Will there be – could there be – an Aerosmith without Steven Tyler? According to Classic Rock Magazine, the iconic band may be toying with that idea.

In a bombshell report posted yesterday (Nov. 4), Classic Rock intimated that Tyler and the rest of the band may be contemplating going their separate ways. Prior to taking the stage on Sunday for a triumphant set at Abu Dhabi Grand Prix, Tyler told the publication: “Once the band hit the final note and I walk off stage – then I’ll tell you the whole story.”

The publication is saving the “whole story” for their February print issue, but Tyler was further quoted as saying: "I don't know what I'm doing yet, but it's definitely going to be something Steven Tyler: working on the brand of myself – Brand Tyler."

Troubles have been brewing in the band ever since Tyler suffered an accident in a fall on-stage during a tour last year. According to Classic Rock, the handful of Aerosmith shows staged recently have seen Tyler sequestered from the rest of the group.

The magazine further reports that Aerosmith will reconvene in the next couple of weeks – “probably sans Tyler” – to discuss future plans. Such plans could consist of a long hiatus, or of carrying on with a different singer.

Lest anyone think the reportage smacks of tabloid-like hyperbole, the magazine quotes guitarist Brad Whitford as saying: “I’m not sure how good [getting a new lead vocalist] would look, it would largely depend on who we could get and who would want to do it. That’s big shoes to fill.

“Nobody could replace Steven or imitate him – he’s one of a kind. But if somebody was willing to do it and the chemistry was right, why not?”

In a stark bit of irony, U2 fans in Berlin are up in arms over plans by concert organizers to erect a wall that will obstruct viewing of a free show by the band.

The irony stems from the fact that the concert – which will take place in front of Berlin’s Brandenburg Gate on Thursday (Nov. 5) – is being staged to mark the 20^th year since the fall of the Berlin Wall. As reported by Wenn.com, the show is part of the MTV Europe Awards, which also includes a performance by Bon Jovi that same night.

Upon hearing of plans by MTV to construct the wall, a spokesman for Berlin’s city government responded, “I find it rather unfortunate and unusual for organizers of a free concert - particularly one of this nature - to demand such a barrier."

MTV organizers insist the wall is necessary as a safety precaution. “We are asking fans without tickets to watch the concert on television,” an MTV representative said. “The barrier is for security reasons and to contain the crowd, allowing the surrounding shops and restaurants to continue trading."

Ten thousand free tickets to the event were snapped up within hours. It’s anticipated that as many as 100,000 people will gather on the square near the Brandenburg Gate on the night of the show.

Beatles record label EMI has filed suit against BlueBeat.com, accusing the website of copyright infringement. As reported by Reuters, BlueBeat.com gained notoriety late last week after it began selling downloads of music by the Fab Four.

Bluebeat offers downloads for 25 cents each, a figure roughly one-fourth the typical price charged by the dominant online music retailer, iTunes. Custodians of the Beatles catalog – including Paul McCartney and Ringo Starr – have yet to agree to make any Beatles music available as digital downloads.

McCartney said recently that contractual issues between the band and EMI are holding back plans to make the Beatles music available on iTunes. It’s anticipated that other major labels will file suit against BlueBeat.com, in the wake of the EMI action.

“The Classic Rock Awards was attended by the biggest assemblage of R&R legends imaginable, unbelievable.”

That was Slash’s appraisal of the annual Classic Rock Roll Of Honour Awards, which took place on Monday at the Park Lane Hotel in London.

Rolling Stones guitarist Ronnie Wood won the outstanding contribution gong at the shindig thrown by Classic Rock magazine. "It means a lot," he said. "It's about time - I've never had one just for myself."

Among the other winners at the ceremony were AC/DC, who won album of the year for Black Ice; Iron Maiden for band of the year; and Iggy Pop, who was named a living legend.

Late Led Zeppelin drummer John Bonham and Cream's drummer Ginger Baker were also recognized at the star-studded party.

Anvil frontman Steve "Lips" Kudlow said, "I'm a guy who's worked my whole life for this, and it's the most rewarding moment I've ever had." His band won DVD/film of the year for the warts-and-all documentary Anvil! The Story of Anvil.

