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Stone Temple Pilots, formerly known as Swing and Mighty Joe Young, was originally formed of frontman Scott Weiland, bassist Robert DeLeo, drummer Eric Kretz and guitarist Dean DeLeo. As Mighty Joe Young the band recorded and released a demo in 1990, many of which tracks featured on the band’s debut LP. After developing a fan base by playing regularly in the San Diego area they were informed the name Mighty Joe Young had already been claimed and thus came Stone Temple Pilots.
The band signed with Atlantic Records in 1992, the same year Stone Temple Pilots released their debut album “Core” which peaked at No. 3 on the Billboard 200. The album claimed significant commercial success, however the band were seen by the critical press as grunge imitators, copying the revered band such as Pearl Jam and Alice in Chains.
Stone Temple Pilots debuted the song “Big Empty” on an episode on MTV Unplugged in 1993 in anticipation of their sophomore album “Purple” in June 1994. Selling over three million copies in just four months, “Purple” was led by the hits “Vasoline” and “Interstate Love Song”.
Taking a more glam rock, psychedelic rock direction Stone Temple Pilots’ third studio album “Tiny Music… Songs from the Vatican Gift Shop” was recorded at a rented mansion in Santa Barbara, California, U.S. The album was a favourite of the band’s among critics although it failed to hold such popular commercial appeal as its predecessors. After the release Weiland, who had previously struggled with a heroin addiction, relapsed and the band cancelled their tour and support lot on Kiss’ reunion tour.
The band without Weiland under the moniker Talk Show released one eponymously titled album in 1997 before calling it a day. A year later frontman Weiland released his debut solo album “12 Bar Blues” in 1998 to moderate critical acclaim. The same year Stone Temple Pilots reunited and began work on “Shangri-La Dee Da” which got its release in the summer of 2001, although with a lack of label promotion the album was a commercial disappointment.
In 2003 label Atlantic Records pushed a greatest hits album, and frontman Weiland formed the successful supergroup Velvet Revolver with Guns N’ Roses members Slash, Matt Sorum and Duff McKagan and former Wasted Youth guitarist Dave Kushner. After releasing two album “Contraband” in 2004 and “Libertad” in 2007, Weiland left the group.
Stone Temple Pilots’ members reconciled with one another at a private beach party they were asked to play which led to the announcement of a 65-date North American tour and an appearance on Jimmy Kimmel Live! Shortly after in 2008 Weiland released his sophomore solo album ““Happy” in Galoshes” and the Stone Temple Pilots release a self-titled sixth studio album on May 25, 2010.
In 2013 it was announced Weiland had been fired from the group and his official replacement Chester Bennington of Linkin Park. Stone Temple Pilot's include Bennington release the single "Out of Time" in May 2013.
Originally formed whilst in high school, guitarist Scott Lucas and drummer Joe Daniels began jamming together and later invited John Sparkman and Matt Garcia to fill out the sound. Garcia and Sparkman left in the early ‘90s however, and Lucas and Daniels decided to continue on as a duo. After honing their skills as a novel two piece, with Lucas playing a six-string with added bass pick-ups, Local H signed with Island Records in 1995. The band made their debut the same year with “Ham Fisted”, which failed to create a stir with similarities drawn with high-flying Nirvana.
A year later however Local H made their mark as feedback wielding, cynical-lyric delivering rock Mid-westerners, with the 1996 album “As Good as Dead”. Aided by No. 5 single on the US Alternative Billboard chart “Bound for the Floor”, as well as the singles “Eddie Vedder” and “Fritz’s Corner”, the album was later certified gold and earned the band a considerable following. “Pack Up the Cats” was issued in 1998 and maintained the group’s alt-rock and hard rock appeal, however lacked some of the focus of its predecessor.
After Island Records’ parent company Polygram was bought out by Universal Music, the band were lost in the merger, which resulted in Daniels leaving the band, and Local H took three years off from recording music. Replaced by former Triple Fast Action drummer Brian St. Clair, Local H returned in 2002 and released “Here Comes the Zoo” on Palm Pictures Records. Featuring more frantic and aggressive drumming, and lyrics, cutting in their design, the album proved there was still life in the Local H beast. After supporting the album with an extensive touring schedule, the band followed the release with the EP “No Fun” in 2003.
