Forbes caught up with Aerosmith guitarist Joe Perry at NAMM 2017 in Anaheim, CA.

Perry talked about doing outside projects like Hollywood Vampires and if those other outlets give him a new appreciation for his main band when taking a break:

“Aerosmith is like a ship, to steer it, to make it move, it’s a big deal. There’s five of us and it’s always been a democracy, so very often it’s not as fast on its feet as an outfit like the Vampires. At the drop of a hat, somebody says there’s a gig tomorrow night, we can be there and that’s one of the great things about that band. Not only is everybody road dogs and we’ve all done it we do what matters and that’s the music. And the rest of it will work itself out. And it’s totally a different thing than in Aerosmith, where there are so many things, there are riders and all this other crap. But hey, there’s a certain amount of comfort you want if you’re gonna be able to be consistent in your performance.”

Perry is pictured below after being presented with the Les Paul Award at 32nd Annual NAMM TEC Awards on Saturday, January 23rd.

Perry was presented with the prestigious honour by his Hollywood Vampires bandmate Johnny Depp, who said Perry was "his hero" and "the reason I picked up the guitar in the first place."

The two were joined by Aerosmith guitarist Brad Whitford, Robert DeLeo (Hollywood Vampires, Stone Temple Pilots) and Glen Sobel (Alice Cooper) for a three-song set - “Boogie Man”, "Combination" and "Walk This Way" - before Perry’s Hollywood Vampires partner Alice Cooper joined in on "Train Kept A Rollin" and "Sweet Emotion”.

The annual Les Paul Award is given on behalf of the Les Paul Foundation and honors individuals that have set the highest standards of excellence in the creative application of recording technology in the spirit of the famed audio pioneer, inventor and musician, Les Paul. Perry was honoured alongside famed Aerosmith engineer and producer Jack Douglas, who was inducted into the NAMM TEC Hall of Fame (which was created nearly thirty years ago to honour pioneers of audio technology, as well as the music industry's most accomplished producers and audio technicians) earlier in the evening.

(Photo - Zack Whitford)