by Adam St. James

There is no more successful American rock band than Aerosmith. They are everywhere, and have been for most of the past 30 years – even despite the excesses that resulted in a few members taking a “leave of absence” during the early-’80s. Just Push Play, the band’s most recent release and another in a long line of multi-million sellers, sees Aerosmith again mixing the past with the present, as guitarist Brad Whitford describes it.

Whitford, with the band since it’s inception in a New Hampshire resort town in the late ’60s, has often been overlooked both as a player and for his insight into the machinery that moves this Rock and Roll Hall of Fame act. But we’ve long known that all five members – collectively known as the “Bad Boys from Boston” and including Whitford, drummer Joey Kramer, bassist Tom Hamilton, and of course guitarist Joe Perry and beyond-cool frontman Steven Tyler – have played extremely important roles in Aerosmith’s unending success.

Brad recently spoke with me about Aerosmith’s decision-making process regarding placing radio-friendly ballads alongside more rocking tracks (his favorites), and the long-term value of touring – once lost on a lot of bands after MTV came along and made couch potatoes out all the young spuds (but now thankfully back in vogue). He even analyzes how many home studios you can fit into one affluent neighborhood in the Boston suburbs. Enjoy.

Ballads vs. Rockers / Keeping Your Identity

Adam St. James: Over the course of the past few albums, you guys have done a lot of really lush arrangements. Is that something that is just a learned trait – that you learned how to put these things together and build these immense tracks?

Brad Whitford: Well, I think it’s come along with some of these producers that we’ve worked with, anybody from Jack Douglas to Bruce Fairbairn. Some of the last people we worked with and, of course, some of these ballads we end up doing, these very commercial type of recordings – with a lot of them you’re just really aiming for the radio. So a lot of times it’s like, ‘What are we gonna do here? Is it going to be strings or is it going to be orchestra?’ Sometimes you end up with a 31-piece orchestra creating a kind of specific sound for a movie soundtrack, or you’re really trying to make a Top 40-friendly type of song and there’s definitely some formula to it, you know. I mean you can hear it and when you’re building it and making a certain song, you say, ‘Well, this is obviously gonna be another Aerosmith ballad.’

GuitarLife Recommends:

 

Aerosmith Rocks Songbook Matching folio to the album AEROSMITH ROCKS. This is the 4th album released by Aerosmith. Tab notation and early black-n-white photos make this a must for Aerosmith fans.

Best of Aerosmith EASY GUITAR songbook 20 of their best for the beginning player, including: Back in the Saddle · Dude (Looks Like a Lady) · Livin’ on the Edge · Love in an Elevator · Sweet Emotion · Walk This Way · and more.

St. James: Is there ever any dissension among the members of the band over how many ballads you’re going to put on a given album?

Whitford: Oh, I would say we have a lot of discussion about how much of that we do. I still think that we struggle with the identity in the band, even though I think this album clearly shows what Aerosmith is – it’s a little bit of everything: some of the heavy rock, some of the mainstream radio, and some contemporary sounds. I think what Aerosmith is doing these days is trying to hold on to some of our early roots and trying to do stuff that’s using some of the stuff that we’re hearing on the radio today, the radio-heavy stuff. And Just Push Play is probably a good representation of Aerosmith.

St. James: When you say struggling to hold on to your identity, do you mean between the five of you?

Whitford: Yeah. I think everybody – each guy in the band has sort of a slightly different view of what Aerosmith is supposed to be. It’s totally natural.

St. James: What is your view?

Whitford: Well, I would say that this record really puts it pretty clearly as I described. You know we made a conscious decision at one point to get on the radio, so we became that sort of heavy garage band and became a pop band at the same time, and that’s what we still try and do.
 
Benefits of Touring / Picking the Right Bandmates

St. James: It always bothers me when a band puts out album after album and the one or two songs that get played off the album are ballads, and then they go play arenas and so many people out there don’t know that they’re really a pretty rocking band.

Whitford: Well, probably one of the most – who was it? It was Extreme – that’s what happened to them. I mean they were just totally out and out sort of a combination of Queen and Van Halen and they made it big with those two ballads. And that really messed them up. It happens to a lot of bands.

