Stone Temple Pilots
Encyclopedia
Stone Temple Pilots is an American rock
band from San Diego, California
that consists of Scott Weiland
(lead vocals), brothers Robert DeLeo
(bass guitar, vocals) and Dean DeLeo
(guitar), and Eric Kretz
(drums, percussion).
The band's early hard rock
, grunge
-reminiscent style of music found them immediate success in 1992 with the release of their debut album Core
, which initially led critics to dismiss the band as "grunge imitators." Further releases from the band have shown a variety of influences, including psychedelic rock
, bossa nova
, and classic rock
.
Core, certified 8× platinum by the RIAA, drove the band to popularity. STP went on to become one of the most commercially successful rock bands of the 1990s, selling nearly 40 million records worldwide, including 17.5 million units in the United States, before their dissolution in 2003. STP reunited in 2008
and released their sixth studio album, Stone Temple Pilots
, in 2010. They have a seventh studio album in the works. The band has had 16 top ten singles on the Billboard rock charts, eight of which peaked at #1, and one #1 album for Purple
in 1994. That same year, the band won a Grammy for "Best Hard Rock Performance" for the song "Plush
" from the album Core. Stone Temple Pilots were also ranked #40 on VH1
's The 100 Greatest Artists of Hard Rock.
concert in Long Beach
, California in 1986, where Scott Weiland
met Robert DeLeo
. They began discussing their girlfriends, and, after realizing they were dating the same woman, developed a bond. They each subsequently broke it off with the girl, who left town, whereupon Weiland and DeLeo moved into her vacated apartment. Immediately, Weiland and DeLeo formed a band with two of Scott's friends from Edison High School
, Corey Hicock (guitar) and David Allin (drums). After Allin's departure, drummer Eric Kretz
joined the band. Soon after, Robert DeLeo's brother, Dean DeLeo
, decided to play guitar in the band replacing Hicock, completing the quartet. They then named their band Mighty Joe Young. The band recorded a demo tape that was completed around 1990. The "Mighty Joe Young" demo features tracks that would go on to be re-recorded for the band's first studio album
, as well as some musical styles not featured on any of STP's albums, such as funk
and yodeling
.
The group then began to work on their debut album with Brendan O'Brien
. During the recording, they received a call from their lawyer who informed them that there was a bluesman who had already claimed the name Mighty Joe Young. They eventually settled on the name "Stone Temple Pilots". Scott Weiland later said on The Howard Stern Show that the band's name was inspired by a carving in an ancient temple that depicts a man in a small flying ship, a reference to ancient aliens
.
. Their first album, Core
, was released on September 29, 1992, and peaked at #3 on the Billboard Albums Chart. Core was a big success, producing hits "Sex Type Thing
," "Plush
," "Creep
", and "Wicked Garden
." Despite hostile reviews from critics, Stone Temple Pilots continued to gain fans. They toured for four weeks, opening for Rage Against the Machine
, and then played a 40-date tour supporting the heavy metal band Megadeth
. 1993 brought continued success on the road, with the band headlining a two-and-a-half-month American tour. Around this time, Stone Temple Pilots also performed at benefits for pro-choice
organizations.
Despite commercial success, the music press criticized the band as grunge imitators. Jon Pareles
of The New York Times wrote in a 1993 concert review, "The San Diego band has climbed onto the Seattle grunge bandwagon. Its slow songs, with heaving riffs and half-speed vocals, are second-rate Pearl Jam
; for variety, there are some midtempo groans that imitate Nirvana
." Weiland told Entertainment Weekly
in 2008, "It was really painful in the beginning because I just assumed that the critics would understand where we were coming from, that these weren't just dumb rock songs."
In 1993, the band filmed an episode of MTV Unplugged
, where they debuted the song "Big Empty
." In a January 1994 Rolling Stone poll, the band was simultaneously voted Best New Band by Rolling Stones readers and Worst New Band by the magazine's music critics. The following month the group won Favorite Pop/Rock New Artist and Heavy Metal/Hard Rock New Artist at the American Music Awards. In March 1994, the group won a Grammy Award
for Best Hard Rock Performance
for the song "Plush."
In the spring of 1994, Stone Temple Pilots returned to the studio to work on their second album, Purple
. Completed in less than a month, Purple debuted at number one in the United States upon its release on June 7, 1994. The radio-friendly "Interstate Love Song
" quickly became a big hit, spending a record-setting fifteen weeks atop the album rock tracks chart. Other hits from the album included "Vasoline
" and "Big Empty" (the latter also being featured on the soundtrack to the film The Crow
). By October, just four months after its release, Purple had sold three million copies.
, when police found the illegal drugs in his wallet. Facing up to three years in prison, Weiland pled not guilty, and a trial date was set the next year.
Following Weiland's arrest, the Pilots separated. Weiland formed a temporary side unit called The Magnificent Bastards, which contributed a song to the movie soundtrack of Tank Girl
and a cover song to a John Lennon
tribute album. By October 1995, however, the band regrouped with Weiland to begin recording its third album, renting out a mansion in Santa Barbara, California
for the band to live together during the recording process.
Stone Temple Pilots released their third album, Tiny Music... Songs from the Vatican Gift Shop
, on March 5, 1996. Fans again showed their support of the band when the album debuted at number four on the U.S. charts. Critical reception, however, was mostly mixed. David Browne of Entertainment Weekly
wrote: "None of it ... has a distinct personality." Rolling Stone was more favorable, regarding the release as the group's best effort to date. They expressed surprise, however, at "the clattering, upbeat character of the music" given Weiland's much-publicized run-ins with drugs and the law. Stone Temple Pilots were also featured on the cover of issue #753 in February 1997.
However, Weiland's drug addiction again became a serious obstacle to the band's success. The band was unsuccessful in being able to fully tour in support of Tiny Music.... A short tour in the fall of 1996 ensued in the U.S. but final dates at the end of December in Hawaii had to be cancelled. The band issued a statement saying that: "[Weiland] has become unable to rehearse or appear for these shows due to his dependency on drugs. He is currently under a doctor's care in a medical facility."
Weiland's entry into a drug rehabilitation program was not voluntary. In April 1996, he was ordered by a Pasadena
judge to spend up to six months under 24/7 medical supervision. After Weiland completed five months in a drug treatment program, the charges of cocaine and heroin possession were dropped in October 1996. Weiland's 1996 stay in a rehabilitation center proved unsuccessful and in January 1997 he checked himself into another drug treatment center. This resulted in another cancelled tour.
with a new singer, Dave Coutts, releasing one album in 1997. In 1998, Scott Weiland released his first solo album, 12 Bar Blues
. After the commercial failure of both Talk Show and Weiland's solo album, Stone Temple Pilots reunited.
The band released No. 4
in 1999. STP scored one of its biggest hits since the success of Core and Purple with the single "Sour Girl
". Inspired by Weiland's failing relationship with his then wife, the single peaked at number 78 on the Billboard Hot 100
. The popular music video for "Sour Girl" featured actress Sarah Michelle Gellar
. Shortly after No. 4s completion, Weiland was sentenced to a year in a Los Angeles county jail for violating probation, making a tour in support for the album impossible. Despite this setback, the album went on to become certified Platinum by the RIAA.
During the summer of 2001, the band released their fifth album, Shangri-La Dee Da
, which produced two modest rock radio hits: "Days of the Week
" and "Hollywood Bitch
". The band began work on a sixth studio album in 2002 that reportedly would go back to their Core-era sound and planned on finishing it in January 2003, but when Dean DeLeo and Scott Weiland nearly got into a fistfight during the last show of Stone Temple Pilots' fall 2002 tour the band decided to separate.
released a greatest hits album, Thank You
, with a bonus DVD. The compilation included a previously unreleased single called "All in the Suit That You Wear
". The bonus DVD included an acoustic performance of "Plush
" filmed in 1992 on MTV's Headbanger's Ball.
