Before Jelly Roll & HARDY, Seether melded rock & country on 'Country Song'
Did Seether predict the whole "going country" thing? Back in 2011, the "Remedy" rockers released a track called "Country Song," which brought a Nashville twang to their post-grunge sound. "'Country Song' was very much kind of a joke for us, like a jokey-type song," bassist Dale Stewart tells ABC Audio. "A lot of fun to play, definitely a crowd favorite. That's become a staple in our set list." Over a decade later and the idea of the hard rock and country worlds coming together is very much not a joke. Artists including Jelly Roll and HARDY have scored hits on both the rock and country charts, while Five Finger Death Punch and Nickelback have been touring with country artists. For Stewart, the increased melding of rock and country makes sense to his ears. "It's real instruments, it's guitar, guys are singing about similar kind of subject matter," Stewart says. "They were always cousins." Stewart adds that he and his Seether bandmates are all for country becoming a little bit more rock 'n' roll and vice versa. "We embrace it, too, I think it's great," Stewart says. "If we can maybe get some country fans to come to the rock shows and we can play for them, great, and if the more country guys can have some rock fans say, 'Hey, this has actually opened me up to a whole new world of country music that I wasn't really familiar with before,' then great!" Seether's latest album, The Surface Seems So Far, dropped in September.
Seether Frontman Shaun Morgan Changes ‘Remedy’ Lyrics in Dig at Venue Security Who Kicked Out His 7-Year-Old Daughter
Seether singer Shaun Morgan is such a good dad that he is not beneath being petty and changing the lyrics to one of the band’s biggest hits, “Remedy,” to take a dig at a “fucking asshole” venue security guard who kicked his seven-year-old daughter from the side of the stage while she was watching her father perform. The incident took place at the Hard Rock Hotel & Casino in Tulsa last Thursday (May 29). During Seether’s set, Morgan took an abrupt pause to go find his daughter, who had disappeared from his side-stage spot where she had been enjoying the show. Once he returned to the stage, Morgan was visibly irritated and then proceeded to inform the crowd of what had happened. “Hey, sorry, that took a little while,” he said, per NME. “I had my fucking kid on the side of the stage the whole entire show, and then suddenly this fucking asshole kicks her the fuck off the stage.” “She’s seven years old, and now she can’t even go in the front of fucking house and watch the show? Man, fuck you,” he continued, making his frustration very known. “What the fuck is wrong with people? She’s a fucking child, and you just kicked her off the fucking stage her dad’s playing.” He then added, “I hope your dick is super fucking huge bro.” Later in the set, it became clear that Morgan was still not over the situation when he changed the lyrics to Seether’s 2005 song, “Remedy,” to take some verbal jabs at the security guard. “Blah, blah-blady-blah, some fucking rules that kick the kids out/ Doing no fucking harm, just watching Daddy play a rock show/ I’m a little man, with a tiny dick, and I have control,” he sang.
Seether Leads Several Artists As They Grab New Top 10 Radio Hits
The top 10 on this week’s Mainstream Rock Airplay chart features several new entrants. A trio of tunes enter the competitive space on Billboard’s radio roster for the first time, and they’re led by one of the most successful acts in the tally’s history. Seether earns the loftiest new top 10 hit this time around on the Mainstream Rock Airplay ranking. Coincidentally, all three just-arrived popular songs appear side by side. The group jumps into the uppermost space with “Walls Come Down,” the latest single taken from the album The Surface Seems So Far, which dropped last fall. “Walls Come Down” establishes a new peak at No. 8 on the latest edition of the Mainstream Rock Airplay chart. Last week, it sat down at No. 11, and as it ascends, it gives Seether yet another top 10 smash—something the group is used to accumulating. Seether has now collected 26 top 10s on the Mainstream Rock Airplay roster, which tracks the most successful tunes across all radio stations in the U.S. that focus on playing “mainstream” rock, which sounds heavier than most other forms of the style. That’s one of the greatest collections of wins on the tally of all time. Current Grammy nominee Poppy follows Seether’s lead, experiencing the same kind of increase on the same chart. Her single “New Way Out” pushes from No. 12 to No. 9. Two acts close out the top 10 on the Mainstream Rock Airplay ranking, following Seether and Poppy. Dead Poets Society and The Warning’s “Hurt” lifts four spaces to settle at No. 10 this period, becoming a proper radio smash. Seether’s “Walls Come Down” is finally earning its due on the charts, months after the band propelled it to single status. As it becomes a top 10 smash on the Mainstream Rock Airplay ranking, the tune lifts to a new high of No. 21 on the Rock & Alternative Airplay list. “Walls Come Down” is also succeeding beyond radio play. Seether’s current focus debuts at No. 20 on the Hot Hard Rock Songs chart, which uses a methodology that combines airplay with both streams and sales. On that tally, the group has now snagged eight hits, including this latest win.
Seether Nabs A New Top 10 Album As Their Latest Release Becomes A Bestseller
Seether spent the summer promoting their then-upcoming album The Surface Seems So Far with several singles. The full-length arrived a little more than a week ago, and longtime fans of the South African group have flocked to support it. The new release has turned into a healthy success as it reaches charts in several major music markets around the world. The Surface Seems So Far debuts on four different rankings in the U.K. this week. It is most successful on the Official Rock & Metal Albums list, which shouldn’t come as a surprise. Notably, that’s the only tally where Seether’s latest effort manages to hit the top 10. The band’s new project starts its time on the Official Rock & Metal Albums chart at No. 6. It earns the fourth-loftiest opening of the week, as it was released during what turned out to be a particularly busy period with several new projects from some of the most beloved names in rock and metal, especially on the harder side of the sound. Nightwish launches their newest studio effort, Yesterwynde, at No. 1, beating out several other competitors that vied for the top position. Terrorvision’s We Are Not Robots comes in a close second, while Michael Schenker’s My Years with UFO kicks off its time on the tally at No. 4. The Surface Seems So Far marks Seether’s fifth top 10 hit on the Official Rock & Metal Albums list. They nearly conquered the tally in 2017 when Poison the Parish missed the No. 1 spot by a single space. The band has also previously entered the top 10 on the genre-specific chart with Si Vis Pacem, Para Bellum (No. 3), Isolate and Medicate (No. 5), and Holding Onto Strings Better Left to Fray (No. 10), which brought them into the top tier for the first time over a decade ago. Their debut effort, Disclaimer, just missed out on doing so, peaking instead at No. 11. Beyond rock and metal, The Surface Seems So Far debuts on three other U.K. charts this week, though it doesn’t fare nearly as well on any of them. The set also reaches the Official Album Downloads (No. 45), Official Album Sales (No. 49), and Official Physical Albums (No. 51) lists.
Seether at Pine Knob’s RIFF Fest, 5 things to know
Reflection on a quarter-century of Seether, Morgan says via Zoom that, “Sometimes it feels like 25 minutes, sometimes it feels like 250 years. I’m 45 now, so it’s been a long time and I’m starting to feel it in the bones, all the respective ailments that slowly creep in with age. There’s always that reality check to let you know you’ve been doing it for awhile. “I guess for us the most exciting thing is still to be able to do it…at this level and with this kind of enthusiasm and this kind of fan base. Thankfully so far we’ve managed to keep on trucking and keep the band moving forward. That in itself, I think, is the achievement I focus on.” Morgan, the father of three who lives in Nashville now, wrote much of the material on “The Surface Seems So Far” during the pandemic lockdown and “a lot of existential crisis moments” he experienced at the time. “Obviously 2020 was a wash, and 2021 and ’22 weren’t much better. I’d been told by the powers that be that I was not a relevant or important person and my livelihood was not important for a very long time. So there were moments of self-doubt and the genuine anguish of wondering, ‘OK, what’s next? Is this all that there is? Do I have to find something else I want to do for the rest of my life, where I feel more fulfilled and maybe don’t feel quite so expendable?’ There were many times I thought about quitting, yeah. Those were the biggest issues for me in writing this album.” That angst also contributed to making the album one of the heaviest in Seether’s catalog. “The most powerful emotions of the past few years for me were certainly rage and anger, and in this particular snapshot of my life most of it was, ‘I need to get rid of this frustration and this anger,’ and that leads to heavier music, obviously. This is the first album we’ve done that doesn’t have an acoustic (track) on it, which I didn’t realize until we were done. I just start writing, and the direction reveals itself to me.” Morgan and his bandmates are looking forward to playing the new songs live, though he promises to be judicious in rolling them into the set list. “‘Judas Mind’ will definitely be in the set list, and I might want to play ‘Illusion’ ’cause it’s one of my favorite songs on the album and is on the streaming platforms, so people can know it. You do want to play the songs that fans are there to see, right? So I do want to play all the classics, so to speak, and once the album’s been out a little longer we can start to play more of those songs and get a feel about those from the audience.” Mostly, Morgan adds, Seether is happy to be back out playing only limited touring in the wake of the pandemic. “We’re just happy to be getting back on the road, man. We are a touring band, and we haven’t been able to do as much in the last few years. In the past four years I think we’ve done a total of maybe 24 weeks of touring, which for us is obviously very different. So we’re really ready for this now.”