St. James: Yeah, it does. It hasn’t happened to you though. Why do you think not?

Whitford: I don’t know, maybe it was “Dream On,” ’cause “Dream On” was a little bit – it had some heavier touches to it, you know. And some of the other songs that became radio-friendly weren’t just strictly ballads in the beginning.

St. James: True.

Whitford: So it gave us a lot of leeway I think.

GuitarLife Recommends:

   

The Best of Aerosmith A collection of 17 of Aerosmith’s biggest hits, including: Dream On · Dude (Looks Like a Lady) · Janie’s Got a Gun · Love in an Elevator · Sweet Emotion · Walk This Way · and more.

Aerosmith Big Ones Recorded Version 15 selections from their greatest hits album, featuring: Dude (Looks Like a Lady) · Eat the Rich · Love in an Elevator · The Other Side · and more.

St. James: Plus, after the hundreds and hundreds of live shows you played, people knew what to expect.

Whitford: Well, yeah. We came up in an era where you really had to perform live – you had to tour. It’s not done the same way anymore. So we have that following, we have that group of people that say, ‘Hey I saw them back when,’ you know, and it’s this sort of legendary thing that goes along with it at the same time, just because of the fact that we’ve been around so long.

St. James: The Before MTV Generation. Things changed a lot when MTV came around, especially in the touring business, but it seems to me that it’s gone back, at least to some degree, to the way it used to be. Bands realize that you have to tour, and certainly you guys are a good case study of what constant touring does for you, on the positive side. How do you feel about touring today?

Whitford: Well, you know what can I say: Touring is touring.

St. James: How important is it for a band to tour?

Whitford: Well, I think, in terms of longevity, you’ve gotta have that. You’ve gotta have a good, live following. You’ve gotta be able to sell concert tickets. A lot of these groups kind of seem like – you know they come and go so quickly they don’t get a chance to get a following. It seems like we’re in a stage like that right now where there’s just a lot of people writing songs. It’s kind of like the late ’50’s-early ’60’s, you know: songwriters, bands, a lot of one-hit wonders. And then there’s groups that aren’t necessarily huge on the radio, but they sell lots of tickets live.

St. James: What advice do you have for young bands out there that are getting together with their friends, and putting it together, and hoping to go all the way with it? How do you pick your band members? How do you pick the right people?

Whitford: I don’t think you can tell. I think it’s just a process. If it works, it works and if it doesn’t, you know you gotta keep moving. So it’s just kind of an audition sort of process. You know: Don’t beat a dead horse. You gotta kind of know what you want to do and then try and find like-minded people that are ready to be at the same level of commitment that you’re at, whatever that is. You know everybody has to kind of be in the same place as far as commitment.

St. James: That’s a difficult one though…

Whitford: Yes it is because, you know, what does that mean? Does that mean full-time, no outside jobs? Just how do you do it? Where do you get the money? How do you live? You know as a band starting out, where can you play enough live shows to support yourself?

Easier in the Old Days? / Label Heads / Steve Vai

St. James: Right. A lot of times I think that in the time period that you started, there were fewer people chasing after that dream. I could be completely wrong Brad – but it seems that there were fewer people chasing after the dream of rock stardom and that, therefore, the ones who were pretty serious were more obvious or found each other easier. Am I wrong about that?

Whitford: No, no I think that’s true. It just wasn’t as big then. It’s grown so much. Now, everybody and their brother has got a guitar. You see everybody from football players to baseball players to racecar drivers – they all have their little bands. Everybody wants to play rock ’n’ roll. I think back then it just wasn’t as proliferated or whatever. It was still a handful. It wasn’t a majority. It seems like everybody can at least play an A chord or something.

GuitarLife Recommends:

  

Aerosmith 1973-1979 Signature Licks Book & CD One of the most prominent bands of the rock era, Aerosmith Signature Licks 1973-1979 is a step-by-step breakdown of the guitar styles and techniques of the songs that made them famous–including ‘Back in the Saddle’, ‘Dream On’, ‘Sweet Emotion’, & ‘Walk This Way’. You can’t go wrong with this volume!

