Steven Tyler may no longer be making music with Aerosmith

According to Aerosmith guitarist Joe Perry, the front man of the band Steven Tyler may have left the 39-year-old music group. Another member of the band, Brad Whitford, added to the rumor mill by saying whoever replaces Tyler will have “big shoes to fill.” Some are speculating that the possible split is because Tyler wants to work on his solo career. In an interview with Classic Rock magazine, Tyler said he didn’t know what his next step was “but it's definitely going to be something Steven Tyler, working on the brand of myself — Brand Tyler."

The band is less than a year away from its 40^th anniversary. It seems a little late for Tyler to be making such a big change in his career. I’m sure he would be successful with a solo album, but Aerosmith is one of those great classic bands. It’s a shame to break it up now when it is so close to a huge milestone. I also have to wonder if the cause of this possible split is because Tyler fell off stage during a performance in South Dakota earlier this year. He suffered head, neck and shoulder injuries. Aerosmith had to cancel the rest of their concerts after the incident. Maybe Tyler is realizing he is a little old to be a rock star, and it is time to throw in the towel. Thoughts?

Taylor Swift is on double duty

This week on “Saturday Night Live,” Taylor Swift will be doing double duty as both the musical performer and the host. According to Swift, she wants to “look nothing like” herself and has reportedly told the writers not to count anything out. I’m eager to see what Swift will do. There will certainly be a Kanye West spoof during the night (in fact, there has already been a West reference on the promotional advertisement for the Nov. 7 show), but I’m even more interested to see what Swift’s acting chops are like. I know she recently filmed a scene for the star-studded movie “Valentine’s Day” with her new squeeze Taylor Lautner, but since that won’t be released until February 2010, the closest thing to acting that I have seen from Swift is her performances in her music videos. I must say, I thoroughly enjoy those and expect the best from her stint as host this Saturday night. Will you be tuning in?

Loud Lambert (and no, I'm not talking about his singing voice)

Oh, no, no, no! “American Idol” runner-up Adam Lambert just debuted the artwork for his album,"For Your Entertainment," and it is not a pretty sight. He has blue hair, lime green eyeliner and it appears he is flying through space. What in the world is Lambert thinking?

One of the major criticisms from the judges and fans while he was on “American Idol” was that he was “too theatrical.” Many hypothesized that his tendency to over-perform was what lost him the “American Idol” crown, and I have to agree. I felt his performances with the loud, drawn-out notes were impressive, but after hearing them once, got to be a little annoying. His outfits, or should I say costumes, were on the loud side as well. It was just all too much for the “American Idol” audience to handle.

I’m worried that Lambert may be starting his new career on the wrong foot. He certainly has the right to express himself in whatever way he wants, but this might be a turn-off to fans. Time will tell though. Lambert’s album will drop Nov. 23, so we will see how he fairs then! If you can’t wait to hear it, here is a listen of his debut single, “Want.”

Twilight Soundtrack

The soundtrack for the second installment of the “Twilight" series was just released last week, and it has already reached the number one downloaded album spot on iTunes. This is no surprise to me. “Twifans,” young and old alike, are counting down the days until “New Moon” is released and are jumping on any bit of media that brings them closer to their precious vamps.

Despite "Twilight" being a pop culture, trendy phenomenon, some of my favorite indie bands have contributed to the sound for the second movie. Artists like Death Cab for Cutie, Thom Yorke, Grizzly Bear (whom I saw in concert at Austin City Limits this year-they rocked!) and Sea Wolf have songs on the album.

I’m not sure, though, how I feel about these bands that sing songs with deep, meaningful lyrics being on a soundtrack for a cheesy romance movie about vampires and werewolves. It almost makes me feel like they have sold-out to the mainstream and lost a bit of their depth, but maybe I’m just being a music snob. What do you think?

That feeling aside, I am rather pleased with the sound of this album and will be listening to it as I do homework for the rest of this Wednesday afternoon.

Lady Gaga is a "Fame Monster"

Pop star Lady Gaga will be re-releasing her hit album "The Fame" on Nov. 24. The album will have a new name "The Fame Monster" and will feature eight new songs including her latest single “Bad Romance.” Most re-releases feature about three new songs, so I’m definitely looking forward to this CD. It’s almost like buying a brand new album. I loved "The Fame" and the pop/disco sound she created. I can’t wait to hear what Gaga has in store for the new tracks.

“On my re-release, "The Fame Monster," I wrote about everything I didn’t write on "The Fame,” said Lady Gaga in a Rolling Stone article. “While traveling the world for two years, I’ve encountered several monsters, each represented by a different song on the new record: my ‘Fear of Sex Monster,’ my ‘Fear of Alcohol Monster,’ my ‘Fear of Love Monster,’ my ‘Fear of Death Monster,’ my ‘Fear of Loneliness Monster,’ etc.”

I found a sneak peak, or listen I should say, of one of her new songs, “Alejandro.” It has a spicy, European undertone that I can’t get out of my head. Perhaps this was inspired during her overseas tour this year. It sounds like a hit, but what are your thoughts?

It will be interesting to see what kind of publicity stunts Gaga will pull for the re-release. Her interesting performances (2009 Video Music Awards anyone?) and unique outfits have definitely been featured in the press. With all the publicity she gets, I’d say Lady Gaga is a modern P.T. Barnum. She knows how to make waves and get people talking about her.

West goes East

Blogs and twitters were all abuzz when Kanye West interrupted Taylor Swift’s acceptance speech at the Video Music Awards. On top of that move, he cancelled his "Fame Kills" tour with Lady Gaga two weeks later. The media questioned his character and wondered if he needed a break from the spotlight. I guess Kanye heard them. According to MTV Australia, the rapper is taking “time off” to re-evaluate himself and his behavior at a Hindu retreat in India. Going east is probably a good move for West, considering all the negative comments thrown at him from the general public, even President Obama, after pulling this little stunt. Perhaps this move will bring West some good karma for a change, but I’m not holding my breath. He has a reputation for speaking his mind, and I doubt a retreat will change his ways.