New Documentary Explores Steven Tyler at 70

Steven Tyler, who turned 70 March 26, is the subject of a new documentary that premiered at the Nashville Film Festival May 10.

Steven Tyler: Out on a Limb is a tribute to a man that director Casey Tebo describes as “like this awesome super famous crazy uncle.” It’s also a love song to Nashville, the musical mecca where Tyler relocated to launch a solo career as a country artist. “Thank you, God, for this town, for the energy that lives in this town,” Tyler says in the film.

One might wonder what is left to say about this ubiquitous celeb, the  front man  of Aerosmith, one of America’s most successful rock bands. In the 95-minute documentary, a bunch of musicians who’ve known Tyler through the decades  say  nice things about his “passion for life,” his refusal to be pigeonholed and his kindnesses.

But fans will be more interested in what Tyler himself has to say at this point in his life: Take risks. Give appreciations. Stay passionate.

“People would rather be certain they’re miserable than take a risk and be happy,” he observes.

The film shows an artist still hard at work, writing songs and performing with the Loving Mary Band, an immensely talented group that features women on drums, bass, fiddle, harmonica and rich backing vocals. Most of the concert footage from a performance at Nashville’s historic Ryman Auditorium features songs from Tyler’s 2016 country debut, We’re All Somebody From Somewhere.

Not as much  genre bending  as you might think, Tyler points out. There are country aspects to the Aerosmith songbook, most evident when the new band covers “What It Takes.” In performance, the band lets everyone know who’s in charge by starting their set with Aerosmith’s “Sweet Emotion.” 

Tyler can’t turn around without singing “Dream On,” a song about getting old he wrote when he was barely drinking age. Rearranged with a fiddle, where a guitar used to be, and mandolin, the strength of the song is not only intact but enhanced. Rearranged around different instruments, backed by a choir of female voices, the Aerosmith classic moves from the arena to church.

This new collaboration, enriched by the total-immersion musical vibe that is Nashville, allows Tyler to continue his musical journey at a time, as one interview observes, he could be sitting on an island somewhere.