Stone Temple Crises

Atlantic Records filed a lawsuit against Scott Weiland and Eric Kretz of Stone Temple Pilots on June 12, demanding that the reunited band live up to its record contract to deliver new albums.

The lawsuit, filed in U.S. District Court in Manhattan, alleges the STP members “…threatened to stop performing under their contract and have indicated they would like to end the agreement.”

According to the filing, these threats “have given rise to a definite, real, and substantial controversy between the parties that threatens to harm Atlantic’s business.”

Guitarist Dean DeLeo and bassist Robert DeLeo, released from their Atlantic contract in 2003, were not included in the lawsuit.

Though STP recorded six albums for Atlantic Records – a subsidiary of the Warner Music Group Corporation – the label feels it’s still owed up to three more albums.

The day after the lawsuit was filed, STP released a response, stating, “Despite the allegations in the complaint, the band never threatened anything more than remaining away from the studio until equitable terms could be arranged. The precipitous filing of this action is yet another example of the difficulties facing artists in the new music environment as relationships between artists and their labels fall further and further apart.…

“Eric and Scott have not yet been served and hope that Atlantic will allow cooler heads to prevail, and have the courtesy of shelving this action, to permit negotiations to continue in a positive spirit rather than under a dark cloud of hostility.”

Last month, STP launched its first national tour in around eight years. Reviews have been mixed. One YouTube clip from New Jersey shows singer Scott Weiland mumbling about the band being over an hour late. He’s interrupted by Robert DeLeo, who says, “Apology accepted, brother.” Weiland sits down on the stage and holds out his mike, letting the audience handle the vocals on most of the song. A New York Times review of the show said, “[Weiland] seemed bedraggled and bushed, like a scarecrow. His first comments were barely coherent, and what came next was dispiriting.”

– Jay Allen Sanford