta Rhymes, MC Lyte, and Phife (from A Tribe Called Quest) have teamed up to write and record the theme for the ESPY Awards, to take place July 16th at Hollywood's Kodak Theater. Calling themselves "the Spitballers," the rappers and rockers contributed the song "Let's Get Loud."

"The song basically shows how much musicians love sports and vice versa," says Chuck D, who first partnered with ESPN last year to do the theme for its Sunday Night Baseball show. "And that we can translate that love directly into a song."

Chuck hopes that love will last forever. "The goal here is that this song has afterlives," he says, "as a strong song unto itself and as an arena and stadium theme for years to come."

The ESPY's will open with a video of the song that will feature a mix of sports highlights and footage of the musicians. Chuck D's lyrical mention of drawing blood will be synched up with video footage of Mike Tyson biting Evander Holyfield's ear. After the video is shown, Chuck D will perform the track live at the awards show.

Comedian Jamie Foxx will host the show, which is ESPN's annual celebration of the best achievers and moments in sports.

As for Chuck D's all-time best sports moment? Hank Aaron breaking Babe Ruth's home run record in 1974. "I waited three years, especially after Hank hit forty-seven homers in 1971," he says. "Up 'til then I thought Willie Mays was gonna do it."

COLIN DEVENISH
(July 10, 2003)

From: http://www.rollingstone.com

We sat down for lunch yesterday with five fellows and hoped they had checked their violin cases at the door. It was in a darkened corner of the Union Pacific restaurant on East 22nd Street, and we asked for the seat against the wall.

We were breaking bread with FRANK VINCENT and VINCENT PASTORE of "The Sopranos," who are starring in a new mob film called "This Thing of Ours," opening July 18.

The movie, about a crew of tech-savvy mobsters who racketeer via satellite and computer, stars Mr. Vincent and Mr. Pastore, as well as JAMES CAAN. And it has a bit of cinéma vérité: DANNY PROVENZANO, who wrote, directed and stars in the film, is headed for prison for the types of crimes the movie depicts. On Aug. 15, just as the movie begins to be shown around town, Mr. Provenzano will become a ward of the state of New Jersey. He faces a maximum of 10 years. Despite leaving a wife and two young children, he seemed anything but somber yesterday as he sat with Mr. Vincent and Mr. Pastore, along with PAUL VARIO and EDWARD LYNCH, who are also in the film.

Mr. Provenzano said that much of the film was shot impromptu around this very type of lunch table setting. He'd rent a restaurant, serve up some good Italian food, and let these graduates of the Fuhgeddaboutit School of Drama work their magic.

Around the table yesterday, the New York-speak was thicker than the marinara sauce. "We don't have accents," Mr. Vincent explained. "We're from New York."

"It's not an accent, It's a regional dialect," Mr. Pastore said. "Listen, you gotta say the lines the way you're comfortable or it don't feel normal."

"In drama school, they tried to get me to lose my accent," Mr. Lynch said. "It didn't work, and it's kept me working for 30 years."

Mr. Lynch, who grew up in Hell's Kitchen, said SYLVESTER STALLONE once told him he had lived there too, but Mr. Lynch was skeptical.

"Everyone in the neighborhood was Petie, Paulie, Joey, Tommy," he said. "I'd think I'd remember someone named Sylvester."

"Wait, you're from New York?" Mr. Pastore ribbed him. "You sound like you're from San Francisco."

"San Francisco?" interjected Mr. Vincent. "I left my heart there."

"Yeah, and I left my wife and kids there," said Mr. Lynch.

"I left my virginity there," said Mr. Pastore.

With that, Mr. Vario, a heavyset Brooklyn native, pulled a large plate toward him and dug in, declaring, "I'm not hungry; I'll just pick."

Mr. Vario's grandfather was the mob boss Paul Vario. The actor Mr. Vario now lives in South Ozone Park and is in the Italian ice business.

Speaking of eating, Mr. Pastore recalled being on the Atkins diet.

"Atkins," Mr. Vincent said. "I was on that for two weeks. All I lost was 14 days."

As for Mr. Provenzano, he was with us courtesy of nearly $1 million bail. A Fort Lee native who owned a lucrative printing company, he was arrested in June 1997 on charges of using violent techniques to collect money. Prosecutors called him a member of the Genovese crime family and brought a 44-count racketeering indictment against him for extortion, assault and kidnapping.

Mr. Provenzano, a grandnephew of ANTHONY (Tony Pro) PROVENZANO, a Teamster boss and a suspect in the disappearance of Jimmy Hoffa, acted as his own lawyer and got all charges but two dropped. He wound up pleading guilty to racketeering and tax evasion.

His case helped promote his film (Mr. Pastore and Mr. Vincent often sat with Mr. Provenzano in court) and also fueled his creativity (he mirrored prosecutors' charges in the film, including smashing a man's thumb with a hammer).

Actually, the real-life thumb job was more precious than the celluloid version. Mr. Provenzano explained that he caught an employee stealing $9,000 from him, so he hired a thug to drive the worker to a local hospital and smash his thumb outside the emergency room. The worker was treated immediately and then put on the company's health plan, he said, and continued to work for Mr. Provenzano for nine months.

"I had to set an example for my other employees," he said.

Mr. Provenzano said that he planned to direct a video this month for STEVEN TYLER, the Aerosmith singer, and that he would continue making films after his release, "if I'm still talented when I get out."

From: http://www.nytimes.com

It's the party of the summer in Norwell and you're invited.

This year's annual Mount Blue Restaurant fundraiser will be held on behalf of Habitat For Humanity and will take place on Monday, July 28 from 6-9 p.m.

"This will mark our largest fundraising effort," said Colleen Cimini, public relations chairman for the Habitat project in Norwell. "The Mount Blue annual party is always a great success and this one is sure to be as well."

Each year, Mount Blue chooses a local organization for which to garner funding, then the restaurant holds a party on its behalf. Last year, it was the South Shore Women's Center and in past years, the restaurant has supported local groups such as the North and South Rivers Watershed Association and the Mill Pond YMCA.

Mount Blue co-owner Jayne Bowe said she's been looking forward to hosting a Habitat party for some time now.

"I had thought about supporting Habitat for our first party in 1997," Bowe said. "I had worked with the organization on the Cape so I was familiar with it. We ended up supporting the Make-A-Wish Foundation that year, but Habitat has been on the back-burner for a long time."

When officials announced earlier in the year that a Habitat home would be built in Norwell in the area of South and Mill streets, Bowe said she knew it would be the right time to host a party on the group's behalf. At the same time, Habitat members started calling Bowe, trying to convince her to hold a party in the organization's name.

"I told them, 'Don't worry, I've already decided to do it,'" Bowe said.

The Habitat project in Norwell entails building a 1,050 square-foot home with a value of about $97,000. Through local efforts, the organization has already managed to raise more than $50,000 for the project, with an ultimate goal of $110,000. Even though the home costs less than that, the remainder of the funds will be donated to Habitat For Humanity International for projects in El Salvador.

Cimini said she hopes the Mount Blue party will raise about $30,000. She added construction at the site was due to start this week and noted one lucky family will soon be chosen to live in the home.

For those who don't know, Habitat For Humanity is a non-profit organization dedicated to building homes for families that are not currently in adequate living situations. Families are chosen to live in the homes through a selection committee and are required to help build the homes. Those selected to live in the homes are also offered low-interest mortgages.

Cimini said the Mount Blue party this year will feature two live bands - The Joe Leary Band and the Swinging Steaks - as well as a silent auction, food and beverages.

