A calmer, cooler Puddle of Mudd? Well, maybe

Article Launched: 04/25/2008 12:00:00 AM MDT

After 15 years in the music business, Wesley Scantlin, the lead singer of Puddle of Mudd, claims the band has mellowed.

"We used to be a bunch of wild cats, but just recently I got married and that seemed to calm me down a bit," Scantlin said from a pier on Coney Island, where the band performed last week. "It's been a long, long road, and we've done some crazy things in the past, but we kept it together by having some good family around."

Still, some of that craziness remains.

AntiMusic, an online music magazine, reported in its September 2007 edition that Puddle of Mudd was banned from Graceland after Scantlin jumped into Elvis Presley's swimming pool during a visit.

"I just wanted to go for a swim," he told the magazine.

Puddle of Mudd fans hope Scantlin feels like performing when he brings his band to Club 101 Wednesday.

Meriwether and Deepfield will open the show.

"Either you hate them or you love them. There is no middle ground when you talk about Puddle of Mudd," said Beto Sanchez, who happens to love the Missouri band. "They always seem to put on an abrasive, in-your-face show, and I really love that."

Sanchez said he has been to all three area appearances of Puddle of Mudd and was impressed all three times.

"I saw them at Club X'cape in 2004, then again with Nickelback at the Pan American Center," he said. "I really liked the more intimate club show more than in the arena. There was more raw emotion in that show at X'cape."

Puddle of Mudd -- Scantlin,

vocals; Doug Ardito, bass, backing vocals; Christian Stone, lead guitarist; and Ryan Yerdon, drums -- last played in El Paso at the 2006 Downtown Street Festival.

"Texas people really got it going on," Scantlin said. "And El Paso people really seem to support Puddle of Mudd. I mean what's not to like about El Paso? It's the end of the Rockies and you are heading into Mexico. That's sweet."

Also sweet is the release of the band's third major-label album, "Famous." It hit the streets in October, four years after the band's second gold album, "Life on Display."

"It was a long time coming, that's for sure," Scantlin said. "There was a lot of mental stress trying to get that one out. The writing and recording was done a long time ago, but we just couldn't get it out."

"Famous" has produced two hit singles: the title track, and "Psycho," which was No. 1 in the Modern Rock category in the April 19 Billboard.

The next single off "Famous" will be "We Don't Have to Look Back Now."

"That's a really good song," Scantlin said. "I knew it when I wrote it. That's how I go about songwriting: When I write a song, I know pretty much right there if its going to be huge or if it's going to suck."

After 15 years in the business, Scantlin has a good eye for hits. Puddle of Mudd's first major-label album was "Come Clean" in 2001. "Blurry" from that album reached No. 5 on the Billboard Hot 100; "Drift & Die" spent six weeks at No. 1 on the Mainstream Rock Chart; and "She Hates Me" became a huge hit, reaching the No. 1 on the Mainstream Rock Tracks chart and No. 13 on the Billboard Hot 100.

"It's been a long, long trip," Scantlin said. "It's been kind of freaky along that road, but I feel very fortunate to still be around good people."

Victor R. Martinez may be reached at vmartinez@elpasotimes.com; 546-6128.