That same year, Weiland joined the successful supergroup
Velvet Revolver
, composed of former Guns N' Roses
members Slash
, Matt Sorum
, and Duff McKagan
, as well as former Wasted Youth
guitarist Dave Kushner
. The band released two albums with Weiland, Contraband (2004) and Libertad (2007).
The DeLeo brothers formed Army of Anyone
with vocalist Richard Patrick
, from the industrial rock
band Filter
, and drummer Ray Luzier
. The band released its only album
on November 14, 2006. Army of Anyone went on "indefinite hiatus" in May 2007 after Richard Patrick
announced he was working on a new Filter album. Eric Kretz kept a low profile during this time, operating his own studio, Bomb Shelter Studios, and drumming for the band Spiralarms.
The following month, Stone Temple Pilots announced they were reuniting for a 65-date North American tour
. During one of these shows, Weiland hinted at a possible future album, stating that he had "lots of new songs in his head". Prior to the tour's start, Weiland was ordered by a court to serve an eight-day jail sentence on charges from the previous year for driving while intoxicated.
In June 2008, Atlantic Records filed a lawsuit against Weiland and Kretz for trying to end their contract to the label early. (The DeLeo brothers had been released from their contract in late 2003 for pursuing separate careers.) Although the band recorded six albums for the label, Atlantic wanted Stone Temple Pilots to record a seventh album, in addition to two more albums if the label decided to release the records. The band released a statement hoping for "negotiations to continue in a positive spirit rather than under a dark cloud of hostility."
Stone Temple Pilots toured throughout the summer and fall, headlining the Virgin Mobile Festival in Baltimore
on August 10, 2008, as well as the 10th annual Voodoo Experience
in New Orleans on the weekend before Halloween. This marked one of their biggest and most successful performances since reforming. The band's six-month reunion tour wrapped on October 31, 2008 in Pelham
, Alabama
.
Scott Weiland released his second solo album, "Happy" in Galoshes
, on November 25, 2008, and toured throughout 2009; this was his first solo tour since 1998.
Recording for the band's sixth studio album began in mid-2009. By June 2009, the band had written 18 songs, twelve of which were planned to be released on the album.
The band performed at South by Southwest
in March, debuting four new songs live, and also appeared at England's Download Festival 2010 in June, as well as at the Hurricane Festival
and the Southside Festival
in Germany.
The band also performed during the Final Four Concert Series in Indianapolis on April 2, 2010. The band appeared on the Late Show with David Letterman
for the first time in ten years on May 19, performing "Between the Lines
." STP's self-titled sixth record
was released on May 25, 2010, debuting at #2 on the Billboard 200
.
In September 2010, STP announced it was rescheduling several U.S. tour dates so that the band could take a "short break." This announcement came a few days after Weiland said the following at a show in Houston, Texas
: "I started drinking again. My brother died, me and my wife got divorced, and my whole world basically spun around. So you know what? I'm going to take care of myself because that's what I need to take care of. Instead of just having a few shows, I want to have a whole hell of a lot of shows."
In 2011, STP toured Southeast Asia
for the first time, playing in Philippines
(Manila
), Singapore
, and Indonesia
(Jakarta
). Following this, the band played successful shows in Australia, including sell out performances in Sydney
and Melbourne
.
hinted at a possible seventh album for the band, stating: "We're maybe looking at putting out another record next year or touring some more and trying new ideas of how to present music, especially for downloading." In November 2011, frontman Scott Weiland
told Billboard.com that Stone Temple Pilots are "getting some rough ideas together" for their new album and "then putting rough ideas down on ProTools with no lyrics and no melody." He later added, "And then I start listening to it and see if it's just a straight-ahead rock 'n' roll record or if it's more of a concept album like Shangri-La Dee Da was. Once we decide that, it should go full speed ahead."
and hard rock
of the 1970s. While Core
and Purple
resembled a strong grunge
-inspired sound, later albums would include elements of psychedelic rock
, power pop
, garage rock
, glam rock
, bossa nova
, and country
. Dean DeLeo
's trademark guitar sound is considered to be "crunchy" and especially distorted. DeLeo's playing has received critical acclaim, as Stone Temple Pilots' second album, Purple, was ranked number 73 on Guitar World
magazine's list of the 100 greatest guitar albums of all time. Stone Temple Pilots has covered several popular classic rock artists live and in the studio, such as The Beatles
, Led Zeppelin
, Kiss
, The Doors
, Pink Floyd
, David Bowie
, as well as reggae
artist Bob Marley
.
Though critics initially claimed Weiland's vocal style to be similar to that of Eddie Vedder
and the late Layne Staley
, Weiland has said his vocal style is inspired by the late Jim Morrison
of the Doors, and has also cited David Bowie as a major influence.
While mainly an alternative rock band, the band has incorporated a large number of musical styles throughout their career, including hard rock, psychedelic rock, jangle pop
, and funk rock
. Guitarist Dean DeLeo uses heavily layered and distorted guitar playing and bassist Robert DeLeo continues to draw influences from genres such as rhythm and blues
, lounge music
, and ragtime
. Weiland is the band's primary lyricist.
Rock music
Rock music is a genre of popular music that developed during and after the 1960s, particularly in the United Kingdom and the United States. It has its roots in 1940s and 1950s rock and roll, itself heavily influenced by rhythm and blues and country music...
band from San Diego, California
San Diego, California
San Diego is the eighth-largest city in the United States and second-largest city in California. The city is located on the coast of the Pacific Ocean in Southern California, immediately adjacent to the Mexican border. The birthplace of California, San Diego is known for its mild year-round...
that consists of Scott Weiland
Scott Weiland
Scott Weiland is an American musician, lyricist, and vocalist, most notable for his work with Grammy Award-winning rock band Stone Temple Pilots. Weiland is also known for his five-year career with supergroup Velvet Revolver as well as his own solo career...
(lead vocals), brothers Robert DeLeo
Robert DeLeo
Robert Emile DeLeo is an American bass player, songwriter, and harmony vocalist for the rock band Stone Temple Pilots. He has also played in Talk Show and Army of Anyone...
(bass guitar, vocals) and Dean DeLeo
Dean DeLeo
Dean DeLeo is an American guitarist for the rock band Stone Temple Pilots.He is also known for his role in the short-lived bands Talk Show and Army of Anyone, which featured his younger brother Robert DeLeo, Filter frontman Richard Patrick, and session drummer Ray Luzier...
(guitar), and Eric Kretz
Eric Kretz
Eric Kretz is an American musician and producer, known as the drummer for the rock band Stone Temple Pilots, one of the most successful rock bands of the 1990s and early 2000s that reunited in 2008. He has also played for Talk Show, and most recently Spiralarms...
(drums, percussion).
The band's early hard rock
Hard rock
Hard rock is a loosely defined genre of rock music which has its earliest roots in mid-1960s garage rock, blues rock and psychedelic rock...
, grunge
Grunge
Grunge is a subgenre of alternative rock that emerged during the mid-1980s in the American state of Washington, particularly in the Seattle area. Inspired by hardcore punk, heavy metal, and indie rock, grunge is generally characterized by heavily distorted electric guitars, contrasting song...
-reminiscent style of music found them immediate success in 1992 with the release of their debut album Core
Core (Stone Temple Pilots album)
The album was released on September 29, 1992 on Atlantic, the same day Alice in Chains released Dirt, another important album of the grunge era. Despite high sales, the album received mixed to negative reviews. Critics blasted the band as "rip-offs" of grunge bands such as Pearl Jam and Alice in...
, which initially led critics to dismiss the band as "grunge imitators." Further releases from the band have shown a variety of influences, including psychedelic rock
Psychedelic rock
Psychedelic rock is a style of rock music that is inspired or influenced by psychedelic culture and attempts to replicate and enhance the mind-altering experiences of psychedelic drugs. It emerged during the mid 1960s among folk rock and blues rock bands in United States and the United Kingdom...