Karen Kane has been working on the Habitat project and she is the one who coordinated the silent auction for the party. She said there will be many interesting items up for bid. Some of those include a "girls night out" at Adrian Morris hair salon in Cohasset, photographs from renown photographer Cary Wolinski, photographs from local photographer Judy Enright, a photo session, Red Sox and Celtics tickets, rounds of golf from local courses, memberships for the YMCA, massages from Brannigan Chiropractic in Norwell, jewelry from Toodies in Quincy, a cord of seasoned wood from Carey Day, restaurant gift certificates, a moonwalk rental and rounds of tennis at local courts.

Bowe said the members of Aerosmith have also donated a few items for the auction.

Kane said getting people in the area to donate items was relatively easy.

"I've done a lot of fundraising in the past and this was the easiest sell of anything I've ever worked on," she said. "Most people gave me an immediate 'yes' when I asked if they wanted to donate something. Everyone thinks of Habitat as such a wonderful cause. The neat thing about the auction is that we'll have items valued at $1,000, but we'll also have others valued at $50."

Kane stressed even though she is excited about the auction portion of the event, she said people also have the option of just coming to enjoy what she said will surely be a great party.

Habitat project fundraising chairman Joan Ankner said 6,000 invitations for the party have already gone out. She explained Bond Printing in Hanover stepped up and created the invitations at no charge. The business also folded all of them and sent them out.

"This is a project where I think we have all felt overwhelming support," Ankner said. "I haven't heard one person say one negative thing. We know we will reach our goal."

Bowe said people should get their tickets for the Mount Blue party as soon as possible as she stressed the event will sell out.

To get tickets, which cost $50 each, send checks to Mount Blue, Attn: summer party, P.O. Box 916, Norwell, Ma., 02061. For any other questions call Cimini at (781) 982-5557 or Mount Blue at (781) 650-0050.

From: http://www.townonline.com

Well ok the band was not there, but the name was.

Today on Judge Judy, what I was bored and nothing was on tv, a guy bought 4 tickets and backstage passes for the Aerosmith concert at the Medowlands, in Hartford.

The plaintive said they were backstage passes and also tickets. But when he went to the show they were taken from the guards and he could not go into the show. The backstage passes were fake.

The Defendant said they were novelties passes and he told him he cant use them. But the plaintive said he didn't't tell him that, and said these passes will get you in and to a seat.

The plaintive also said they were passes, no tickets, and he told him they were novelties only.

He paid $220 for them. WHAT? Only $220 for tickets AND passes? I'm sorry the Plaintive must been on something for only paying $220 and thinking that they were passes AND tickets.

Well the plaintive won and he got his money back.

Now by the sounds of it, they were ONLY backstage passes and no tickets. The plaintive thought the backstage passes would get you a seat. Well with me working in an arena, the backstage passes DO NOT get you a seat, ONLY to the backstage area. Now depending on what type of pass you get, lets you in certain parts of the building. I sometimes get ALL ACCESS passes but I cant sit. If I do sit, and someone who bought that seat I'm in, I have to leave. I wont get the boot from the building, but from the seat yes. I have also gotten dressing room only, meaning the only spots I'm allowed to go is the dressing rooms, thats how I met the lead singer from Garbage.

So for this guy to say the pass puts him in the seats, well he is nuts.

1984 Aerosmith plays in Clarkston MI at Pine Knob Music Theater (Orion the Hunter opens)

1990 Aerosmith plays in Bonner Springs KS at the Sandstone Amphitheater (Black Crowes open)

1997 Aerosmith plays in Mansfield MA at Great Woods (Jonny Lang opens)

1999 Aerosmith plays in Monza Italy at the Monza Rock Festival

2001 Aerosmith plays in Columbus OH at Polaris Amphitheatre (Fuel opens)

Basically he was promoting This Thing Of Ours and the tour. He spoke about The Porch Ghouls, Virgil Cain and Cheap Trick being on the soundtrack. The video for the movie/song is from the Porch Ghouls (Joe and Billie are in the video). Joe said that he is friendly with Danny Provenzano (writer/director) and that he was supposed to have a small part in the movie (as well as Brad) but things didn't work out because he had no time. He said that he'll probably be in Provenzano's next movie.

She mentioned how Gene Simmons told her about the revolving stage and the short setup time between bands. Joe said that the turnover time should be less than 10 minutes and how they used technology/mechanics from the Superbowl Halftime show (lights on cranes, etc.). He joked that they had to tap NASA for help. RadioChick asked Joe if he had to borrow a towel from Kiss backstage would he have to pay Gene for it. Joe said "Probably" and that there'd probably be Gene towels and Paul towels. He joked that he would hope Gene's borrowed towel wasn't used because of GS's reputation saying "I love him like a brother but you know….."

In conclusion, she brought up the story of Joe being reunited with his beloved guitar (the 58 Les Paul). You can read all about it in Guitar World but for those who may not know, a quick summary is that Joe had to sell it when he was strapped for cash. It was eventually purchased by Eric Johnson -who wanted to sell it back to Joe but he didn't have the cash to buy it-then Slash got it. Joe repeatedly asked Slash to sell it back to him but Slash was like "but it's the guitar you used on Sweet Emotion and Live Bootleg!" Eventually, when Aerosmith and GNR were on tour together in Paris, Slash agreed to sell the guitar back to Joe. He said he would call him when they got back to the states and 3 years went by with no call from Slash. Finally, at Joe's 50th birthday party bash, while he was onstage jamming with Cheap Trick, his guitar tech handed him an axe--it was the 58 Les Paul…a surprise gift from Billie.

---------

Clive Newton comments:

I assume in regard the 58 Les Paul, I assume Joe (or maybe misinterpreted) meant the time they turned up as guests on the 1992 Gun N Roses concert in Paris they have never toured together in Europe. I think G N R got too big to be a support band after the 1988 partnership in the USA.

THIN-HIPPED

STEVEN Tyler's daughters are plus-sized, but the large-lipped rocker seems to be disappearing. During a photo shoot for Glamour's August "Great Genes" spread, in which celebs and their families pose in blue jeans, the magazine had a problem finding denims to fit the slim-hipped Tyler. While daughters Mia and Chelsea and son Taj waited around, the Glamour staff finally scared up a pair of jeans that fit him: women's size 26 Roberto Cavalli jeans. "That is the equivalent of a size 2 or 0," laughed our spy.

From: http://www.nypost.com

AEROSMITH guitarist Joe Perry taped a segment for the Food Network show "Food Finds" on Friday, June 27. The segment, which will air in the fall, focused on Joe's "Rock Your World Boneyard Brew" hot sauce.

In other news, Perry and AEROSMITH frontman Steven Tyler took part in a short video for the ESPY awards last week. The guys taped their segment in suburban Boston. Titled "Let's Get Loud", the video reportedly features appearances by a lot of other celebrities, including Chuck D. and Busta Rhymes.

The ESPYs will air live on July 16 on ESPN.

Also on the AEROSMITH-related front, the long-awaited film "This Thing of Ours" will be released soon at a theater near you. This indie film has to ns of AEROSMITH ties, including the cinematic debut of Brad Whitford and musical contributions from Joe. Roman Records' (Perry's record label) own PORCH GHOULS are also scheduled to be on the soundtrack doing their rendition of "Roadhouse Blues", produced by Jack Douglas. Steven and Joe also appear in the PORCH GHOULS' video for the tune.

AEROSMITH HONK OUT THE BLUES

AEROSMITH are planning a January release for their tentatively titled "Honkin' on Bobo," a new album of classic blues covers. The album, which will also feature a handful of new songs, was produced by JACK DOUGLAS, who helmed the band's 1975 classic "Toys in the Attic." "Aerosmith has always been a blues-based band," singer STEVEN TYLER told Rolling Stone. Added guitarist JOE PERRY, "We're just reinterpreting songs that made the hair on the back of our necks stand up."

