Stone Temple Pilots have tapped into The X Factor for their new singer, who was announced Tuesday night at a special gig at the Troubadour in West Hollywood, California.
The new frontman is Jeff Gutt , who was a runner-up during the show’s third season. While Gutt’s hiring was just announced, the band actually hired him back in May of this year, following his first audition with the band in September 2016. He’s spent the last year working with STP’s Dean DeLeo, Robert DeLeo and Eric Kretz on new material. The band’s first single with Gutt, a song called “Meadow,” has been sent to radio and expected to debut online later this week.
In an interview prior to the show with SiriusXM’s Eddie Trunk, Robert DeLeo said he first heard about Gutt when he was touring with the Hollywood Vampires, during a gig in Detroit, when another musician suggested STP check out Gutt.
For Gutt, joining STP is like “joining Led Zeppelin, because to me, they’re my Led Zeppelin.”
Gutt replaces the late Chester Bennington, who worked with the group from 2013 through 2015. He replaced the late Scott Weiland, who fronted the band during its ’90s prime and reunited with STP in 2010, but then got the boot in 2013.
At the show Tuesday night, the three core members walked on stage first and were joined by Gutt, who sported closely cropped blond hair and a name tag on his shirt pocket that said “Hello, My Name Is Jeff.” The band broke into “Down” and off they went, followed by “Wicked Garden” and “Vasoline.” When that song ended, guitarist Dean DeLeo addressed the crowd, “So, it’s Jeff, right?” Gutt then took the mic and said, “Hello, my name’s Jeffrey. I want to thank these guys for sticking together and making it happen.”
“Coma,” “Interstate Love Song” and “Plush” followed. “That was for Scott,” Gutt said when when it was over, referring to Weiland. Someone pointed out a kid up in the balcony and Gutt said, “That’s my little boy. He came all the way from Detroit to be here. He’s missing school.”
Then came “Big Empty” and “Still Remains,” a song Gutt said he loved. The band said the only new song in the set, “Meadow,” will be out today (Wednesday).
Guitarist Wayne Kramer from the Hall of Fame-nominated Detroit band The MC5 came out and said, “In Detroit we honor hard work. He’s been putting in the hours.” Then they played The MC5’s signature song, “Kick Out the Jams,” with Kramer and Gutt sharing the vocals.
The band finished the set with “Sex Type Thing,” “Trippin’ on a Hole in a Paper Heart” and “Piece of Pie.” “See you soon,” bassist Robert De Leo told the crowd as they left the stage to shouts of “STP! STP! STP!.”