, bossa nova
Bossa nova
Bossa nova is a style of Brazilian music. Bossa nova acquired a large following in the 1960s, initially consisting of young musicians and college students...
, and classic rock
Classic rock
Classic rock is a radio format which developed from the album-oriented rock format in the early 1980s. In the United States, the classic rock format features music ranging generally from the late 1960s to the late 1980s, primarily focusing on the hard rock genre that peaked in popularity in the...
.
Core, certified 8× platinum by the RIAA, drove the band to popularity. STP went on to become one of the most commercially successful rock bands of the 1990s, selling nearly 40 million records worldwide, including 17.5 million units in the United States, before their dissolution in 2003. STP reunited in 2008
2008 Stone Temple Pilots Reunion Tour
The 2008 Stone Temple Pilots Reunion Tour was a 75-date reunion tour for the popular American rock band Stone Temple Pilots, who originally disbanded in 2003. The tour, which kicked off on May 17, 2008 in Columbus, Ohio at the Rock on the Range festival, ran throughout the summer and ended on...
and released their sixth studio album, Stone Temple Pilots
Stone Temple Pilots (album)
Stone Temple Pilots is the sixth studio album by American rock band Stone Temple Pilots. The album was released worldwide from May 21 through May 27, 2010, and is the band's first album since Shangri-La Dee Da . The album is the result of the band's reunion, which occurred in April 2008...
, in 2010. They have a seventh studio album in the works. The band has had 16 top ten singles on the Billboard rock charts, eight of which peaked at #1, and one #1 album for Purple
Purple (album)
-Notes:The opening of track 3, "Lounge Fly", was used as the theme for MTV News's short MTV News Break segments for several years in the mid-1990s....
in 1994. That same year, the band won a Grammy for "Best Hard Rock Performance" for the song "Plush
Plush (song)
"Plush" is a song by American rock band Stone Temple Pilots. It is one of the band's biggest hits, and was released as the second single from the band's debut studio album, Core .-Composition and inspiration:...
" from the album Core. Stone Temple Pilots were also ranked #40 on VH1
VH1
VH1 or Vh1 is an American cable television network based in New York City. Launched on January 1, 1985 in the old space of Turner Broadcasting's short-lived Cable Music Channel, the original purpose of the channel was to build on the success of MTV by playing music videos, but targeting a slightly...
's The 100 Greatest Artists of Hard Rock.
Formation and "Mighty Joe Young" demo (1986–1992)
Stone Temple Pilots can trace its beginnings to a Black FlagBlack Flag (band)
Black Flag was an American punk rock band formed in 1976 in Hermosa Beach, California. The band was established by Greg Ginn, the guitarist, primary songwriter and sole continuous member through multiple personnel changes in the band...
concert in Long Beach
Long Beach, California
Long Beach is a city situated in Los Angeles County in Southern California, on the Pacific coast of the United States. The city is the 36th-largest city in the nation and the seventh-largest in California. As of 2010, its population was 462,257...
, California in 1986, where Scott Weiland
Scott Weiland
Scott Weiland is an American musician, lyricist, and vocalist, most notable for his work with Grammy Award-winning rock band Stone Temple Pilots. Weiland is also known for his five-year career with supergroup Velvet Revolver as well as his own solo career...
met Robert DeLeo
Robert DeLeo
Robert Emile DeLeo is an American bass player, songwriter, and harmony vocalist for the rock band Stone Temple Pilots. He has also played in Talk Show and Army of Anyone...
. They began discussing their girlfriends, and, after realizing they were dating the same woman, developed a bond. They each subsequently broke it off with the girl, who left town, whereupon Weiland and DeLeo moved into her vacated apartment. Immediately, Weiland and DeLeo formed a band with two of Scott's friends from Edison High School
Edison High School, Huntington Beach
Edison High School is a secondary school located in Huntington Beach, California which first began operation in 1969. It is a part of the Huntington Beach Union High School District.-History:...
, Corey Hicock (guitar) and David Allin (drums). After Allin's departure, drummer Eric Kretz
Eric Kretz
Eric Kretz is an American musician and producer, known as the drummer for the rock band Stone Temple Pilots, one of the most successful rock bands of the 1990s and early 2000s that reunited in 2008. He has also played for Talk Show, and most recently Spiralarms...
joined the band. Soon after, Robert DeLeo's brother, Dean DeLeo
Dean DeLeo
Dean DeLeo is an American guitarist for the rock band Stone Temple Pilots.He is also known for his role in the short-lived bands Talk Show and Army of Anyone, which featured his younger brother Robert DeLeo, Filter frontman Richard Patrick, and session drummer Ray Luzier...
, decided to play guitar in the band replacing Hicock, completing the quartet. They then named their band Mighty Joe Young. The band recorded a demo tape that was completed around 1990. The "Mighty Joe Young" demo features tracks that would go on to be re-recorded for the band's first studio album
Core (Stone Temple Pilots album)
The album was released on September 29, 1992 on Atlantic, the same day Alice in Chains released Dirt, another important album of the grunge era. Despite high sales, the album received mixed to negative reviews. Critics blasted the band as "rip-offs" of grunge bands such as Pearl Jam and Alice in...
, as well as some musical styles not featured on any of STP's albums, such as funk
Funk
Funk is a music genre that originated in the mid-late 1960s when African American musicians blended soul music, jazz and R&B into a rhythmic, danceable new form of music. Funk de-emphasizes melody and harmony and brings a strong rhythmic groove of electric bass and drums to the foreground...
and yodeling
Yodeling
Yodeling is a form of singing that involves singing an extended note which rapidly and repeatedly changes in pitch from the vocal or chest register to the falsetto/head register; making a high-low-high-low sound.The English word yodel is derived from a German word jodeln meaning "to...
.
The group then began to work on their debut album with Brendan O'Brien
Brendan O'Brien (music producer)
Brendan O’Brien is a record producer, mixer, engineer, and musician.At age 14, O'Brien played guitar for the Atlanta-based cover band Pranks. In the late 1970s, he moved on to writing, performing and recording with the Samurai Catfish band...
. During the recording, they received a call from their lawyer who informed them that there was a bluesman who had already claimed the name Mighty Joe Young. They eventually settled on the name "Stone Temple Pilots". Scott Weiland later said on The Howard Stern Show that the band's name was inspired by a carving in an ancient temple that depicts a man in a small flying ship, a reference to ancient aliens
Ancient astronauts
Some writers have proposed that intelligent extraterrestrial beings have visited Earth in antiquity or prehistory and made contact with humans. Such visitors are called ancient astronauts or ancient aliens. Proponents suggest that this contact influenced the development of human cultures,...
.
Early years and mainstream success (1992–1994)
Stone Temple Pilots built a fan base in San Diego clubs in order to steer clear of the Los Angeles corporate music scene and build up their technique and following in the clubs. In 1992, Stone Temple Pilots signed with Atlantic RecordsAtlantic Records
Atlantic Records is an American record label best known for its many recordings of rhythm and blues, rock and roll, and jazz...
. Their first album, Core
Core (Stone Temple Pilots album)
The album was released on September 29, 1992 on Atlantic, the same day Alice in Chains released Dirt, another important album of the grunge era. Despite high sales, the album received mixed to negative reviews. Critics blasted the band as "rip-offs" of grunge bands such as Pearl Jam and Alice in...
, was released on September 29, 1992, and peaked at #3 on the Billboard Albums Chart. Core was a big success, producing hits "Sex Type Thing
Sex Type Thing
"Sex Type Thing" is the debut single released in 1992 by American rock band Stone Temple Pilots from their debut studio album, Core. "Sex Type Thing" also appears on the greatest hits compilation album Thank You. The song spawned a music video which received moderate rotation on MTV...