1994 Aerosmith plays in Turku Finland at the Turku Ruisrock Festival (Extreme opens)

1999 Aerosmith plays in Monza Italy at the Monza Rock Festival (Black Crowes open)

---

Clive Newton adds some clarification/information on the dates they did on this day.

Aerosmith were due to headline the first day of the Monza Rock Festival (July 10, 99) but the first day was washed out. So not to disappoint fans, Aerosmith were fitted in the next day and did a short set (1 hour), with the thanks to Black Crowes who agreed to shorten their set so Aerosmith could appear (Lenny Kravitz headlined on the 11th with the Black Crowes, with other bands playing earlier in the day).

Most the Summer dates Aerosmith did in Europe were Festival tours like the Monsters of Rock tour in 1990 and 1994 (the first, 1990, they co-headlined with Whitesnake although did a shortened 1 hour+ set as went on before Whitesnake, whilst in 1994 they headlined the event/tour. Special guests Extreme went on immediately before them but there were a load of other acts on earlier in the day.

The 1976 date was the World Series of Rock event which was watched by 65,000 people. It was called Game One. Ironically Game Two was supposed to happen on July 31,1976 and to be headlined by Kiss but cancelled due to red tape. Kiss built on the success of their Alive album with Destroyer doing very well internationally (fresh from their first European tour in May 1976) breaking them in numerous International markets, which didn’t happened for Aerosmith until 1987. There were a lot of rumours of Bill Aucoin being unhappy with Erzin’s production on Destroyer and talk he approached Jack Douglas to take over the production. It was a busy year for Douglas with Aerosmith, Starz etc albums and it is noticeable that Jack’s engineer buddy, Jay Messina did engineer some of Destroyer. In that same timeframe, Simmons and Perry worked on a demo track called Mongoloid Man. Likewise, there were rumours that Simmons tried to get it released on on the recent Kiss box set (on the demos CD) but didn’t get permission.

Not sure what to think of this one. If this is something they are seriously considering, or something that Steven in typical Tyler fashion just blurted out for laughs, and the interviewer took as a fact... we'll see... =)

---

Aerosmith Sings the Blues
Tyler scats and wails on covers records
Into the grind

"It feels like we all took a break, went to summer camp and got laid for the first time," says Steven Tyler, describing Aerosmith's new blues-covers album, tentatively titled Honkin' On Bobo, due in January.

Working with longtime producer Jack Douglas, the man behind 1975's classic Toys in the Attic, the band has tackled blues standards such as "Baby, Please Don't Go," "Roadrunner," "Broke-Down Engine" and "I'm Ready." The album will also feature a handful of new songs, including "Into the Grind," where Tyler scats and plays piano.

All the tracks, however, sound like Aerosmith. "We're not blues purists," says guitarist Joe Perry. "We're just reinterpreting songs that made the hair on the back of our necks stand up when we heard them."

"I think Aerosmith has always been a blues-based band," Tyler agrees. "When music hit me the most -- when I was nine, ten, eleven -- it was always that blues from Mississippi that only came on at night . . . the devil's music. So we figured, instead of just putting one or two bluesy songs on our record -- like 'Big Ten Inch' and 'Reefer Head Woman' -- we would do an album that was geared towards what was in our gut . . . of all the stuff the label said, 'It sounds like a bunch of blues riffs, it's no good.'"

The band credits Douglas with helping them get back to their old dirty sound. "Jack is a big advocate of not singing in a perfectly clean room," Tyler says. "Instead, he wants us to scream it from the bathroom, or outside from the car."

Perry also gets in on the action, taking over the lead vocals on "Back Back Train." "I think I've managed to figure out where my range is," he says. "Singing with one of the best rock singers in your band is nothing less than daunting. I really love to do it, but it works well on some things and not so well on others."

But Aerosmith is hardly striving for perfection here. "We like to get things that seem to be just right," Tyler says, "and fuck 'em up good."

DAVID PEISNER
(July 8, 2003

STEVEN PIC

From: http://www.rollingstone.com

From: www.dicesetter.com/mp/mad120dictionary.htm

The song was down and the internal reaction was huge... so what happens next? Make a video! The fax machine, emails and conference calls kicked into high-gear as we got closer and closer to the deadline to get this thing together and finally a date was picked and schedule set... "it should only take a few hours" and to that, we gave the questioning, "oh yeah!!!!"

So you watch MTV's making of the video program and it looks easy... get a band, a song, BIG speakers, a ton of people around to hang out, hammer some nails and eat those little carrots that always make it into the catering order, point some cameras and voi-la, you have a video. Much like The Real World series, life on MTV is merely a snap shot of everything we want to happen and very few things that actually happen.

The day started with everyone meeting at 10am at the studio where the band is recording. The shot called for some "exotic automobiles" so instead of calling up the local dealerships, the band decided to have a car-show with their personal, prized possessions... some roadsters, a benz, a Viper or two, a fantastic Lotus Super 7, Aston Martin DB7, a couple of 100th Anniversary Harley Davidson's... and wait, who's at the gate? Tom Hamilton rolled in to add his flavor, a classic 1964 GTO in just about mint condition... the cherry is now on top.

So we shot some scenes and dialogue at the house then mounted the two bikes on a truck to shoot the guys riding to the next location - Powder Point bridge on the south shore in MA. When we arrived on location the set up was a massive green-screen and a wall of amplifiers on a stage set up. As you can imagine the caravan of bikes, trucks, cars and cameras, leading to this stage was attracting curious locals and Aerosmith fans and the crowds rolled in. With special thanks to officers Cavicchi and Roberts of the Duxbury Police Department, everything was safe and under control and those fans who just happened to be in the right place at the right time got to see the in-side stuff of making a video, not to mention Steven and Joe rockin' out on a small stage.

The labour was long but the fruits oh so sweet. Thanks to the entire crew for working hard to make this happen in finest form. If the camera caught what we all saw in front of us, we will feast our eyes on a really cool video come July 16th @ 9:00pm ET when the ESPY awards air on ESPN - the video kicks off the show so tune in early.

From www.aeroforceone.com - no other source is listed other than the guy who wrote it up Gus Troy.

On Friday, June 25th, Joe taped a segment for the show,"Food Finds," for the Food Network. The segment, which will air in the fall, focused on Joe's Boneyard Brew and foods it goes well with.

It was taped in Joe's kitchen and also at Mount Blue. Joe prepared a breakfast fit for a king - and carnivore. He made eggs over easy with New Zealand baby lamb chops, pork breakfast sausage links and mouthwatering bacon (no nitrates please) smothered in Boneyard Brew . I remember hearing one time that the band are all vegetarian and that all they drink these days is wheatgrass juice. I don't think so! I called this particular dish the "Triple By-Pass." Joe explains in the interview how he can eat like that and still look like the way he does. You don't get to see Joe too often in this kind of light so check it out... and pass the alka seltzer. Burp!

Steven and Joe took part in a short video for the ESPY awards last week. The guys taped their segment in suburban Boston. Again, look for these guys doing things you don't normally see them doing. The video is titled "Let's Get Loud." It will have a lot of celebrity appearances throughout the video. They'll be joining the likes of Chuck D., Busta Rhymes, Phife to name a few. The ESPY's will air LIVE on July 16th on ESPN.

