2007-2009 | Seether Central

Seether Frontman Won't Respond To Amy Lee's Attack: 'I Just Refuse To Lower Myself To That Level'

Most of us would love to have a hit song written about us. Seether's Shaun Morgan isn't one of those people. But that didn't stop his ex-girlfriend, Evanescence's Amy Lee, from penning "Call Me When You're Sober," a tune she later admitted was specifically written about her relationship with Morgan. And the timing couldn't have been worse for Lee's damning revelation, coming just weeks after Morgan checked himself into rehab for treatment of "a combination of substances" . s you might expect, Morgan wasn't thrilled with Lee's public airing of the pair's dirty laundry. For the last year, the song has "followed me around and haunted me," he said, and it chipped away at his reputation. "People would say to me, 'Yeah, man, I know what you're going through,' and I was like, 'No, I don't think you do,' " Morgan explained. " 'Your ex-girlfriend didn't write a song about you, that millions of people have heard, saying you're a bad guy. As soon as that happens, buddy, come up and tell me you know what I'm going through.' " Now, clean and sober, Morgan and his band are returning with their third studio outing, Finding Beauty in Negative Spaces, which is set for an October 23 release. But don't expect the LP to contain a response track. "There isn't necessarily a response as there's a lament," the singer for the South African rockers said. "I was bummed out. I was really upset that she would say and do those things. In any relationship, I don't think it's right to say and do those things when people break up, and she obviously felt the need to go out there and make me sound like a complete a--hole. What can I do? I just refuse to lower myself to that level. But it was a painful thing and it got me down -- people coming up to me on the street and referring to that song. But I didn't feel the need to write back and be mean." Instead, the Howard Benson-produced Finding Beauty -- which the band hopes to begin mixing next week -- boasts "Breakdown," a song some might interpret as Morgan's answer to "Sober." But that's not the case. "It isn't an aggressive song, and it isn't even an angry song -- I would prefer to refer to it as a lament rather than an angry backlash," he said. "You couldn't tell that the song was about one person. It's probably more universal. I prefer to be a little more vague and respectful. There are some things I could have said and done too -- there are always two sides to every story. And if anything, the song says, 'Fine. Go ahead and say those things.' But what's the point of telling my side? That's what the bloodthirsty want, and I don't care what the bloodthirsty want." If there are any references on the disc about a failed relationship, Morgan said it will be about his most recent ex and not Lee. "These songs are turning out to be somewhat more introspective, which is weird -- you'd assume I'd be more pissed off and have more things to say," he explained. "I don't know how much I want to say and what I want to say. It's tough, because I know what the expectations are for this album and that people will be looking for that Amy Lee reference, and I am trying desperately not to have any. I just ended another truly, truly horrible relationship with somebody, so if there's anything about somebody on the record, it would be about her, not Amy. In retrospect, Amy and I, at our worst moments, were still better than this last girl and I at our best moments." Sonically, Morgan said the record is more balanced than anything Seether have done before and far more cohesive -- thanks, in part, to the fact that the band had much more time to write and came up with more than 50 tracks to choose from. When the album hits stores, expect it to feature at least 10 songs, including "No, Jesus Christ," "Rise Above This" and "FMLYHM," an acronym for "F--- Me Like You Hate Me." "That element of our band, as people know it, is still there, but there have been several developments," Morgan said. "It's been more experimental with us. We tried to explore the actual process of songwriting and the process of writing songs that have good melodies that are sing-able, that lean more towards the pop side. And when I got pissed off, I got really pissed off, and there are certain moments on the album that I almost didn't recognize as being us because it was kind of brutal. But when I went into writing the songs, the label was sort of looking for 'Remedy' [from 2005's Karma and Effect] and obviously a song like 'Broken' [from 2004's Disclaimer II], and I said, 'Those songs have been written, because it was the right time and the right place to write them. For you to expect me to write something like that, it's just not possible.' " Seether plan to spend much of the fall on the road touring in support of Finding Beauty in Negative Spaces.