," "Plush
Plush (song)
"Plush" is a song by American rock band Stone Temple Pilots. It is one of the band's biggest hits, and was released as the second single from the band's debut studio album, Core .-Composition and inspiration:...
," "Creep
Creep (Stone Temple Pilots song)
"Creep" is a song by American rock band Stone Temple Pilots, appearing as the seventh track off the band's debut album, Core and later released as a single...
", and "Wicked Garden
Wicked Garden
"Wicked Garden" is a song by Stone Temple Pilots that appears on their debut studio album, Core. The song was never released as a commercial single but is still considered to be one of the band's biggest hits and appears on their greatest hits compilation, Thank You...
." Despite hostile reviews from critics, Stone Temple Pilots continued to gain fans. They toured for four weeks, opening for Rage Against the Machine
Rage Against the Machine
Rage Against the Machine is an American rock band from Los Angeles, California. Formed in 1991, the group's line-up consists of vocalist Zack de la Rocha, bassist and backing vocalist Tim Commerford, guitarist Tom Morello and drummer Brad Wilk...
, and then played a 40-date tour supporting the heavy metal band Megadeth
Megadeth
Megadeth is an American heavy metal band from Los Angeles, California which was formed in 1983 by guitarist/vocalist Dave Mustaine, bassist Dave Ellefson and guitarist Greg Handevidt, following Mustaine's expulsion from Metallica. The band has since released 13 studio albums, three live albums, two...
. 1993 brought continued success on the road, with the band headlining a two-and-a-half-month American tour. Around this time, Stone Temple Pilots also performed at benefits for pro-choice
Pro-choice
Support for the legalization of abortion is centered around the pro-choice movement, a sociopolitical movement supporting the ethical view that a woman should have the legal right to elective abortion, meaning the right to terminate her pregnancy....
organizations.
Despite commercial success, the music press criticized the band as grunge imitators. Jon Pareles
Jon Pareles
Jon Pareles is an American journalist who is the chief popular music critic in the arts section of the New York Times. He played jazz flute and piano, and graduated from Yale University with a degree in music. In the 1970s he was an associate editor of Crawdaddy!, and in the 1980s an associate...
of The New York Times wrote in a 1993 concert review, "The San Diego band has climbed onto the Seattle grunge bandwagon. Its slow songs, with heaving riffs and half-speed vocals, are second-rate Pearl Jam
Pearl Jam
Pearl Jam is an American rock band that formed in Seattle, Washington, in 1990. Since its inception, the band's line-up has included Eddie Vedder , Jeff Ament , Stone Gossard , and Mike McCready...
; for variety, there are some midtempo groans that imitate Nirvana
Nirvana (band)
Nirvana was an American rock band that was formed by singer/guitarist Kurt Cobain and bassist Krist Novoselic in Aberdeen, Washington in 1987...
." Weiland told Entertainment Weekly
Entertainment Weekly
Entertainment Weekly is an American magazine, published by the Time division of Time Warner, that covers film, television, music, broadway theatre, books and popular culture...
in 2008, "It was really painful in the beginning because I just assumed that the critics would understand where we were coming from, that these weren't just dumb rock songs."
In 1993, the band filmed an episode of MTV Unplugged
MTV Unplugged
MTV Unplugged is a TV series showcasing many popular musical artists usually playing acoustic instruments. The show has received the George Foster Peabody Award and 3 Primetime Emmy nominations among many accolades.-Unplugged:...
, where they debuted the song "Big Empty
Big Empty
"Big Empty" is a song by the American hard rock band Stone Temple Pilots that first appeared in 1994 on the soundtrack to the Brandon Lee movie The Crow. The song later appeared on the band's second album, Purple. The song was released as a successful single, reaching #3 and #7 on the Billboard...
." In a January 1994 Rolling Stone poll, the band was simultaneously voted Best New Band by Rolling Stones readers and Worst New Band by the magazine's music critics. The following month the group won Favorite Pop/Rock New Artist and Heavy Metal/Hard Rock New Artist at the American Music Awards. In March 1994, the group won a Grammy Award
Grammy Award
A Grammy Award — or Grammy — is an accolade by the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences of the United States to recognize outstanding achievement in the music industry...
for Best Hard Rock Performance
Grammy Award for Best Hard Rock Performance
The Grammy Award for Best Hard Rock Performance was an award presented to recording artists at the Grammy Awards, a ceremony that was established in 1958 and originally called the Gramophone Awards, for works containing quality performances in the hard rock music genre...
for the song "Plush."
In the spring of 1994, Stone Temple Pilots returned to the studio to work on their second album, Purple
Purple (album)
-Notes:The opening of track 3, "Lounge Fly", was used as the theme for MTV News's short MTV News Break segments for several years in the mid-1990s....
. Completed in less than a month, Purple debuted at number one in the United States upon its release on June 7, 1994. The radio-friendly "Interstate Love Song
Interstate Love Song
"Interstate Love Song" is a song by the American rock band Stone Temple Pilots, from their second studio album, Purple, released in 1994. The song, considered to be one of the band's biggest hits, hit number one on the Mainstream Rock Tracks chart on September 17, 1994. The song it replaced at...
" quickly became a big hit, spending a record-setting fifteen weeks atop the album rock tracks chart. Other hits from the album included "Vasoline
Vasoline
"Vasoline" is a song by American rock band Stone Temple Pilots from their second album, Purple. The song was the second single of the album , reaching #1 on the Billboard Mainstream Rock Tracks chart for two weeks...
" and "Big Empty" (the latter also being featured on the soundtrack to the film The Crow
The Crow (film)
The Crow is a 1994 American action film based on the 1989 comic book of the same name by James O'Barr. The film was written by David J. Schow and John Shirley, and directed by Alex Proyas...
). By October, just four months after its release, Purple had sold three million copies.
Legal troubles and
Tiny Music... Songs from the Vatican Gift Shop (1995–1996) Although the band's success continued into 1995, it would not be a good year for the band. Two weeks of recording session work had to be scrapped in February, and in May, Weiland was arrested for possession of heroin and cocaine in Pasadena, CaliforniaPasadena, California
Pasadena is a city in Los Angeles County, California, United States. Although famous for hosting the annual Rose Bowl football game and Tournament of Roses Parade, Pasadena is the home to many scientific and cultural institutions, including the California Institute of Technology , the Jet...
, when police found the illegal drugs in his wallet. Facing up to three years in prison, Weiland pled not guilty, and a trial date was set the next year.
Following Weiland's arrest, the Pilots separated. Weiland formed a temporary side unit called The Magnificent Bastards, which contributed a song to the movie soundtrack of Tank Girl
Tank Girl
Tank Girl is a British comic created by Jamie Hewlett and Alan Martin. Originally drawn by Jamie Hewlett, it has also been drawn by Rufus Dayglo, Ashley Wood, and Mike McMahon.The eponymous character Tank Girl drives a tank, which is also her home...
and a cover song to a John Lennon
John Lennon
John Winston Lennon, MBE was an English musician and singer-songwriter who rose to worldwide fame as one of the founding members of The Beatles, one of the most commercially successful and critically acclaimed acts in the history of popular music...
tribute album. By October 1995, however, the band regrouped with Weiland to begin recording its third album, renting out a mansion in Santa Barbara, California
Santa Barbara, California
Santa Barbara is the county seat of Santa Barbara County, California, United States. Situated on an east-west trending section of coastline, the longest such section on the West Coast of the United States, the city lies between the steeply-rising Santa Ynez Mountains and the Pacific Ocean...
for the band to live together during the recording process.
Stone Temple Pilots released their third album, Tiny Music... Songs from the Vatican Gift Shop
Tiny Music... Songs from the Vatican Gift Shop
-Album:-Singles:-References:...
