One week ago today, Stone Temple Pilots took the stage at KROQ’s Weenie Roast accompanied by a new singer, Linkin Park frontman Chester Bennington, and debuted a new song titled, “Out Of Time”. Following the performance, Bennington confirmed to KROQ that he would indeed by joining STP as a full-time member.
“When this opportunity came up, it was just like a no-brainer. We couldn’t really plan a tour until now because we couldn’t let people know what was going on. Now the cat’s out of the bag so we’re going to go out and make more music and go play more shows and have some fun.”
The only problem? The band’s founding member and original singer, Scott Weiland, claims he’s “still a member of the band.” In an open letter to fans issued on Friday, Weiland’s says the band’s decision to hire Bennington “took me by surprise. And it hurt.”
“The band that played last weekend was not Stone Temple Pilots and it was wrong of them to present themselves as that,” Weiland says in the letter. “First of all they don’t have the legal right to call themselves STP because I’m still a member of the band. And more importantly, they don’t have the ethical right to call themselves Stone Temple Pilots because it’s misleading and dishonest to the millions of fans that have followed us for so many years.”
However, Stone Temple Pilots claim they do have a legal right to continue onward without Weiland, and on Friday filed a lawsuit against him. According to Billboard, the band accuses Weiland of “misusing the band’s name to further his solo career.” (The lawsuit states the band entered into agreements in 1996 and 2010 that state that no former members can use the Stone Temple Pilots name.) The band also says it “endured much strife and lost significant opportunities” as a result of Weiland’s addiction problems. They also say Weiland’s lawyer has interfered with the airplay of the group’s new single “Out of Time”.
“Enough is enough,” the band’s lawsuit states. “Without relief from the court, Weiland will continue violating STP’s rights, misappropriating STP assets and interfering with the band’s livelihood.”
Read Weiland’s full letter:
A letter to my fans,
Like everybody else out there, I read about my band, Stone Temple Pilots, and their recent performance this past weekend with a new singer. To tell you the truth, it took me by surprise. And it hurt.
But the band that played last weekend was not Stone Temple Pilots and it was wrong of them to present themselves as that. First of all they don’t have the legal right to call themselves STP because I’m still a member of the band. And more importantly, they don’t have the ethical right to call themselves Stone Temple Pilots because it’s misleading and dishonest to the millions of fans that have followed us for so many years.
When I tour on my own, it’s never as Stone Temple Pilots. It’s as Scott Weiland. The fans deserve to know what they’re getting. Like any band that’s stood the test of time and made music for more than two decades, STP had a special alchemy – the four of us together were greater than any one of us apart. So if my former bandmates want to tour with a new singer, that’s their prerogative.
I don’t give a fuck what they call themselves, but it’s not Stone Temple Pilots.
And so I say to you, our fans, I’ll see you out there on the road this summer where I’m touring as ‘Scott Weiland’ with my band The Wildabouts. But don’t give up on STP. I know I haven’t.