Seether’s New No. 1 Marks A Huge Milestone For The Band
Later this month, Seether will release their highly-anticipated new album The Surface Seems So Far. The set has already spun off two singles, and now the first of them has risen to No. 1 on a chart the band knows very well, becoming a very special smash. Seether’s single “Judas Mind” climbs to No. 1 on this week’s Mainstream Rock Airplay ranking. Whenever an artist scores another leader on any of Billboard’s tallies, it’s always a reason for them to celebrate—but this latest smash is notable for one specific reason. “Judas Mind” marks Seether’s milestone tenth champion on the Mainstream Rock Airplay chart. They are one of a relatively small group of well-loved names in the rock space to accrue double-digit winners on the list of the most-played tracks at a radio format known as mainstream rock, which leans into the heavier side of the genre. Last week, “Judas Mind” sat down at No. 5 on the Mainstream Rock Airplay chart. Now, it rockets to the summit, reaching No. 1 for the first time, and keeping Seether’s winning streak going. Billboard reports that Seether’s last four singles have all managed to climb their way to the peak position on the Mainstream Rock Airplay tally. The continued gathering of smashes began in 2020, and all of the band’s promoted cuts have soared to No. 1 in the years since. As it rules the Mainstream Rock Airplay list, “Judas Mind” is also growing on other, related rankings. This frame, the song hits the top 10 on the more encompassing Rock & Alternative Airplay chart. On that roster, the single lands at No. 8.
Seether Confronts Self-Doubt and ‘Genuine Anguish’ on New Album ‘The Surface Seems So Far’
For Seether frontman Shaun Morgan, it’s more exciting to be bringing out a new album — The Surface Seems So Far, which drops Friday, Sept. 20 — than it is to be celebrating the band’s 25th anniversary. It has been that long since Morgan formed Seether, as Saron Gas, in his native South Africa (bassist Dale Stewart joined in January of 2000 and has remained since). During the interim the group has released nine studio albums and netted 26 top 10 singles on Billboard’s various rock charts, including 10 No. 1 Mainstream Rock Airplay hits with the new album’s first single, “Judas Mind.” Seether was also Billboard’s No. 1 Active Rock Artist and Heritage Rock Artist in 2011, the same year “Country Song” was the top Active Rock song of the year. “Sometimes it feels like 25 minutes, sometimes it feels like 250 years,” Morgan tells Billboard via Zoom from his home in Nashville — where, he acknowledges with a chuckle, “I’m 45 now, so it’s been a long time and I’m starting to feel it in the bones, all the respective ailments that slowly creep in with age. There’s always that reality check to let you know you’ve been doing it for awhile. “I guess for us the most exciting thing is still to be able to do it…at this level and with this kind of enthusiasm and this kind of fan base. Thankfully so far we’ve managed to keep on trucking and keep the band moving forward. That in itself, I think, is the achievement I focus on. “I’ve toured many, many years with many, many bands that no longer exist, and they were bands I thought were better than us. We’ve certainly weathered some genres and trends and seen some go and return, and we’ve just sort of been trucking away in the background. Somehow we’ve managed to keep ourselves around and be relevant on some level.” Seether’s continuing connection with its audience isn’t hard to figure out. The music remains a kind of timeless, high-powered brand of heavy rock, steeped in well-established traditions of classic grunge, metal and, occasionally, punk. As a lyricist, meanwhile, Morgan wears his proverbial heart on his sleeve, unafraid to mine dark emotions all the way back to early favorites such as “Fine Again,” “Gasoline” and “Broken,” the worldwide breakthrough single when it was re-recorded with Evanescence’s Amy Lee for 2004’s Disclaimer II album. “I just try to write what I like to listen to and what I like to play and what makes me feel something on an emotional level,” Morgan explains. “I don’t try to overthink it; I just write what I’m feeling every time we do an album and try and write music that helps me get through situations, or darker days I guess. I try and always represent the music and myself in an honest and real way and be as vulnerable as I can without being trying to give away too much. I try and be as vague as I can, lyrically, so people can apply the songs to how they’re feeling and maybe get something out of it that way. “So all of that combined would contribute maybe, to the fact we’re still here.” Fans likely won’t have trouble relating to the 11 tracks on The Surface Seems So Far, either. Written during an 18-month period during which Morgan’s wife gave birth to their third child, the songs stem from “a lot of existential crisis moments” he was experiencing during the 2020 pandemic lockdown, which came just a few months before the release of Seether’s last album, Si Vis Pacem, Para Bellum. “Obviously 2020 was a wash, and 2021 and ’22 weren’t much better,” Morgan explains. “I’d been told by the powers that be that I was not a relevant or important person and my livelihood was not important for a very long time.” And while he wasn’t sorry that “I got to sit and be with family and really enjoy being a dad and a husband,” Morgan also faced “moments of self-doubt and the genuine anguish of wondering, ‘OK, what’s next? Is this all that there is? Do I have to find something else I want to do for the rest of my life, where I feel more fulfilled and maybe don’t feel quite so expendable?’ There were many times I thought about quitting, yeah. “Those were the biggest issues for me in writing this album.” Those heavy questions can be felt throughout The Surface Seems So Far as Seether — Morgan, Stewart, drummer John Humphrey and guitarist Corey Lowery — steam through the leaden dynamics of songs such as “Try to Heal,” “Same Mistakes,” “Semblance of Me,” “Paint the World,” “Dead on the Vine” and “Illusion,” while “Walls Come Down” stands out as a more melodic counterweight. “It’s funny; this is the first album we’ve done that doesn’t have an acoustic (track) on it, which I didn’t realize until we were done,” Morgan notes. “I wrote about 20 songs and we ended up recording about 13 of them. But there was never really a thought about what I wanted it to sound like. Whenever I start writing for albums it’s sort of a fishing expedition; I don’t know what I’m doing and I have no direction, so I just start writing and the direction reveals itself to me. “And the most powerful emotions of the past few years for me were certainly rage and anger, and in this particular snapshot of my life most of it was, ‘I need to get rid of this frustration and this anger,’ and that leads to heavier music, obviously.” The Surface Seems So Far marks Morgan’s third consecutive album as producer, too, a task he first found “daunting” but that he’s grown more comfortable with over time. “There’s only one producer I worked with who I felt the experience was positive and I learned something from, and that was Brendan O’Brien,” who produced Holding Onto Strings Better Left to Fray in 2011 and 2014’s Isolate and Medicate. Morgan explains that, “I came out the other side of those albums with him and thought, ‘OK, I’ve learned enough about songwriting from him. I’ve learned enough about producing from him, the approach of making an album from him, and I’ve learned from the either guys what I DON’T want to do, so lemme give it a shot and see how it works out.’ And because of that these past three albums are actually the first time a high percentage of me is proud of how they sound.”
Seether Match Linkin Park And Tom Petty With Their New No. 1
Seether fans only need to wait less than two weeks before they get to hear the band’s new album. The Surface Seems So Far is slated to drop on September 20, and the full-length—the band’s ninth—is already off to a fantastic start. The South African rockers have been building anticipation for the project with lead single “Judas Mind,” which arrived in July. The tune has become a huge hit on multiple Billboard charts, and this frame, it helps the group tie with several other major players in the rock world. “Judas Mind” climbs to No. 1 on the current Mainstream Rock Airplay chart. The tune ascends from No. 5 to the throne, and as it does, Seether makes history. The outfit has now accrued 10 No. 1 smashes on the Mainstream Rock Airplay tally, which ranks the tunes that reach the largest audience at a radio format that leans into the heavier side of the genre. Seether is one of a lucky 13 acts that have reached that milestone, and they’re now part of a very starry club, according to Billboard. With an even 10 winners on the radio roster, Seether matches four other names. Linkin Park, Tom Petty, Papa Roach, and Volbeat are all steady with their 10 champions. This ranking could change in the coming weeks, though, as Linkin Park just returned with a brand new single. The newly-reformed band, complete with singer Emily Armstrong, launched “The Emptiness Machine” less than a week ago. After just a few hours of activity, the tune has already reached one of Billboard’s rock radio tallies, and it’s just getting started. A No. 1 on the Mainstream Rock Airplay chart could easily be in the future for the Grammy winners. Shinedown leads all acts when it comes to the most leaders on the Mainstream Rock Airplay list, with 19. Three Days Grace comes next, with 17. Five Finger Death Punch settles in third place, with a milestone 15 No. 1s on the tally. Also ahead of Seether are Foo Fighters and Metallica (14 each), Godsmack and Van Halen (13 apiece), and Disturbed (with 12).