Aerosmith 1973-1998 Signature Licks Book & CD Explore the music of one of rock’s greatest bands with this step-by-step breakdown of the guitar styles and techniques of Joe Perry and Brad Whitford. Teaches licks from: Cryin’ · Crazy · Dude (Looks Like a Lady) · Janie’s Got a Gun · Love in an Elevator · Nine Lives · What It Takes · more.

St. James: To me that seems to hurt people’s chances. For one because it’s harder to find the truly serious people, but also because there are just so many bands out there. Also as far as the way the record companies handle things – it almost seems that the whole one-hit wonder thing is rampant right now and I sometimes wonder if it’s not because it’s in their financial best interest to keep it that way.

Whitford: Well, certainly there’s some validity to that. They need to have their successes and losses. And I think it’s certainly not in the best interest of some of these groups that sign record contracts. It’s kind of like a death warrant. It’s like guaranteed that you’re gonna go into debt ’cause so few people make it. But you go make an album, and they have you make a couple of videos, and the next thing you know they’re handing you a bill. And you might collect 10 years down the road, after they’ve sold however many records.

St. James: But you also may not still be a band, at that point.

Whitford: Exactly. You’ll be working in some shoe store.

St. James: Also in those days that we discussed – the ’60s, the ’70s – a lot of the people that were running labels were musicians or songwriters. It just isn’t that way anymore. And I think it has really affected music overall, in a negative sense. I wonder how you feel about that.

Whitford: Oh, definitely, yeah, it used to be fans. I think the majority of them now are not even owned by Americans. I was just reading an article about Steve Lukather and Larry Carlton. I went to see them play in Japan and they were saying what a treat it was to sign with Steve Vai’s label, and talk to a president of a label who knew what you were talking about and understood what you wanted to do. And that’s the way the big companies used to be.

[Editor’s Note: Find out more about Steve Vai and his label Favored Nations in our upcoming Steve Vai interview. ]

St. James: And their decision-makers and the people who were looking for talent…

Whitford: Yeah. They were players.

St. James: We’re actually working pretty closely with Steve and his label. We’re doing a lot of promotions with a lot of those people. In fact, I just interviewed a Favored Nations guitarist named Johnny A., from the Boston area, are you familiar with him?

Whitford: Oh, sure. Yeah, he’s a good friend of mine.

St. James: Yeah?

Whitford: Terrific album.

St. James: Yeah, it is. It’s really cool stuff. [watch for our Johnny A interview coming soon, too.]

Whitford: Really cool album.

GuitarLife Recommends:

  

Aerosmith Guitar School* Learn to play 12 of their best, including: Back in the Saddle · Dream On · Dude (Looks Like a Lady) · Love in an Elevator · Rag Doll · Walk This Way · and more. Includes transcriptions and lessons.

Aerosmith’s Greatest Hits* 15 of Aerosmith’s best, newly transcribed, edited and engraved! Includes: Angel · Back in the Saddle · Come Together · Dude (Looks Like a Lady) · The Hop · Last Child · Lightning Strikes · Same Old Song and Dance · Sweet Emotion · Walk This Way · and more.

St. James: Is that kind of similar to what you were talking about maybe wanting to do someday?

Whitford: Yeah. I love his album, you know. I like that kind of thing. Yeah, stuff like that. You know I don’t know if I’ll ever get to do it, but you know, maybe.

Home Studios / Pro Tools

St. James: Do you have your own studio at home?

Whitford: No, not really. I don’t. I mean I have some little stuff I play with, but like most of us live within about 10 miles of each other and almost all the other guys have Pro Tools setups, so… And then we have a separate one that we have, a travel studio, so I have access to it if I want to use it. I didn’t see the point in throwing another studio in, with two literally within a mile of my house.

St. James: Do you get over there often, when you’re not on the road?

Whitford: It depends on what we’re doing or how long we’ve been off the road and all that.

St. James: Right. Which in the last few years hasn’t been that much.

Whitford: No.

St. James: Obviously, you’re very comfortable with Pro Tools. What do you think about the whole digital recording revolution?