Seether sick of last year

There might not be any band that was happier to see 2006 end and a new year begin than Seether. "Last year was a pretty tumultuous year for all of us, personally and as a band," drummer John Humphrey said in a recent phone interview. The troubles included the much-publicized stint in rehab for singer/guitarist Shaun Morgan in summer 2006. Morgan's monthlong stay coincided with the release of the Evanescence hit single "Call Me When You're Sober." The song was written by Morgan's former girlfriend of three years, Evanescence singer Amy Lee, and she has said the unflattering song was inspired by the breakup of their relationship. For his part, Morgan has refused to get into a war of words over the song other than to tell MTV.com, for one, that he was disappointed Lee chose to air the couple's dirty laundry in public. But Morgan's battle to overcome his substance issues (he has not revealed what prompted him to enter rehab) is just one challenge Seether faced last year. The band also lost one of its members, guitarist Pat Callahan, who tired of the grind of touring. And Humphrey ended 2006 on a sour note by undergoing back surgery. "I was literally flat on my back for the holidays," he said. "I had four months of recovery from that." On a group level, there was some upheaval as well, as the band split with its former manager and signed with powerhouse management company The Firm. With the business setup revamped and personal issues resolved, Morgan, Humphrey and bassist Dale Stewart returned to action in the spring with a decidedly new outlook. "I think there were a lot of chances that we took with this new album," Humphrey said. "We're not going to come out with a polka album or a jazz trio album, Dave Brubeck or something. But we've matured -- I'd like to think we have -- and grown as artists and songwriters, and I think this CD reflects that." Humphrey credited producer Howard Benson with encouraging Seether to step beyond the tried and true. "He really kicked us in the butt and made us think a little bit outside of the box for Seether and maybe add some color and some things musically that we hadn't considered before," Humphrey said. "I think he brought a lot to the table, and I think that's reflected in the CD."

Seether finished with problems, back to music

The band Seether was in a dark place two years ago. The band's lead guitarist/vocalist Shaun Morgan entered rehab and guitarist Pat Callahan quit. The band canceled a tour with Staind and drummer Johnny Humphrey had back surgery. "But through it all, there was never a point when we felt the band would break up," Humphrey said during a telephone interview from Davenport, Iowa. "We had been on the road for something like four years, and we needed to take care of some personal stuff before we recorded the new album. "We all felt the same, though," he said. "We knew the band and the music was more important than any of our individual problems. The one thing we all have in common is the band, and we have a passion for what we do. It was just a matter of time before we kicked the demons and got back to making music." After the drama, the band — Humphrey, Morgan and bassist Dale Stewart — reconvened and recorded "Finding Security in Negative Places," which was released last September on Wind-Up Records. (Joining the band on tour is second guitarist Troy McLawhorn.) During the recording, the band fought more issues. "We decided at the 11th hour that we needed to switch producers from Bob Marlette, who produced our previous album 'Karma and Effect,' to our new producer Howard Bensen," Humphrey said. "It was a good switch and we were able to feel like it was a fresh start." Another devastating blow came when lead singer Morgan's brother died. So, the album's release date was pushed back a few weeks. "We've been through it all and I think it has made the band stronger," Humphrey said. As of March, the album's first single "Fake It" is an alternative-rock hit and the album peaked at No. 9 on the Billboard 200. Humphrey said the band was surprised at the success. "We had a lot of pressure following up 'Karma,'" he said. "And we weren't really sure that 'Fake It' was a good song for a single. In fact, we had reservations about recording it. But we look out in the audience and see people singing it and see the reaction when we start playing it and it blows us away. "So, if you want to know what a good hit single is, don't ask the guys in Seether," he said with a laugh.

