Stone Temple Pilots -- Redux Part II
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Stone Temple Pilots -- Redux Part II
On to their third frontman...
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"It's Stone Temple Pilots time again," says Robert DeLeo, and judging by the band's gig at the Troubadour on Tuesday night, indeed it is. The long-running rock outfit, which also includes guitarist (and Robert's older brother) Dean DeLeo and drummer Eric Kretz, used the small, invite-only event at the legendary West Hollywood club as an opportunity to unveil new singer Jeff Gutt, who beat out roughly 15,000 hopefuls during an extended search that began more than a year ago. Gutt, a 41-year-old Michigan native who logged time in the early-2000s nu-metal act Dry Cell, among other bands, and more recently was a contestant on The X Factor, comes to the position having to fill some fairly large shoes – singing songs first made famous by original Stone Temple Pilots frontman Scott Weiland and that in more recent years had been interpreted by Weiland's replacement, Linkin Park's Chester Bennington.
Ahead of a 25th-anniversary reissue, brothers Dean and Robert DeLeo and drummer Eric Kretz share the stories behind every song on their smash debut
When it came to finding someone to follow in those singers' footsteps, Dean says, "We were not willing to settle. I mean, dude, think of the criteria that had to be filled here. You know, this is STP, man. So we would not settle. The fans deserve more than that."
And Dean believes they have found a winner in Gutt, who came onto their radar rather late in their search. According to the guitarist, "He was one of the last guys we saw, in the last two days of auditions. And that was just over a year ago – September of 2016."
He continues, "Jeff wasn't even part of the singer submissions. But Robert happened to be playing a gig with the Hollywood Vampires in Michigan and somebody came backstage after the show and approached him and said, 'You should check this guy out. He's a local guy.' And Robert called me the next morning and was like, 'Hey, man ...'"
Just a few months later, Gutt was the new singer of Stone Temple Pilots. But first, there was the audition process. After paring down the initial 15,000 or so submissions to under 50 hopefuls, the band set up shop at a recording and rehearsal studio and brought in each candidate to jam on some STP tunes. "We did a week of auditions over at Studio 606 in the Valley," Kretz says. "Three people a day, seven songs with each guy. And the songs we gave people had a really big range, from something like 'Interstate Love Song,' which is not a hard-hitting one to sing, to things like 'Dead & Bloated.'"
"These poor guys," Dean adds with a laugh. "It went from 'Big Empty' to 'Piece of Pie,' where you've gotta get up to an A, to 'Trippin' on a Hole in a Paper Heart,' which is a mouthful."
"But Jeff came in and did a fantastic job," Kretz says.
Recalls Gutt, "I came in and I picked the hardest song first, which was 'Piece of Pie.' There's not a lot of space to breathe in that song. But I figured, 'If I get past this one I'll be good.' And one thing I remember is that the microphone was turned up really loud from the guy before me, and when I grabbed it the monitors just started screaming. It was pretty insane."
For Gutt, it was also surreal. "I was probably 16 or 17 when Core came out," he says, "and I just remember how Scott could cater to the song and create these characters. That blew me away. I was really studying singers at the time and Scott was at the top of the list. So walking in on that first day, it was crazy. I mean, you have dreams about things like this. I still feel a little Mark Wahlberg–ish."
"You know," adds Dean, "Mr. Weiland paved quite a way. Because not just anybody can sing this catalog. You need someone who really knows how to sing. And Jeff kind of has it all, man. He has that baritone, and he's also able to get into that tenor world. He's a real singer."
But while Gutt has proven more than capable of tackling the classic material, the band members also stress he wasn't brought in solely to lead a nostalgia trip. In fact, by the time STP welcomed Gutt onboard, the band was already several songs deep into new material. And as much as they wanted to find a singer, they also wanted a collaborator.
"Most of the time we've spent together has been in writing new material," Kretz says. "And Jeff was taking the new songs and coming up with stuff right away. To use a baseball analogy, we kept throwing fastballs at him and he just kept hitting 'em. It was pretty exciting."
"The first time [we got together], we went to Robert's house and we brought Jeff down and he was just singing these melodies," Dean recalls. "And I think he did all six songs that first day. That's a lot of songs. Like, wow, man."
