As part of the 2013 hennemusic Rock News Awards, the site is counting down the Top 10 Rock News Artists of the year.
Finalists for the 4th annual hennemusic Rock News Awards are chosen by readers: winners are determined by the combined total page views of the top 50 hennemusic rock news stories of the past twelve months.
The 2013 hennemusic Rock News Awards winners will be announced on Friday, January 17.
Rock News Artist of The Year No. 9 – STONE TEMPLE PILOTS
Stone Temple Pilots returned in 2013 and made plenty of headlines along the way.
2012 ended with word from Slash that lead singer Scott Weiland had been fired from the group (here), and that news was made official by the band on February 27.
“Stone Temple Pilots have announced they have officially terminated Scott Weiland - no further information is available at this time,” posted the group.
The news came a week before Weiland launched a solo tour, and the first of many public challenges to the band’s claim that they could remove him from the lineup.
“I learned of my supposed “termination” from Stone Temple Pilots this morning by reading about it in the press,” Weiland posted. “Not sure how I can be ‘terminated’ from a band that I founded, fronted and co-wrote many of its biggest hits, but that’s something for the lawyers to figure out. In the meantime, I’m looking forward to seeing all of my fans on my solo tour which starts this Friday.”
In May, STP made a surprise appearance at KROQ Los Angeles radio’s annual Weenie Roast, delivering their debut performance with new singer Chester Bennington of Linkin Park. A free download of the band’s new single, “Out Of Time”, was also offered to fans for a short period of time.
That same month, STP filed a lawsuit against Weiland, claiming – among other things – that the singer sabotaged its 20th anniversary tour by being chronically late for performances and missing promotional gigs.
Weiland filed a countersuit in June, seeking compensatory damages "in excess" of $5 million, along with statutory damages of up to $2 million for each "willful use" of the Stone Temple Pilots name "per mark, per type of goods or services sold, offered for sale or distributed."
On June 22, Weiland married photographer Jamie Wachtel at their home in Los Angeles; he would go on to play a series of solo dates in the summer and more in the fall.
In July, STP announced the fall release of a new EP and a North American tour to support it.
Issued October 8, “High Rise” debuted at No. 24 on the US Billboard 200 chart following first week sales of 12,000 copies.
STP have live dates scheduled for 2014, with shows starting February 13 at the Dubai Jazz Festival.
Weiland is reportedly working on a new solo album with his band, The Wildabouts.
2013 Rock News Artist Of The Year – Top 10
10 – DEF LEPPARD
See also:
2013 hennemusic Rock News Awards announced
Van Halen dominate the 2012 hennemusic Rock News Awards
Van Halen win two hennemusic Rock News Awards
Guns N’ Roses named hennemusic’s Rock News Artist of The Year
Jimmy Page’s 2011 plans named hennemusic’s Rock News Story Of The Year