Seether – Dale Stewart (The Surface Seems So Far)
Andrew : Hello, Dale. How are you? First and foremost, welcome to Australia and welcome to The Rockpit. It’s great to be talking to you. Dale : Yeah, I’m not too bad, man. Very good, it’s great to speak with you too. Andrew : Congratulations on the new album “The Surface Seems So Far”, which is out September 20 via Fantasy Records. It really is a great, engaging listen. The lead single ‘Judas Mind’ is just a monster of a track. How far into the writing process did that track come about? Dale : I want to say that was one of the earlier songs in this session. It’s kind of hard to say because we live quite far apart. There were lots of emails back and forth with music and ideas and songs and demos and things like that. I think that one from the start we definitely knew it was kind of a special song and was going to be a single at some point. Just you never really know when, but I think it’s kind of cool to come out of the gate with a little bit of a ripper to get people’s attention; especially after being away for a while. Andrew : Well, it certainly does come out swinging. For me it was just like, wow, this is has an energy to it and it kicks ass. It certainly built my anticipation for the album, which I have had the absolute pleasure of hearing. How has the public reaction been to ‘Judas Mind’ so far? Dale : It’s been pretty positive so far. As far as I can tell. Radio stations are stateside where Sean and I both live now. They’ve been pretty eager to pick it up. It’s been getting decent spins online as well, and everything we’ve heard has been positive. So that’s really all you can hope for. It’s such a weird time now, all the sort of metrics that you would judge a song by have kind of changed. But yeah, if you look at Spotify numbers, YouTube and radio spins, it’s pretty good, man. So nice to know that after twenty something years people still care. Andrew : In this day and age, I think that’s the thing, having people coming back with each release. The beauty about Seether is that the band has always stayed very true to its style, to the kind of rock music that you put out there. Dale : Yeah, I think so. So many trends sort of come and go and we’ve weathered a lot of storms, so to speak. We’ve never tried to jump on any bandwagons or capitalize on any sort of trends and I think people appreciate that. We’re not trying to reinvent the wheel; we just do what we do. We love music. We play the music we’d want to hear. We’re just like an old-fashioned rock band kicking over beer bottles and sweating it up on stage and having a good time with it. Andrew : The other thing that really appealed to me with “The Surface Seems So Far” is that stylistically, the album doesn’t lock itself into one style. For somebody like myself who’s been a rock fan for decades the album seems to take us on a very, very solid trip down memory lane of the last two and a half decades. There is a distinct hint of grunge, alternative radio rock, nu-metal and hard rock. Was that something intentional? I think you almost answered it before in sort of saying that it just naturally. Was that something that was conscious or was that something that as you said before you came about from playing the music you like to hear? Dale : I don’t think we ever set out to make something that’s going to specifically sound a certain way, we write music that’s going to have a certain feel. It is just however it ends up sounding. If we like it and we’re feeling good about it, we’ll put it on the album basically. I think it’s hard if you’re trying to make a record sound a certain way, okay, this one’s got to be heavy, and then now you’ve kind of pigeonholed yourself into, okay, well let’s scrap that idea because it doesn’t fall within this framework that we’re trying to work with. I think if anything, you do yourself a bit of a disservice, at least in a band like this. But yeah, we just do what we do and there’s no real conscious effort and it’s just kind of a snapshot in time of where we are as a band at that time. Also, now with Sean producing the albums, it’s full-on old school garage days for us too. There’s no producer over your shoulder, and I feel like, no disrespect to any of the producers we worked with, we’ve worked with some great guys, but I feel like there’s always this effort to, not dumb things down necessarily, but just keep things maybe a little bit more radio friendly, whether it’s guitar tones or just the song in general. I feel like it’s their job to reel you in when you start getting a little bit rowdy, probably on orders from the label. But when it’s just us in the studio and Sean’s producing, it’s like garage days. It’s like whatever we want to do, we do it. If we want to get heavy, if we want to get crazy, we go for it. There’s no one sort of pumping the brakes; if we want to do something completely chill and slow and mellow and like a crazy ballad, then we can do that too, there are no real rules, we have that freedom, which it’s nice. Andrew : So it’s been four years between records and I mean between “Si Vis Pacem, Para Bellum” and this one. What would you say would be the biggest difference between the two? Dale : Man, it’s so crazy. “Para Bellum” we finished recording it right as covid started to hit. We started hearing rumblings of this weird thing that’s happening and we’re like, oh, great, we’ve just got this album. We’re getting ready to release a single, are we going to be able to tour? It was this whole crazy thing. So that really threw a giant spanner in the works. We didn’t really get to tour. We had to try and be creative, being told we couldn’t tour, and we didn’t know how long it was going to last or if we ever could again. It was a frustrating time, and I think a lot of the angst and the sort of anger in this new album comes from, a lot of it comes from that frustration and just uncertainty of that time. I don’t want to throw a giant pity party because everyone had a rough go during the Covid stuff, but when your life is music and they kind of pull the rope it really kind of messes with you a little bit. I think that’s where a lot of the world really kind of changed during that time, and I definitely think it’s reflected in the music. Definitely lyrically with Sean, it’s definitely a diary for him. “Para Bellum” was a pretty angry album too, but I don’t know if it had quite the vinegar or the, I don’t know, I don’t want to say it was a pessimistic album, but I think this new album is quite dark, but it is that as a way to deal with things to get it out of your system. So, if you can purge all those feelings, then in your personal life, you can feel somewhat normal if you put it in a song and it’s like writing it on a piece of paper and burning and watching the smoke flow up into the sky and you feel that relief and that release. That’s kind of what it’s like when you put a song out. It’s like watching the smoke up and just feeling the pressure kind of release out of your body. Andrew : Given the pandemic happening at the time of the last album, the world shut down for 18 months. How quickly did you get into writing “The Surface Seems So Far”? Dale : It was pretty soon. I mean, there’s really nothing else to do if you can’t go out and tour. You just kind of, I guess stay home and then jam on the guitar and try and come up with ideas and stuff. It’s hard for a touring band to be stuck at home as much as when you’re on the road, all you want to do is go home and see your family. And still, when you can’t tour, you realize how much of a part of your life it is. I mean, the creation of the music and the writing and the recording processes rewarding in itself, obviously. It’s a huge part of what we do. Being stuck at home, we have never had so much time off, we’ve always toured, we’ve been road dogs for so long, so maybe in hindsight, being forced to be home was maybe even a bit of a blessing. We really got to spend a lot of quality family time. I had two kids come out of the Covid lockdown. I mean, what else are you going to do? (laughs) I’m a dad now and I absolutely love it. So maybe it was a blessing just to be home and be able to take time and be with family and work on new material and not feel rushed in doing that and now it’s all open again now and we’re starting to tour again. With that there’s a new fun enthusiasm, because you know what it’s like to not be able to do it. You appreciate it more now that you can do it. Andrew : “Para Bellum” had a second life so to speak through an expanded version of the album. Were there also a bunch of songs that were written for “The Surface Seems So Far?” that didn’t make the 11 final tracks? Dale : Yes absolutely. We always record a couple extras just in case. I think we had 16 in total on this album, well, on this recording session. Some of those songs might never see the light of day. Some of those songs might end up being B-sides or whatever on a European release, or maybe we’ll submit something for a video game or a movie or something like that. We always just record a couple extras. It is just good to have those to choose from because until the songs are in their final form, it’s hard to really make the final selection. Once they’re all recorded, then we come together and as individual band guys, we’ll each make our little list. Okay, well these are the 11 that I think are the best. And okay, what do you think? And then we talk to the label and management, kind of cross-reference with everyone and see what everyone thinks. That’s how we wind it down to the album tracks. Andrew : In this day and age the way that a lot of people consume music has changed through streaming, Spotify, iTunes, all of those sorts of things. It seems as though the business 101 these days is to continuously every six to eight weeks drop a single. Are there any particular tracks on this album that you think are essential tracks/singles? Dale : There’s definitely one song called ‘Walls Come Down’, I’ve got a lot of faith in that song. It was probably my favourite since very early on. It’s a driving song, a little bit repetitive, but I don’t think to the point where you get sick of it. I think just the point where it’s kind of, it’s catchy, at least I hope so. Andrew : It is catchy as hell. It’s actually one of my favourite tracks on the record. Dale : Great; I had hoped it’s just not me (laughs) I really have a lot of faith in that song. There was talk about why don’t we put ‘Walls Come Down’ out as the first single? I was just never comfortable with that. I thought a song like that you want kind of wait, you don’t want to come out with what could be the strongest single. Hopefully it is, but you don’t want to come out with that first. You want to have that as maybe the second or third and kind of just keep something in the tank. Andrew : I think it potential to be a massive single for you guys. Dale : I think so and I hope so. I think it’s definitely going to be a single, just when is the question. But, if I were to pick one song from the album, I’d say ‘Walls Come Down’ is the one I’m really excited to release. Andrew : Yeah, I think for me, I mean ‘Try To Heal’, ‘Illusion’ and ‘Semblance Of Me’ are just insanely good. ‘Dead On The Vine’ just has this thing, I just found myself involuntarily sort of rocking out to it when I first heard it. I went, man, this connects. You’d probably understand that feeling when you hear something and you just say, there it is, you get that vibe and that groove from an album standpoint, Dale : That’s the goal. That’s great. Andrew : Being a music fan and spending decades consuming and inhaling all kinds of music, there are certain things that you go WOW to; those moments where you go that’s quite a cool mix of styles. I know it’s probably not intentional and it’s probably the result of some influences, but with ‘Beneath the Veil’, I’m sitting there and I’m going, what does this remind me of? And it’s a cross between Kurt Cobain and Keenan from Tool in the vocal performance. I’m thinking this is such an interesting mix, and it works so well. As an album, I think it’s fresh in what it does. I mentioned it was familiar in some ways, yet it’s also very, very fresh. So please don’t take the familiar as an insult. Dale : No, that’s a very positive thing to hear. It’s high praise. Absolutely. Thank you. Andrew : Performance wise was there a standout from each member on a particular track for you personally? Dale : I don’t know. I can’t really say, the whole session kind of bleeds together. We worked so fast; we knocked out really quickly. We went to Nashville to do the first session, and we did all the drums and all the bass for 16 tracks in I think three days, four days (laughs). Something like that. I think it was four days. We worked at a feverish pace, so we didn’t really have a lot of time to sit around and think too much about things. We were just really stuck in and getting it done. We had a bit of a winter storm roll in at that time, so we went home, and we reconvened a couple of weeks later and finished it up. I don’t know if I can point to anything in particular. I just think as a band, we’ve been in the studio so much now and recorded so much material, I think we’re just getting really good at what we do. I think we’re pretty professional in there. We have a good work ethic and we’re not scared to put in the long hours. Obviously with things like pro tools and these new technologies make it so easy to record. You don’t have to splice tape. With Pro Tools, some people hate it, some people love it. I think it’s great as long as you don’t abuse it and make things sound obviously processed, fake or mechanical. There’s a way to use it responsibly and still make good proper rock music. It just makes it easier to do it that way and I think we’re all just getting really good at what we do in the studio. Andrew : Just a really quick one to wrap it all up as we are out of time. I’m an old school guy. I love buying my physical product. I love buying my CD’s and my Vinyl. It all serves a purpose for me. I’m assuming that there are going to be pre-sales for the physical product and there will be variants available. And how do we go about tracking these down? Dale : I think the best way would be to just go on our website, www.seether.com. All the information should be up there for people to check out for pre-sales. I’m not sure exactly what the plan is on that stuff, but the website will definitely have a lot more information than I do at this moment. Andrew : Perfect. I hate that we have to cut this short because I could chat for ages with you. Thank you so much for your time. Congratulations on an amazing album. Hopefully we see you guys out here in Australia in the near future. Dale : Yeah, no worries. I appreciate that. Nice talking to you Andrew. Hopefully we will get to Australia soon. Have a great day.
