Stone Temple Pilots have introduced former X-Factor contestant Jeff Gutt as their new lead singer. Gutt made his debut with the band onstage at Los Angeles’ Troubadour on November 14. “He was one of the last guys we saw, in the last two days of auditions. And that was just over a year ago – September of 2016,” guitarist Dean DeLeo says of Gutt. “Jeff wasn’t even part of the singer submissions. But Robert [DeLeo] happened to be playing a gig with the Hollywood Vampires in Michigan and somebody came backstage after the show and approached him and said, ‘You should check this guy out. He’s a local guy.’ And Robert called me the next morning and was like, ‘Hey, man . . .'” “I was probably 16 or 17 when Core came out,” Gutt says, “and I just remember how Scott could cater to the song and create these characters. That blew me away. I was really studying singers at the time and Scott [Weiland] was at the top of the list. So walking in on that first day, it was crazy. I mean, you have dreams about things like this. I still feel a little Mark Wahlberg-ish.” The band has also unveiled its first new single with Gutt on lead vocals, titled “Meadow.” STP is planning to release a new studio album next year. Copyright(c) 2017 RTTNews.com. All Rights Reserved