The long awaited film, "This Thing of Ours," will be released soon at a theater near you. This Indy film has tons of Aerosmith ties including the cinematic debut of Brad Whitford. Joe has contributed to the soundtrack as well as Vindaloo Music's main man, Mike"Connected"Verge, who is featured throughout the film. Roman Record's own Porch Ghouls are also scheduled to be on the soundtrack doing their rendition of "Roadhouse Blues" produced by (you guessed it) Jack Douglas. Steven and Joe also appear in the PG's video for the tune. Look for it on finer video music stations near you. You can also check out their website to get the full scoop. www.thisthingofours.net.

That's it for today folks. See You on the Road!

John B.

From: http://www.aeroforceone.com

July 16: New York premiere @ Village East
July 18: East Coast release
July 23: LA premiere
July 25: West Coast release

I believe it will be limited release so be sure to check theater listings in your area. I'm also trying to find out if the soundtrack will be sold in the states or not, etc. If I get any info...you will too.

1990 Aerosmith plays in Omaha NE at Civic Auditorium (Black Crowes open)

1994 Aerosmith plays in Winterthur Switzerland at the Out in the Green Festival (Extreme opens)

1997 Aerosmith plays in Darien Lake NY at Darien Lake PAC (Jonny Lang opens)

2001 Aerosmith plays in Noblesville IN at Verizon Wireless Music Centre (Fuel opens)

Aerosmith

Due Out Fall

It feels like we all took a break, went to summer camp and got laid for the first time, says Steven Tyler, describing Aerosmith's new blues-covers album. Working with longtime producer Jack Douglas, the man behind 1975's classic Toys in the Attic, the band has tackled blues standards such as Baby Please Don't Go, Roadrunner, Broke Down Engine, and I'm Ready. The final result however still sounds like Aerosmith. We're not blues purists, guitarist Joe Perry says. We're just reinterpreting songs that made the hair on the back of our necks stand up when we heard them. The album will also feature a handful of new songs, including "Into the Grind" where Tyler scats and plays piano.

----

Musicians celebrate Sesame Street with a 3-disc CD boxed set

Courtesy of Billboard
July 7, 2003

In a time of musical segmentation and stratification, there remains a place where artists of all genres can play on common ground: "Sesame Street."

In celebration of the 35th anniversary of the seminal -- and seminally hip -- children's show, on Sept. 2, Legacy/Sony Wonder will release the three-CD boxed set "Songs From the Street."

The commemorative box features 63 digitally remastered artist tracks, 22 of which are being released for the first time and 12 of which are no longer commercially available.

The set, which also includes an extensive booklet with liner notes from Grammy- and Emmy-winning songwriter/composer/producer Christopher Cerf, kicks off a year-long campaign sponsored by "Sesame Street" creator company Sesame Workshop.

Slated to roll out throughout 2004 are a new teen-oriented clothing line, a separate video project, a possible Hollywood Bowl concert and a new series of classic artwork.

"'Songs From the Street' is a celebration of one of the most creative and influential programs in the history of children's television," says Michele Anthony, executive VP of Sony Music Entertainment. "We're very proud to be associated with Sesame Workshop as they mark their 35th year in children's entertainment."

Indeed, from its inception in November 1967, "Sesame Street" began building a musical guest roster without rival. The likes of Johnny Cash, Ray Charles, Celine Dion, Lena Horne, Billy Joel, B.B. King, R.E.M, Paul Simon, James Taylor, Steven Tyler and Stevie Wonder have all stopped by to mingle with the Muppets.

ARTIST PERFORMANCES

"I'll tell you why 'Sesame Street' is so cool," says longtime fan Tony Bennett, whose 1995 performance of "Little Things" is featured on the new set. "When I play with my quartet, the music is very much in the moment. And they are doing the same thing at 'Sesame Street' with words. It's spontaneous; it comes right from the head and the heart, and it is just wonderful."

"Being on 'Sesame Street' was one of the biggest highlights of a career that's had many; I got to sing with Grover -- how cool is that?" Trisha Yearwood says of her 1998 version of "I'm Talkin' Love." "There is a magic about 'Sesame Street' that endures no matter what your age. I'm honored that I got to be a part of it."

Cerf says, "We learned early on that if we write 'little kiddie' songs, the older kids and parents wouldn't mind the songs, and then you get a much broader audience. The music is crossover music; that's part of the mission. We've always tried to do things parents think catchy and funny, but never at the expense of the child."

Witness, for example, Cerf's transformation of Melissa Etheridge's "Like the Way I Do" into the letter-of-the-day salute, "Like the Way U Does" in 1996.

"Once it started airing, people would come to my concerts with a big letter U on their T-shirts," Etheridge says. "My fans still request the version, and I say I don't know it anymore -- so it's good that they'll now have a chance to have the TV version with this album."

APPROVED BY PARENTS

According to Arlene Sherman, senior creative consultant to "Sesame Street" and a former longtime executive producer, "Everything we've done musically at 'Sesame Street' has been deliberate so it would be palatable for parents.

"We wanted to appeal to things parents might be listening to at the moment and expose kids to a variety of styles, and this CD reflects that breadth very well," Sherman says.

To be consistent with this core philosophy, Sony is marketing the $49.98 set to adult music fans first, with children as a secondary target. The promotional fanfare kicks off Aug. 25 with a direct-response campaign, which will be followed by an aggressive retail debut.

"In some cases, we will end up with traditional boxed-set placement; in some stores we will be located along with the kids product," says David Pierce, Sony Wonder executive VP/GM. " 'Sesame Street' as a brand commands a tremendous amount of retail space in a lot of categories."

Tamra Seldin, VP of marketing for Sesame Workshop, notes, "The album is the natural cornerstone of the 35th anniversary campaign. We've used music through the years to educate, and that music has stayed with the adults. It's the emotional connection of the show."

Sometimes an appearance on "Sesame Street" has also been career-defining.

"We've had the privilege of playing at Woodstock, opening for the Rolling Stones and getting a Grammy nomination, but more people come up to me and comment on our appearance on 'Sesame Street,"' says Chris Barron of the Spin Doctors, who performed "Two Princes" in 1993. "To be included on this album with these musical giants, I'm thrilled all over again."

Music will also have a starring role in the preschool-focused "What's the Name of That Song," a commemorative VHS/DVD slated for release in January that weaves 12 clips of musical guests and culminates with a celebrity pastiche of the anthemic "Sing."

A VIDEO COMPANION

Additionally, Pierce says Sony is "trying to pull together" a video complement to "Songs From the Street."

Although the nonprofit Sesame Workshop has released countless titles into the early-childhood market, its only other project with mass-market appeal is 1999's "Elmopalooza."

Released in conjunction with a television special, "Elmopalooza" has sold 172,000 on audio and 229,000 on video/DVD, according to Nielsen SoundScan/VideoScan.

The opportunity to be included in a "Sesame Street" tribute is sweet for "Elmopalooza" alumni the Fugees, whose 1998 performance of "Just Happy to Be Me" is featured on the new set.

"It's funny, because kids see me now, and they know me from 'Sesame Street,"' former Fugee Wyclef Jean says. "Doing the show was great; it gave me a childhood vibe. Every time you do something, you want it to be simple enough for a little kid to understand. Then it's easy to take it to the world."

From: http://www.muppetcentral.com

Premieres Monday July 21, 9/8c
You can quote them in an instant, reference them with just one name, and even dress up like them for Halloween. In this always-expanding pop culture of ours, there are plenty of stars, but precious few icons. On its latest edition of the acclaimed Greatest countdown series, VH1 burrows into the pop personas that have made the ultimate impact - names so familiar they're recognized and revered in the world's most far-flung spots.

