While Steven Tyler was out fulfilling his country & western fantasies and Joe Perry vamped it up with the Hollywood Vampires, Aerosmith guitarist Brad Whitford reunited with his old mate Derek St. Holmes and finally recorded the follow up to 1981`s Whitford St.Holmes album. Metal Express Radio's Mick Burgess sat down with Whitford to talk about his new album, Reunion, why he left Aerosmith in the early '80s, and what the future holds for Aerosmith. An excerpt from the in-depth interview is available below.

Q: There`s been talk of a final Aerosmith tour next year. Is this true or is it just paper talk?

Whitford: "We really are calling it the Farewell Tour but it`s going to probably take us between the next 3 to 5 years as we plan on touring The States, South America, Europe and Japan and wherever else, so it`s going to take a while."

Q: It`s been quite a while since you toured the UK and played outside of London. Do you hope to play more extensively in Europe again soon?

Whitford: "I certainly do but whether that happens or not remains to be seen. It would be great to play around other cities instead of just one festival in London."

Q: Your last album, Music From Another Dimension, came out in 2012 and that was your first all new studio album in 11 years. Will this be your last album or do you have another one inside you?

Whitford: "We're at the talking stage of doing some more music. It`s quite hard right now as Steven is out on the road with his band. We had a talk a few weeks back about going into the studio. When that`ll happen, though, I`m not sure. We certainly have plenty of ideas."

Q: You wrote some of Aerosmith`s great classics like "Last Child", "Nobody`s Fault" and "Kings And Queens". Do you think that you had a fair crack at getting your songs on the records or did you tend to write less that Steven and Joe?

Whitford: "It`s very difficult to get your ideas forward and get stuff done in the context of Aerosmith. It`s very political and I don`t like to work like that.  It was always too difficult getting my ideas heard and used. I don`t want to do that, I don`t want to have to fight to get my music done. The whole thing just goes away from me and I`m not really interested. I tend to go along with it and say go on, just do what you want to do. I`m not going to fight for it.  I`m very proud of those songs that have been used."

Go to this location for the complete interview.

In a new interview with Billboard, Aerosmith frontman Steven Tyler discusses the honor of receiving the United Nations Humanitarian Award for his work with the non-profit organization Janie’s Fund, which helps young women who are victims of abuse.

He also looks ahead to 2017, which includes more touring with Aerosmith. While some reports suggest the band may retire, Tyler has a different take.

“The European tour is booked, locked and cocked and that’s ready for next summer. And then we’re coming back and we’re doing the rest of the world,” he says. “Farewell? I’m not sure, but truth is, who knows how long we’ll be touring as the original band? I don’t think that needs to be said, I think that we’re all freak of natures and Joe and I were talking on the phone yesterday and he said to me, ‘We have no right being as healthy as we are after what we’ve been through.’ Whether it’s through the abuses of being on tour for 40 years or the abuses of substances or the abuses of life on life’s terms, there’s been a lot of abuse. But we’re both looking pretty damn good for what’s going on.”

Time away from the band, he says, is not necessarily a bad thing. “Aerosmith is something else you’ll never see again. We all love each other, five of us are still alive, every one of us is still playing better than ever - and I’m not just saying that because we just came off a South American tour. Yes, we have ups and downs. But one of the things I’m learning in life is that being away from each other is sometimes the healthiest thing we can do. You know? I dare to say that being away from each other may have saved a few marriages on this planet,” he says.

“The one thing that’s never failed is that when we get back together to rehearse the love is there again and I’ve been closer to Joe now in the last three weeks, in the last two months than I think of in our whole career - short of when we started,” he explains. “But I think we see eye-to-eye on why we got together as a band and what the power of our music does for ourselves first and the rest of the world afterwards.”

Read the complete interview at Billboard.com.

Tour dates:

May
17 - Tel Aviv, Israel - Hayarkon Park
20 - Batumi, Georgia - Black Sea Arena
23 - Moscow, Russia - Olympiski
26 - Munich, Germany - Konigsplatz
30 - Berlin, Germany - Waldbuhne

June
2 - Krakow, Poland - Tauron Arena
5 - Copenhagen, Denmark - Royal Arena
8 - Solvesborg, Sweden - Sweden Rock Festival
11 - Donington, UK - Download Festival
14 - Dublin, Ireland - 3 Arena  
17 - Clisson, France - Hellfest  
20 - Cologne, Germany - Lanxess Arena  
23 - Florence, Italy - Firenze Rocks Festival
26 - Lisbon, Portugal - Meo Arena
29 - Madrid, Spain - Rivas Auditorio Miguel Rios

July
2 - Barcelona, Spain - Rock Fest Barcelona
5 - Zurich, Switzerland - Hallenstadion