Rededicate the Temple

Now that Talk Show, Army Of Anyone, and Velvet Revolver have released albums, the itch has returned, and the Stone Temple Pilots are getting back together.

Their reunion will be mid-year for the Rock On The Range festival in Ohio, but the talk is that there will be dates to follow. Currently, singer Scott Weiland is doing a reunion tour of rehab, which works just fine since he was in that spot many times during STP’s lifespan. No word if the reunion means there will be a new album, or even the status of the bands they are currently in.

When STP first came out, they were compared to Pearl Jam and ruled a cheap knockoff, but after the grunge tone of their debut, Core, the band significantly (perhaps deliberately) stretched their songwriting focus. From Purple to Tiny Music, the band not only took out the heavier elements for a more acoustic and psychedelic vibe on some songs, but also brought more of a Zeppelin-esque bombast to their rock. By No. 4, the group doubled back to a heavier sound, but steered into hard rock. By the end of the 90’s, the band was one of the last survivors of the alternative era, and their pop-oriented final album, Shangri-La-Di-Da, was subsequently their least best.

Underrated even while turning out a string of hits, it’s good to see these underdogs are going for it again.