Seether Begins A New Chapter With Their First Radio Hit In Years
Seether recently announced that they are ready to bring the world more of their signature rock sound. The band revealed a new album, The Surface Seems So Far, which is scheduled to arrive later this year. Ahead of the full-length dropping, the group has shared the project’s lead single, and it didn’t take long for the rock world to welcome it with open arms. “Judas Mind” was released just over a week ago, on July 10. In only a little more than a tracking frame, the tune has already become a radio hit, as DJs and programmers are once again betting on the veterans to keep people listening. Seether’s new single opens on a pair of radio-only rankings this frame. “Judas Mind” marks the first new placement on both tallies for the band since the summer of 2021. “Judas Mind” opens highest on the Mainstream Rock Airplay chart this week. On that tally, it’s new at No. 33. At the same time, it launches at No. 43 on the Rock & Alternative Airplay ranking. Seether is more successful on the former list, in terms of the starting point for “Judas Mind” as well as total accumulation of hits. The group has now earned 28 stays on that ranking. They snag their seventeenth career win on the Rock & Alternative Airplay chart as well. Impressively, Seether claims the highest new entry on both radio charts this week. On the Mainstream Rock Airplay list, they’re followed by Limp Bizkit and The Black Crowes, who narrowly break onto the lowest registers of the list. Over on the Rock & Alternative Airplay roster, they beat arrivals from Eddie Vedder and The Decemberists, which aren’t too far behind.
Seether’s Shaun Morgan Reflects on Fatherhood + How It’s Changed Him as an Artist
"I think the best part is that as a band, we're all in a really good spot together," Morgan told host Chuck Armstrong. "We're in really good spots in our lives. Everyone's kind of figured out and ironed out all of the juvenile behaviors and the sort of cliches that come with rock music. We're all just kind of like — somebody said it the other day, that we're basically dad rock now." Morgan laughed as he said that, quickly concurring with the newfound moniker. "I was like, 'Damn it, man,' but you know what? I'm just going to lean into it. I guess I am a dad and we all are." As for Seether's new album, Morgan admitted he still gets excited when they're ready to release music. "With anything coming out, there's definitely an excitement and anticipation," he said. "It kind of feels a little bit surreal still right now." As excited as he is about the release of The Surface Seems So Far, Morgan opened up about how his own life has changed over the last several years — and how that's affected him as a rock star. "I have a son who's about to turn two and I have a daughter who just turned six," he said. "It's a lot, it's a lot of work and so the musician side of me has slowly but surely been whittled away and replaced by the dad side over these past four years." Morgan wasn't complaining; in fact, he said that right now, the dad part of him is a much larger percentage than it's ever been. "It's all incredibly fun." There's no getting rid of the music side of Morgan, though. When he confronted the reality that Seether have been around for 25 years, he didn't hide his surprise that he's still here releasing new music. "That's more than half my life," Morgan said. "When we formed in May of '99, it was a very different band to what it is now ... It's nice to think back on it and honestly, for the most part, there's a lot of positive things. I can look back and go, 'It's been great.'"
Seether Scores 10th Mainstream Rock Airplay No. 1 With ‘Judas Mind’
Seether claims its 10th No. 1 and fourth in a row on Billboard’s Mainstream Rock Airplay chart, as “Judas Mind” leaps from No. 5 to the top of the tally dated Sept. 14. The Shaun Morgan-fronted act began its current streak with “Dangerous” in 2020 and followed with both “Bruised and Bloodied” and “Wasteland” in 2021. Seether first led Mainstream Rock Airplay in 2005 with eight-week No. 1 “Remedy.” The band is now one of 13 acts with at least 10 Mainstream Rock Airplay chart-toppers, dating to the list’s 1981 inception.
SEETHER Announces 'The Surface Seems So Far' Album, Shares New Single 'Judas Mind'
"'Judas Mind' is a song about reaching an understanding that there are bad actors in our lives that are trying to force an outcome for us that we don't see as our destiny," shares SEETHER frontman and songwriter Shaun Morgan. "It's about rising up against people who have a vision for you that you don't share." SEETHER, known for their authentic and electrifying live show, will support the release of "The Surface Seems So Far" on the road this fall on a co-headlining tour with SKILLET. The 18-date outing launches September 17 in Asheville and will travel across the U.S. stopping in such cities as Baltimore, Boston, Pittsburgh, Chicago, Kansas City, St. Louis, Houston, Dallas, Albuquerque, Denver, Omaha, and more before wrapping October 20 in Minneapolis. SEETHER is also set to perform at Louder Than Life and Aftershock festivals during the fall tour. With five gold and platinum albums and two dozen Billboard Rock Airplay Top 10 hits including 20 No. 1s at U.S. radio throughout a career spanning over two decades, SEETHER is as vibrant and relevant as ever. Hailing from South Africa, Shaun Morgan proudly draws inspiration from his grunge and hard rock roots, crafting a unique sonic identity that propelled the band's gold-certified American debut and continues to resonate deeply with fans worldwide. The rock quartet, who also founded the annual Rise Above Fest for nearly ten years to raise awareness for suicide prevention and mental illness, remains a beacon of integrity on "The Surface Seems So Far", which promises to captivate both loyal fans and newcomers alike with its blend of memorable hooks, driving rhythms, and unapologetic rock spirit. This past May, Morgan explained to Ronni Hunter and Lewis of the 99.7 The Blitz radio station why he and his SEETHER bandmates weren't ready to perform any of the material from their follow-up to the "Si Vis Pacem, Para Bellum" album. He said: "We live in such a horribly overconnected world that even the smallest things that make life slightly more exciting, even for us, I think it's cool. So, if we played [the first single] live, it would be all over the Internet by the next day, and then it kind of blows the surprise. And maybe we should, so we don't talk it up too much. And [people will be], like, 'Oh, this is what it was about.' But I think anticipation is a good thing. "We finished this in January, we mastered it in the beginning of February, so we've been sitting with us for a long time too," he explained. "So we're also excited to get out and play it. But, again, I think anticipation is not to be underestimated as far as just how much it can mean when you finally get to the day… You used to wait for album releases, like, 'Oh, my God. Finally we can go to the store and we can buy the album. We can go home. We can read the lyrics,' all those kinds of things. Those don't exist anymore. More often than not, albums just kind of arrive and [you'll] be, like, 'Oh, they have a new album? I had no idea.' And that's kind of a sad world. We used to all line up around the block to go get a new album when it came out, so any bit of anticipation we can [build is what we intend to do]." Asked if there is an increased amount of pressure every time he and his SEETHER bandmates go into writing a new album, Shaun said: "The idea is not to put any pressure on yourself with a deadline. And when it's ready, it'll be ready and you'll know. So if you had a deadline, you'd panic and you'd write stuff for the sake of writing it. But I think, at the end of the day, as long as you understand that once it's finished, it'll present itself as finished, and then you can go, 'Okay, it's finished,' and you can move on. But, having said that, then you get into recording, and you're done recording, and you're, like, 'Ah, I should've changed that,' and now it's too late. You can't change those words anymore. So it's always evolving, and it's always a process. But I think, as far as from, 'All right, we're done with that tour. Let's take a couple months off, and then we'll start again.' It's always a thing of, like, 'All right, well, let's see what happens.' And the first three months might be garbage, but at least it's starting to get the gears moving again. And then eventually there's a stride that you find yourself in. And then, again, it'll complete itself and you'll know when it's done. And then it's, like, 'Hey guys, label guys, we've got this album for you.' And, thankfully, they're not a very intrusive A&R company; they pretty much leave us to our own devices. And that's great too, 'cause you don't have some guy breathing down your neck and trying to put his thumb on the scale to make you sound a certain way or do a certain thing."