Melodic Net News

Singer / Guitarist Shaun Morgan shared, “we've been working very hard on this album, and it's been quite some time since we've had a single at radio, so we're extremely excited to be back in the saddle, so to speak. We basically whittled down over 50 songs, to our favourite 15, and we've adopted an ´anything goes´ attitude for this album. We didn't restrict ourselves to straight rock songs, and we were completely open to new ideas. This is not by any stretch of the imagination a concept album, nor is it a ´woe is me, I'm sober´ album. We explored our melodic side a little bit more, and as a result, I believe this is our best collective effort to date. It may come as a surprise to some, but we feel like we've grown and are starting to find our place with regards to the sound of the band. " Few artists over the past five years have performed as many dates across The United States as Seether has. Outside of when they are writing or recording, the band averages over 275 performances annually. Once out of the studio, the band will join Three Days Grace and Breaking Benjamin for an arena tour which will take them through the release of FINDING BEAUTY IN NEGATIVE SPACES. Bassist Dale Stewart offered, “We´re essentially a touring band. We love nothing more than to take the songs to the clubs, and the people, and perform them to the best of our ability. Weve been off the road for the best part of a year now, so were itching to get back out and entertain our fans! It´s always incredibly exciting when you head out on a brand new tour, in support of a brand new album. It´s new for us, and it´s new for the fans, so it becomes a new show, for people who have had the chance to see us before. This is our favourite time of any cycle!"