The 200 Greatest Pop Culture Icons is wide in scope, accounting for television characters (Gilligan and Miss Piggy) cartoon crazies (Bugs Bunny and Scooby Doo), Hollywood heroes (Rock Hudson and Jim Carrey), and of course rock stars (Jimi Hendrix and the Rolling Stones). Hey, we're even throwing in the Three Stooges somewhere along the line. Each will be the subject of a pithy profile that's sure to reveal new tidbits of info while reminding you of their subject's longstanding cultural significance. Each will be scrutinized by awed celebrities and witty critics. Along the way you'll get new insights into how and why these gods and goddesses rose to the pop culture heavens.

Sex In the City Kristin Davis is your host through five night's worth of intriguing installments. She'll also be showing us who online voters chose in a separate poll (vote now for your favorites!). So there it is. From Abba to Wonder Woman (no, there are no Z's on the list), The 200 Greatest Pop Culture Icons is coming to make sense of uber fame's timeless nature.

From: http://www.mamakin.co.uk

1977 Aerosmith plays in Hampton WV at Hampton Roads Coliseum (Widowmaker opens)

1984 Aerosmith plays in Erie PA at the Civic Center

1990 Aerosmith plays in Peoria IL at the Peoria Civic Center (Black Crowes open)

1999 Aerosmith plays in Denmark at Midtfyns Festival (Black Crowes open)

--

pup-ularity contest

'Aerosmith rocker Steven Tyler's daughter Mia says that as an 8 year old, she used to make her dad's groupies get down on their hands and knees and bark like dogs to be allowed backstage.
Which by some psychic family family coincidence is almost exactly what father had in mind for them too'.

1978 Aerosmith plays in Denver CO at McNichols Arena

1994 Aerosmith plays in Milan Italy at Aquatica (Extreme opens)

2001 Aerosmith plays in East Troy WI at Alpine Valley Music Theatre (Fuel opens)

bobgruenlivsweddingphotos.htm
recentbebephotos.htm
vintagebebephotos.htm
websalbum.htm

Also, check out these 4 recent pics of Liv on the Champs-Elysées avenue in Paris courtesy of the great www.lovelylivtyler.com site:

http://makeashorterlink.com/?Y5A615F15
http://makeashorterlink.com/?U2B632F15
http://makeashorterlink.com/?C3C622F15
http://makeashorterlink.com/?C3D626F15

Hope the short links work, if not go to: http://www.lovelylivtyler.com

1977 Aerosmith plays in Buffalo NY at War Memorial Auditorium (Nazareth opens)

1984 Aerosmith plays in Norfolk VA at The Scope

1990 Aerosmith plays in Charlevoix MI at Castle Farms (Black Crowes open); "Home Tonight" is played

1994 Aerosmith plays in Wels Austria at Wels Airport (ZZ Top and Die Arate open)

1997 Aerosmith plays in Toronto Canada at Molson Amphitheatre (Johnny Lang opens)

1999 Aerosmith plays in Berlin Germany at Waldbuhne (Black Crowes, Skunk Anansie, and Stereophonics open)

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Clive Newton adds:

Still not convinced of this one of them playing Home Tonight although I'm sure I talked with the person who said they played it, but I've also talked with somebody who was on the road with them on that tour (although doesn't work for them any more), and they couldn't recall it. I even talked to one of the Black Crowes in 1999 and they are big Aero fans and are very familiar with all their material (big fans) and couldn't recall them pulling this one out the bag.

According to information, they have never played Home Tonight properly and that was confirmed by the band (from their recollections) in 2002 in Japan when they tried to play the request at a soundcheck. They told a fan that met them they had never played and evident from the attempt they made (I think the band's response was "We don't know that one") that it wasn't something they recalled and 1976 was a long time ago.

Home Tonight is one of those end of album songs that the band never feature live and a departure from their normal sound/songs (You See Me Cryin', Fallen Angels etc) and to do justice and they were going to play it, they would likely have to have the orchestral backing tape.

I can imagine Tyler, like he does, recalled a few lines of lyrics and spurt them out inbetween numbers tend to ignore those as renditions.

Below is the text of the article. No pictures to speak of.

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Thursday, July 3, 2003

Aerosmith finish blues album

NEW YORK -- Aerosmith has finished cutting the tracks for its new blues album, which will likely be released in January by Columbia, guitarist Joe Perry said.

"All the basics are done ... we cut the album basically live," he told Billboard.com.

The as-yet-untitled set will probably feature covers of Muddy Waters' I'm Ready, Little Walter's Temperature and a couple of Mississippi Fred McDowell cuts, including You Gotta Move.

The album will also include a few new Aerosmith originals.

"There's one song that we wrote in Hawaii," Perry says. "It's got a real R&B feel to it; it has the same feel as Crazy."

Previously, Perry said the band was shooting for a September release date. Pushing the album back roughly six months ought to prove helpful, he says: "By having the record come out in January, it gives us a little more time, and if something else comes along, it will be real easy to cut it and throw it on there," he says.

The decision certainly seems like a reaction to the warm response with which fans have greeted the band's forthcoming, co-headlining tour with KISS. Perry says that most likely, the tour -- on which Aerosmith will close each show -- will last until Christmas, moving from amphitheatres into arenas.

The opening show, Aug. 2 in Hartford, Conn., will mark the first time the bands have shared a stage in nearly 30 years.

-- Toronto Sun

1984 Aerosmith plays in Middletown NY at the Orange County Fairgrounds

2001 Aerosmith plays in Tinley Park IL at the Tweeter Center (Fuel opens)

www.freewebs.com/bebebuell

1977 Aerosmith plays in Indianapolis IN at Market Square Arena

1978 Aerosmith plays in Dallas TX at the Cotton Bowl (Texxas Jam)

1993 Aerosmith plays in East Troy WI at Alpine Valley Music Center (Jackyl opens)

1997 Aerosmith plays in Montreal Canada at the Molson Centre (Johnny Lang opens)

1999 Aerosmith plays in Erfurt Germany at Stausse Hohenfelden (Black Crowes open)

--

Clive Newton adds:

Just a comment that the Texxas Jam concert actually happened on July 1st as part of a long weekend events as part of the July 4 celebrations. Aerosmith played a series of Texas dates in early July (4 dates in 5 days) and believe on July 4th they did a concert at Lubbock.

1984 Aerosmith plays in Harrisburg PA at City Island

1990 Aerosmith plays in Cuyahoga Falls OH at Blossom Music Center (Black Crowes open)

1994 Aerosmith plays in Werchter Belgium at the Werchter Rock Festival (Extreme opens)

The past three and a half decades for Aerosmith are well storied, with tales of both the good and not so good times. Adored by a rabid and dedicated fan base that retains the old crowd as well as continues to gather new admirers to this day, it is that dual image that perhaps works to their favor.

Bad boys are just more interesting, and that's a simple fact. Steve Tyler and Joe Perry, at times referred to as the Toxic Twins, (a name carried with some irony and pride), provide the cannon fodder for the rumor mills. Two powerfully eccentric personalities fine-tuned to trigger the interest of the media. And it works.

It is sometimes forgotten therefore amidst all the entertainment that Perry and Tyler provide, that there are other people in this band, just as integral not only to the sound but to the social dynamic as the Twins themselves. Tom Hamilton could be thought of as the anchor in the band, but perhaps only comparatively.

After all these years as the their sole bassist, he has seen it all and been there for most of it. One cannot help but find it amazing and somewhat admirable that after all that time there is still something to talk about, some new areas to visit. However, Hamilton is still very much enamoured with the lifestyle and finds new ways to make it all feel worthwhile. How many of the rest of us can say as much about our jobs?

Bass Inside: So how do you do it? How do you keep it fresh after all these years? Does it ever just get to you?

