The members of Stone Temple Pilots have overcome more hurdles than most bands - namely, the deaths of two high-profile lead singers.
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The late Scott Weiland and Chester Bennington cast a sizeable shadow over the rock act's legacy.
"I was in the gym today and Plush came on the radio," drummer Eric Kretz told the Mercury from Los Angeles.
"I was like, 'damn, Scott sounded so great'. Plain and simply, what a great singer and songwriter. It connects because it was so real, he was just a master of it."
Therefore, Kretz understands that some fans may be skeptical upon first seeing the new incarnation of the band, fronted by Jeff Gutt.
"In Europe, we do a lot of hard rock and metal festivals," Kretz said. "And maybe the first song, dudes have their arms crossed.
"And then pretty soon, by song three, they're all chanting 'STP', Jeff's out there surfing with them, and hopping in the pit with them."
Kretz said this desire to prove themselves recalled their stint opening for thrash metallers Megadeth in 1993.
"We'd start playing and half the audience would be flipping us off.
"So Scott really had to work on breaking them down.
"As a band we got tighter and louder, and did everything we could to win them over. And by the end they'd be chanting 'STP'."
During their early years, Stone Temple Pilots had the distinction of being a group beloved by rock fans and loathed by the music press, who derided them as grunge wannabes.
In fact, the US rockers were once voted as 'Best New Band' by the readers of Rolling Stone, but also the 'Worst New Band' by the same magazine's critics.
"That was pretty funny," Kretz laughed.
"Our only consolation was they did the same thing to Led Zeppelin back in 1969-70. If we can compare ourselves to that, where the fans love it and the critics hate it, we'll take it."
They indeed soldiered on, scoring platinum records and a Grammy.
They're also still releasing fresh music; new album Perdida will arrive in February.
"It's more on the acoustic side, it's acoustic-ish... But there's a lot of electric stuff in there as well," Kretz said.
"It's not just a rocking album per se, it's more on the emotional side."
However, the drummer expected the band would be in full electric mode when they head to Wollongong.
"I think each band only gets an hour, so we'll probably come out all guns blazing, just try to mow everybody down, and do a full rock set," he laughed.
-Stone Temple Pilots, Bush and Live will perform at Under the Southern Stars at Stuart Park on Thursday, April 9.
Get tickets here.
Brendan Crabb
I'm a member of ACM's national property team, covering the Illawarra and South Coast. Based in Albion Park, NSW, I write about exciting, interesting or just downright quirky properties that have been listed for sale, major sales, market trends, auctions and more. One of my favourite aspects of being a journalist is I believe everyone has a story to tell. What's yours?
I'm a member of ACM's national property team, covering the Illawarra and South Coast. Based in Albion Park, NSW, I write about exciting, interesting or just downright quirky properties that have been listed for sale, major sales, market trends, auctions and more. One of my favourite aspects of being a journalist is I believe everyone has a story to tell. What's yours?