Seether Interview with John Humphrey

Where are you right now, location wise? What part of the world? John Humphry: We are in Cedar Rapids, Iowa – middle of America. Crazy. What’s going on down there? JH: Not too much. It’s freakin’ cold is what it is. Experiencing a little bit of winter now finally. But we’re out on your – we got a show here tonight. You’re coming up to Canada in the New Year right? JH: Yeah, in January. You’ll want a parka for that action. I’m telling ya… JH: That’s what I hear. It’s already getting pretty nasty. We will bring some kindling. We can burn our luggage to keep warm. What do you have going on this week that’s keeping you busy? JH: We’re back out on the road. We took an almost year-long hiatus. It wasn’t intentional. One situation compounded with another. I personally had back surgery last December. And there were like 3 months recovery there. And in the meantime Shaun did a lot of writing. So we reconvened in May and started what has now become Finding Beauty in Negative Spaces. So lately we’ve been on the road, we’re back to it. We are live-fiends, a live animal. We’ve been away from it, which we don’t like, so we’re making up for lost time. We’ve started with Breaking Benjamin and Three Days Grace in the states in August and it was sort of a precursor to the album – it was a good 3 months before the CD even dropped. We’re back out playing live. That’s what Seether is all about. Back problems? That’s tough for a drummer. I’m sorry to hear that. JH: Yeah, absolutely. Being a drummer, and I guess years of rockin’ kind of threw my back out. I got through the last of that tour. So when Karma and Effect ended in October of last year I pretty much spiraled down into a crash and finally had surgery in December. There were no bones about it (no pun intended) I had to get work done, I had to get it addressed. I put it off and put it off. But I finally had it done and rebuild myself physically – rehabilitation, getting my strength back and rehearsing. That was the best thing for me, just playing, getting back with the guys are doing what we do best – turning stuff up and laying it out, you know. It’s all good now? JH: Everything is good. Everything is great. I’m feeling good and playing better than ever I feel. The band is having great shows. Awesome, that is good to hear. Can you talk a bit about how Seether got together? JH: Sure. Seether goes back before me. I joined 4 years ago. The band formed 6 or 7 years ago in South Africa. The band originally was called Saron Gas and was brought to the United States by Wind-up Records and did a showcase in the North and were signed. They were a 3-piece band. The original drummer who was from South Africa, went back home. They went through a series and drummers (and nightmares), which Shaun can tell you all about. And then finally we ran into each other. I was in a band, on MCA Records in the ’90s called The Nixons. You may or may not have heard of them. We had one hit – our 15 minutes. Anyway, we had a mutual friend and sound engineer who was working for Seether and worked for me years back. And we ran into each other and he said “Man, Seether is looking for a drummer, I don’t know if you’re looking to get back on the road and tour again, but I think you’d be great for this band.” I wasn’t really familiar with the band. I had heard “Fine Again.” I picked up Disclaimer at that time and heard it inside and out. I auditioned for the band and met the guys. If you ever meet Shaun and Dale personally, they’re just really down to earth guys, just great people, you feel it right away. So we ran through the songs, and I did my job and nailed the material and Shaun pretty much hired me on the spot. That was fall of 2003. That’s a good story. I was just watching the “Fake it” video online, and was wondering if you could discuss what is involved in putting together a video like that? How much time is involved? JH: A lot of the time, fortunately, we have the easy job. The hardest thing we have to do, and it’s boring, is wait around. There’s a lot of waiting. All the work they go through all day building that set – the jet plane, that interior they built. They created that, just like they would for a movie – the set, and the snow, a lot of preparation, many hours and manpower putting that together. And we’re the talent. We come in and we wait. It’s a very tedious process. You work easily 14-, 16-, 18-hour days on something like that. And it’s very little time playing or performing… a lot of it is set up. True enough. It looked like it was fun to make though. JH: It was a blast! Those girls were very nice, to say the least, and beautiful, very easy on the eyes. It was a great day, no complaints here. It was a lot of fun. And it’s a great medium to get the music out. And these days you don’t have to rely on music channels to play your video, because they’re too busy playing reality shows. So with the advent of YouTube, or even going our MySpace page, or to our proper website (Seether.com), before the album was even out, you could direct the widget to your own personal MySpace or what-have-you and be able to view the video the day it came out. If I had to pick a song I play the most off of your latest album, it is “Fuck Me Like You Hate Me.” I like the really wavering downtempo sound of the guitars that are on that song. I don’t know, the chances of it being a radio hit are probably slim to none, right? JH: Who knows? Maybe. We’re doing the song live. We’re doing a few new songs. We do “No Jesus Christ” right now and we’re doing that song, which we jokingly call the “acronym family home.” And of course we’re doing “Fake it” and “Like Suicide”. We’re also doing “Rise Above This”, so I guess 5 new songs. Which is a lot of fun for us to play, because a lot of the songs we have been playing for many years. But now that the CD is out and people are becoming familiar with the album we’re able to introduce new songs. That song is a great crowd song and I think it is going to become even more prominent as the tour and the album continues. Who knows? Puddle of Mud had “She Hates Me” so I don’t know why we couldn’t beep it and do the same thing. True enough. Is that a concern for you? When you have a song that looks like it could become a single? I believe you are close to, if not, the number one band on Canadian rock radio right now. Would that affect whether you would drop a tune like that, because it has some profanity laced through it? JH: The songs tend to go where you want them to go. There was a bit of strategy with that one with the producer and the label. You do have those 4 or 5 that “ok, these are going to be the singles, and these are the songs that you can be artistically have a little more freedom on because we know they aren’t going to be singles.” At least you have this master plan. And you think you’re genius and you know exactly what’s going to happen. But that is never the case. Some songs develop just like that. It’s a great song, but there’s no chance because of the lyrics of it, and then it could be very well the last single to be released on this cycle. Who’s to say, you know? We’re pretty open to anything. If there is a single that takes off, we won’t squash it and say “No, no! Absolutely not!” If there is a song that people want to go with, that’s awesome. Are you guys creative in any other ways in addition to music? Do you draw or sculpt or paint? JH: Wow, that’s an interesting question. Yeah, actually Shaun is quite an artist. I have not been “practicing” in a number of years, but I had a scholarship to an art school right out of high school, which I didn’t take because I was doing music. But I used to love to work with pen and ink and paints as well. Shaun’s always drawing and doodling to this day. He’s very talented. That’s interesting you say that. That music tends to lend itself to painting and drawing and other things as well. The artwork on your album cover – do you guys have a hand in that? Or does this go out to a creative person and he gives you an interpretation? JH: Shaun is very hands-on. The artist for that, his name is David Ho. He is somebody that Shaun sought out and commissioned to do the artwork. We’re trying to get rights to the story. There is story line that goes with it about a girl. And those are basically illustrations from the story. So hopefully we can have that at some point and release it online, or post it on our site or something. Shaun’s very hands-on with the artwork, with everything. He chose that artist and the work and renderings. Shaun doesn’t like to leave it up to the powers that be. If you were to look back on the last 4 years with the band, what is one of the craziest things you’ve been witness to with Seether? JH: Craziest thing? God man, a LOT of great times. I guess for me, we’ve had extra shows or toured and I’ve got to play with heroes of mine. We went to South Africa, a big home coming for them. And we did stadium shows with Metallica. To be playing and look over to the side and see Lars Ulrich and James Hetfield watching you and after the show they say “You guys are great. You’re one of the best new bands we’ve seen in a long time.” That is just jaw-dropping to me. Or when we did Audioslave, opening for them. And seeing Tom Morello and Chris Cornell come out every night and peek at your show. Those times for me are just gratifying. To kind of get a nod from, not your peers, but your heroes. It’s been amazing. That’s cool. Do you see Seether moving into a more digital-delivery-orientated form of getting music out to your audience down the road? JH: Yeah. I think you have to stay with the times. And I think digital download is the future. I’m very much for, even being a fan of music, legally obtaining it. I think you have to pay for it. To immediately get that gratification of buying it instantly and getting it onto your iPod or MP3 player, if we can make that readily available, just like with the video, it’s just right there instantly, not having to wait for it. Fortunately our society is fast-food, the quicker the better and if done in the right way and through the right channels, I have no problem with that. What is exciting you about being a musician right now? JH: For me, right now, I guess the excitement of watching to CD and how it is being received. I think the gratification of being away for a year and come back and have it be so successful, it could be one of the best charting singles we’ve had. And for me, being a musician, I’ve been playing a long time. It’s one thing for it to be the band’s 1st album, but it’s very gratifying for it to be the 4th album in and for this band to be having a career. And as a musician to have a career. Being able to do this after this many years, I feel very fortunate for that. What do you guys do to relax? What does downtime look like for you when you are on the road? JH: When we get downtime – we’ve been pretty busy lately. We live on our bus. Our bus is home away from home and currently right now we live with Xbox 360 and Guitar Hero 3 is the game of or focus right now. We have a lot of fun with that – the band and crew, taking turns at the guitar is a lot of fun. I think Guitar Hero 3 has been the fun thing. And you feel like a kid again, we’re having a lot of fun with it. It is pretty popular. Yeah, I guess it just got a plug in there. I’m a drummer and I play little to no guitar. So playing Guitar Hero for me makes me feel like I can really play guitar.

