Photo by Zack Whitford
Listen to the new single "Fortunate One" featuring Chris Robinson of Black Crowes. Sweetzerland Manifesto MKII is out May 26.
The co-founding member, principal songwriter, and co-producer of Aerosmith and Hollywood Vampires, as well as one of the most sought-after guitarists of all time, Joe Perry is also excited to share news of the May 26 release of his new album Sweetzerland Manifesto MKII via Roman Records. Listen to "Fortunate One"
The album will be made available via all DSPs as well as on vinyl which was not the case when he dropped Sweetzerland Manifesto in 2018. The new LP includes six new tracks and alternate vocal appearances and mixes from the earlier version. “We had so many songs and with everything going on with The Vampires, Aerosmith, COVID, not touring, and touring, this music kept riding along for me,” Joe notes. “It was like the engine of a train that wasn’t going to stop. I’d wanted to put these songs out, and the idea of adding them to a vinyl release or Deluxe Version turned into doing MKII. I tend to think in terms of albums. The first one had a vibe, and MKII is a little more rocked out. I almost prefer it. It’s one of those records I can play from front-to-back live.“
Sweetzerland Manifesto MKII serves as the companion and spiritual successor to the original Sweetzerland Manifesto. Joe wrote and recorded the bulk of the material for both versions at the Los Angeles home of fellow “Vampire” Johnny Depp back in 2017. During a few months at “Sweetzerland,” he experienced a groundswell of creativity and welcomed various collaborators into the fold, including vocals courtesy of David Johansen (New York Dolls, Buster Poindexter), Robin Zander (Cheap Trick), and Terry Reid. Johnny served as Executive Producer, while Aerosmith’s go-to producer Jack Douglas, Bruce Witkin, and Joe’s sons Tony and Roman also contributed to production.
Track List
SIDE A
- Fortunate One - Features Chris Robinson (The Black Crowes) and Robert DeLeo (Stone Temple Pilots)
- Quake - Features Gary Cherone (Extreme/Van Halen)
- I’ll Do Happiness - Features Terry Reid
- Aye Aye Aye - Featuring Robin Zander (Cheap Trick)
- Man with a Golden Arm - Instrumental
- Time Will Tell
SIDE B
- I I Wanna Roll - Featuring David Johanson (NY Dolls)
- Suck It Up - Featuring Robin Zander (Cheap Trick) and Robert DeLeo (Stone Temple Pilots)
- Goes His Own Way - Featuring Terry Reid
- Won’t Let Me Go - Featuring Terry Reid
The Joe Perry Project Tour Dates
4/15/23 - Foxwoods Resort Casino - Mashantucket, CT
4/16/23 - Citizens House of Blues - Boston, MA
4/18/23 - Webster Hall - New York, NY
4/20/23 - Des Plaines Theatre - Des Plaines, IL
4/21/23 - Arcada Theatre - St. Charles, IL
4/22/23 - Crofoot Ballroom - Pontiac, MI
The emerging parts market in the ’80s, a luthier friend, and a cousin who studied acoustic engineering helped this bassist create a one-of-a-kind instrument.
I wanted to build something different that would take advantage of the emerging parts market that was becoming available to players and that would also accommodate my playing needs. My neighbor was a carpenter, so I built the body and the electronics cavity cover from a piece of wood in his shop. I don’t recall what kind of wood I used, but I remember there were no knots, and the grain was very tight. The neck was from Philip Kubicki. The bridge is one of the first issues of the Kahler bass tremolo. The pickups are an original first-year set of EMG active PJs. The tuning keys are from Schaller. It has an original Hipshot D’Tuner and a Fathead attached to the back of the headstock for added sustain. I did the paint job ... I know ... it was the ’80s.
This bass was the prototype for a guitar that Drew built the following year that would eventually become the Guild Blade Runner. The Blade Runner is the guitar most people recognize Joe Perry playing in the Aerosmith/Run DMC “Walk This Way” video.
It sounds incredible and plays like a dream. The holes were strategically placed. My cousin was an acoustic engineer, and he made some suggestions as to where to make the holes based on the properties of the wood and acoustic instruments he’d studied. While it looks like an ’80s trainwreck, it has amazing unplugged resonance, tone, and sustain. I’ve never played another electric bass that resonates like this one. I’ve used it on jazz gigs as it can sing like a Jazz bass, it can give you the illusion of an acoustic bass once you dial it in, it’s great for soul and R&B, and it’s ferocious for hard rock and metal. It saw a lot of action in its day and, unfortunately, suffered some damage from a 15-foot fall off a stage.
While it looks like an ’80s trainwreck, it has amazing unplugged resonance, tone, and sustain.
When Drew made the Blade Runner for Joe Perry, he followed many of my cousin’s suggestions and a lot of what went into this bass to determine where to make the holes in the Blade Runner body. If you’ve ever played a Blade Runner or talk to anyone who has, they’ll tell you it’s an incredibly loud guitar unplugged and has endless sustain. The cuts weren’t random: There was a lot of thought and science that went into how it was done.
Send your guitar story to submissions@premierguitar.com.