, on March 5, 1996. Fans again showed their support of the band when the album debuted at number four on the U.S. charts. Critical reception, however, was mostly mixed. David Browne of Entertainment Weekly
Entertainment Weekly
Entertainment Weekly is an American magazine, published by the Time division of Time Warner, that covers film, television, music, broadway theatre, books and popular culture...
wrote: "None of it ... has a distinct personality." Rolling Stone was more favorable, regarding the release as the group's best effort to date. They expressed surprise, however, at "the clattering, upbeat character of the music" given Weiland's much-publicized run-ins with drugs and the law. Stone Temple Pilots were also featured on the cover of issue #753 in February 1997.
However, Weiland's drug addiction again became a serious obstacle to the band's success. The band was unsuccessful in being able to fully tour in support of Tiny Music.... A short tour in the fall of 1996 ensued in the U.S. but final dates at the end of December in Hawaii had to be cancelled. The band issued a statement saying that: "[Weiland] has become unable to rehearse or appear for these shows due to his dependency on drugs. He is currently under a doctor's care in a medical facility."
Weiland's entry into a drug rehabilitation program was not voluntary. In April 1996, he was ordered by a Pasadena
Pasadena, California
Pasadena is a city in Los Angeles County, California, United States. Although famous for hosting the annual Rose Bowl football game and Tournament of Roses Parade, Pasadena is the home to many scientific and cultural institutions, including the California Institute of Technology , the Jet...
judge to spend up to six months under 24/7 medical supervision. After Weiland completed five months in a drug treatment program, the charges of cocaine and heroin possession were dropped in October 1996. Weiland's 1996 stay in a rehabilitation center proved unsuccessful and in January 1997 he checked himself into another drug treatment center. This resulted in another cancelled tour.
Later projects and separation (1997–2002)
As a result of Weiland's personal issues, Stone Temple Pilots went on hiatus. The DeLeo brothers and Kretz formed Talk ShowTalk Show (band)
Talk Show was an American alternative/hard rock band consisting of Dave Coutts , Dean DeLeo , Robert DeLeo , and Eric Kretz...
with a new singer, Dave Coutts, releasing one album in 1997. In 1998, Scott Weiland released his first solo album, 12 Bar Blues
12 Bar Blues (album)
12 Bar Blues is the debut solo album from Stone Temple Pilots singer Scott Weiland. Its sound and style differs greatly from his band's releases. The design concept of the cover is a homage to the cover design of John Coltrane's Blue Train album...
. After the commercial failure of both Talk Show and Weiland's solo album, Stone Temple Pilots reunited.
The band released No. 4
No. 4 (album)
-Credits:Stone Temple Pilots* Scott Weiland - vocals, organ* Robert DeLeo - bass, percussion, guitars, fuzz bass, zither* Dean DeLeo - electric & acoustic guitars, lapsteel, 6-string bass* Eric Kretz - drums, percussionAdditional Personnel...
in 1999. STP scored one of its biggest hits since the success of Core and Purple with the single "Sour Girl
Sour Girl
"Sour Girl" is a song by Stone Temple Pilots. The song was written by singer Scott Weiland and guitarist Dean DeLeo for their band's fourth album, aptly titled No. 4. "Sour Girl" also appears on the compilation albums Thank You and Buy This. It is the only STP song to enter the Billboard Hot 100...
". Inspired by Weiland's failing relationship with his then wife, the single peaked at number 78 on the Billboard Hot 100
Billboard Hot 100
The Billboard Hot 100 is the United States music industry standard singles popularity chart issued weekly by Billboard magazine. Chart rankings are based on radio play and sales; the tracking-week for sales begins on Monday and ends on Sunday, while the radio play tracking-week runs from Wednesday...
. The popular music video for "Sour Girl" featured actress Sarah Michelle Gellar
Sarah Michelle Gellar
Sarah Michelle Prinze , known professionally by her birth name of Sarah Michelle Gellar , is an American actress, singer and executive producer...
. Shortly after No. 4s completion, Weiland was sentenced to a year in a Los Angeles county jail for violating probation, making a tour in support for the album impossible. Despite this setback, the album went on to become certified Platinum by the RIAA.
During the summer of 2001, the band released their fifth album, Shangri-La Dee Da
Shangri-La Dee Da
-Personnel:*Scott Weiland - vocals, keyboards *Dean DeLeo - guitars*Robert DeLeo - bass, percussion , guitar , acoustic guitar , keyboards , piano , autoharp , electric sitar *Eric Kretz - drums, percussion , keyboards , banjo -Additional personnel:*Brendan...
, which produced two modest rock radio hits: "Days of the Week
Days of the Week (song)
"Days of the Week" is a song by Stone Temple Pilots, released as a single from their album Shangri-La Dee Da in 2001. The song also appears on the compilation albums Thank You and Buy This.-Composition:...
" and "Hollywood Bitch
Hollywood Bitch
"Hollywood Bitch" is a song by the American rock band Stone Temple Pilots. It is the second single from the group's fifth studio album, Shangri-La Dee Da. The song was written by vocalist Scott Weiland and bassist Robert DeLeo...
". The band began work on a sixth studio album in 2002 that reportedly would go back to their Core-era sound and planned on finishing it in January 2003, but when Dean DeLeo and Scott Weiland nearly got into a fistfight during the last show of Stone Temple Pilots' fall 2002 tour the band decided to separate.
Post-breakup and subsequent projects (2003–2007)
On November 11, 2003, Atlantic RecordsAtlantic Records
Atlantic Records is an American record label best known for its many recordings of rhythm and blues, rock and roll, and jazz...
released a greatest hits album, Thank You
Thank You (Stone Temple Pilots album)
-Charts:Album - Billboard Singles - Billboard -References:...
, with a bonus DVD. The compilation included a previously unreleased single called "All in the Suit That You Wear
All in the Suit That You Wear
"All in the Suit That You Wear" is a song by the American rock band Stone Temple Pilots. The song was the band's final single before their break-up in 2003 and only appears on the compilation album Thank You...
". The bonus DVD included an acoustic performance of "Plush
Plush (song)
"Plush" is a song by American rock band Stone Temple Pilots. It is one of the band's biggest hits, and was released as the second single from the band's debut studio album, Core .-Composition and inspiration:...
" filmed in 1992 on MTV's Headbanger's Ball.
That same year, Weiland joined the successful supergroup
Supergroup (music)
In the late 1960s, the term supergroup was coined to describe "a rock music group whose performers are already famous from having performed individually or in other groups"....
Velvet Revolver
Velvet Revolver
Velvet Revolver is an American hard rock supergroup consisting of former Guns N' Roses members Slash, Duff McKagan, and Matt Sorum, alongside Dave Kushner formerly of punk band Wasted Youth. Stone Temple Pilots vocalist Scott Weiland was Velvet Revolver's lead singer from their formation until...
, composed of former Guns N' Roses
Guns N' Roses
Guns N' Roses is an American hard rock band, formed in Hollywood, Los Angeles, California, in 1985. The band has released six studio albums, three EPs, and one live album...
members Slash
Slash (musician)
Saul Hudson , known by his stage name Slash, is a British-American musician and songwriter. He is best known as the former lead guitarist of the American hard rock band Guns N' Roses, with whom he achieved worldwide success in the late 1980s and early 1990s. During his later years with Guns N'...
, Matt Sorum
Matt Sorum
Matthew William Sorum is an American rock drummer and percussionist. Sorum is most famous for his 7-year stint in Guns N' Roses and supergroup Velvet Revolver , which is comprised in part of former Guns N' Roses members Duff McKagan and Slash .-Early career :Matt Sorum was born Matthew William...
