STONE TEMPLE PILOTS Bassist Says Band's Upcoming Acoustic Tour Will Include 'Some Extra Players And A String Section'

During a recent interview with Mindy of the Milwaukee radio station 102.9 The Hog, STONE TEMPLE PILOTS vocalist Jeff Gutt said the group's new acoustic album, "Perdida" (Spanish for "loss"),came said by accident.

"We only intended on doing a few songs," Gutt explained (hear audio below). "We were going to do a few songs and make, like, an EP. We got in a rhythm and we started putting together everything. We had been on the road doing a lot of stuff... We got back and we had a lot of ideas, and it just ended up turning into a whole record."

In February, the band will embark on their first-ever acoustic tour to support the album, which features a number of instruments (alto saxophone, flute, guitarrón) that aren't normally heard on an STP album. Founding bassist Robert DeLeo says the band plans to incorporate some of those instruments into their upcoming concerts.

"We're trying to do the best we can with replicating what we did sonically on the record," he said. "I think there's going to be some imagination to be had there. We're going to have some extra players and a string section. We've kind of done this in the past doing a lot of stuff with, say, the song 'Atlanta'. We've done it before, and it's always an enjoyable experience to kind of break the songs down to where they were when they were written. It always starts there, with acoustic guitar. I think it's just a matter of staying there, and having a nice, enjoyable listening experience."

STONE TEMPLE PILOTS will embark on their first-ever acoustic tour on February 5, two days prior to the release of "Perdida". According to a press release, the album includes 10 deeply personal songs that weave introspective lyrics together with unexpected instruments to take listeners on an emotional and musical journey through letting go and starting over.

"Recording an acoustic album like 'Perdida' is something the band has wanted to do for many years," said drummer Eric Kretz. "We performed on 'MTV Unplugged' in 1993, and we usually play acoustic mini-sets on tour, so when Robert and Dean [DeLeo, guitar] started playing their new songs for us during our tour last year, we knew right away they would be perfect for an acoustic album."

To record "Perdida", the quartet assembled at Kretz's Bomb Shelter Studios in February. The key to making the album, Dean explains, was finding a way to say more with less. "Everything you hear serves a purpose, from the space in the arrangements to the different instruments. We only added things that served the songs," he said.

The band has released the album's opening track, called "Fare Thee Well".

In support of the LP, STP will launch an acoustic tour in early 2020 beginning on February 5 in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada.

Photo credit: PR Brown