SEETHER's SHAUN MORGAN On Upcoming Album: 'We're Excited To Get Out And Play It'
In a new interview with Ronni Hunter and Lewis of the 99.7 The Blitz radio station, SEETHER frontman Shaun Morgan explained why he and his bandmates aren't ready yet to perform any of the material from their recently completed follow-up to the "Si Vis Pacem, Para Bellum" album, which came out in 2020. He said (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET: "We live in such a horribly overconnected world that even the smallest things that make life slightly more exciting, even for us, I think it's cool. So, if we played [the first single] live, it would be all over the Internet by the next day, and then it kind of blows the surprise. And maybe we should, so we don't talk it up too much. And [people will be], like, 'Oh, this is what it was about.' But I think anticipation is a good thing. "We finished this in January, we mastered it in the beginning of February, so we've been sitting with us for a long time too," he explained. "So we're also excited to get out and play it. But, again, I think anticipation is not to be underestimated as far as just how much it can mean when you finally get to the day… You used to wait for album releases, like, 'Oh, my God. Finally we can go to the store and we can buy the album. We can go home. We can read the lyrics,' all those kinds of things. Those don't exist anymore. More often than not, albums just kind of arrive and [you'll] be, like, 'Oh, they have a new album? I had no idea.' And that's kind of a sad world. We used to all line up around the block to go get a new album when it came out, so any bit of anticipation we can [build is what we intend to do]." Asked if there is an increased amount of pressure every time he and his SEETHER bandmates go into writing a new album, Shaun said: "The idea is not to put any pressure on yourself with a deadline. And when it's ready, it'll be ready and you'll know. So if you had a deadline, you'd panic and you'd write stuff for the sake of writing it. But I think, at the end of the day, as long as you understand that once it's finished, it'll present itself as finished, and then you can go, 'Okay, it's finished,' and you can move on. But, having said that, then you get into recording, and you're done recording, and you're, like, 'Ah, I should've changed that,' and now it's too late. You can't change those words anymore. So it's always evolving, and it's always a process. But I think, as far as from, 'All right, we're done with that tour. Let's take a couple months off, and then we'll start again.' It's always a thing of, like, 'All right, well, let's see what happens.' And the first three months might be garbage, but at least it's starting to get the gears moving again. And then eventually there's a stride that you find yourself in. And then, again, it'll complete itself and you'll know when it's done. And then it's, like, 'Hey guys, label guys, we've got this album for you.' And, thankfully, they're not a very intrusive A&R company; they pretty much leave us to our own devices. And that's great too, 'cause you don't have some guy breathing down your neck and trying to put his thumb on the scale to make you sound a certain way or do a certain thing." Earlier this month, Morgan told The Mistress Carrie Podcast that the new SEETHER album is "done. Currently, I think it's an 11-track album with two bonus tracks," he said. "The [first] single's already been picked out. It's the opening track to the album. The single is, I think, coming to radio in, like, July. And then the album is, I think, slated for September 20th. But the single will be called 'Judas Mind'."
New SEETHER Album Gets Release Date; First Single Revealed
In a new interview with The Mistress Carrie Podcast, SEETHER frontman Shaun Morgan spoke about the progress of the recording sessions for the follow-up to the "Si Vis Pacem, Para Bellum" album, which came out in 2020. He said (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET: "Well, [the new album is] done. Currently, I think it's an 11-track album with two bonus tracks. The [first] single's already been picked out. It's the opening track to the album. The single is, I think, coming to radio in, like, July. And then the album is, I think, slated for September 20th. But the single will be called 'Judas Mind'." He continued: "We can't play it live yet, 'cause I don't really wanna spoil the surprise, but, yeah, I think it's a great album. I'm hoping each one's better than the last one. It's been four years, so it's a little bit long, but it's also been really weird times worldwide. It feels like everything's kind of getting back to normal now. So I don't know that the next album will take four years, but I'm excited about this one."
Seether Frontman Says He Doesn't Know Music Theory & Scales, Meg Myers
When asked, "Do you feel that learning music theory and getting deeper into that field of study can take away from that raw emotion when you're writing original material?", Shaun replied: "That would depend on who is writing it. I don't know any theory at all. I can't read music. I've attempted to teach myself over the years but I don't even know any scales. I just play what is pleasing to my ear. In that sense, sure, I think I prefer not having any kind of instruction or education on that because it seems to me that it would be almost oxymoronic.You can have a painter who has been taught by somebody on how to do realistic paintings or you get guys who just paint from the heart. It's just two different schools. I think if I were taught music theory, maybe I could have written more interesting solos. In fact, I don't even know if I would need to learn theory. If I just spent four or five hours a day practicing and learning scales, I'm sure it would do a lot to improve my playing.It's an interesting thing for me because I use the guitar, as we just discussed, as a therapeutic option. I'm happy when I can write the stuff that I am hearing in my head and my ability matches that. When I find that I'm thinking of something and I can't play it, I will teach myself to play it, and that's how I advance my playing. For the most part, I think that learning theory, at this stage in the game, would throw me off quite a lot." "There are a few. 'Failure,' the opening riff in that one, where it has that ascending and descending and it sort of circles around, I really like that. I actually really like some of the solo stuff I did. Every song, even if it's the chorus overdubs or the solos themselves, I really had fun with those because they feel haunting to me. Corey [Lowery], our new guitarist, he's Native American and he said he could hear some elements of Native American music in there. I found that to be quite interesting because I never would have thought of that. It's got this real haunting quality to it. I really like how the album comes out of the gate really heavy [Dead and Done]. I like that whole song actually; it was a great way to start it off and it's one of my favorite riffs on the album." Q: Was it difficult to take off the artist hat and put on the producer hat? Shaun: "No. You know what - the first one was stressful because it was all on my shoulders and I thought, 'Oh god, what have I done? Do I really believe in myself enough to do this?'. But it came out great. It was well-received, and we had a couple of great singles off of that.The third one, somebody dropped the ball along the way but we won't get into that, but this time, I walked back in and we had Matt Hyde engineering and Corey Lowery assistant-engineered, so it was like sitting back in a comfortable old seat. We really had fun with it this time. There was no pressure. I really felt like the songs were strong. I do most of the producing stuff when I'm writing the songs. So I'll listen to the song and think about if the verse is too long, if the bridge should go there, and I really analyze the song. I was taught that by Brendan O'Brien, where he would come back and say something like, 'this is great but maybe you want to do something more interesting in this section' or he'd ask what the harmonies were going to be. So he really made me analyze the songs so much that by the time we did the second album with him ['Isolate and Medicate'], he almost had no notes on the songs because I had already listened and learned from him. So I felt that was one of the big steps for me where I understood that there might come a time where I would take over producing the albums. If you have one of the greats like Brendan O'Brien telling you it's really good, I felt pretty strongly that I had the ability to do it on my own. Obviously, I can't engineer very well. I use Logic Pro and the industry standard is ProTools. I should have learned ProTools instead. So that's why Matt and Corey came in and they were instrumental in the guitar tones and the bass tones and even the vocals.The pressure was off and I actually enjoy it [producing] now. I think if I felt that I needed help, I would ask for it, but I feel that right now, I'm pretty comfortable in the role of producing an album. I feel like the end result is exactly what I want it to be and that's more important than having a big name producer on it." Q: 2020 has been a crazy year. Normally there would be a touring cycle following this record. That obviously won't be happening as it normally would. What have you got planned in place of that? I've heard rumblings of another acoustic album or perhaps a side project of some sort. Shaun: "Well, those are all ideas that we've thrown around. I think from my understanding, the industry has decided that there will be at least another year without touring because we have to wait and see what the fall and winter look like. So that gives me time. I've played with a lot of ideas about what to do with that time. I thought about writing another Seether album. This is the first time in my life where we've done an album and we can't tour it.We've started getting some shows trickling in for August [of 2021] but who knows if that will happen. It just depends on all the garbage that is flying around about vaccines and all the stuff that seems to contradict itself. I thought about a side project - because we just finished a Seether album, so I don't necessarily want to jump right back into making Seether music. I might want to do something that leans a little more alternative, something that doesn't resemble Seether at all.Maybe even something with a different singer. That's probably what I'm leaning the hardest towards. As far as an acoustic album with Seether, we'll probably do that at some point in the future." Q: Who would your dream singer be for a side project? Shaun: "I would like to have a female singer. I'm a big fan of Meg Meyers. I think she would be great to work with and do some sort of project with. Obviously, that would be if she were even interested. She would be on the top of my list right now, I would say.She's an alternative artist and that's the sort of area I would like to delve into. So yes, Meg Meyers, I've long been a fan of hers and I would very much like to see if she'd be interested in doing something like a side project."
