UPDATE 5:08 p.m. EST: Well that didn’t take long. Stone Temple Pilots wasted little time in denying Stapp’s suggestion. On Monday afternoon they tweeted out the following statement: “Despite recent comments, Scott Stapp is not, nor has he ever been considered as the singer for STP.” Perhaps Stapp meant he was fronting the surviving members of the Wildabouts?
If you thought Axl Rose joining AC/DC or Tom Hamilton joining Thin Lizzy was strange, weird, bizarre, or all three, here’s another one for 2016’s grand game of musical chairs: Scott Stapp might soon be fronting Stone Temple Pilots.
The surviving members of Stone Temple Pilots have been searching for a new singer since parting ways with Chester Bennington and learning of the death of original frontman Scott Weiland. After holding an open audition, an official announcement is set to be made as soon as next month — but Stapp, who is known for his work fronting God-lovin’ rock dudes Creed, may have leaked the story.
Earlier today, Stapp was a guest on the Bailey and Southside radio show on Atlanta’s WNNX Rock 100.5 FM, the show that’s taking credit for breaking the news that Rose was joining AC/DC a few weeks ago.
Unprompted, Stapp started with the teases right after talking about his Proof Of Life solo tour.
“I’ve been working on a new album with a new group of guys,” he says, which you can hear in the audio below. “Guys from some pretty well-known rock bands that you guys will know. I can’t really share the details about it but there’s a lot of good things going on.”
He adds: “This other band that I’m jamming with is its own band with its own band name.” After talking about Creed and his solo project for a bit, one of the radio hosts cuts right to the chase and asks him if he’s the new Stone Temple Pilots singer.
To which Stapp replies “I can’t say, man, I can’t say. I can’t confirm or deny… I will tell you this, there is a six degree separation connection between this new project and the band you mentioned.” When the host says “Is it the tour bus? Because Weiland actually died on the tour bus you used to tour on,” Stapp says: “Dude you are just on point aren’t you? I can’t confirm or deny” and then laughs.
We shall see.