Robert DeLeo

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Robert DeLeo
Robert Deleo
Background information
Birth name	Robert Emile DeLeo
Born	February 2, 1966
Genre(s)	Grunge, Alternative rock
Occupation(s)	Songwriter, Record producer, Musician
Instrument(s)	Bass guitar,
Years active	1987 - present
Label(s)	Atlantic Records
Associated acts	Stone Temple Pilots Talk Show Army of Anyone
Notable instrument(s)
Schecter basses

Robert Emile DeLeo (born February 2, 1966 in Montclair, New Jersey) is an American bass player and musician who has played for Stone Temple Pilots, Talk Show, and currently for the band Army of Anyone . He is the younger brother of Dean DeLeo, who plays guitar.

His bass playing is primarily inspired by James Jamerson, and in an interview with Bass Player magazine he even called his entire style "a Jamerson rip--that's all it really is."

Contents 1 Stone Temple Pilots 2 Talk Show and Army of Anyone 3 Equipment and Style 4 Trivia 5 References

[edit] Stone Temple Pilots

Robert bumped into Scott Weiland (who would eventually become lead singer of STP) at a Black Flag concert in Long Beach. They soon realized that they were both dating the same woman. After she moved to Texas, Weiland and Deleo moved into her San Diego apartment, where they tried to form a band. They eventually hooked up with drummer Eric Kretz, and Robert managed to convince his brother Dean to play guitar in their new band. The band took the name Mighty Joe Young, which was inspired by a movie of the same name. The played many gigs around LA bars, and were eventually signed onto Atlantic Records in 1992. However, the name "Mighty Joe Young" had already been taken, so the band was forced to change their name to "Stone Temple Pilots" (which ironically has no real meaning, according to Weiland).

During their years, Stone Temple Pilots came to be one of the most successful bands of the 90's. Robert created nearly all of the band's core music, including the famous intros for the songs "Plush" and "Interstate Love Song". Although sales of their records eclipsed over 25 million, the band disbanded due to Scott Weiland's continuous bouts with the law for his drug abuse.

[edit] Talk Show and Army of Anyone

While Stone Temple Pilots's hiatus in 1997 due to Scott's bouts with the law, Robert, his brother Dean, and Eric joined with singer Dave Coutts of Ten Inch Men and formed the Talk Show. Scott went into rehab and and released a solo album during this time. Talk Show released their self titled and only record in 1997 with Atlantic Records. Although largely a critical success, the album failed to chart and became a commercial flop. Dave Coutts was eventually fired and the band disbanded. Stone Temple Pilots reformed once again in 1998 and would soon again break up in 2003.

After the break up, Robert and Dean joined Filter front-man Richard Patrick and drummer Ray Luzier to form the group Army Of Anyone. The group met after Patrick contacted the DeLeos on writing material for Filter's fourth album. The band eventually called in Luzier in for an audition, found the formula worked, and the band was formed. The band's self titled album was released on November 14th, 2006. The album became a critical success; some went as far to label the album as one of the bests of the year. Robert summed up his sound on the album as follows; “I kind of combined bass stuff with some guitar stuff to achieve my sound—I’ve really been going nuts on eBay! I’m still trying to achieve this one bass sound I keep hearing in my head—kind of taking [Motown legend] James Jamerson’s feel and mixing that with John Entwistle’s or Chris Squire’s sound. So it’s a funky bottom, with a really aggressive top. The sound on this record is the closest I’ve gotten to that.”[1]

[edit] Equipment and Style

Robert is known for his wide use of Schecter basses. He also has his signature bass created by the company, which is a close replica of the bass during his years with STP. The bass features a 34" scale neck and Duncan pickups. [2]

In Army of Anyone "Goodbye" video, he played a Rickenbacker bass.

He is known for his smooth style of playing, with infusions of jazz and hard rock creating a rather unique tone. His primary influence is legendary bassist James Jamerson. Other influences include the late John Entwistle of the seminal rock band The Who, and Chris Squire of Yes. Robert is known for being a master riff maker; he created most of the riffs for STP which was the band's trademark style. He also uses a bass Wah-wah pedal to change his pitch accordingly (a great example being the song Vasoline by STP). He mostly uses Marshall and Fender amplification, but has been seen using vintage Ampeg amps as well.

[edit] Trivia

• Is the younger brother of guitarist Dean DeLeo.
• His wife Kristen gave birth to a baby boy, Duke Vincent, on August 7th, 2005.
• He and his brother were producers on the album truANT, the sophomore album by the alternative rock band Alien Ant Farm.
• Was invited to write for Aerosmith during their 1996 tour. His favorite record by Aerosmith is Rocks.[3]
• Among the songs he has written, "Still Remains" from the STP album Purple is one of his favorites. [4]
• Wrote 3 unreleased songs with rock legend Ozzy Osbourne.

[edit] References

• http://www.guitaronemag.com/archives/2006/11/army_of_anyone.html
• http://www.stonetemplepilots.com/bio_robert3.html

Stone Temple Pilots
Scott Weiland | Dean DeLeo | Robert DeLeo | Eric Kretz
Discography
Studio albums: Core | Purple | Tiny Music... Songs from the Vatican Gift Shop | No. 4 | Shangri-La Dee Da
Compilations: Thank You
Singles: "Sex Type Thing" | "Wicked Garden" | "Plush" | "Creep" | "Big Empty" | "Vasoline" | "Interstate Love Song" | "Unglued" | "Pretty Penny" | "Dancing Days" | "Big Bang Baby" | "Trippin' On a Hole in a Paper Heart" | "Lady Picture Show" | "Tumble In The Rough" | "Down" | "Sour Girl" | "No Way Out" | "Days of the Week" | "Hollywood Bitch" | "Revolution" | "All In The Suit That You Wear"
Related articles
Talk Show | Velvet Revolver | Army of Anyone