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Seether are part of a new generation of bands that are shaping the hard rock generation of today with their innovative, riveting guitar melodies and inspiring, melodic vocals.
In 2002, Seether, who hail from South Africa, became a quartet when they added guitarist, Philadelphia native Pat Callahan to the band’s line-up. The decision to add a second guitarist to the band, which also consists of Shaun Morgan on vocals and bass player Dale Stewart and drummer John Humpreys, resulted a fuller, more explosive new sound.
Since the release of their hit first hit single, "Broken,” the band has been touring non-stop, as they garner new fans across the country. "Broken" which appeared on the soundtrack for the movie The Punisher, has received huge MTV support, and help launch the band into worldwide stardom.
Seether are currently on the ‘SnoCore’ tour, playing in support of their latest release, ‘Karma and Effect.’ This album features the hit, "Remedy", and also their latest single, "The Gift."
The ‘SnoCore’ Tour, which also features Shinedown, Halestorm, and Flyleaf, is slated to run till March 8. The band will then return to Africa to play Festivals. Some of the fest that they are slated to play will also will feature Metallica.
I recently caught up with Dale, when the band appeared at the Palladium in Worcester during the SnoCore Tour. In this exclusive interview for GlamMetal.com, Seether bass player Dale Stewart discusses "Karma and Effect", The SnoCore Tour, his musical influences, and the inspiration that Dimebag Darrell Abbott and Dave Williams from Drowning Pool had on the members of Seether.
Seether are currently on the road touring in support of your new album, "Karma and Effect". How is the SNoCore Tour going? The band looked like they were having a blast in Worcester at the Palladium.
The tour has been great ya know. We have got a lot of sold out shows. We have been having a lot of good crowds. It is nice to be touring with old friends again. We have known the Shinedown guys for along time.
That's right. You were were on the road with Shinedown on the 3 Doors Down tour for awhile, right?
Yes, we toured with those guys awhile. On that tour and became friends. Now we are back out their touring together again, and that is so cool.
I think the ‘SNoCore’ tour line-up is perfect. The band’s have a lot in common, lyrically and musically. It features the best in upcoming bands of today.
Yeah , Halestorm and Flyleaf are really good too. I think the whole thing is a really good touring package.
Now recently the tour performed in Philly at the Electric Factory . Isn't that Pat's hometown? How did that show go? It must have been insane?
That was awesome you know. We have played the Electric factory a bunch of times too. It was crazy going to Philly cuz a bunch of Pat's friends come out. All shots were for free, all drinks were for free. It was really a huge party. (Laughs)
How does it feel to be part of a whole new generation of bands that are shaping the hard rock music scene today? How would you describe the Seether sounds? Would you say it is post-grunge?
Ya know that is very hard to say. It is very hard to classify bands today. There are so many genre, and sub genres. I would say we regard ourselves as a hard rock band. I guess we have abit of a grunge influence, but we also have a metal influence as well. Hard rock serves us best.
Seether has visited Worcester and Boston a few times over the past year. How do you keep the show fresh and exciting every night? It is also so cool to see the band's fan base growing. Every time you come back to town, there are more and more Seether fans. This time around you were headlining, and the show was sold out weeks in advance.
Actually that is what we are trying to do. We are playing every night live, so we are trying to put in different songs and we like to play covers as well. So we will throw in a different cover song. We try and switch it up a little cuz, you've got to keep it fresh for yourself, or else you are not gonna have fun, and I guess the crowd is not gonna have fun to.
I loved that you threw in that Nirvana cover the other night, Heart Shaped Box, that was cool.
Yeah, I also like the Deftones, I like Pearl Jam, so every night we will switch up the set list, and mix in our own repertoire, it is cool, you gotta do that to keep it fresh.
Seether have been out on the road touring in support of your new album, ‘Karma and Effect.’ How does the sound differ from ‘Disclaimer?’ I think there are some songs that pretty much on from the last one. I think you can tell it is the same band. I think there are also a couple of songs that go in a new direction. The new songs are hitting in a new direction , The band is growing all of the time. The band is changing. It definitely affects the writing process and recording process.
I especially like the way new guitarist Pat Callahan adds a fuller sound with his special guitar riffs.
Yes, I think it adds a sense of melody. You know, Shaun and Pat are never playing the same thing. They are always playing different parts, they are not just strumming the same chord.
