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The surviving members of Stone Temple Pilots have had tough times in the last year. First, they were shocked and saddened to hear of the passing of their friend, mentor, and original lead singer, Scott Weiland last December. There was always hope that Scott would beat his habits, and settle his demons. The band would have loved nothing more than that, and would have likely reunited with him at some point. His death leaves an empty void in the band. Chester Bennington of Linkin Park did his minor stint in the band, and the results were mixed.

Fast forward to 2016. The band has been auditioning new vocalists all year. Apparently, the process has been challenging and gut wrenching at times. They want a new singer who can deliver their core sound with Scott, while bridging the future with new songs. It’s a big legacy to deal with. Now, this week, there seems to be some light on the subject. Rumors are swirling that the band has hired Jeff Gutt, who was on two seasons of the American “X Factor.” He was runner up in a third season on the show. Jeff has strong pipes and performed ‘Dream On’ by Aerosmith on “X Factor” recently. We will see what happens!

-Mattie