Seether Finding ‘Beauty’ On New Album

South African rock act Seether is in a Los Angeles studio with producer Howard Benson finishing its next album, “Finding Beauty in Negative Spaces.” The set is due Oct. 23 via Wind-Up and is the follow-up to 2005’s “Karma and Effect,” which has sold 704,000 copies in the United States, according to Nielsen SoundScan. “This is an album where I’m going to be proud of all the songs for a change, because there were so many to choose from, from the beginning,” frontman Shaun Morgan tells Billboard.com. “As far as the sound goes, it’s not a complete departure. You won’t pick this album up and hear German polka music. I think the point was to try and explore the poppier side of the band. Having said that, we explored the heavier side of the band too. It’s an album of extremes, or oxymorons, in a way.” racks likely to make the final cut include “Breakdown,” “No Jesus Christ,” “Rise Above This” and “FMLYHM,” which Morgan reveals is an acronym for “F*ck Me Like You Hate Me.” Clips of the making of another new song, “Like Suicide,” have been posted on MySpace and YouTube. Morgan, whose troubled relationship with Evanescence frontwoman Amy Lee inspired that band’s single “Call Me When Your Sober,” says he refused to address the situation directly in Seether’s new material. But he admits it “hurt like a bitch” when Lee began slamming him in the press. “As far as I’m concerned, we had a good relationship,” Morgan says of Lee. “Everyone has troubles and trials and tribulations. I certainly refuse to harp on those. In fact, I guess I just decided I’d rather try and remember the good times. I felt betrayed [by Lee’s comments], because I wouldn’t do that to somebody. But I didn’t want to stoop to that same level.” “I was in another relationship in the interim that was kind of brutal,” he continues. “So even things that could be slightly construed as having been written to Amy … well, Amy was a saint compared to the last person I had a relationship with.” Seether is looking ahead to a fall run on the Breaking Benjamin/Three Days Grace tour, which begins in early September. “We haven’t really toured in a year now, so this was the perfect way to take it slow on a tour that has been doing really well,” Morgan says.