Whitford: Well, I don’t know shit about it, but I certainly like the results. I don’t know a thing about operating it. It’s very impressive. It’s certainly fun to work with because you can keep up with your train of thought, really. The machinery will stay there with you. You don’t have to say, ‘OK wait, we’ve gotta stop and tape this together, and do this, and do that.’ I mean you can just kind of go, ‘All right, let’s do it.’ I think that part of it is great. The spontaneity of it is really helpful.

St. James: Yeah. So are you saying that everybody else in the band has a Pro Tools studio?

Whitford: I think everybody else does, yeah.

St. James: So why are you the one guy that doesn’t? For obvious reasons – they’ve all got one you don’t need one – but I mean is there something more than that? Is it because you’re having fun with your go-cart track? [Editor’s Note: Whitford is a part owner of a seriously cool indoor go-cart racetrack in Boston, Massachuesetts. Check it out at F1Boston.com ]

Whitford: Well, I like my home to be my home. I don’t really want to bring the music business too much into where I live. In the past few years I just don’t do that much recording at home. 

More Cool Stuff Related to Aerosmith and Rock Guitar:

       
 

101 Guitar Tips: Stuff All The Pros Know And Use Including tips from B.B. King, Joe Satriani, the Allman Brothers, and more. Comes with a one-hour instructional CD. Click for more info…

Blues Rock Guitar Soloing DVD This DVD features top-rated session player Mat Gurminator Gurman teaching one of the most important music lessons you will ever take, regardless of the style you play. Mat demonstrates the art of phrasing – the key to all improvised music. He teaches how to get the music out of your head and into your playing, so your solos make sense. He tells how to get a great blues rock tone and demonstrates soloing in the styles of Carlos Santana, Jimi Hendrix, Keith Richards, Billy Gibbons, Stevie Ray Vaughan, Eric Clapton and Robben Ford. He also shows how to apply the blues scale to almost any style of music when you solo. Packed with licks and practice ideas, this DVD will help you develop your ear and continue to improve your soloing for months and years to come. Includes a lesson booklet showing examples in notation and tablature. 46 minutes.

Classic Rock The Definitive Guitar Collection Recorded Version 45 timeless rock songs transcribed in standard notation and tab. Includes huge hits by everyone from Aerosmith to Zeppelin, such as: American Woman · Badge · Crazy Little Thing Called Love · Gloria · I Love Rock ‘N Roll · Iron Man · Jessica · Let It Ride · Maggie May · Owner of a Lonely Heart · Rock and Roll All Nite · Shakedown · Shattered · The Story in Your Eyes · (So) Tired of Waiting for You · Walk This Way · You Really Got Me · You Shook Me · and more! 328 pages.

50 Licks Rock Style DVD Musicians Institute instructor Tom Kolb teaches licks in the styles of rock guitar masters such as Jimmy Page, Eric Clapton, Jeff Beck, Eric Johnson, the Allman Brothers, Keith Richards, Chuck Berry, Stevie Ray Vaughan, Joe Satriani, Billy Gibbons, Dave Navarro, Mark Knopfler, and other great players! He explains how to apply the licks over certain chords or progressions, and covers techniques such as hammer-ons, pull-offs, slides, vibrato, bends, octaves, harmonics, whammy bar, double stops, sequencing of scales, intervallic licks, arpeggios, and many more. Includes a helpful instructional booklet. 60 minutes.

Related Links

Aerosmith.com 

RockChops.com 

BluesLessons.com

JazzGurus.com 

LogicalLeadGuitar.com 

Click Here to Slow Down The Music You’re Trying to Learn without changing the pitch, with Song Surgeon!

*****************************
Parts of this interview may have previously appeared on or in the following publications: Guitar.com, Musician.com, Guitar World, Guitar Edge, Guitar, Guitar Shop, Guitar World Acoustic, Frets, Bass Player, Maximum Guitar, Los Angeles Daily News, Fender Frontline Magazine, MusiciansFriend.com or any of the other 50 or 60 publications I’ve written for since the mid-’80s. But hey, I wrote it, and this is my archive — Adam