Aerosmith To Kramer: ‘Dream On’
• A Massachusetts court has ruled that Aerosmith drummer and founding member Joey Kramer will not be performing with his bandmates at the MusiCares Person of the Year gala on Friday night or on Sunday’s Grammy Awards. Kramer (second from right) had filed a breach of contract lawsuit against the rest of the band, claiming they had unfairly excluded him from rejoining the group following temporary injuries he suffered last August. Adding in insult to injury, Kramer claims that when he flew to Los Angeles on Jan. 19 in an attempt to rehearse with his bandmates of 50 years, he was barred by security guards from entering the rehearsal space — a situation that was helpfully captured by TMZ cameras.
Kramer’s lawsuit says he had incurred a few minor injuries last spring, which had sidelined him from participating in the band’s Deuces Are Wild Las Vegas residency. The band has been using a substitute drummer. By last fall, Kramer claims, he was ready to rejoin the group, but the suit alleges he was rebuffed in ways that were inconsistent with the terms laid out in Aerosmith’s contract. This included him essentially re-auditioning for the band, something Kramer says was never required when other members had suffered injuries that kept them from the stage.
In a statement to Rolling Stone, Kramer said, “Although I’m extremely disappointed by the Judge’s ruling today, I respect it. I knew filing a lawsuit was a bit of an uphill battle considering that the corporate documents don’t reference any process for a band member returning from an injury or illness,” Kramer said. “However, the band waited until January 15th to tell me that they weren’t letting me play at the awards ceremonies this week. I can hold my head high knowing that I did the right thing — to fight for my right to celebrate the band’s success that I have dedicated the better part of my life to helping build.”
In response to Kramer’s lawsuit, the other members of Aerosmith issued a statement that said there wasn’t enough time for Kramer to adequately rehearse and rejoin the band for the Grammy performances. “Given his decisions he is unfortunately unable to perform, but of course we have invited him to be with us for both the Grammys and our MusiCares honor,” the band said. “We are bonded together by much more than our time on stage.” Kramer replied, “The band’s offer to allow me to participate in this week’s MusiCares and Grammy celebrations for red carpet photo ops only, is appreciated; however, with a fill-in drummer playing on stage at two events honoring our collective musical contributions, it is extremely hurtful to me. I am a professional musician who is eager to return to my rightful place with Aerosmith.”
On that point, there is some daylight — In the court ruling, the judge wrote, “The defendants have expressed a willingness to allow Kramer to return to the residency performances in the spring, following an adequate opportunity for the band to rehearse.” The hometown Boston Globe has more information about this unfortunate situation.