Tom Hamilton: When we did the VH1 Special I got to the point where I was just played out. When they were choosing what footage to use, we just found it best to stay right out of it. But I got to the point of cringing when I would hear some of the things some of the people were saying when describing some of the things that went on in the past. But then I came to realize that it is something that people are always gonna wanna know about, always gonna talk about.

When we first got together, and first started interviews, people would ask us how we came up with the name, the old 'how long have we been together and where do we come from' stuff. We answered that a few times in those interviews and thought at the time, "Well, we will never have to answer those questions again!" We were wrong: It is still the basic stuff that people wanna know.

Bass Inside: Is that one of the reasons why each member on the AeroForce website has a 'likes and dislikes and general personal info' section? To get the basic repeat questions answered?

Tom Hamilton: Yeah, we had a lot of fun with that, it ended up so tongue-in-cheek. It goes back to when we were kids and the Beatles and the Dave Clark Five came out, with all those fan magazines. They had a ball answering those questions then and it just started a tradition that we carried on.

Bass Inside: This life has its perks, but it can be a drag as well. Is it a real psych-up job getting ready for the touring life again?

Tom Hamilton: I am really looking forward to this tour coming up because it's really…I don't know, recently I have just really become reattached to the irony of what we do! It's such a great thing after all this to have so many people still interested in the band, coming to see us, playing to these gigantic crowds of people, doing the tribal thing together. I don't know why, but I just started getting reattached to my appreciation for all that.

Aspects of travelling are a pain in the ass, sure, I hate packing! Packing every other day, I am not a real organized person anyway, so having to do that every other day is a right pain in the ass.

Bass Inside: In the early days, one of the things that nearly killed the band was that no one let you take time off. Album, tour, album, tour and no rest. This would burn anyone out. Have you reached the point where you sometimes just sit down or have you resigned yourself to the nature of your lifestyle?

Tom Hamilton: We are in a different mode now, we don't go out for as long these days. For example, the last tour was basically two 4 to 6 month tours, two legs. With a few months off between. It didn't start out as being part of the Master Plan, but it was the way things ended up, which turned out good. That worked out well, so we will likely do it again.

The album we are working on now works into that in that we deliberately chose this kind of project because we knew it would be something we could do in the fraction of the time we usually took to do an album. (The new one is a blues album, containing old standards the band always wanted to do, not the usual Aerosmith original fare)

Bass Inside: So where and when does the new tour begin?

Tom Hamilton: It starts on August 2nd in Hartford, Conneticutt. We are out there with Kiss.

Bass Inside: So the details on working with Kiss were finally ironed out then? It's gonna happen?

Tom Hamilton: It's just gonna be an extravaganza! We have known those guys actually for a long time. First time I ever met Ace (Frehley) was before there even was a Kiss. He was a friend of a friend who had come to see us play in New York the night we got our first recording contract.

We were partying afterwards. There was this big tall guy with a 'cackly' voice, he got really plastered and passed out in my room. We had to get the crew to carry him out of there so I could sleep. That was my first 'meeting' with Ace.

Earlier that night, while we were partying, he told me about this crazy band he was thinking of joining, and he didn't know whether it was too ridiculous or whatever.

I saw him then about two years later, when Kiss were opening for us. He walked in with the rest of the guys and I thought "I know this guy!". It turned out to be Ace. He took the chance with the 'crazy' band and I guess it paid off!

Bass Inside: I understand he will not be with the band this time around though?

Tom Hamilton: As far as I know he won't be, I am not exactly sure what is happening there, but at this moment it isn't happening.

Bass Inside: When you yourself are off the road, do you strive to live a 'normal' life? Or is that important to you?

Tom Hamilton: Yeah, it is. We finished the last tour last December, and by the beginning of March we started to get back together to get this record started. In days of yore, we would finish a tour and then we would just hang out for months, feeling lost, before we actually would start anything new.

Now we find we just go slamming right into whatever is gonna be the next project. The end of the tour, the start of the tour, the recording is not as defined as it used to be. I think it is because we have learned to do things more on the fly, to do things quicker, better, smarter, easier.

Bass Inside: In the past, there have been situations where members of the band felt they weren't able to be in the studio at the same time as other members, complex schedules were set up to accommodate internal strife. These days, things seem to have stablized, maturity has rolled it, and egos have found their proper place. Are you, as a band, able to record more as a team these days?

Tom Hamilton: Well, we definitely are on this record. Our last record, however, was more of a 'playing with the technology' kind of thing. It was more one guy at a time in the studio kind of thing. Not because of any other reason than what technology allowed us to do.

One thing that was so attractive to us about this new album is that we could go in and all be in one room together. But now it's such a low-pressure situation. So far doing these old blues covers has been great. We actually were working on an Aretha Franklin song a couple of nights ago!

We are doing a lot of really old songs from the 30's and 40's, adapting them. Working on the transitions on the kind of instruments they worked with back then to what we are doing now. Trying to keep that character but putting our spin on it.

Bass Inside: Why these old songs, what's the motivator here? What do you hear in them?

Tom Hamilton: Well, we always had a bunch of older songs that we would play, but we just never recorded them. We would come up to recording thinking we would put the song up on the record, but it never got done. It would get put back on the shelf. That happened even right from our first record.

So way down on the list, we always had this desire to do this, to put these to record. Now's the time. Actually we got a lot of encouragement from the label. They were really supportive of the whole idea. That pleased us, not having to go through the usual priorities of a record label, on 'how does this relate to radio' and all that.

Bass Inside: Why do you think they are reacting so differently, what's up here?

Tom Hamilton: I really don't know. I think because, bottom line, they must feel they will be able to sell a lot of these. But there is a feeling of enthusiasm beyond that. Maybe it's because Columbia has a history of recording Americana music going way back. I would love to think that it's because they have the sensitivity to carry that on. A project built upon that and not upon the concept of Bread and Butter. They seem to have stayed true to the course.

Bass Inside: Same management for the band for this album, I know you were very happy with the last set up?

Tom Hamilton: Yeah, I think they are great. They have got a history and a way of doing things that works out really well for us.

Bass Inside: Have you started the ball rolling on all the high-tech arrangements for the stage, the show itself? Things have gotten quite complex over the years and it takes a lot of advanced planning.

Tom Hamilton: Oh yeah, we had our first meeting last week with our stage crew.

Bass Inside: Is it gonna be even more expensive again this time out?

Tom Hamilton: Of course. But really, with the ticket prices as they are these days, we would be embarrassed to go out there without something truly cool. I remember ticket prices being $6.50 at one time, but the things that go on at concerts these days are so far beyond what was happening then, the lighting, the technology, it's a big machine. It has to be paid for, but it has to also be worth it. We owe our audiences that much.

Bass Inside: Do you have to fight to stay clear of all that road drama, when you are on the road, do you work at keeping yourself separate from all the headaches?

Tom Hamilton: I will be sitting in my hotel room reading a magazine and suddenly realize that as I am doing this there are 13 semi-trailers on the road loaded with equipment heading to our next gig!

Bass Inside: What do you have set up for promotion for this new tour? Half-time at football games, stuff like that?

Tom Hamilton: No, nothing like that this time. The word already seems to be out there, but the local markets are on it as well.

Bass Inside: In the past, Aerosmith has collaborated outside of the band for songwriting, is that happening at this point? Granted with the new album, loosely called the Blues Album, the songs were all written before we were even born, but is there anything on there that involves current artists?

Tom Hamilton: Well, with the older stuff, it comes down to sitting in a room hammering out the arrangements. We have reached a point right now where we are talking about some originals to add to the album. We haven't sorted out exactly what is gonna be included and what isn't in this. We are trying this time however to make it more of an 'in-house' record.

