Is Steven Tyler Quitting Aerosmith? Joe Perry Thinks So

UPDATE: WZLX deejay Chuck Nowlin just checked in to say that he spoke to Joe Perry and he'll be running the interview during the 4 o'clock hour.

Has lead singer Steven Tyler quit Aerosmith? It sure looks that way, as far as lead guitarist Joe Perry can tell.

The latest rumors began when Tyler gave an interview to a British magazine called Classic Rock last week after Aerosmith's performance in Abu Dhabi. Tyler said he has pulled out of a band tour of South America and that his upcoming plans will focus on "brand Tyler." In that same interview, guitarist Brad Whitford mused on the wisdom of trying to replace Tyler but concluded "if somebody was willing to do it and the chemistry was right, why not?”

Although Tyler did not definitively state that he was quitting the band, Perry apparently interpreted his words as such. Perry told the Las Vegas Sun last week: "Steven quit, as far as I can tell."

Perry also issued a series of Twitter posts that paint a picture of a band divided, including one that says the last time the pair spoke on the phone, Tyler hung up on him. "What about [the] fans?" Perry said. "The people that also love him and put him where he is after 40 years? And I gotta read it on line?"

Efforts to reach Tyler, Perry, and other band members were unsuccessful.

This latest flurry of activity comes after the band played a few make-up dates in Hawaii after their ill-fated summer tour and the Grand Prix concert in Abu Dhabi. Tyler, according to Perry's tweets, was feeling better following a fall from the stage in South Dakota in August that left him with a broken shoulder among other maladies.

Although the Classic Rock story stated that the band's Abu Dhabi performance was filled with "bonhomie," that is clearly not the case offstage. Other band members admit they see Tyler only onstage.

Local Aerosmith fans may get one of the first glimpses of "brand Tyler" in January when the singer appears at an event at the Capitol Center for the Arts in Concord, N.H. The event, called "Dream On: An Intimate Evening With Steven Tyler," is billed as a multimedia presentation that will include video, a two-song presentation, and a Q&A with the singer that promises "a revealing look at the intimate details of Tyler's life." The evening will benefit Child and Family Services' adolescent substance abuse treatment and child abuse prevention initiatives.

While Perry continues to tour in support of his recent solo effort "Have Guitar, Will Travel," including a gig next Saturday at the House of Blues, just last month he seemed hopeful, if not confident, that the band would reconvene with Tyler. In an interview at his home in Duxbury, Perry told the Globe "the band is not breaking up." He also dismissed the notion that the singer in his solo band -- Perry's You Tube discovery German vocalist Hagen -- was in the running to replace Tyler in Aerosmith.

In the Las Vegas Sun story, Perry changed his tune, however. “As far as replacing Steve, it’s not just about that. It’s also four guys that play extremely well together, and I’m not going to see that go to waste. I really don’t know what path it’s going to take at this point, but we’ll probably find somebody else that will sing in those spots where we need a singer and then we’ll be able to move Aerosmith up a notch, move the vibe up a notch.”