Among those songs is "Meadow," a churning hard rocker that Rolling Stone is premiering today. "That was one of the ones that came earlier on in the process," Gutt says. "It was one of the first songs we did." Adds Kretz, "It sounds like STP. It has all the elements. It's modern but still has that classic sound. So it kind of jumped out at us as a good representation."
And there's a lot more to come. The band recently wrapped recording on their seventh full-length studio album and first since 2010 (they also released an EP, High Rise, with Bennington in 2013). The new effort, as yet untitled, was produced by the band members themselves and is currently being mixed by Failure's Ken Andrews for a spring 2018 release.
For Kretz and the DeLeos, the road to this moment has been a long one, filled with inconceivable triumph and tragedy. Their debut, Core, remains one of the pillars of the early-Nineties alt-rock and grunge boom, selling more than 8 million copies to date, and the 1994 follow-up, Purple, debuted at Number One and moved another 6 million units. Throughout the rest of the decade the band racked up a string of hit singles and sold-out tours. All the while, they slowly began to disintegrate from the inside out, as Weiland grappled with an ongoing drug addiction that led to arrests and extended hiatuses from the band.
After splitting with the singer for good in 2013, they picked up the pieces and regrouped with Bennington. "That really injected us with exactly what we needed at the time," Dean says. "Because we were at a low point, man." Then, in December of 2015, Weiland, still estranged from his former band, was found dead on his tour bus from an accidental drug overdose; by that time, Bennington had left STP as well, albeit on friendly terms, in order to focus primarily on Linkin Park. In July of this year, the 41-year-old Bennington took his own life while at home in California.
It's clear from speaking with the surviving members that they're still raw in regard to the losses of their two previous singers. And the audition process only served to heighten some of those emotions. Hearing so many hopefuls attempting to tackle the old material, Dean says, was a "reminder of the brilliance of Scott." When asked about Bennington, he can only add, "That guy was an angel, man. Just an angel."
"Having two people that we've intimately shared so much with, and knowing they're gone, it's sad," Robert says. "It's very sad. It's not the way that I thought things were going to go in life."
In Kretz's estimation, one way to honor Weiland and Bennington's memories is by playing the music they made together, but another is with the music that is still to come. "I think it was important to us that we have a lot of new material going forward, in order to make it real again," he says. "Because if it was just about chasing the catalog, that would be the easy way to go. There wouldn't be much substance to that. The fact that we recorded all these new songs, it ties into helping us heal from the losses of Scott and Chester. Because the catalog will always be there. But if the new music really excites us and excites the fans it has much more of a meaning as far as honoring what Scott and Chester brought to this as well."
Furthermore, when it comes down to it, Robert says, "I think there's still Stone Temple Pilots music to be made. And between Dean and Eric and myself, we know each other so well at this point that it's the kind of thing where, when you're away from it, you don't really think about it. But then when you play together you regain a certain respect for what each one of us does individually, and as a trio musically. That thankful attitude and the gratitude toward being able to make music together is really a special thing."
He continues. "We're not gonna be around forever, you know? So we just want to be making music. And we want Jeff to be a part of that."
Ahead of a 25th-anniversary reissue, brothers Dean and Robert DeLeo and drummer Eric Kretz share the stories behind every song on their smash debut
When it came to finding someone to follow in those singers' footsteps, Dean says, "We were not willing to settle. I mean, dude, think of the criteria that had to be filled here. You know, this is STP, man. So we would not settle. The fans deserve more than that."
And Dean believes they have found a winner in Gutt, who came onto their radar rather late in their search. According to the guitarist, "He was one of the last guys we saw, in the last two days of auditions. And that was just over a year ago – September of 2016."
He continues, "Jeff wasn't even part of the singer submissions. But Robert happened to be playing a gig with the Hollywood Vampires in Michigan and somebody came backstage after the show and approached him and said, 'You should check this guy out. He's a local guy.' And Robert called me the next morning and was like, 'Hey, man ...'"
