Weiland Trades Velvets for STP

It was hard to imagine such kind words when STP broke up in 2002. At the band's last show, Weiland and Dean DeLeo nearly got into a fistfight over Weiland's drug use. "Time is a great healer," says Dean, who adds that he and Weiland started to hang out again in recent years. "He would be like, 'Can we play some music?' And we'd sit at my little house in Malibu and play some music."

Talk of a tour first came last year, when Dean called Weiland, who was on the road with Velvet Revolver. "He said, 'Are you sitting down?' " Weiland recalls. " 'There are a handful of festivals trying to reach out to us, and the money is pretty ridiculous.' " The bandmates met to discuss a few dates, but after Velvet Revolver broke down, they set their sights on a full tour and even a new STP album. "We're making a new record after this tour, definitely," says Weiland. "There's more to say." Dean says he's written lots of songs with Weiland in mind: "There's certainly no shortage of material."

The band is letting fans vote on what songs it will play on the tour, which starts May 17th at Ohio's Rock on the Range Festival and wraps up August 31st at Seattle's Bumbershoot.

STP's members are planning to bring their kids along — which will add to the drastically different vibe from STP tours past. "Partying and kids don't really go together," says Robert DeLeo. "There is a lot more clarity and wisdom now, and there's a lot more understanding of what's happening. If we can all apply that, it's gonna be a better place for everyone."

Beyond the STP tour, Weiland is planning a flurry of projects. In the fall, he'll release a solo disc he's been working on with Steve Albini ("It's like Granddaddy bumping heads with Marvin Gaye," Weiland says), and he's plotting a memoir, a clothing line and a TV show. "I've been spending more time with my manager than my significant other," he says.

Velvet Revolver, meanwhile, are setting up a Website where potential frontmen can audition. "We're just excited about finding somebody else and moving on," says Slash, adding that the band is planning a third album.

Weiland, who mockingly suggested the group hire Sebastian Bach for the gig, says his time in Velvet Revolver gave him some insight into the demise of Guns n' Roses. "Everyone has made Axl out to be this crazy person," Weiland says. "But having been in a band with these guys for five and a half years, I'm not so sure that it was all Axl's fault."

[From Issue 1052 — May 15, 2008]