July 2009 Archives

Clarence Yu If you’ve ever listened to the funky groove of Aerosmith’s “Walk This Way” or the powerful percussion of “Sweet Emotion,” then you’ve heard Joey Kramer.  Aerosmith’s legendary drummer has been with the Boston Bad Boys for the past 39 years since their inception in early 1970. Though you’ve heard Joey Kramer play, you might not have heard him as much as the Toxic Twins Steven Tyler and Joe Perry.  Being a member of the “Lesser Known Three” with guitarist Brad Whitford and bassist Tom Hamilton, Joey has always let his musicality do the talking.   Now, Kramer has decided to tell his own story in his new book, Hit Hard: A Story of Hitting Rock Bottom at the Top. In the book, Joey reveals his own personal battles with drugs and alcohol, and how he kicked his addictions, only to find out that he had many more battles to fight.  Most interesting is the little known (to casual Aerosmith fans) story of Joey’s bout with depression and anxiety, most notable during the death of his father in 1997 when Aerosmith was recording their Nine Lives album.  Caught up in a nervous breakdown, Joey had to take a break during the recording, forcing the band to hire session drummer Steve Ferrone to play on the demos.  Joey eventually recovered to record the album and tour again with Aerosmith. “Not long after I had my breakdown, I was back on the Rock and Roll trail again,” Kramer states.  “And during an interview, I chose to be forthcoming on my battle with depression and anxiety. Shortly thereafter, there was an overwhelming response from people thanking me.  And if my story can help even one person, then the four years I’ve spent writing this book was well worth the effort.” More than just a rock and roll memoir, Kramer says that Hit Hard is a book about “life, about hitting rock bottom while my band was on the top of the world.”  Hit Hard went on sale last June 30.