You and Shaun, hail from Africa. How has your heritage influenced your music?
I think subconsciously, it must influence the music, growing up where we did, the time that we did politically. I think mostly our influences are American bands, bands that we grew up with. I guess the grunge scene was big for us. Bands like Metallica, Pantera, Tool, Def Tones there are alot of bands that we heard of in Africa and became fans of. I think that is where most of our inspiration came from.
Would you say Metal is thriving in Africa? How are the metal festivals there?
Yeah, it is there. The rock market is still very kinda small. You know. There is not a big percentage that listens to rock music. There are good size festivals there are like 10,000 to 20,000 people. We are actually heading back to do some festival shows with Metallica in Africa this month .We are looking forward to that one.
Has Seether performed in Europe at all?
Yes, we have, we are actually looking to going back after the Africa thing. We will do another European tour. Europe is great. It is nice to be able to sight see if you have the day off in Paris. You can go around or where ever. It is nice to be in a different country and experience the food, the people, and the culture, that is really cool for me. Italy is beautiful.
How does it feel to have MTV supporting your new album? I know they really played your songs "Broken", and "Remedy" in heavy rotation.
Absolutely, it is nice to have the support .
Was Seether a little bit apprehensive to have the ballad ,"Broken" released for your first single. In concert , Seether really have a hard edge, did you ever think "Broken" would misrepresent the band and lead the fans to believe Seether was more of a pop band?
Yeah, We were not all for releasing the single at first. We've been touring for two years. We had a gold album. We were ready to release something new. We went into the studio and wrote the song for a soundtrack, The Punisher.. Our label thought it would be a good idea to release "Broken" as a single. We just wanted to get some new material out there with a new album, so we were a little against it at first. In hindsight, I think it was definitely a good thing, cuz we did alot of writing in that time, I think it made us alot stronger, and there are alot of songs that came out of waiting to release the new album, so it helped us in the long run.
What I noticed most about Seether in concert are the heartfelt lyrics. Does Shaun do all of the writing? Does everyone contribute?
Shaun does all of the lyrics. It is very much like his diary.
What is your new single, and will you be making a video?
The new one is "The Gift". This week we are going for the adds. We have already made a new video. You should be able to see it hopefully soon. It is done.
In concert at the Palladium , it was so heartwarming the way you dedicated your song "Fine Again," to two friends - Dimebag Darrell Abbott, and Dave Williams from Drowning Pool. Were you really close to both Dime and Dave? Did you perform with them on the road alot?
Dave was a good friend of ours, we have played with Drowning Pool in South Africa. That was like one of our first tours in South Africa. Dave was great guy, life of the party. Dime, for us, he rewrote the book on guitar riffs, and writing. Dime was a real inspiration to all of us.
Dime was certainly one of the best. He is truly missed. What do you enjoy most about touring, and what do you hate most about being on the road?
Touring is fun. The good is being able to hang out with friends, party and get up onstage and jam everyday. The thing that sucks is being away from home for a really long time, and missing friends, friends, and family and girlfriends. That is the hard part about touring.
Are you still living in South Africa?
I live in LA. now
What has the highlight of the ‘SnoCore’ tour been for you? What city did you enjoy playing most?
There have been a couple of great shows, good memories, I don't know if I could name one that sticks out. I think the whole tour has been great.
Now do the East Coast audiences differ from the West Coast at all ? How do you like playing in LA?
You know playing in LA is always tricky. It is always touch and go. Fans in LA are kind jaded. There are bands coming through all of the time. There is music all of the time. So when your band comes through it is just another band. If you go to a Midwest town and play there, it is an event, everyone goes to a show, and gets hammered and has a good time. It is a big deal.
You guys are doing a great job playing every night to different audiences. Do you think you will record another album soon? I would love to hear an all acoustic Seether album.
Yeah, actually in Philadelphia, we did an acoustic show. Got some cameras in the room, we were recording the whole thing. We actually plan to release that as a live and unplugged album.
That is awesome. Will that also be a DVD?
We are thinking about also releasing a DVD of the performance and a live album. We are looking at that now.
Is there anything else that you would like to day to the fans at GlamMetal?
Thank you to the fans who have the album, and who come to the shows, and support the band and let us live the dream, and let us do what we love to do for a living.
www.seether.com
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