, and Duff McKagan
Duff McKagan
Michael Andrew "Duff" McKagan is an American musician and writer. He is best known for his twelve-year tenure as the bassist of the hard rock band Guns N' Roses, with whom he achieved worldwide success in the late 1980s and early 1990s...
, as well as former Wasted Youth
Wasted Youth
Wasted Youth may refer to:* Wasted Youth , 1980s hardcore punk band* Wasted Youth , 1980s goth post-punk band* Wasted Youth , Canadian teen punk rock magazine...
guitarist Dave Kushner
Dave Kushner
David "Dave" Kushner is an American musician perhaps best known as the rhythm guitarist for the hard rock supergroup Velvet Revolver...
. The band released two albums with Weiland, Contraband (2004) and Libertad (2007).
The DeLeo brothers formed Army of Anyone
Army of Anyone
Army of Anyone was a supergroup formed by Filter frontman Richard Patrick with two of the then-former members of rock band Stone Temple Pilots. In addition to Patrick on vocals, the band featured Dean DeLeo and Robert DeLeo on guitars and bass, respectively, and Ray Luzier on drums...
with vocalist Richard Patrick
Richard Patrick
Richard Patrick is an American rock musician. He is the frontman for the band Filter, a founding member of the supergroup Army of Anyone, and has served as a touring guitarist for Nine Inch Nails....
, from the industrial rock
Industrial rock
Industrial rock is a musical genre that fuses industrial music and specific rock subgenres. Industrial rock spawned industrial metal, with which it is often confused...
band Filter
Filter (band)
Filter is a rock group formed in 1993 in Cleveland by singer Richard Patrick and guitarist/programmer Brian Liesegang. Filter has released five studio albums, the most recent being The Trouble with Angels, which was released on August 17, 2010....
, and drummer Ray Luzier
Ray Luzier
Raymond Lee "Ray" Luzier is an American drummer. He is currently the drummer of the band Korn, becoming a full-time member of the band in April 2009.-Life and career:...
. The band released its only album
Army of Anyone (album)
Army of Anyone was the debut and lone album by Army of Anyone, an American rock band featuring Richard Patrick of Filter, the DeLeo brothers from Stone Temple Pilots , and David Lee Roth's former drummer, Ray Luzier of KoRn. The album was released on November 14, 2006 in America, December 4, 2006...
on November 14, 2006. Army of Anyone went on "indefinite hiatus" in May 2007 after Richard Patrick
Richard Patrick
Richard Patrick is an American rock musician. He is the frontman for the band Filter, a founding member of the supergroup Army of Anyone, and has served as a touring guitarist for Nine Inch Nails....
announced he was working on a new Filter album. Eric Kretz kept a low profile during this time, operating his own studio, Bomb Shelter Studios, and drumming for the band Spiralarms.
Reunion tour and self-titled album (2008–2011)
According to Dean DeLeo, steps toward a Stone Temple Pilots reformation started with a simple phone call from Weiland's wife, Mary Forsberg. She invited the DeLeo brothers to play at a private beach party, which led to the reconciliation of Weiland and the DeLeo brothers. In 2007, Dean DeLeo and Weiland discussed a concert promoter's offer to headline several summer festivals. Despite clearing the brief tour with his Velvet Revolver bandmates, Weiland would be ostracized and, as a result, in the middle of a Velvet Revolver show on March 20, 2008, Weiland announced that it would be his last tour with the group.2008 Stone Temple Pilots Reunion Tour
The 2008 Stone Temple Pilots Reunion Tour was a 75-date reunion tour for the popular American rock band Stone Temple Pilots, who originally disbanded in 2003. The tour, which kicked off on May 17, 2008 in Columbus, Ohio at the Rock on the Range festival, ran throughout the summer and ended on...
. During one of these shows, Weiland hinted at a possible future album, stating that he had "lots of new songs in his head". Prior to the tour's start, Weiland was ordered by a court to serve an eight-day jail sentence on charges from the previous year for driving while intoxicated.
In June 2008, Atlantic Records filed a lawsuit against Weiland and Kretz for trying to end their contract to the label early. (The DeLeo brothers had been released from their contract in late 2003 for pursuing separate careers.) Although the band recorded six albums for the label, Atlantic wanted Stone Temple Pilots to record a seventh album, in addition to two more albums if the label decided to release the records. The band released a statement hoping for "negotiations to continue in a positive spirit rather than under a dark cloud of hostility."
Stone Temple Pilots toured throughout the summer and fall, headlining the Virgin Mobile Festival in Baltimore
Baltimore
Baltimore is the largest independent city in the United States and the largest city and cultural center of the US state of Maryland. The city is located in central Maryland along the tidal portion of the Patapsco River, an arm of the Chesapeake Bay. Baltimore is sometimes referred to as Baltimore...
on August 10, 2008, as well as the 10th annual Voodoo Experience
Voodoo Experience
Voodoo Experience, also commonly referred to as Voodoo or Voodoo Fest, is a multi-day music and arts festival held in City Park, New Orleans, Louisiana. It was first held on Halloween weekend in 1999. It has since moved between the weekend before Halloween and Halloween weekend throughout the years...
in New Orleans on the weekend before Halloween. This marked one of their biggest and most successful performances since reforming. The band's six-month reunion tour wrapped on October 31, 2008 in Pelham
Pelham, Alabama
Pelham is a city and suburb of Birmingham in Shelby County, Alabama, United States. At the 2000 census the population was 14,369, but has grown to 21,352 recorded by the 2010 census. It was named for famed Confederate American Civil War officer John Pelham...
, Alabama
Alabama
Alabama is a state located in the southeastern region of the United States. It is bordered by Tennessee to the north, Georgia to the east, Florida and the Gulf of Mexico to the south, and Mississippi to the west. Alabama ranks 30th in total land area and ranks second in the size of its inland...
.
Scott Weiland released his second solo album, "Happy" in Galoshes
"Happy" in Galoshes
"Happy" in Galoshes is the second solo album by American rock singer Scott Weiland. Weiland, known for his roles as the lead singer in Stone Temple Pilots and Velvet Revolver, released his first album, 12 Bar Blues in 1998. Two versions have been released, a single disc and double disc deluxe...
, on November 25, 2008, and toured throughout 2009; this was his first solo tour since 1998.
Recording for the band's sixth studio album began in mid-2009. By June 2009, the band had written 18 songs, twelve of which were planned to be released on the album.
The band performed at South by Southwest
South by Southwest
South by Southwest is an Austin, Texas based company dedicated to planning conferences, trade shows, festivals and other events. Their current roster of annual events include: SXSW Music, SXSW Film, SXSW Interactive, SXSWedu, and SXSWeco and take place every spring in Austin, Texas, United States...
in March, debuting four new songs live, and also appeared at England's Download Festival 2010 in June, as well as at the Hurricane Festival
Hurricane Festival
The Hurricane Festival, also just Hurricane, is a music festival that takes place in Scheeßel near Bremen, Germany, usually every June. It is promoted by German private music television channel VIVA, which belongs to Viacom, the MTV Network's parent company, as of 2004...
and the Southside Festival
Southside Festival
The Southside Festival, also just Southside, is a music festival that takes place near Tuttlingen, southern Germany, usually every June. It is promoted by German private music television channel VIVA, which belongs to Viacom, the MTV Network's parent company, since the end of 2004...
in Germany.
The band also performed during the Final Four Concert Series in Indianapolis on April 2, 2010. The band appeared on the Late Show with David Letterman
Late Show with David Letterman
Late Show with David Letterman is a U.S. late-night talk show hosted by David Letterman on CBS. The show debuted on August 30, 1993, and is produced by Letterman's production company, Worldwide Pants Incorporated. The show's music director and band-leader of the house band, the CBS Orchestra, is...
for the first time in ten years on May 19, performing "Between the Lines
Between the Lines (song)
"Between the Lines" is the first single from the American rock band Stone Temple Pilots's sixth studio album, Stone Temple Pilots. The single was released on March 22, 2010. The song set the record for largest positional gain on Billboards Rock Songs chart, jumping from number 40 to 2, later...
