New details have emerged on Stone Temple Pilots’ year long singer search. STP contacted a group of singers last spring, with a management representative e-mailing frontmen hopefuls. The management team member asked the singers for more material, requesting to have material shared on Dropbox. They asked for head shots, original music, and additional STP covers. Some singers have stated that they never heard anything back after a couple of weeks, and would have appreciated to at least hear that they wouldn’t be moving forward in the audition process.
The criticism from the singers largely seems to be based around communication with management, with nobody I’ve talked to having any issues with the band personally. One singer I spoke to who was able to actually audition with the band in person had nothing but good things to say about how they handled the in person audition. Another singer said he believes that an American won the job.
TheWaterThatYouLeave posted the following on the Stone Temple Pilots fan forum BelowEmpty.com:
“I chat to John [Borja] quite regularly, he’s a good guy and I like him… he can definitely sing,works really hard as a musician too. But I’m fairly sure STP have chosen an American. I’ve spoken to a few other singers that were part of the process,some that were only contacted,some that actually got to jam with the guys. Most of them are totally unimpressed by the way STP’s management dealt with them (myself included). A couple of these people you will have heard of too, we re not just talking about unknowns like me ?
Seems like the courtesy Mick Blankenship was given could have probably extended a bit further.”
Mick Blankenship, the lead singer of Stone Temple Pilots tribute band STP2, wiped away tears in an emotional new video where he discussed recently receiving a phone called from STP guitarist Dean DeLeo.
“Well, ladies and gentlemen, it finally, finally happened. I just got a phone call that I’ve been waiting for for a year, and I can’t freakin’ breathe right now. So, Dean DeLeo of Stone Temple Pilots just called my cell phone. It’s kind of funny, because when I answered the phone, the first thing he said was, ‘Why in the world would you want to pay tribute to Stone Temple Pilots?’ I hung up the phone on him, I thought it was somebody pranking me. So he called me back, and he told me that he was honored, and absolutely floored, at the work that I had put in, and he also had no idea who I was until tonight. I still can’t breathe. So he told me how much he really appreciated everything I have done, and how his daughter had found me on YouTube, and made him watch this video, and it was me singing the song ‘Down.’ He [called] because I left my cell number on YouTube. That’s about all I can say right now, but it finally happened. Everybody finally made enough noise, and I was finally noticed.”
“Stone Temple Pilots however has already selected their singer, so they have their hearts set on somebody, it’s probably not going to be me, but at least he called.”
He also wrote, “Well, theres no sleep for me tonight. Way too many emotions to process. A legend…….. (Dean Deleo) just called my cell phone tonight and told me what an honor it is to have me pay tribute to Stone Temple Pilots with my band ‘STP2’. (www.stp2tribute.com)
I keep asking myself, ‘Did this really just happen or am I dreaming?’
But it did… it totally happened and I will be in shock indefinitely. Dean said that he and the guys were floored that we have put so much effort and attention to detail into STP2. They want us to keep rocking out and they love what we are doing! How can you get a better endorsement than that? I asked if they had found a new lead singer and Dean said that they really have their heart set on a couple individuals at this time but he HAD to call me and congratulate me on what I have done so far. So he didn’t say NO but we will just have to wait to see what tomorrow brings. I informed him that we have an official website now and he should really check it out! I really hope he does and calls me back. But even if they chose someone else, I did it! I made enough noise that STP called me and I will cherish that forever. Would be totally cool to get to jam with these guys. We talked a little more about a few private things and he was super cool about it all. I hope to hear back from you Dean… thank you. You made my year man! Not every guy gets a personal phone call from there rock heroes! But this guy did…”
Jeffrey Adam Gutt and John Borja are two rumored finalists for the Stone Temple Pilots singer job.