A Day in the Life of…Shaun Morgan of Seether
“I describe us as a rock band above all else,” Shaun Morgan tells me. Last October, his band Seether celebrated their decades-long career with a 20-song compilation album, Vicennial: 2 Decades of Seether. And there’s a lot to celebrate: 16 of the songs achieved #1 chart positions; all 20 were Top 5, multi-format radio hits. Carefully curated by the band, the album tells their story since forming in Pretoria, South Africa in 1999, a story that includes three platinum and two gold albums, 17 #1 singles, 21 Top 5 hits, single sales topping 17 million and over 2 billion streams worldwide across all platforms. Not to mention the album includes the fan-fave cover of Wham’s “Careless Whisper.” The band is currently comprised of Shaun, Dale Stewart, John Humphrey and Corey Lowery. “Dale and I met in 1999 in Pretoria through the girl I was dating at the time,” Shaun recalls. “Her brother was in a band with Dale and I went with her to watch them play at a local bar. Our original bassist left the band in January of 2000 so I reached out to Dale to see if he was interested in playing bass for us and handed him a cassette with 17 songs that he had to learn by the following weekend. He agreed and we played our first show that weekend to about 4 people. “John was introduced to us in 2003 through our sound guy at the time who had previously done sound for The Nixons and wanted to include him in the audition process when we were searching for a new drummer. John nailed the audition and we immediately asked him to join the band. We all met Corey on a tour we did with Crossfade and Dark New Day in 2005 and when we were searching for a new guitarist in 2018 he happened to be available and has been with us since.” According to Shaun, the secret to their success is in embracing their own uniqueness. “We don’t try to fit into any pigeonholes or trends, but choose instead to write and play music that expresses us in an honest and pure way,” he says. “We write and play music that makes us feel alive by evoking an emotional response and giving us the creative release that we crave. It’s a therapeutic process that allows us to purge ourselves.” Here’s a day in the life of Shaun Morgan of Seether. Date October 29, 2021 Time I woke up 6:50 a.m. Every day starts with Coffee and a large bottle of cold water. Breakfast consists of Nothing. Lunch is usually the first meal. To get going I always Drink two cups of coffee. I don’t feel dressed without A flannel shirt. Before I start working I must Be inspired to write otherwise I stare blankly at a computer screen for hours. Currently working on The next Seether album. But I’d really love to be On a beach sipping a cocktail. Book I’m reading Body By Science: A Research Based Program to Get the Results You Want in 12 Minutes a Week, by Doug McGuff M.D. and John Little. I don’t know how anyone ever Eats eggplant. I cannot stand it! If I had to play one album on repeat, it would be Nevermindby Nirvana. The perfect midday consists of Lunch with my wife. To help get through the day I need Coffee. All day long. Not a day goes by without speaking to My wife and daughter. My daydreams consist of Beaches and oceans. Swimming far below the surface. In a perfect day, in a perfect world Coffee on a deck overlooking the ocean, followed by a swim. In the afternoon, sitting on the beach with a cocktail. Early bedtime with the windows open so I can hear then waves. I’ll always fight for Suicide awareness and abused children. Currently in love with My family. Hoping to make time to watch The Witcheron Netflix. By my bedside I always have A book, my phone and a clock radio. To help get through the night I close my eyes? I don’t need much help getting to sleep. Bed time Somewhere between 9.30 and 10:00 p.m. When I think about tomorrow, it’s always With hope and optimism. The goal is to be a slightly better version of myself every day.
Dale Stewart of Seether balances touring with a fishing life
Rock stars have a reputation for being a little weird, passionate, and a touch rebellious. Bassist Dale Stewart of the rock band Seether likes to fish. Okay, that’s not weird, millions like to fish. But the 42-year-old can’t just chill before entertaining thousands with songs like “Fine Again,” “Remedy,” and “Broken,” so he’ll rig up his travel rod to go fishing on ponds, streams, rivers, or oceans—whatever is near the gig. Where it gets weird is learning about what Stewart ponders while on the water. He starts thinking like a fish, of how the world of a fish changes when it gets hooked by a lure, how it is pulled from the water into the air—a form of alien abduction—and is examined, measured, perhaps tagged, and released. “Yeah, then the fish comes back down and explains to his fish friends what happened,” says Stewart, who grew up in South Africa and is now based in the seaside town of Savannah, Georgia. “The fish says to his buddies, ‘I got pulled up onto the futuristic vessel, tagged, and then I got away. It was an alien abduction.’ His buddies think he is crazy. It parallels to our abduction stories; maybe another species abducts us for sport.” The struggle between the fish and the angler is one of life and death—especially for the fish, Stewart continues, and here’s where the passion comes in. “We have completely over-run the planet,” he says. “Humans are the most dangerous animal on earth. We used to fish for survival and now, for many of us, it’s just for sport. There’s a deep need to provide for your family successfully and catching a fish fulfills that need. Now, I’m mostly a catch-and-release angler. But I will keep a fish for fish and chips, especially a delicious one like a cobia.” Before concerts, Stewart can’t sleep the day away like some rockers. And while drinking whiskey can take up a lot of time and make just about anything fun, he believes partying has a time and a place. “While we are on the boat with family and friends, we get the music going and find a sandbar to let the dogs and kids run around, and we’ll do a bit of drinking,” Stewart says. “Time off was a silver lining of the pandemic. I fished with Matt Franklin, a friend who I met five years ago when we both came to Savannah. He has a twenty-foot Sportsman, and we fished around Tybee Island and Hilton Head. We figured out how to catch redfish. We patterned the fish and paid our dues.” Stewart guesses the first fish he caught was a rainbow trout with his father, Charles, who owned a tackle shop in South Africa and is still involved in the fishing tackle business. “I have great memories with my dad fishing, and actually, the first known picture of me is holding a ladyfish from the ocean,” he says. “But I bet the first one was a trout.” Stewart grew up in Irene, Gauteng, South Africa, and joined Seether in 2000 with lead singer Shaun Morgan. The band moved to California in 2002, the same year they recorded and released their first album Disclaimer with the hit song “Fine Again.” “We lived in the San Fernando Valley. We started making music, got bigger record deals and tours, and it’s been rinse-and-repeat for the last twenty years,” says Stewart. Today, the band consists of Morgan, Stewart, guitarist Corey Lowery, and drummer John Humphrey. The band has toured with acts like Evanescence, Nickelback, and Staind, and has produced eight albums. The latest album, Vicennial – 2 Decades of Seether, was released in 2021 and features a collection of hits from the past 20 years. “We had such big dreams, and we were so eager to do anything we could to make it happen,” Stewart said in an October 2021 interview in the online magazine The Rockpit. “And it worked out for us, but it could have gone either way. But it went well, and it continued to go well which is even more rare. We’ve played with so many bands over the years who have come and gone, so the odds that we’re still out there doing it are so astronomical.” Stewart married Michelle Thomas in 2019, and their daughter, Olivia, was born this past January. Starting a family during the pandemic turned out to be great timing, for both the band and his personal life. “Our daughter came out of COVID, which is just remarkable,” Stewart says. “Now I’m in the market for a twenty- to twenty-four-foot boat, something I can take the family on. I have such great memories of fishing with my dad that I want to carry on to my daughter. “When I look at boats now, what I think most is, ‘Can I fish from it?’” he continues. “It’s got to be able to get me into ten inches of water and be able to handle the ocean when it’s not too windy. I’ve been looking at bay boats from Mako and Sea Hunt.” Stewart and Franklin enjoy the high-tech equipment that helps anglers nowadays, such as the Spot-Lock feature with the Minn Kota trolling motor on Franklin’s Sportsman. “Instead of having to drop an anchor in forty feet of water when we go seven miles offshore, Spot-Lock uses GPS to lock the boat onto the fishing spot,” says Stewart. “That makes life so much easier, and you spend a lot more time fishing and a lot less getting set up. We can target cobia, jack crevalle, and king mackerel.” Stewart primarily uses a spinning reel with artificial lures when he’s fishing inshore, though for years, he used a baitcasting reel. He found that casting for distance is more valuable than accuracy for the fish he is targeting. “The baitcasters give you the precision, but for the red drum, you want to cast for distance,” Stewart says. “I would rather use an artificial, but I’ll use bait when that’s the thing to use.” No matter what the rod-and-reel setup, Stewart simply wants to catch fish. He can be found flyfishing for largemouth bass in his neighborhood pond. Nestled squarely in the center of his Savannah neighborhood, the pond is full of bass, bluegill, and huge grass carp. Stewart will use a 6-weight fly rod and wooly bugger fly to catch just about any species, but it was on an ultra-light fishing rig that he caught his biggest bass. Here’s where the rebellious part of him comes into play: the badass rocker takes on a monster bass with, well, a little kid’s fishing rod and reel. “I had bought a micro-rod because I thought it would be fun to catch bluegill on this little thing,” Stewart says. “Our little neighborhood lake is open to the public and gets a lot of fishing pressure, so I was just casting near the bank and hooked a fish. Then it’s like, ‘Wow! It’s a huge largemouth bass.’ I could have put both fists in its mouth, and I’m on this little rod, and it’s bending in half. I am like, ‘I can’t lose this fish; no one is going to believe me.’ It had to be twelve pounds. I know there is at least one monster bass in this little lake.”
Seether: “Not everyone’s life is always amazing and awesome. There are shit days, too.”