." STP's self-titled sixth record
Stone Temple Pilots (album)
Stone Temple Pilots is the sixth studio album by American rock band Stone Temple Pilots. The album was released worldwide from May 21 through May 27, 2010, and is the band's first album since Shangri-La Dee Da . The album is the result of the band's reunion, which occurred in April 2008...
was released on May 25, 2010, debuting at #2 on the Billboard 200
Billboard 200
The Billboard 200 is a ranking of the 200 highest-selling music albums and EPs in the United States, published weekly by Billboard magazine. It is frequently used to convey the popularity of an artist or groups of artists...
.
In September 2010, STP announced it was rescheduling several U.S. tour dates so that the band could take a "short break." This announcement came a few days after Weiland said the following at a show in Houston, Texas
Houston, Texas
Houston is the fourth-largest city in the United States, and the largest city in the state of Texas. According to the 2010 U.S. Census, the city had a population of 2.1 million people within an area of . Houston is the seat of Harris County and the economic center of , which is the ...
: "I started drinking again. My brother died, me and my wife got divorced, and my whole world basically spun around. So you know what? I'm going to take care of myself because that's what I need to take care of. Instead of just having a few shows, I want to have a whole hell of a lot of shows."
In 2011, STP toured Southeast Asia
Southeast Asia
Southeast Asia, South-East Asia, South East Asia or Southeastern Asia is a subregion of Asia, consisting of the countries that are geographically south of China, east of India, west of New Guinea and north of Australia. The region lies on the intersection of geological plates, with heavy seismic...
for the first time, playing in Philippines
Philippines
The Philippines , officially known as the Republic of the Philippines , is a country in Southeast Asia in the western Pacific Ocean. To its north across the Luzon Strait lies Taiwan. West across the South China Sea sits Vietnam...
(Manila
Manila
Manila is the capital of the Philippines. It is one of the sixteen cities forming Metro Manila.Manila is located on the eastern shores of Manila Bay and is bordered by Navotas and Caloocan to the north, Quezon City to the northeast, San Juan and Mandaluyong to the east, Makati on the southeast,...
), Singapore
Singapore
Singapore , officially the Republic of Singapore, is a Southeast Asian city-state off the southern tip of the Malay Peninsula, north of the equator. An island country made up of 63 islands, it is separated from Malaysia by the Straits of Johor to its north and from Indonesia's Riau Islands by the...
, and Indonesia
Indonesia
Indonesia , officially the Republic of Indonesia , is a country in Southeast Asia and Oceania. Indonesia is an archipelago comprising approximately 13,000 islands. It has 33 provinces with over 238 million people, and is the world's fourth most populous country. Indonesia is a republic, with an...
(Jakarta
Jakarta
Jakarta is the capital and largest city of Indonesia. Officially known as the Special Capital Territory of Jakarta, it is located on the northwest coast of Java, has an area of , and a population of 9,580,000. Jakarta is the country's economic, cultural and political centre...
). Following this, the band played successful shows in Australia, including sell out performances in Sydney
Sydney
Sydney is the most populous city in Australia and the state capital of New South Wales. Sydney is located on Australia's south-east coast of the Tasman Sea. As of June 2010, the greater metropolitan area had an approximate population of 4.6 million people...
and Melbourne
Melbourne
Melbourne is the capital and most populous city in the state of Victoria, and the second most populous city in Australia. The Melbourne City Centre is the hub of the greater metropolitan area and the Census statistical division—of which "Melbourne" is the common name. As of June 2009, the greater...
.
Planned seventh studio album (2011–present)
In October 2010, after STP resumed its tour, drummer Eric KretzEric Kretz
Eric Kretz is an American musician and producer, known as the drummer for the rock band Stone Temple Pilots, one of the most successful rock bands of the 1990s and early 2000s that reunited in 2008. He has also played for Talk Show, and most recently Spiralarms...
hinted at a possible seventh album for the band, stating: "We're maybe looking at putting out another record next year or touring some more and trying new ideas of how to present music, especially for downloading." In November 2011, frontman Scott Weiland
Scott Weiland
Scott Weiland is an American musician, lyricist, and vocalist, most notable for his work with Grammy Award-winning rock band Stone Temple Pilots. Weiland is also known for his five-year career with supergroup Velvet Revolver as well as his own solo career...
told Billboard.com that Stone Temple Pilots are "getting some rough ideas together" for their new album and "then putting rough ideas down on ProTools with no lyrics and no melody." He later added, "And then I start listening to it and see if it's just a straight-ahead rock 'n' roll record or if it's more of a concept album like Shangri-La Dee Da was. Once we decide that, it should go full speed ahead."
Musical style and influences
The band's sound is considered a blending of modern alternative rockAlternative rock
Alternative rock is a genre of rock music and a term used to describe a diverse musical movement that emerged from the independent music underground of the 1980s and became widely popular by the 1990s...
and hard rock
Hard rock
Hard rock is a loosely defined genre of rock music which has its earliest roots in mid-1960s garage rock, blues rock and psychedelic rock...
of the 1970s. While Core
Core (Stone Temple Pilots album)
The album was released on September 29, 1992 on Atlantic, the same day Alice in Chains released Dirt, another important album of the grunge era. Despite high sales, the album received mixed to negative reviews. Critics blasted the band as "rip-offs" of grunge bands such as Pearl Jam and Alice in...
and Purple
Purple (album)
-Notes:The opening of track 3, "Lounge Fly", was used as the theme for MTV News's short MTV News Break segments for several years in the mid-1990s....
resembled a strong grunge
Grunge
Grunge is a subgenre of alternative rock that emerged during the mid-1980s in the American state of Washington, particularly in the Seattle area. Inspired by hardcore punk, heavy metal, and indie rock, grunge is generally characterized by heavily distorted electric guitars, contrasting song...
-inspired sound, later albums would include elements of psychedelic rock
Psychedelic rock
Psychedelic rock is a style of rock music that is inspired or influenced by psychedelic culture and attempts to replicate and enhance the mind-altering experiences of psychedelic drugs. It emerged during the mid 1960s among folk rock and blues rock bands in United States and the United Kingdom...
, power pop
Power pop
Power pop is a popular musical genre that draws its inspiration from 1960s British and American pop and rock music. It typically incorporates a combination of musical devices such as strong melodies, crisp vocal harmonies, economical arrangements, and prominent guitar riffs. Instrumental solos are...
, garage rock
Garage rock
Garage rock is a raw form of rock and roll that was first popular in the United States and Canada from about 1963 to 1967. During the 1960s, it was not recognized as a separate music genre and had no specific name...
, glam rock
Glam rock
Glam rock is a style of rock and pop music that developed in the UK in the early 1970s, which was performed by singers and musicians who wore outrageous clothes, makeup and hairstyles, particularly platform-soled boots and glitter...
, bossa nova
Bossa nova
Bossa nova is a style of Brazilian music. Bossa nova acquired a large following in the 1960s, initially consisting of young musicians and college students...
, and country
Country music
Country music is a popular American musical style that began in the rural Southern United States in the 1920s. It takes its roots from Western cowboy and folk music...
. Dean DeLeo
Dean DeLeo
Dean DeLeo is an American guitarist for the rock band Stone Temple Pilots.He is also known for his role in the short-lived bands Talk Show and Army of Anyone, which featured his younger brother Robert DeLeo, Filter frontman Richard Patrick, and session drummer Ray Luzier...