Just a few months later, Gutt was the new singer of Stone Temple Pilots. But first, there was the audition process. After paring down the initial 15,000 or so submissions to under 50 hopefuls, the band set up shop at a recording and rehearsal studio and brought in each candidate to jam on some STP tunes. "We did a week of auditions over at Studio 606 in the Valley," Kretz says. "Three people a day, seven songs with each guy. And the songs we gave people had a really big range, from something like 'Interstate Love Song,' which is not a hard-hitting one to sing, to things like 'Dead & Bloated.'"
"These poor guys," Dean adds with a laugh. "It went from 'Big Empty' to 'Piece of Pie,' where you've gotta get up to an A, to 'Trippin' on a Hole in a Paper Heart,' which is a mouthful."
"But Jeff came in and did a fantastic job," Kretz says.
Recalls Gutt, "I came in and I picked the hardest song first, which was 'Piece of Pie.' There's not a lot of space to breathe in that song. But I figured, 'If I get past this one I'll be good.' And one thing I remember is that the microphone was turned up really loud from the guy before me, and when I grabbed it the monitors just started screaming. It was pretty insane."
For Gutt, it was also surreal. "I was probably 16 or 17 when Core came out," he says, "and I just remember how Scott could cater to the song and create these characters. That blew me away. I was really studying singers at the time and Scott was at the top of the list. So walking in on that first day, it was crazy. I mean, you have dreams about things like this. I still feel a little Mark Wahlberg–ish."
"You know," adds Dean, "Mr. Weiland paved quite a way. Because not just anybody can sing this catalog. You need someone who really knows how to sing. And Jeff kind of has it all, man. He has that baritone, and he's also able to get into that tenor world. He's a real singer."
But while Gutt has proven more than capable of tackling the classic material, the band members also stress he wasn't brought in solely to lead a nostalgia trip. In fact, by the time STP welcomed Gutt onboard, the band was already several songs deep into new material. And as much as they wanted to find a singer, they also wanted a collaborator.
"Most of the time we've spent together has been in writing new material," Kretz says. "And Jeff was taking the new songs and coming up with stuff right away. To use a baseball analogy, we kept throwing fastballs at him and he just kept hitting 'em. It was pretty exciting."
"The first time [we got together], we went to Robert's house and we brought Jeff down and he was just singing these melodies," Dean recalls. "And I think he did all six songs that first day. That's a lot of songs. Like, wow, man."
Among those songs is "Meadow," a churning hard rocker that Rolling Stone is premiering today. "That was one of the ones that came earlier on in the process," Gutt says. "It was one of the first songs we did." Adds Kretz, "It sounds like STP. It has all the elements. It's modern but still has that classic sound. So it kind of jumped out at us as a good representation."
And there's a lot more to come. The band recently wrapped recording on their seventh full-length studio album and first since 2010 (they also released an EP, High Rise, with Bennington in 2013). The new effort, as yet untitled, was produced by the band members themselves and is currently being mixed by Failure's Ken Andrews for a spring 2018 release.
For Kretz and the DeLeos, the road to this moment has been a long one, filled with inconceivable triumph and tragedy. Their debut, Core, remains one of the pillars of the early-Nineties alt-rock and grunge boom, selling more than 8 million copies to date, and the 1994 follow-up, Purple, debuted at Number One and moved another 6 million units. Throughout the rest of the decade the band racked up a string of hit singles and sold-out tours. All the while, they slowly began to disintegrate from the inside out, as Weiland grappled with an ongoing drug addiction that led to arrests and extended hiatuses from the band.
After splitting with the singer for good in 2013, they picked up the pieces and regrouped with Bennington. "That really injected us with exactly what we needed at the time," Dean says. "Because we were at a low point, man." Then, in December of 2015, Weiland, still estranged from his former band, was found dead on his tour bus from an accidental drug overdose; by that time, Bennington had left STP as well, albeit on friendly terms, in order to focus primarily on Linkin Park. In July of this year, the 41-year-old Bennington took his own life while at home in California.
It's clear from speaking with the surviving members that they're still raw in regard to the losses of their two previous singers. And the audition process only served to heighten some of those emotions. Hearing so many hopefuls attempting to tackle the old material, Dean says, was a "reminder of the brilliance of Scott." When asked about Bennington, he can only add, "That guy was an angel, man. Just an angel."