Seether drummer Johnny Humphrey looks over the Pretoria band’s two-decade career, touches on the deluxe edition of ‘Si Vis Pacem Para Bellum,’ and shares thoughts on the effects of social media on society. Last month, South African alt-rock band Seether re-issued a deluxe version of their 2020 hit album, Si Vis Pacem Para Bellum. Featuring a mammoth twenty-two tracks, including five previously unreleased songs, the record spawned three #1 singles on the Billboard Mainstream Rock Chart and Active Rock radio and garnered some of the best reviews of the group’s storied career. Seether was born in 2000 and, fresh into a new deal with Wind-Up Records, released their hit debut album Disclaimer, a recording that was certified Gold by the RIAA and spawned three smash singles, “Fine Again,” “Driven Under,” and “Gasoline.” Disclaimer provided the springboard to a twenty-two-year career for the South African band, one which, to date, includes three platinum and two gold albums, 18 #1 singles, 21 Top 5 multi-format hits, single sales topping 17 million and over 2 billion streams worldwide. Those twenty-two years have been a rollercoaster of a ride. Led by frontman Shaun Morgan, their music has taken them all over the world and seen them touring with everyone from Nickelback to Three Doors Down and hitting the stages at most of the major rock festivals worldwide. It is that career we are here to talk about. Celebrating an incredible twenty-two years rocking across the world, the Pretoria, South Africa band has been there, seen it, done it and bought the t-shirt. With plenty to talk about, we spoke to drummer John Humphrey about his own highlights, his hopes for the future and his thoughts on the last couple of years. Thanks for your time; how’s life treating you at the moment? John Humphrey: “I’m good, thank you. Just completed a tour with Breaking Benjamin recently. The shows and the crowds were amazing.” “Blows me away sometimes to think I’ve been with the band 18 years, and the band’s most recent album was one of our biggest yet.” During the last couple of years, you passed the two-decade mark as a band. When you think about the vision you had for the band back in 1999, how does it feel to reach that incredible milestone? “I feel very fortunate to be a part of a band that has had the success Seether has. Blows me away sometimes to think I’ve been with the band 18 years, and the band’s most recent album was one of our biggest yet.” Looking back over those two decades, what are your own personal highlights? There must have been moments where you’ve sat there as a collective band and thought, “shit, did that just happen to our band?” Alternative/Rock Seether: “Not everyone’s life is always amazing and awesome. There are shit days, too.” Seether drummer Johnny Humphrey looks over the Pretoria band’s two-decade career, touches on the deluxe edition of ‘Si Vis Pacem Para Bellum,’ and shares thoughts on the effects of social media on society. Published 1 year ago on 08/08/2022 By Graham Finney Last month, South African alt-rock band Seether re-issued a deluxe version of their 2020 hit album, Si Vis Pacem Para Bellum. Featuring a mammoth twenty-two tracks, including five previously unreleased songs, the record spawned three #1 singles on the Billboard Mainstream Rock Chart and Active Rock radio and garnered some of the best reviews of the group’s storied career. Seether was born in 2000 and, fresh into a new deal with Wind-Up Records, released their hit debut album Disclaimer, a recording that was certified Gold by the RIAA and spawned three smash singles, “Fine Again,” “Driven Under,” and “Gasoline.” Disclaimer provided the springboard to a twenty-two-year career for the South African band, one which, to date, includes three platinum and two gold albums, 18 #1 singles, 21 Top 5 multi-format hits, single sales topping 17 million and over 2 billion streams worldwide. Those twenty-two years have been a rollercoaster of a ride. Led by frontman Shaun Morgan, their music has taken them all over the world and seen them touring with everyone from Nickelback to Three Doors Down and hitting the stages at most of the major rock festivals worldwide. It is that career we are here to talk about. Celebrating an incredible twenty-two years rocking across the world, the Pretoria, South Africa band has been there, seen it, done it and bought the t-shirt. With plenty to talk about, we spoke to drummer John Humphrey about his own highlights, his hopes for the future and his thoughts on the last couple of years. Advertisement Thanks for your time; how’s life treating you at the moment? John Humphrey: “I’m good, thank you. Just completed a tour with Breaking Benjamin recently. The shows and the crowds were amazing.” “Blows me away sometimes to think I’ve been with the band 18 years, and the band’s most recent album was one of our biggest yet.” During the last couple of years, you passed the two-decade mark as a band. When you think about the vision you had for the band back in 1999, how does it feel to reach that incredible milestone? “I feel very fortunate to be a part of a band that has had the success Seether has. Blows me away sometimes to think I’ve been with the band 18 years, and the band’s most recent album was one of our biggest yet.” Looking back over those two decades, what are your own personal highlights? There must have been moments where you’ve sat there as a collective band and thought, “shit, did that just happen to our band?” Advertisement “Oh, there are so many highlights and amazing memories for me. Rock in Rio w/ the Foo Fighters (first time I was able to meet Dave Grohl), tours with Audioslave and Nickelback. Performing at Euro festivals like Rock Im Ring, Rock Im Park, Download. A few years back, playing Hellfest with both Soundgarden AND Black Sabbath. Incredible.” You’ve just released a deluxe version of Si Vis Pacem, Para Bellum; what prompted the decision to repackage that rather than one of the older albums? “We are very proud of the last album, and we all worked very hard to make it one of Seether’s best albums. We tracked 21 songs for the album. That means fully recorded, mixed and mastered. So, it was tough to narrow down the final 13-song track list. We all voted, and some great songs were left off. I’m so glad everyone will now hear everything together.” Additional to the album, there are five previously unreleased tracks, were they recorded as part of the SVPPB sessions and, in terms of other material, when can fans expect a new album from Seether? “Tentative plans to begin working on the next Seether album at the beginning of next year.” One of the tracks, “Leech,” deals with abusive relationships, more specifically around social/digital relationships. Is the song written from your own personal experiences? “Shaun certainly has an amazing way of connecting with people through his lyrics. I know a lot of that deals on his personal thoughts and feelings w/ our society and culture.” Alternative/Rock Seether: “Not everyone’s life is always amazing and awesome. There are shit days, too.” Seether drummer Johnny Humphrey looks over the Pretoria band’s two-decade career, touches on the deluxe edition of ‘Si Vis Pacem Para Bellum,’ and shares thoughts on the effects of social media on society. Published 1 year ago on 08/08/2022 By Graham Finney Last month, South African alt-rock band Seether re-issued a deluxe version of their 2020 hit album, Si Vis Pacem Para Bellum. Featuring a mammoth twenty-two tracks, including five previously unreleased songs, the record spawned three #1 singles on the Billboard Mainstream Rock Chart and Active Rock radio and garnered some of the best reviews of the group’s storied career. Seether was born in 2000 and, fresh into a new deal with Wind-Up Records, released their hit debut album Disclaimer, a recording that was certified Gold by the RIAA and spawned three smash singles, “Fine Again,” “Driven Under,” and “Gasoline.” Disclaimer provided the springboard to a twenty-two-year career for the South African band, one which, to date, includes three platinum and two gold albums, 18 #1 singles, 21 Top 5 multi-format hits, single sales topping 17 million and over 2 billion streams worldwide. Those twenty-two years have been a rollercoaster of a ride. Led by frontman Shaun Morgan, their music has taken them all over the world and seen them touring with everyone from Nickelback to Three Doors Down and hitting the stages at most of the major rock festivals worldwide. It is that career we are here to talk about. Celebrating an incredible twenty-two years rocking across the world, the Pretoria, South Africa band has been there, seen it, done it and bought the t-shirt. With plenty to talk about, we spoke to drummer John Humphrey about his own highlights, his hopes for the future and his thoughts on the last couple of years. Advertisement Thanks for your time; how’s life treating you at the moment? John Humphrey: “I’m good, thank you. Just completed a tour with Breaking Benjamin recently. The shows and the crowds were amazing.” “Blows me away sometimes to think I’ve been with the band 18 years, and the band’s most recent album was one of our biggest yet.” During the last couple of years, you passed the two-decade mark as a band. When you think about the vision you had for the band back in 1999, how does it feel to reach that incredible milestone? “I feel very fortunate to be a part of a band that has had the success Seether has. Blows me away sometimes to think I’ve been with the band 18 years, and the band’s most recent album was one of our biggest yet.” Looking back over those two decades, what are your own personal highlights? There must have been moments where you’ve sat there as a collective band and thought, “shit, did that just happen to our band?” Advertisement “Oh, there are so many highlights and amazing memories for me. Rock in Rio w/ the Foo Fighters (first time I was able to meet Dave Grohl), tours with Audioslave and Nickelback. Performing at Euro festivals like Rock Im Ring, Rock Im Park, Download. A few years back, playing Hellfest with both Soundgarden AND Black Sabbath. Incredible.” V13 Cover Story 002 – Seether – Aug 8, 2022 You’ve just released a deluxe version of Si Vis Pacem, Para Bellum; what prompted the decision to repackage that rather than one of the older albums? “We are very proud of the last album, and we all worked very hard to make it one of Seether’s best albums. We tracked 21 songs for the album. That means fully recorded, mixed and mastered. So, it was tough to narrow down the final 13-song track list. We all voted, and some great songs were left off. I’m so glad everyone will now hear everything together.” Additional to the album, there are five previously unreleased tracks, were they recorded as part of the SVPPB sessions and, in terms of other material, when can fans expect a new album from Seether? “Tentative plans to begin working on the next Seether album at the beginning of next year.” One of the tracks, “Leech,” deals with abusive relationships, more specifically around social/digital relationships. Is the song written from your own personal experiences? Advertisement “Shaun certainly has an amazing way of connecting with people through his lyrics. I know a lot of that deals on his personal thoughts and feelings w/ our society and culture.” Given the way social media/digital has taken over our lives, do you think we reached a point pre-pandemic where there was no going back, and it is now ingrained so heavily in all aspects of our society that its influence is bigger than the people who created it? “I don’t know. I do think good or bad certain aspects of our society will forever be affected by the pandemic.” Especially in the last few years, digital/social has been a key way for bands to keep that connection with fans. How important has it been for bands like Seether to get back to touring and meeting fans face to face? “Touring for us is very important. We are ultimately entertainers, and a huge part of our world is live performance and connecting with people through our live music. I’m a musician and