's trademark guitar sound is considered to be "crunchy" and especially distorted. DeLeo's playing has received critical acclaim, as Stone Temple Pilots' second album, Purple, was ranked number 73 on Guitar World
Guitar World
Guitar World is a monthly music magazine devoted to guitarists. It contains original interviews, album and gear reviews and guitar and bass tablature of approximately five songs each month. The magazine is published 13 times per year...
magazine's list of the 100 greatest guitar albums of all time. Stone Temple Pilots has covered several popular classic rock artists live and in the studio, such as The Beatles
The Beatles
The Beatles were an English rock band, active throughout the 1960s and one of the most commercially successful and critically acclaimed acts in the history of popular music. Formed in Liverpool, by 1962 the group consisted of John Lennon , Paul McCartney , George Harrison and Ringo Starr...
, Led Zeppelin
Led Zeppelin
Led Zeppelin were an English rock band, active in the late 1960s and throughout the 1970s. Formed in 1968, they consisted of guitarist Jimmy Page, singer Robert Plant, bassist/keyboardist John Paul Jones, and drummer John Bonham...
, Kiss
KISS (band)
Kiss is an American rock band formed in New York City in January 1973. Well-known for its members' face paint and flamboyant stage outfits, the group rose to prominence in the mid to late 1970s on the basis of their elaborate live performances, which featured fire breathing, blood spitting,...
, The Doors
The Doors
The Doors were an American rock band formed in 1965 in Los Angeles, California, with vocalist Jim Morrison, keyboardist Ray Manzarek, drummer John Densmore, and guitarist Robby Krieger...
, Pink Floyd
Pink Floyd
Pink Floyd were an English rock band that achieved worldwide success with their progressive and psychedelic rock music. Their work is marked by the use of philosophical lyrics, sonic experimentation, innovative album art, and elaborate live shows. Pink Floyd are one of the most commercially...
, David Bowie
David Bowie
David Bowie is an English musician, actor, record producer and arranger. A major figure for over four decades in the world of popular music, Bowie is widely regarded as an innovator, particularly for his work in the 1970s...
, as well as reggae
Reggae
Reggae is a music genre first developed in Jamaica in the late 1960s. While sometimes used in a broader sense to refer to most types of Jamaican music, the term reggae more properly denotes a particular music style that originated following on the development of ska and rocksteady.Reggae is based...
artist Bob Marley
Bob Marley
Robert Nesta "Bob" Marley, OM was a Jamaican singer-songwriter and musician. He was the rhythm guitarist and lead singer for the ska, rocksteady and reggae band Bob Marley & The Wailers...
.
Though critics initially claimed Weiland's vocal style to be similar to that of Eddie Vedder
Eddie Vedder
Eddie Vedder is an American musician and singer-songwriter who is best known for being the lead singer and one of three guitarists of the alternative rock band Pearl Jam. He is widely considered a cultural icon of alternative rock.He is also involved in soundtrack work and contributes to albums...
and the late Layne Staley
Layne Staley
Layne Thomas Staley was an American musician who served as the lead singer and co-lyricist of the rock group Alice in Chains, which was formed in Seattle, Washington in 1987 by Staley and guitarist Jerry Cantrell. Alice in Chains rose to international fame as part of the grunge movement of the...
, Weiland has said his vocal style is inspired by the late Jim Morrison
Jim Morrison
James Douglas "Jim" Morrison was an American musician, singer, and poet, best known as the lead singer and lyricist of the rock band The Doors...
of the Doors, and has also cited David Bowie as a major influence.
While mainly an alternative rock band, the band has incorporated a large number of musical styles throughout their career, including hard rock, psychedelic rock, jangle pop
Jangle pop
Jangle pop is a genre of alternative rock from the mid-1980s that "marked a return to the chiming or jangly guitars and pop melodies of the '60s" bands such as The Byrds, with their electric twelve-string guitars and power pop song structures. Mid-1980s jangle pop was a non-mainstream "pop-based...
, and funk rock
Funk rock
Funk rock is a music genre that fuses funk and rock elements. Its earliest incarnation was heard in the late 1960s through the mid-1970s by acts such as the Jimi Hendrix Experience , Eric Burdon and War, Trapeze, Parliament-Funkadelic, Betty Davis and Mother's Finest. The 1990s were known for acts...
. Guitarist Dean DeLeo uses heavily layered and distorted guitar playing and bassist Robert DeLeo continues to draw influences from genres such as rhythm and blues
Rhythm and blues
Rhythm and blues, often abbreviated to R&B, is a genre of popular African American music that originated in the 1940s. The term was originally used by record companies to describe recordings marketed predominantly to urban African Americans, at a time when "urbane, rocking, jazz based music with a...
, lounge music
Lounge music
Lounge music is a retrospective description of music popular in the 1950s and 1960s. It is a type of mood music meant to evoke in the listeners the feeling of being in a place — a jungle, an island paradise, outer space, et cetera — other than where they are listening to it...
, and ragtime
Ragtime
Ragtime is an original musical genre which enjoyed its peak popularity between 1897 and 1918. Its main characteristic trait is its syncopated, or "ragged," rhythm. It began as dance music in the red-light districts of American cities such as St. Louis and New Orleans years before being published...
. Weiland is the band's primary lyricist.
Discography
- CoreCore (Stone Temple Pilots album)The album was released on September 29, 1992 on Atlantic, the same day Alice in Chains released Dirt, another important album of the grunge era. Despite high sales, the album received mixed to negative reviews. Critics blasted the band as "rip-offs" of grunge bands such as Pearl Jam and Alice in...
(1992) - PurplePurple (album)-Notes:The opening of track 3, "Lounge Fly", was used as the theme for MTV News's short MTV News Break segments for several years in the mid-1990s....
(1994) - Tiny Music... Songs from the Vatican Gift ShopTiny Music... Songs from the Vatican Gift Shop-Album:-Singles:-References:...
(1996) - No. 4No. 4 (album)-Credits:Stone Temple Pilots* Scott Weiland - vocals, organ* Robert DeLeo - bass, percussion, guitars, fuzz bass, zither* Dean DeLeo - electric & acoustic guitars, lapsteel, 6-string bass* Eric Kretz - drums, percussionAdditional Personnel...
(1999) - Shangri-La Dee DaShangri-La Dee Da-Personnel:*Scott Weiland - vocals, keyboards *Dean DeLeo - guitars*Robert DeLeo - bass, percussion , guitar , acoustic guitar , keyboards , piano , autoharp , electric sitar *Eric Kretz - drums, percussion , keyboards , banjo -Additional personnel:*Brendan...
(2001) - Stone Temple PilotsStone Temple Pilots (album)Stone Temple Pilots is the sixth studio album by American rock band Stone Temple Pilots. The album was released worldwide from May 21 through May 27, 2010, and is the band's first album since Shangri-La Dee Da . The album is the result of the band's reunion, which occurred in April 2008...
(2010) - VII (2012)
Awards
- Won, 19931993 in musicThis is a summary of significant events in music in 1993.-January–February:*January 8 – The U.S. Postal Service issues an Elvis Presley stamp. The design was voted on in February 1992....
– MTV Video Music Award for Best New ArtistMTV Video Music Award for Best New ArtistThe MTV Video Music Award for Best New Artist is one of the four original general categories that have been given out since the first annual MTV Video Music Awards in 1984...
("PlushPlush (song)"Plush" is a song by American rock band Stone Temple Pilots. It is one of the band's biggest hits, and was released as the second single from the band's debut studio album, Core .-Composition and inspiration:...
") - Won, 19941994 in musicThis is a list of notable events in music that took place in the year 1994.-January–February:*January 25 – Alice in Chains release their Jar of Flies album which debuted at number one on the Billboard 200, becoming the first ever EP to do so....
– American Music Award for Favorite Pop/Rock New Artist - Won, 1994 – Grammy AwardGrammy AwardA Grammy Award — or Grammy — is an accolade by the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences of the United States to recognize outstanding achievement in the music industry...
for Best Hard Rock Performance ("Plush")