SCOTT WEILAND Says CHESTER BENNINGTON-Fronted Band Is 'Not STONE TEMPLE PILOTS'

STONE TEMPLE PILOTS frontman Scott Weiland has released the following statement via his Facebook page:

"A letter to my fans,

"Like everybody else out there, I read about my band, STONE TEMPLE PILOTS, and their recent performance this past weekend with a new singer. To tell you the truth, it took me by surprise. And it hurt.

"But the band that played last weekend was not STONE TEMPLE PILOTS and it was wrong of them to present themselves as that.

"First of all they don't have the legal right to call themselves STP because I'm still a member of the band. And more importantly, they don't have the ethical right to call themselves STONE TEMPLE PILOTS, because it's misleading and dishonest to the millions of fans that have followed us for so many years.

"When I tour on my own, it's never as STONE TEMPLE PILOTS. It's as Scott Weiland. The fans deserve to know what they're getting.

"Like any band that's stood the test of time and made music for more than two decades, STP had a special alchemy — the four of us together were greater than any one of us apart. So if my former bandmates want to tour with a new singer, that's their prerogative.

"I don't give a fuck what they call themselves, but it's not STONE TEMPLE PILOTS.

"And so I say to you, our fans, I'll see you out there on the road this summer where I'm touring as 'Scott Weiland' with my band THE WILDABOUTS. But don't give up on STP. I know I haven't."

As previously reported, STONE TEMPLE PILOTS members Robert DeLeo (bass),Dean DeLeo (guitar) and Eric Kretz (drums) have filed a lawsuit against Scott Weiland claiming that he sabotaged their 20th anniversary tour by being chronically late for performances and missing promotional gigs. They also allege Weiland refused to communicate with other bandmembers in an attempt to "hijack" the tour. "The band endured much strife and lost significant opportunities because of Weiland," the suit states.

STP officially fired Weiland in February after weeks of rumors about his status, issuing a terse statement that read, "STONE TEMPLE PILOTS have announced they have officially terminated Scott Weiland."

This was the second time that the band has parted ways with its often troubled frontman, following a split in 2002.

Fans were shocked when STONE TEMPLE PILOTS made a surprise appearance at a radio festival in the Los Angeles area last Saturday (May 18),with LINKIN PARK's Chester Bennington making his debut as the new STP lead singer.

The group performed a new song called "Out Of Time" at the show, putting a studio version online earlier this week. The DeLeo brothers and Kretz now claim in the lawsuit Weiland got vindictive and tried to interfere with the release of the single. Weiland's lawyer, according to the lawsuit, called the head of programming at the Los Angeles radio station KROQ and said if the station played "Out Of Time", it would be infringing on Weiland's rights.

Bennington has said that he was planning on doing more recording and touring with STP, while remaining in LINKIN PARK.