Local H subsequently released their fifth studio album “Whatever Happened to P.J. Soles?” in April 2004, followed by a cover of Britney Spears’ “Toxic”, which earned the band significant publicity. The full-length concept album “Twelve Angry Months” appeared in 2008, and two years later their seventh studio album “Hallelujah! I’m a Bum” hit the shelves. 2011 brought the band first best-of compilation entitled “The Island Years” and in 2013 the EP “The Another February” found its release on Slimstyle Records.
If Scott Weiland is sober, he could’ve fooled me. Sober or not, I have to say Scott and the rest of Stone Temple Pilots are proving they arn’t just some over-aged rockers trying to cash in on a fading popularity. I only saw STP once in their heyday, at SDSU in 1995. I have now seen them 3 times in as many years since their reunion and they have never let me down, as improbable as that might sound. When STP announced their comeback in 2008 I probably would have laughed it off if I had not seen Velvet Revolver rock the shit out of the Live 8 stage in London a couple years prior. That show made me a believer in Weiland‘s rock-star skills, if not in his new found sobrity. The Berkeley stop was not only nostagilic, as I hoped it would be, it was a kick-ass rock show. This didn’t seem like a band just reliving the 90′s; they seemed current, fun and non-apologetic. They did the same thing at the Fillmore here in Denver the next year. I had serious doubts Weiland, who now resembles Eminem in his wife-beater, would make it long enough for me to see them once, much less twice. And now, here we are, 3 years later and they are headliningg Red Rocks…in support of a new album?!!! An album that doesn’t live up to their first 2, but is actually pretty damn good?!!! What the hell is going on? Unfortunately for STP, there is a difference between 2010 and 1995. In 1995 they would have been able to sell out back-to-back nights in any given city. In 2010 it’s hard to sell out two venues in the same city within an 8 month period. The Fillmore show was pretty packed last October. Red Rocks was much less so on Tuesday night. That being said, those who didn’t make it missed a great rock show. The weather was perfect; it doesn’t get much better than a warm evening with a cool breeze coming through Red Rocks. STP performed all their major hits like Wicked Garden, Interstate Love Song, Vasoline and Sex Type Thing. They did 4 or 5 from the new album, of which Huckleberry Crumble really resonanted live…a down and dirty blues number. A real highlight for me was Still Remains, a song from Purple they had not performed live in over 12 years. That, along with a cover of Led Zeppelin‘s Dancing Days, both brought me back to the carefree days of beach living in San Diego. The encore of Dead & Bloated and Trippin’ On a Hole in a Paper Heart (dedicated to the troops) ended the night right. To be honest, I wasn’t going to attend this show, but my wife had never seen them and we were able to score 15th row seats. The sound was amazing down there and the light show was pretty impressive. This was one of the few shows I have seen where the band didn’t prefer the natural rock backdrop on this iconic stage. But even though STP were labeled grunge, they always tilted away from that scene and more toward the glam of L.A.’s sunset strip…so I can see them prefering an over-the-top light show vs. some old red rocks.
kmartini
Local H started in the early 90s, right before grunge exploded into the mainstream. While they are certainly part of that grunge scene, their music was more raw and closer to punk than most mainstream grunge bands. Over time though, the band has grown quite a bit and part of that growth was a bit of a mellowing out.
Make no mistake, they are still a hard band but the hardness is now tempered by more melodies and changes in tempo to make the music more complex and appealing.There are only two members, guitarist and singer Scott Lucas and drummer Ryan Harding, who only rather recently joined. The duo manage to produce a sound much deeper than you'd expect from just a guitar and drums. The playing is hard and usually quite fast.
Also surprising for just two member, one of whom is stuck behind a drum set, is that they still manage to put on a good show. Part of this is due to the audience and their loyal fan base who keep up the energy but Scott does a good job of drawing attention to his guitar playing which is somewhat reminiscent of Green Day's Billy Joe Armstrong's low slung bass and strong, vertical strumming.The music is still hard and even with the changes and growth, Scott has managed to keep things true to the band's original hardcore and punk/grunge mix of sounds.
They definitely put on a good show and anyone interested in hearing what the local music scene sounded like before acts like Nirvana and Pearl Jam got famous should check them out.
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