Bass Inside: You have been called a team player, it's been written that you find you are the happiest when you are working as a team member.

Tom Hamilton: But really, its still like a basketball team, everybody likes to get the ball once in a while. I am always looking for that, but I do confess to being a team player more often than not.

Bass Inside: Will there ever be a 'Tom Hamilton Project'?

Tom Hamilton: Well, I will tell you that I have so much stuff collected over the years that may or may not be appropriate for this band (Aerosmith). Every day I sit and think, "My Gawd, someday this has to be finished, I just can't let it never get finished". But as I said before, I would have to turn myself into some kind of industrious person, and that's not easy to do!!

Bass Inside: Has the media ever turned its sites on you? Even with Steve(n) and Joe keeping them busy, has anyone ever said, "But what about that Tom guy!?"

Tom Hamilton: Not so far, they have either not found anything interesting or horrible enough. That hasn't happened, and sometimes I can even say I get frustrated!! "Hey, what about me?!" Not really, though, after all, all I wanna do is just play my bass.

Bass Inside: Are you hounded by endorsement people still?

Tom Hamilton: Well, Hartke gives me cabinets, Parker Fly has that new bass, that one's good. Everything is set up where your hands want to go.

Bass Inside: Ventured into 5 or 6 string at all?

Tom Hamilton: I haven't been using a lot of 5-string, instead we have been doing a lot of tuning down. Sometimes if I want a low C, I would rather go for that and just tune down.

Bass Inside: The AeroForce has been flying for a long time now, do you see the horizon yet?

Tom Hamilton: You know what, I don't even allow myself to think about it, because I just get caught up in trying to make these estimates. To my delight I am always wrong. I don't know, for all I know, there could be a line up there in the sand in a year.

I was thinking about this the other day and that I had always thought of this as a very unstable organization, but look at us, 30 years plus!

I guess really, we are not really all that unstable after all! With companies like Enron and assholes like that! And here we are, an outlaw Rock and Roll Band, and after all this time staying the course! Who would have ever thought?!

Bass Inside: These folks are a true rock band in the finest tradition, of that there is no doubt, and the fact that they are still out there, still putting together albums and still touring after all this time is a testimony to their dogged determination to remain a driving force in rock and roll. In no small measure it is perhaps also a statement of pure dumb luck. Perhaps it is true that that which does not kill you only makes you stronger. Maybe that's their secret after all.

In the end though, what does it matter? Aerosmith is a world class rock and roll band. They are what is meant by the Rock and Roll Lifestyle. Some things don't have to be deep, they just simply are the way they are. And that suits their legions of fans just fine.

PICS on the article site: 1 2 3 4 5

From: http://www.bassinside.com

**Thanks to Deanna Massey for typing this article!**

By: Rob Andrews

For Aerosmith, it's always been about the blues. From the moment that these legendary Boston Bad Boys first plugged in their instruments and began to wail, the fundamental elements of southern-fried, gut-bucket, down-on-the-delta brand blues have always stood at the very cornerstone of their sound. Oh sure, you could always throw a little Stones-inspired riffage and Yardbirds-based cool into the musical mix. But at its seminal core, it's always been the pure, simple beauty of the blues that have served to inspire vocalist Steven Tyler, guitarist Joe Perry, bassist Tom Hamilton, drummer Joey Kramer, and guitarist Brad Whitford. That's why rummers surrounding the band's new blues album (now scheduled for a fall release) stands as such a landmark event in this group's illustrious 30 year history.

We've been thinking about doing an album like this for a long time, Perry said. But you've got to find just the right time and just the right circumstances to make it happen. We had those circumstances right now, and we decided to take advantage of them.

With their new disc supposedly going to be supported by a series of House of B lues-styled concerts in venues a small fraction of the arena-sized halls Aerosmith traditionally plays there's no question that this quintet are taking their latest project very seriously. And with the band's much-hyped, massive co-headlining summer tour with Kiss looming in their immediate future, it seems safe to say that these days Aerosmith have rarely found themselves busier or more content with their lot in contemporary music life.

Things are really good for us right now, Tyler said. We're doing what we want the way we want, and that's all any band can ever ask. When you've been around for as long as we have, one of the major benefits is that you have a lot of musical freedom. You get the chance to try some things out and experiment.

Their when we want the way we want philosophy perhaps perfectly sums up the approach that has continually led Aerosmith to the very pinnacle of rock and roll success since the release of their historic first album in 1973. But perhaps more importantly that anything else more important than their attitude, their look or even their sound is the undeniable fact that Steven Tyler and Joe Perry were born to be rock stars. From the moment they entered the world way back in the middle of the 20th Century (hey, that was even before MTV!), it seems that their shared destiny has been carrying them in one irrefutable direction towards becoming the Patron Saints of the entire American hard rock scene.

As hard as you might try, could you ever truly imagine either of Aerosmith's infamous (though now long-since reformed) Toxic Twins working behind a bank desk, running a corporate office or taking a commuter train to some 9-to-5 grind mill? Nah-these guys were rockers from the very beginning, and Tyler doesn't mind admitting that even the notion of a different occupation is still enough to give him a nasty case of the cold sweats. But after three decades of conquering the music world, it seems rather unlikely that either of these eternally young Rock Gods will ever have to worry about what secrets like may have in store for them once their hard rockin' days are over.

There were times in the past when I worried that this was all gonna come to an end, Tyler said. There were times when I worried my life was coming to an end. At those times, the music, this band, my career all seemed totally irrelevant. But once I got past that, I began to realize just how much this band, and the guys in the band, meant to me. It opened my eyes wide and thankfully I haven't closed them to that since.

Considering the fact that Aerosmith have now sold over 70 million albums during their lengthy stint atop the rock mountain, and grossed an estimated $500 million from their various music-related endeavors, it would appear that this legendary hard rock unit had little reason for concern on any front. That's a fact supported by their Y2K induction into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame, as well as by the sold-out status of their up coming tour with fellow rock icons, Kiss. And it's not exactly like this one-of-a-kind music machine is running out of steam. Anticipation for their blues disc has been nothing short of extraordinary ever since its plan was announced earlier this year.

Sometimes you've got to shake your head in amazement, Perry said. You just can't take everything for granted. I stopped doing that a long time ago. I realize that there are a lot of people out there who love this band, but that still doesn't make me stop and appreciate the kind of support we continue to receive. Considering all that we've gone through as a band and as people over the years, it really is amazing.

Even considering all their past soap operaesque highs and lows, perhaps nothing properly prepared these Boston Bad Boys for the world-wide hysteria that had been generated by their latest tour with Kiss. At a time when many pundits were confidently predicting that conventional hard rock was dead, and that only cutting edge metal bands could make a significant mark on the super-hip musical society of the New Millennium, Aerosmith has once again come along to prove that great, bluesy rock and roll is both boundless and timeless. As they've done so many times during their historic career, Aerosmith has managed to deliver the musical goods as only they can.

We're some of the most determined people you're ever likely to come across, Perry said. We respond when anyone tells us something can't be done or shouldn't be done. Some of that attitude is what got us into problems years ago, but today we know how to channel that attitude in a healthy way. We focus it on the music and take each song we make and every note we play as a challenge to make it the best we possibly can. That's what gets us going that challenge. It' s not the money, as some people like to think. People have been trying to figure us out for the last 30 years they just can't do it. Anyone who thinks they really understand us is very wrong. There are times when we don't understand us.