Joe Perry, who flew in from an Aerosmith gig in Dubai, was on hand to pick up the classic album award for his band’s 1976 album Rocks. He announced that Aersomith is taking a sabbatical following the show.

"It's indefinite right now," he said. "All I plan to do is tour with the Joe Perry Project every minute that I can."

Rush is poised for a “reinvention,” according to drummer Neil Peart. In a long, philosophical post on his website, the Rush veteran says the current musical environment is similar to that of the 1950s, when individual songs mattered much more than albums. His comments, a portion of which are re-printed below, intimate that Rush’s work going forward will likely make accommodations toward that new reality. To read the post in its entirety, click here.

“In this autumn of 2009, the three of us are poised on another kind of ‘reinvention.’ We have agreed to meet in Los Angeles in November, and discuss our future. We learned many years ago that when we finish one long project—like a two-year tour following a year or so of writing and recording for Snakes and Arrows—we don’t make any further plans for a while. It’s good to feel truly free for a time, and to clear your mind to focus on what you’d really like to do next.

“Of course, these are parlous times in the music business, so our time-honored pattern of touring, recording, and touring is no longer the obvious way to do things. The music world—or at least the business of it—is very different now, even since 2006, when we began work on Snakes and Arrows. The importance of ‘the album’ is not what it was, and there is currently a reversion to a musical climate rather like the 1950s, when only ‘the song’ matters. Radio, downloads, and ‘shuffle’ settings are inimical to collected works. Because of that reality, record company advances that used to pay for album projects are a thing of the past, so if that was what we wanted to do, we’d be on our own.”

Iggy Pop says he and the Stooges will be doing “some real touring” in 2010. In an interview with London’s BBC, the punk icon also said the spirit of late Stooges guitarist Ron Asheton – who died after suffering a heart attack earlier this year – “still lives on” with the band.

“We’re all very sorry about Ron,” Pop said. “His spirit within the group remains with the rest of us and he is still a presence within the group without being on the physical plain.”

The tour will reunite the Stooges with guitarist James Williamson, who assumed lead guitar duties in 1973 for the group’s seminal Raw Power album. (Asheton played bass on the album.) The current Stooges lineup also features original drummer Scott Asheton and Minuteman bassist Mike Watt.

“The band have been rehearsing more without me than with me because I’ve been doing other things this year,” Pop said. “”But we have been rehearsing all together more recently. We’re going to be doing a one-off show in Brazil in a few weeks ….”

The Stooges will reportedly play Raw Power in its entirety at next year’s All Tomorrow’s Parties Festival in London. Pop, who turned 62 in April, says that from the start he was in rock and roll for the long haul.

“Once I set out not to go to school and go into music instead I always thought this is what I’m doing with my life now,” he told the BBC. “I never thought, ‘Hey, this is a youth market so by the time I’m 24 I’d better have my first three million dollars’ … I knew it was going to be tough.”

Slayer has postponed its “Canadian Carnage” tour with Megadeth, due to kick off on November 8, after the group’s 48-year-old vocalist Tom Araya required emergency back surgery in Texas on Tuesday.

On its MySpace blog, the heavy metal band also announced they would have to reschedule its Wednesday appearance on “Jimmy Kimmel Live.”

“What is foremost in our minds right now is that Tom do whatever he needs to to get this taken care of,” said Slayer’s Kerry King. “While all four of us are disappointed that we won’t be able to see through all of our commitments set for the next few weeks, the most important thing is Tom’s health. We thank the fans in Canada and here in L.A., the Megadeth camp, and everyone associated with ‘Jimmy Kimmel Live’ for their understanding. We look forward to seeing you all soon.”

Araya’s back injury is believed to be related to his onstage performance.

King, Jeff Hanneman and Dave Lombardo will still make an in-store appearance on Wednesday at a Los Angeles Hot Topic store to sign copies of Slayer’s new album, World Painted Blood.

No makeup dates have been announced for the postponed tour but Megadeth frontman Dave Mustaine said, “Canadian Carnage is going to be rescheduled and you can probably count on that being somewhere around the new year."

Skiers have another reason to celebrate the opening of this season. The Gibson Guitar Corporation has teamed with Marker Völkl USA to produce a series of unique electric guitars reflecting the feel, graphic elements and quality performance of the distributor of Völkl skis and Marker bindings.

