He’s been the guitarist for Aerosmith since the band began back in Boston in the 70’s, and he’s got a self-titled solo record out (his first in 10 years). “Basically I had a wealth of songs that I hadn’t had a chance to get out there,” says Joe “ I had a lot of friends ask me ‘when are you getting another solo record out?’ I’d say ‘someday, someday, someday’
I figured I am closer to the end of my life than the beginning, so someday isn’t going to do it. So this year, when Aerosmith took a year off, I decided it was a good time to do it.”

Thanks to Joe’s Carpe Diem attitude we have a record of fist-in-the-air rockers with a lot of blistering slide guitar and un-sappy ballads (no Jennifer Warren tripe here thank you very much). “I collected (the songs) over the past years. The oldest I’ve had for about 10 years,” Joe continues “It was written for my wife on her anniversary (Joe you big softie!). Most of the stuff was written over the past three years the most recent being about six months ago, “Lonely” “Shaking My Cage” I wrote those last August/Sept.”

It’s pretty obvious that Joe is a prolific songwriter. How does he decide what material to bring to Aerosmith? “I think it only happened a couple of times that I came up with stuff that I knew wouldn’t work for Aerosmith. I think a lot of it is the same. It’s all my tastes. It’s not like I have a secret jazz affinity that I have to let out. It’s all pretty much straight rock. I had a lot more material than I could sit on basically”

Fair enough. With the continued success of Aerosmith it is doubtful that Joe would ever need to resort to his solo work to pay the bills, but does Joe consider himself a solo artist? “I guess I am a solo artist because I have this album out, but I just sort of did this thing on the side. I’m putting a band together to play the songs, but I look at it more as a side project from the serious biz of Aerosmith. I’m just kicking ass and having a party.”

One privilege of throwing a party is that you get to choose the music or, in Joe’s case, which songs to cover. Woodie Guthrie’s “Vigilante Man” and The Doors “Crystal Ship” both get the Joe treatment this time out. “I’ve always loved The Doors, and that song is a nice piece of non-traditional song writing and poetry; and I just always liked the lyrics. I really love Woodie Guthrie, and that song has amazing lyrics as well. I thought it would be a good tribute to some of the giants of this music we call rock”

It’s obvious that Joe has a grasp on the history of rock, but what does he think of the newer stuff out there? “I know there was a period where I thought everything was written. Where was it going to go? I thought it was all going to collapse, but what I’m hearing now is that there are really exciting bands out there that are using the same tools, but coming up with something that sounds different. There are always clone bands out there that copy popular styles. That always happens. It’s the way the business works, but there is always new stuff that sounds really cool.”

What about the guitar? Can a guy whose played guitar longer than a lot of his fans have been alive still find inspiration on his instrument of choice? “I’m always intrigued by guys who have real technique. I find that really inspirational, but for me, I like writing music as an excuse to play guitar. That’s really the challenge, and it never goes away.” And it’s not just the guitar that acts as an excuse to write music. There is a world music influence on some of the slower songs.

When asked about this, Joe has this to say, “It’s just the old adage of ‘if it makes noise use it.’ I am not forced to use a Les Paul plugged into a Marshall cranked to 10. I’m not afraid to use anything. Stephen (Tyler) and I have been on a constant search for new sounds. Ever since the first record we’ve tried to use things like recorders (On “Walkin’ the Dog” off of the first Aerosmith record). Back in the 60’s world music was used a lot in pop records. We’re not just a band forced to use loud guitars”. With healthy sense of wonder and experimentation,

Aerosmith will probably always manage to sound timeless. But what about bands that reunite to cash in? “When I was growing up in the 60’s it seemed like no band lasted more than 3 years. They had one or two hot records and that was it. There are certain trends in music that run their course and bands that are “trendy” need to get some separation and time away. Obviously the fans want to hear what they want to hear. Take a band like Cheap Trick who has never really taken a hiatus and they have a constant following. No matter what the trends are, people like good solid rock and they are a great rock band. They may have more of a commercial impact if they broke up for 10 years and came back. And then there are bands whose sound maybe isn’t as hot as it was when they first hit, but they get back together and have fun. I know a lot of people who are excited that Motley Crue is out on the road again. I’m just glad they’re all alive and kickin’. Some bands don’t have that luxury.”

That’s a wise statement coming from Joe considering his band has had its share of drug difficulties. Here’s to a many more years of having the luxury to kick ass and have a party.