The time is COMING! In ONE MONTH'S time, Kiss and Aerosmith will be rocking your asses off! AeroFANatic.com is your LEADING source on the internet for Aerosmith tour set lists. We have gotten EVERY set list from the last THREE tours, and we plan on getting EVERY SET LIST for this tour to spread around with love. AeroFANatic.com will be there and has you covered...

In case you aren't familiar with how this set list reporter thing works, here's a brief explanation...

Basically, AeroFANatic "assigns" one show per concert goer to be a "set list reporter". What does a reporter have to do? Very simple. Write down the SET LIST to the show they attend, and have access to a telephone ASAP after the concert ends. That simple folks! If you can do those 2 things, you too could be a set list reporter!

When the show ends, all you have to do is call AeroFANatic to report that night's set list. The call literally takes ONE MINUTE! In turn, I will post that night's set list on AeroFANatic.com and all over the internet...for ALL to see. I will also add any interesting notes as well as the reporter who reports the set (if they so choose). This process has been REALLY smooth the last 4 years, and has provided all us Aerosmith freaks the set list, news, and discussion we all crave. In MOST cases, I post the SET LIST no later than ONE HALF HOUR after the show ends! Before people are out of the parking lot, us Aerosmith fans on the internet already know the set list and are discussing it! Gotta love it...

If you've been a set list reporter before, GREAT.....we'd LOVE to use ya again! If you are brand new but would like to help out...we DEFINITLY need all the help we can get!

Here's what to do...

1. Send an email to Chris@AeroFANatic.com. In this email I need you to tell me your PRIMARY email address, and the show(s) you would like to be a set list reporter for. That's IT! It's simple, but I NEED those 2 items...

I will keep track of reporters, and a few days before the show(s) I will send out a confirmation email detailing the show information.

So once again, this is your FIRST SET LIST REPORTER email....get me those emails folks! The more the merrier! I will send this out again in 2 weeks...then once again ONE WEEK before the opening night show on Aug 2nd. But DON'T wait until then. If you would like to help out and keep the Aerosmith love going, sign up NOW!

I'll be talkin to ya soon....

Chris
@ AeroFANatic.com

This top 20 Rock will be aired Saturday 2:00 p.m. mex d.f., and sunday 12:00 p.m. mex d.f.

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Edited By Jonathan Cohen. July 01, 2003, 10:45 AM ET
Labels Rolling Out A Bounty Of 'Blues'

LOS ANGELES, California (Billboard) -- The U.S. Congress has declared 2003 "the year of the blues," and Sony Legacy and Universal Music Enterprises (UME) are rolling out a flood of releases tied to the fall PBS series "Martin Scorsese Presents the Blues -- A Musical Journey," executive produced by director Scorsese.

The alliance between Sony and Universal marks the second time the companies have joined forces for a PBS-related project. Two years ago, their mammoth effort for "Ken Burns Jazz" ignited new interest -- and sales -- in the genre. Executives hope the upcoming releases do the same for the blues, which has made up a very small percentage of overall sales in recent years.

Promotion of "Martin Scorsese Presents the Blues," which airs September 28-October 4, begins August 26 with the release of "The Best of the Blues," a TV-advertised collection from UME's UTV Records. The 21-track set will include both archival selections and songs recorded specifically for the series by (tentatively) Robert Cray & Shemekia Copeland, Bonnie Raitt, Van Morrison & Jeff Beck and Cassandra Wilson.

A five-CD boxed set will be issued September 9 by Hip-O/UME. Offering a comprehensive overview of blues history, the cross-licensed box tentatively will feature exclusive tracks from the series by Raitt, Wilson, Los Lobos, Steven Tyler & Joe Perry of Aerosmith and Keb' Mo & Corey Harris.

Also due on September 9 are individual soundtrack CDs (most featuring newly recorded music) for the seven highly impressionistic films by noted international directors, as well as 12 artist compilations.

The Columbia/Legacy soundtracks include "The Soul of a Man," from director Wim Wenders' film, with a bounty of new recordings by Beck, Lou Reed, Lucinda Williams, Nick Cave, the Jon Spencer Blues Explosion, T-Bone Burnett, Alvin Youngblood Hart and others; "Feel Like Going Home," drawn from Scorsese's film; "Piano Blues," from Clint Eastwood's episode; and "Warming by the Devil's Fire," from Charles Burnett's installment.

Hip-O/UME's soundtracks will be "The Road to Memphis," accompanying Richard Pearce's episode, with new tracks by Bobby Rush, Gatemouth Moore, Robert Belfour and Hubert Sumlin & David Johansen; "Godfathers & Sons," from Marc Levin's entry, with new recordings by Otis Rush, Lonnie Brooks, Magic Slim, Common, Public Enemy and Chuck D & the Electric MudKats; and "Red, White and Blues," from Mike Figgis' film, with new numbers by Morrison, Tom Jones & Jeff Beck and Lulu.

The artist packages comprise previously released material. Chronicles/UME's titles feature the Allman Brothers, Eric Clapton, Jimi Hendrix, B.B. King, J.B. Lenoir and Muddy Waters. Columbia/Legacy's packages spotlight Robert Johnson, Taj Mahal, Bessie Smith, Stevie Ray Vaughan, Son House and Keb' Mo'.

A seven-DVD set of the series will be issued by Sony on Sept. 30. Individual DVDs of each show will be released sometime in 2004, although it hasn't been determined if "The Blues" will be released on VHS.

From: http://www.billboard.com

VH1, Thu 3
19:00 The Doors: A Celebration
20:00 Behind The Music Aerosmith
22:00 Born To Diva #8

1976 Aerosmith plays in Birmingham AL at Jefferson Civic Coliseum

1979 Aerosmith plays in Toronto Ontario Canada at CNE Grandstand Stadium

1984 Aerosmith plays in Columbia MD at Merriweather Post Pavilion (Midnight Oil opens)

1988 Aerosmith plays in Cuyahoga Falls OH at Blaisdell Center Arena

1990 Aerosmith plays in Cuyahoga Falls OH at Blossom Music Center (Black Crowes open)

1993 Aerosmith plays in Burgettstown PA at Star Lake Amphitheater (Jackyl opens)

1994 Aerosmith plays in Torhout Belgium at Torhout Rock (Extreme opens)

1997 Aerosmith plays in Kanata Ontario Canada at the Coral Centre (Johnny Lang opens)

1999 Aerosmith plays in Nijmegen Netherlands at the Amphitheatre (Black Crowes open)

2001 Aerosmith plays in Toronto Ontario Canada at Molson Amphitheatre (Fuel opens)

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Toonses adds:

1988 Aerosmith's Permanent Vacation falls from # 32 to # 36 on Billboards top 200 list. It hangs around the charts for 68 weeks.

2002 Aerosmith releases "O, Yeah! Ultimate Aerosmith Hits"

Posted at DMAAT: "The Hawaii song reference scares me as it could be from the Marti/Girls of Summer/Lay It Down sessions...uggggh!"

Reply by Chris @ AeroFANatic.com: "That's EXACTLY where it was from. Think a mellower, bluesy Lay It Down and thats what It sounds like...."

1978 Aerosmith plays in Dallas TX at the Cotton Bowl (Boston opens)

1993 Aerosmith plays in Richfield OH at Richfield Coliseum (Jackyl opens)

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Clive Newton adds:

I wasn't aware Boston opened the Texxas Jam concert on July 1 - part of a weekend of events at Cotton Bowl leading up to Independence Day. July 2 was the Willie Nelson Picnic.

Other bands that played that day were: Ted Nugent, Atlanta Rhythm Section, Journey, Head East, Frank Marino and Mahogany Rush, Heart, Eddie Money and Van Halen.