Völkl’s newly redesigned Gotama ski model serves as the inspiration for a black Les Paul Custom, while Marker’s “Rule The Mountain” slogan blazes across the Flying V model.

"We're incredibly proud to be associated with Gibson," said Chris Adams, Marker Völkl’s promotions director. "Their craftsmanship has always set the benchmark in quality, so to partner with them on one-of-a-kind instruments is really exciting, especially because the guitars will ultimately help some good causes."

The themed guitars are currently in production at Gibson’s Custom Shop in Nashville, Tennessee. They will be on display through the winter and then go up for auction following the SIA Show in January.

Proceeds from the Gotama Les Paul auction will support Protect Our Winters, an organization of Snowsports athletes and industry professionals dedicated to raising awareness of climate change.

Proceeds from the Marker Flying V auction will go to the family of Shane McConkey, a professional skier who suffered a fatal accident in March.

"We`re thrilled to be partnering with Völkl and we`re grateful for the opportunity to raise contributions for POW with it", said Jeremy Jones, founder of POW. “The money raised will be re-directed toward a number of climate change initiatives we’re supporting this year.”

Fans can get a glimpse of the finished product at www.volkl.com, www.markerusa.com, or right here at www.gibson.com.

Details about the auction will be available Nov. 1.

"These guitars are stunning," said Gibson CEO Henry Juszkiewicz "We know there has always been a strong association between music and skiing, particularly in the ski films, so to be part of this with another top tier manufacturer like Marker Völkl is very exciting for us."

The prospect of a new Norah Jones album just got a lot cooler thanks to news that tracks from the adult-contemporary singer’s latest, The Fall, (due Nov. 17) would arrive with some big-name remixes. 

“With the way things are nowadays in the record business, every outlet wants extra content,” Jones tells Entertainment Weekly. “So we decided to have people I admire do some remixes. The Beasties Boys did one, and Beck, and Santigold.

She adds, “I love Santigold. There are elements in her record that inspired me to try little things here and there. Some of her songs are great pop songs, but they have all these cool instruments on them and they sound kind of organic even though they’re electronic. Those were the kind of sounds I was going for on my album.”

The singer confided that she had initially hoped that Beck would produce the album but ultimately settled on Jacquire King, best known for his work with Tom Waits and Kings of Leon.

As if that wasn’t cool enough, the first video from the album for the surprisingly upbeat single “Chasing Pirates” features a sweet nautical theme.

Check it out for yourself.

Last week, Guns N’ Roses announced it would finally hit the road in support of 17-years-in-the-making Chinese Democracy – a mere year after the album was actually released.

Now we get word on the support acts for the trek, which so far only includes 13 confirmed dates in Canada. According to Live Nation, GNR will be touring with the support of former Skid Row frontman Sebastian Bach and three-piece Canuck band Danko Jones.

Bach is an old friend of the band’s, having opened several dates for them in 2006 and frequently jumping onstage to sing help Axl Rose sing "My Michelle."

The VH1 reality show star also contributed backing vocals on the Chinese Democracy track "Sorry,” while Rose sang on three tracks from Bach's last solo release, 2007’s Angel Down , including a cover of Aerosmith's “Back in the Saddle.”

Guns N’ Roses Canadian Tour Dates:

Jan. 13 - Winnipeg, MB - MTS Centre
Jan. 16 - Calgary, AB - Pengrowth Saddledome
Jan. 17 - Edmonton, AB - Rexall Place
Jan. 19 - Saskatoon, SK - Credit Union Centre
Jan. 20 - Regina, SK - Brandt Centre
Jan. 24 - Hamilton, ON - Copps Coliseum
Jan. 25 - London, ON - John Labatt Centre
Jan. 27 - Montreal, PQ - Bell Centre
Jan. 28 - Toronto, ON - Air Canada Centre
Jan. 31 - Ottawa, ON - Scotiabank Place
Feb. 01 - Quebec City, PQ - Colisee Pepsi
Feb. 03 - Moncton, NB - Moncton Coliseum
Feb. 04 - Halifax, NS - Metro Centre