An Interview with John Humphrey of Seether

Metal Edge: With the surgery behind you, have you changed your approach to the kit at all? John Humphrey: I decided to adjust the height of my seat. I used to sit pretty low, with my knee parallel with the ground, which put lot of pressure on my back. Now I’m sitting higher, so my knee is down. With gravity, it’s a more natural posture for me. Metal Edge: Who are some of your favorite players and primary influences? John Humphrey: : I like the power drummers with a presence in the band, and I’m a big fan of Tommy Lee and Dave Grohl: deliberate, heavy hitters who put their drumming “stamp’ on a song or on their band in general. But as far as what a drummer’s role should be, I feel the groundwork in Rock music as we know it today was laid by John Bonham. You know, you take a little bit from everywhere. Sometimes influences you don’t even realize get into your playing as your own style evolves. In the ‘80s I was a big fan of Tommy Lee and Tommy Aldridge; I loved their whole thing. When Alternative Rock happened in the ‘90s I was with the Nixons. That’s when I started riding the crash cymbal a lot like Dave Grohl. The Nixons took Sevendust out on their first tour and I got to see Morgan Rose in action. Watching Morgan every night was great. Seether also toured with a band called Dark New Day with drummer Will Hunt. He’s a great player who is with Evanescence now. Metal Edge: On this new record, did you try anything a little bit flashier or more complex that made you feel like you stretched as a player? John Humphrey: The first song, “Like Suicide” was actually very challenging drum wise. It has a small double bass jog at the end. I wrote that drum part very early on and it was one of the first songs we worked on. On our Myspace page we’ve charted the song’s evolution, starting with us in the practice space. Then it goes to the first day tracking drums and it’s got quite a long fill in the middle section of the song, between the toms and my double bass footwork. I was sure that Howard would take that out, but he let it stay. I nailed it as the first song we recorded – that set up the vibe for the sessions. Metal Edge: I noticed you have a lot of cymbals in your set up. John Humphrey: Yes, I have four crashes, one ride, one china and a splash – I’m surrounded by cymbals! I actually have a funny cymbal story from one NAMM show I was at in Nashville. (Former Billy Joel drummer) Liberty Devito – who is one of my heroes – was playing there with his band. I was with the Nixons at the time and a mutual friend introduced us. Liberty asked us to get up and play using their gear. We were playing a heavy cover of Elton John’s “Rocket Man,” just bashing through it and having a lot of fun, but in the midst of playing one of Liberty’s cymbal stands fell over. I felt so bad about having done that. Off stage, (Sabian Cymbals owner) Bill Zildjian introduced himself to me. He said, “Man, I love your playing and how you’re knocking sh*t over like Keith Moon!” He asked me what cymbals I was with and I said I didn’t have any endorsements. He invited me to come to Sabian, and I’ve been with them ever since!

Seether stagehand jumps to his death in Rapid City

The band Seether promised to party hard and have a good time during their stay in the Black Hills. Instead, the band and its fans are mourning the death of Eugene Welgemoed, the brother of lead singer Shaun Morgan Welgemoed, 28, who performs under just his first two names. Eugene Welgemoed, in his early 20s, apparently leaped from an eighth floor window in the Radisson Hotel shortly after midnight Monday, according to Rapid City Police Lt. David Walton. By Tom Lawrence "Witnesses watched him go out the window," Walton said. During an interview two weeks ago, Seether bassist Dale Stewart said the band was looking forward to having a good time in South Dakota. The pop-rock-alternative band, which was started in the members' home country, South Africa, played at the Legendary Buffalo Chip. Seether also played at the Chip in 2004. "We've been fortunate enough to do what we love," Stewart said in the preview interview. "Not many people get that opportunity. We try not to lose sight of that, we try to remain grateful for it." The band performed Saturday, Aug. 11, the final night of music at The Buffalo Chip. Walton said early on Monday, Aug. 13, Eugene Welgemoed was visiting friends in an eighth floor room of the downtown hotel. He jumped from a window on the north side of the hotel. Emergency workers responded but Welgemoed was dead at the scene, Walton said. There is no indication of drug use. Walton declined to answer if Welgemoed had expressed suicidal thoughts or have previously attempted suicide. Seether canceled concerts in the wake of Welgemoed's death. In a bitter touch of pure irony, the band has scheduled the release of a single of its upcoming album for Aug. 27. The song is entitled, "Like Suicide" and is from the album "Finding Beauty in Negative Spaces." Various versions of the song have been posted on the band's Myspace blog and YouTube.