"Having two people that we've intimately shared so much with, and knowing they're gone, it's sad," Robert says. "It's very sad. It's not the way that I thought things were going to go in life."
In Kretz's estimation, one way to honor Weiland and Bennington's memories is by playing the music they made together, but another is with the music that is still to come. "I think it was important to us that we have a lot of new material going forward, in order to make it real again," he says. "Because if it was just about chasing the catalog, that would be the easy way to go. There wouldn't be much substance to that. The fact that we recorded all these new songs, it ties into helping us heal from the losses of Scott and Chester. Because the catalog will always be there. But if the new music really excites us and excites the fans it has much more of a meaning as far as honoring what Scott and Chester brought to this as well."
Furthermore, when it comes down to it, Robert says, "I think there's still Stone Temple Pilots music to be made. And between Dean and Eric and myself, we know each other so well at this point that it's the kind of thing where, when you're away from it, you don't really think about it. But then when you play together you regain a certain respect for what each one of us does individually, and as a trio musically. That thankful attitude and the gratitude toward being able to make music together is really a special thing."
He continues. "We're not gonna be around forever, you know? So we just want to be making music. And we want Jeff to be a part of that."
#3
DVD Talk Platinum Edition
Re: Stone Temple Pilots -- Redux Part II
Listened to a few of the tracks this morning, new guy really seems to fit. Also listened to him singing Interstate Love Song and he sounded spot on. If they happen to roll through Houston I'll be checking them out.
#5
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Thread Starter
#9
DVD Talk Limited Edition
Re: Stone Temple Pilots -- Redux Part II
Did anyone else remember the quote that was in a previous STP thread:
All rubbish, huh?
Two of the names that have been widely circulated among fans are one-time "X Factor" contestant Jeff Gutt and Filipino vocalist John Borja. Gutt was rumored to have rehearsed with the group last May, while Borja recently applied for a U.S. work visa and has hinted at joining the band.
During the Rock 98.9 interview, Robert dismissed Internet speculation about STONE TEMPLE PILOTS' new singer as "all rubbish," with Dean adding: "It's been an opportunity for some people to really do some inappropriate self-promotion, is what I should say, and that's really kind of out of line."
During the Rock 98.9 interview, Robert dismissed Internet speculation about STONE TEMPLE PILOTS' new singer as "all rubbish," with Dean adding: "It's been an opportunity for some people to really do some inappropriate self-promotion, is what I should say, and that's really kind of out of line."
#11
Moderator
Thread Starter
Re: Stone Temple Pilots -- Redux Part II
On March 16th, Stone Temple Pilots will release their first album since 2010. The self-titled release marks their first with new frontman Jeff Gutt.
Stone Temple Pilots collects a total of 12 tracks, including such titles as “Middle of Nowhere”, “Six Eight”, “The Art of Letting Go”, and “Good Shoes”. The initial single, “Meadow”, also appears on the tracklist, as does today’s newly revealed “Roll Me Under”, which can be heard below. It was reportedly one of the first songs written for the record.
“We are thrilled about what lies ahead,” guitarist Dean DeLeo said of the LP in a statement. “The best way for us to honor our past is to keep making new music.” For those unfamiliar, Gutt is the third singer to take on fronting duties. Founding member Scott Weiland led the group from its formation in 1989 until 2013, when he was replaced by Linkin Park’s Chester Bennington. Weiland died in 2015 and Bennington passed away just last summer.
Stone Temple Pilots Tracklist:
01. Middle of Nowhere
02. Guilty
03. Meadow
04. Just a Little Lie
05. Six Eight
06. Thought She’d Be Mine
07. Roll Me Under
08. Never Enough
09. The Art of Letting Go
10. Finest Hour
11. Good Shoes
12. Red & Blues
To coincide with the album news, STP have also expanded their North American tour — their first with Gutt — to include additional dates in May. Of the new shows, the group’s Robert DeLeo noted, “With so much time and experience gone by in life we feel compelled to dig back into a 30-year catalog and really try to reflect and choose what songs haven’t been performed live. We want to give people who have come to see us in the past a chance to hear something they haven’t heard before at previous STP shows. We want to celebrate this time in our lives with our performances.” Grab tickets here.
