by Matt Bishop | February 19, 2016
Stone Temple Pilots have begun a grassroots search for a new vocalist though an organic submission process. Singers from all over have begun cutting demos and sending them to the band. While Robert, Dean, and Eric are sifting through hundreds of submissions, their search might be over faster than we think.
After a lot of pleading from friends, family, and fans
(and this writer), vocalist Walt Lafty of Silvertide has officially thrown his hat into the ring. In a post that was shared on Silvertide’s official Facebook page, Walt declared that he would be recording vocals and sending them in to the open call. Silvertide are currently on hiatus, with each band member working on different (and successful) projects. Lafty recently launched a new band The Like Magnets with fellow Silvertide bandmate Mark Melchiorre (guitar, keyboards). However, an opportunity to be the next voice of an iconic group like Stone Temple Pilots is something we don’t think Lafty could pass up. We also think he’d be a damn good fit.
Lafty is an entertainer. His on-stage swagger is engrossing and captivating. He pours every last ounce of himself into each song, and exhibits traits of the greats who came before him like Bon Scott (AC/DC), Steven Tyler (Aerosmith), David Lee Roth (Van Halen), Mick Jagger (The Rolling Stones), and others. The point of Stone Temple Pilots’ widespread search for a new vocalist is just that – a new vocalist. So while I hesitate to make a Scott Weiland comparison, I’ll say this – I see similarities between Lafty and Weiland as far as stage presence and showmanship go. Lafty is similar just enough to capture the essence of STP, but different enough to take them in a new direction. Only time will tell if he has what it takes in the eyes of STP to land the gig, but he certainly has TheRockRevival.com’s vote.