Seether finished with problems, back to music

Seether wins their first SAMA

Seether earned the respect of the South African rock world eight years ago, but nationwide recognition has only come with the release of the latest album, “Finding Beauty in Negative Spaces”. On Saturday night Seether claimed their first MTN South African Music Award in the category “Best Rock: English”. Seether’s debut album “Fragile”, and their second international studio album, “Karma and Effect”, were both nominated in previous years but didn’t win the judges over. “Finding Beauty in Negative Spaces”, however, went as far as earning Seether nominations in two of the Big Five categories; “Best Group/Duo” and “MTN Record of the Year”. Since moving to the USA, Seether has grown into one of the top rock bands in the world. The band’s latest single, ‘Rise Above This’ is currently No.1 on international charts with previous single, ‘Fake It’, still maintaining positions on the Top20 airplay charts. Despite the status as world-wide rock stars the band is still most grateful for support from home. “Were really happy that people still consider us a part of the South African music scene.” Bassist Dale Stewart reflects, “Were really proud of our roots. There was definitely some animosity from certain people when we set off overseas but I think now people are generally supportive and we’re really grateful.” The group’s latest album is proving that rock is alive and well in South Africa. The SAMA winning album is earning extensive airplay on stations ranging from campus rock to adult contemporary. “Finding Beauty in Negative Spaces” is on the verge of gold status; a first for Seether’s home territory. In June 2008, Seether returns to South Africa for a full band tour covering Cape Town, Johannesburg, Durban and Port Elizabeth.

Seether performs for crowd on Okinawa, gains unexpected Corps insight

Rock band Seether met an audience unlike any they have ever performed for before - the U.S. Marines stationed on Okinawa, Japan, Saturday. Even as veterans of hundreds of concerts, the rock band had no way to prepare for the show they were about to dive into. An immense amount of energy seemed to generate around the camp as the crowd grew anxious and Seether's music was just the trigger they needed to unleash that force. "Seether is used to some very intense crowds in the civilian world, but Schwab Fest really took the cake," said Shaun Morgan, the lead guitarist and singer. "The Marines' and sailors' passion was simply overwhelming." Now that Seether has performed for Marines and other service members and their families on Okinawa, the band has a new understanding and appreciation of the Marine culture. This crowd was clean cut and shaven, much different that the scruffy rock and roll crowd they are used to. The Marines here are very polite, well-spoken, and professional, but also know when is the right time to party, said the band, collectively. "You guys are not soldiers," Morgan said. "You are Marines." While the typical concert activities, such as crowd-surfing, were not an option for these professionals, the service members still had the time of their lives. To ensure the safety of the band and the Marines, military police and Camp Schwab's camp guard were on duty. "Our main role was to provide security and to make sure the crowd didn't get hostile," said Cpl. Matthew D. Hanson, with the Special Reaction Team, Provost Marshal's Office, Marine Corps Base Camp Butler. "The crowd was intense but we kept professional and did our job." Hanson is from Mena, Ark. The members of the band, which includes Morgan, Dale Stewart, John Humphrey and Troy McLawhorn, were immensely impressed with the brotherhood they saw in the Marines and the power and passion they generated during the concert. Schwab Fest, "is no doubt the coolest thing we've ever done," said McLawhorn