LISTEN: Stone Temple Pilots recruit former X Factor contestant as singer & unveil new song
Stone Temple Pilots have officially unveiled their new lead singer.
Following in the footsteps of Scott Weiland and Chester Bennington is 41-year-old Jeff Gutt – pictured above with the white hair.
Gutt was the frontman for Californian nu-metal band Dry Cell over two spells from 1998 to 2004 and from 2008 until he quit the group in 2009. They released one studio album called ‘Disconnected’ that was released via Warner Bros. Records in 2002.
He first appeared in the US version of Simon Cowell’s TV talent show The X Factor in 2012 and was one of the favourites having impressed with his rendition of Leonard Cohen’s ‘Hallelujah’, however he was ejected at the Boot Camp stage.
The following year, he competed in season 3 of The X Factor and eventually finished as runner up on the show. Here he is singing Queen's 'Bohemian Rhapsody':
Post-X Factor, he released the festive song ‘A Detroit Christmas’ as a solo artist and was drafted in as frontman of alternative rock band Rival City Heights in 2014.
On 16th November 2016, Entertainment Weekly announced that Gutt was the new lead singer of Stone Temple Pilots – a report that was initially denied by the band who said they “haven't made a decision yet."
Having started work with the band in September 2016, Gutt was officially unveiled by US radio DJ Eddie Trunk last night (14th November) almost exactly a year after the refuted Entertainment Weekly report.
He has spent the past year furtively writing and recording new material in Redondo Beach, California with his new Stone Temple Pilots band mates Dean DeLeo, Robert DeLeo and Eric Kretz.
Kretz comments: “The chemistry was there from the start, and Jeff kept coming up with one great melody after another. We ended up finishing 14 songs, which is the most that Stone Temple Pilots has ever recorded for an album."
Gutt made his live debut at a special invitation-only concert at The Troubadour in West Hollywood, California last night (14th November) and a single called ‘Meadow’ has premiered - listen to it below!
Speaking about the inevitable comparisons to STP’s original singer Scott Weiland, Gutt said: “No one will ever fill Scott’s shoes and I’m not trying to – he’s a legend.
“But these songs deserve to be performed and people want to hear them. I’m just honoured that the guys chose me to help them continue to build this band’s legacy.”
The Stone Temple Pilots set list at The Troubadour was as follows:
Down
Wicked Garden
Vasoline
Coma
Interstate Love Song
Plush
Big Empty
Still Remains
Meadow (new song)
Kick Out The Jams (MC5 cover)
Sex Type Thing
Trippin' on a Hole in a Paper Heart
Piece Of Pie