Stone Temple Pilots 2018 Tour Dates:
03/02 – Santa Clarita, CA @ The Canyon
03/04 – San Diego, CA @ Observatory
03/08 – Pasadena, CA @ The Rose
03/09 – Las Vegas, NV @ House of Blues
03/10 – Phoenix, AZ @ Marquee
03/12 – San Francisco, CA @ Fillmore
03/13 – Sacramento, CA @ Ace of Spades
03/15 – Portland, OR @ Roseland
03/16 – Boise, ID @ Knitting Factory
03/17 – Billings, MT @ Pub Station Ballroom
04/28 – Jacksonville, FL @ Welcome to Rockville
04/29 – Fort Lauderdale, FL @ Fort Rock Festival
05/01 – Atlanta, GA @ Masquerade
05/02 – Knoxville, TN @ The Mill & Mine
05/04 – Charlotte, NC @ Carolina Rebellion
05/05 – Virginia Beach, VA @ FM99 Lunatic Luau 18
05/06 – Wallingford, CT @ The Dome at Oakdale Theatre
05/08 – Stroudsburg, PA @ Sherman Theatre
05/09 – Buffalo, NY @ Town Ballroom
05/11 – Nashville, TN @ Topgolf Live
05/13 – Somerset, WI @ Norther Invasion
05/15 – Sioux City, IA @ Anthem at Hard Rock Hotel & Casino
05/16 – Cedar Rapids, IA @ Club Five
05/17 – Peoria, IL @ WIXO Spring Fling 2018
05/19 – Camden, NJ @ 93.3 WMMR MMRBQ 2018
05/20 – Columbus, OH @ Rock on the Range
05/22 – Chattanooga, TN @ The Signal
05/23 – Memphis, TN @ New Daisy Theatre
05/25 – Pryor, OK @ Rocklahoma Restival
05/27 – Wichita, KS @ Cotillion Ballroom
05/29 – Clive, IA @ 7 Flags Event Center
05/31 – Boulder, CO @ Boulder Theater
06/01 – Lincoln, NE @ Bourbon Theatre
07/14 – Oshkosh, WI @ Rock USA 2018
Stone Temple Pilots collects a total of 12 tracks, including such titles as “Middle of Nowhere”, “Six Eight”, “The Art of Letting Go”, and “Good Shoes”. The initial single, “Meadow”, also appears on the tracklist, as does today’s newly revealed “Roll Me Under”, which can be heard below. It was reportedly one of the first songs written for the record.
“We are thrilled about what lies ahead,” guitarist Dean DeLeo said of the LP in a statement. “The best way for us to honor our past is to keep making new music.” For those unfamiliar, Gutt is the third singer to take on fronting duties. Founding member Scott Weiland led the group from its formation in 1989 until 2013, when he was replaced by Linkin Park’s Chester Bennington. Weiland died in 2015 and Bennington passed away just last summer.
Stone Temple Pilots Tracklist:
01. Middle of Nowhere
02. Guilty
03. Meadow
04. Just a Little Lie
05. Six Eight
06. Thought She’d Be Mine
07. Roll Me Under
08. Never Enough
09. The Art of Letting Go
10. Finest Hour
11. Good Shoes
12. Red & Blues
To coincide with the album news, STP have also expanded their North American tour — their first with Gutt — to include additional dates in May. Of the new shows, the group’s Robert DeLeo noted, “With so much time and experience gone by in life we feel compelled to dig back into a 30-year catalog and really try to reflect and choose what songs haven’t been performed live. We want to give people who have come to see us in the past a chance to hear something they haven’t heard before at previous STP shows. We want to celebrate this time in our lives with our performances.” Grab tickets here.
Stone Temple Pilots 2018 Tour Dates:
03/02 – Santa Clarita, CA @ The Canyon
03/04 – San Diego, CA @ Observatory
03/08 – Pasadena, CA @ The Rose
03/09 – Las Vegas, NV @ House of Blues
03/10 – Phoenix, AZ @ Marquee
03/12 – San Francisco, CA @ Fillmore
03/13 – Sacramento, CA @ Ace of Spades
03/15 – Portland, OR @ Roseland
03/16 – Boise, ID @ Knitting Factory
03/17 – Billings, MT @ Pub Station Ballroom
04/28 – Jacksonville, FL @ Welcome to Rockville
04/29 – Fort Lauderdale, FL @ Fort Rock Festival
05/01 – Atlanta, GA @ Masquerade
05/02 – Knoxville, TN @ The Mill & Mine
05/04 – Charlotte, NC @ Carolina Rebellion
05/05 – Virginia Beach, VA @ FM99 Lunatic Luau 18
05/06 – Wallingford, CT @ The Dome at Oakdale Theatre
05/08 – Stroudsburg, PA @ Sherman Theatre
05/09 – Buffalo, NY @ Town Ballroom
05/11 – Nashville, TN @ Topgolf Live
05/13 – Somerset, WI @ Norther Invasion
05/15 – Sioux City, IA @ Anthem at Hard Rock Hotel & Casino
05/16 – Cedar Rapids, IA @ Club Five
05/17 – Peoria, IL @ WIXO Spring Fling 2018
05/19 – Camden, NJ @ 93.3 WMMR MMRBQ 2018
05/20 – Columbus, OH @ Rock on the Range
05/22 – Chattanooga, TN @ The Signal
05/23 – Memphis, TN @ New Daisy Theatre
05/25 – Pryor, OK @ Rocklahoma Restival
05/27 – Wichita, KS @ Cotillion Ballroom
05/29 – Clive, IA @ 7 Flags Event Center
05/31 – Boulder, CO @ Boulder Theater
06/01 – Lincoln, NE @ Bourbon Theatre
07/14 – Oshkosh, WI @ Rock USA 2018
#12
Moderator
Thread Starter
Re: Stone Temple Pilots -- Redux Part II
New album is out today.
#13
DVD Talk Limited Edition
Re: Stone Temple Pilots -- Redux Part II
05/16 – Cedar Rapids, IA @ Club Five
I've lived in Cedar Rapids since 1999, and this is the first I've ever heard of Club Five. I just looked it up, and it's essentially our regular arena, with curtains intended to close it in to make it feel like a smaller club.
I've lived in Cedar Rapids since 1999, and this is the first I've ever heard of Club Five. I just looked it up, and it's essentially our regular arena, with curtains intended to close it in to make it feel like a smaller club.
#16
DVD Talk Legend
Re: Stone Temple Pilots -- Redux Part II
Only the lead singer has ever changed over the years. Pretty good track record given how many bands swap out multiple band members these days.
#17
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Re: Stone Temple Pilots -- Redux Part II
No, he's a guy doing a ridiculous impersonation of a legendary rock singer. He's not even singing like himself, and the guy has a great voice.
#18
DVD Talk Hero
Re: Stone Temple Pilots -- Redux Part II
I would have seen them live in Pasadena but tickets quickly sold out for the event and were being resold for $100 a pop for not-so-great seats. The Rose is an odd venue. It's one of those dinner clubs.
#21
Moderator
Re: Stone Temple Pilots -- Redux Part II
I listened to the full album a couple times through over the weekend. Nothing that really jumped out at me and sadly, probably nothing that will grow on me. I think the lead single was the strongest track.
#22
DVD Talk Legend
Re: Stone Temple Pilots -- Redux Part II
Same. The last one with Scott was far better. The new albumis pretty solid, but it still just doesn't measure up to the others.
Last edited by hdnmickey; 03-19-18 at 11:25 AM.
#23
DVD Talk Limited Edition
Re: Stone Temple Pilots -- Redux Part II
Damn, new singer sounds just like Scott. Definitely going to pick this one up.
#24
DVD Talk Limited Edition
Re: Stone Temple Pilots -- Redux Part II
Just listened to the album - I like (and only like):
- Meadow
- Just a little Lie
- Thought She'd Be Mine
- The Art of Letting Go
- Meadow
- Just a little Lie
- Thought She'd Be Mine
- The Art of Letting Go