I love performing live. So I’m very happy to be touring again.” Going back to my earlier question, for all the evils of social media, on a personal level for many people, social media/digital has been a vital way of keeping in touch with family/friends as well as helping them live something of a normal life over the past few years. Is it now a case of accepting the bad side because the benefits for many people are just as big? “I do see certain positives to social media. Yes, it’s a great way to keep in touch with friends and family. Just to scroll through my personal page to see what everyone is up to on a daily basis is great. However, most people (myself included) tend to post only the positive stuff and the good things about our lives. So it does have a “phony” aspect. Not everyone’s life is always amazing and awesome. There are shit days, too. So social media can’t fully replace true personal human interaction.” With social media now an unavoidable part of life, do you think something like educating young children about the pros/cons of social/digital should now be a key part of their education? “Yes. However, being a parent myself, I feel that falls under the responsibility of the parent.” We’ve talked about the milestone you’ve reached. In 2022 what does Seether mean to you on a personal level? Alternative/Rock Seether: “Not everyone’s life is always amazing and awesome. There are shit days, too.” Seether drummer Johnny Humphrey looks over the Pretoria band’s two-decade career, touches on the deluxe edition of ‘Si Vis Pacem Para Bellum,’ and shares thoughts on the effects of social media on society. Published 1 year ago on 08/08/2022 By Graham Finney Last month, South African alt-rock band Seether re-issued a deluxe version of their 2020 hit album, Si Vis Pacem Para Bellum. Featuring a mammoth twenty-two tracks, including five previously unreleased songs, the record spawned three #1 singles on the Billboard Mainstream Rock Chart and Active Rock radio and garnered some of the best reviews of the group’s storied career. Seether was born in 2000 and, fresh into a new deal with Wind-Up Records, released their hit debut album Disclaimer, a recording that was certified Gold by the RIAA and spawned three smash singles, “Fine Again,” “Driven Under,” and “Gasoline.” Disclaimer provided the springboard to a twenty-two-year career for the South African band, one which, to date, includes three platinum and two gold albums, 18 #1 singles, 21 Top 5 multi-format hits, single sales topping 17 million and over 2 billion streams worldwide. Those twenty-two years have been a rollercoaster of a ride. Led by frontman Shaun Morgan, their music has taken them all over the world and seen them touring with everyone from Nickelback to Three Doors Down and hitting the stages at most of the major rock festivals worldwide. It is that career we are here to talk about. Celebrating an incredible twenty-two years rocking across the world, the Pretoria, South Africa band has been there, seen it, done it and bought the t-shirt. With plenty to talk about, we spoke to drummer John Humphrey about his own highlights, his hopes for the future and his thoughts on the last couple of years. Advertisement Thanks for your time; how’s life treating you at the moment? John Humphrey: “I’m good, thank you. Just completed a tour with Breaking Benjamin recently. The shows and the crowds were amazing.” “Blows me away sometimes to think I’ve been with the band 18 years, and the band’s most recent album was one of our biggest yet.” During the last couple of years, you passed the two-decade mark as a band. When you think about the vision you had for the band back in 1999, how does it feel to reach that incredible milestone? “I feel very fortunate to be a part of a band that has had the success Seether has. Blows me away sometimes to think I’ve been with the band 18 years, and the band’s most recent album was one of our biggest yet.” Looking back over those two decades, what are your own personal highlights? There must have been moments where you’ve sat there as a collective band and thought, “shit, did that just happen to our band?” Advertisement “Oh, there are so many highlights and amazing memories for me. Rock in Rio w/ the Foo Fighters (first time I was able to meet Dave Grohl), tours with Audioslave and Nickelback. Performing at Euro festivals like Rock Im Ring, Rock Im Park, Download. A few years back, playing Hellfest with both Soundgarden AND Black Sabbath. Incredible.” V13 Cover Story 002 – Seether – Aug 8, 2022 You’ve just released a deluxe version of Si Vis Pacem, Para Bellum; what prompted the decision to repackage that rather than one of the older albums? “We are very proud of the last album, and we all worked very hard to make it one of Seether’s best albums. We tracked 21 songs for the album. That means fully recorded, mixed and mastered. So, it was tough to narrow down the final 13-song track list. We all voted, and some great songs were left off. I’m so glad everyone will now hear everything together.” Additional to the album, there are five previously unreleased tracks, were they recorded as part of the SVPPB sessions and, in terms of other material, when can fans expect a new album from Seether? “Tentative plans to begin working on the next Seether album at the beginning of next year.” One of the tracks, “Leech,” deals with abusive relationships, more specifically around social/digital relationships. Is the song written from your own personal experiences? Advertisement “Shaun certainly has an amazing way of connecting with people through his lyrics. I know a lot of that deals on his personal thoughts and feelings w/ our society and culture.” Given the way social media/digital has taken over our lives, do you think we reached a point pre-pandemic where there was no going back, and it is now ingrained so heavily in all aspects of our society that its influence is bigger than the people who created it? “I don’t know. I do think good or bad certain aspects of our society will forever be affected by the pandemic.” Especially in the last few years, digital/social has been a key way for bands to keep that connection with fans. How important has it been for bands like Seether to get back to touring and meeting fans face to face? Advertisement “Touring for us is very important. We are ultimately entertainers, and a huge part of our world is live performance and connecting with people through our live music. I’m a musician and I love performing live. So I’m very happy to be touring again.” “Not everyone’s life is always amazing and awesome. There are shit days, too. So social media can’t fully replace true personal human interaction.” Going back to my earlier question, for all the evils of social media, on a personal level for many people, social media/digital has been a vital way of keeping in touch with family/friends as well as helping them live something of a normal life over the past few years. Is it now a case of accepting the bad side because the benefits for many people are just as big? “I do see certain positives to social media. Yes, it’s a great way to keep in touch with friends and family. Just to scroll through my personal page to see what everyone is up to on a daily basis is great. However, most people (myself included) tend to post only the positive stuff and the good things about our lives. So it does have a “phony” aspect. Not everyone’s life is always amazing and awesome. There are shit days, too. So social media can’t fully replace true personal human interaction.” Artwork for ‘Si Vis Pacem, Para Bellum’ by Seether With social media now an unavoidable part of life, do you think something like educating young children about the pros/cons of social/digital should now be a key part of their education? “Yes. However, being a parent myself, I feel that falls under the responsibility of the parent.” We’ve talked about the milestone you’ve reached. In 2022 what does Seether mean to you on a personal level? Advertisement “I truly don’t take it for granted! I’m beyond blessed to work with such talented musicians. We have all worked very hard for many years, and we are grateful to still be doing this.” Now life is returned to some kind of new normal, what are your plans for 2022 and beyond? “We have a few festival dates through September then, like I mentioned, we’ll begin work on the next album right after the new year.”
Fake It - A Tribute to Seether
Hailing from the heart of Texas, Fake It is a high-octane tribute band dedicated to delivering the raw, unadulterated sound of Seether. Established in December 2022, Fake It pays homage to the iconic South African rock band with an electrifying energy that mirrors the intensity of their musical idols. Front and center, you'll find the charismatic Michael Kennedy, a powerhouse on both vocals and guitar. Kennedy's ability to channel the emotional depth and searing melodies of Shaun Morgan makes every performance a visceral journey through Seether's extensive catalog. His compelling vocals and soulful guitar work capture the very essence of the original, ensuring that audiences are in for an authentic Seether experience. On lead guitar, Rick Stuart weaves the intricate tapestry of riffs and solos that define Seether's signature sound. Stuart's skillful and meticulous approach to his instrument enables the band to recreate the electrifying guitar work that has made Seether a household name in the world of rock. The rhythm section is nothing short of thunderous, with Jeret Pena on drums and Brian Cantu on bass guitar. Pena's relentless precision and powerful drumming mirror the dynamic beats that have driven Seether's biggest hits. Meanwhile, Cantu's deep and resonant bass lines lay down the foundation for the band's unmistakable groove, ensuring that Fake It replicates the very essence of Seether's sound. Fake It's mission is simple: to immerse audiences in the powerful and emotional world of Seether. Audiences can expect to hear all their favorite Seether classics, from the haunting melodies of "Broken" to the raw energy of "Remedy" and beyond. With a relentless commitment to perfection, Fake It's performances are a captivating, emotionally charged tribute to Seether's unparalleled musical legacy. For fans of Seether, Fake It is more than just a tribute band; it's a passionate celebration of the enduring music that has touched the lives of countless rock enthusiasts. As they continue to perfect their craft and honor the unforgettable sound of Seether, Fake It invites you to join them on a journey through the powerful and impassioned world of one of rock's most iconic bands. Don't miss the opportunity to experience the raw energy and authenticity of Seether through the electrifying performances of Fake It.
How Shaun Morgan Empties His Jar
Emotion regulation–our ability to understand, process, cope with and express our emotions–is one of the most important skills that we can have to achieve optimal mental health. In an ideal world, we would understand how we feel and why and be able to express and cope with our feelings effectively. Further, we would be surrounded by people who support and encourage us to choose healthy emotional regulation strategies. Unfortunately, some people in our life may prefer that we ignore and not express our feelings, especially if it involves negative feelings towards them. Thus, to preserve a given relationship, we may engage in unhealthy emotion regulation strategies, such as emotional suppression or avoidance. And such strategies may temporarily allow us to "keep calm and carry on," thus not creating discomfort for those around us. But eventually, ignoring, suppressing, or avoiding our feelings backfires, resulting in our emotions festering and growing until they become overwhelming and unmanageable. To better understand the complexity of emotion regulation in an interpersonal context, I spoke with Shaun Morgan–singer, songwriter, musician, and founding member of the multi-platinum hard rock band Seether. Seether is celebrating the 20th anniversary of its gold-selling debut, Disclaimer, with an expanded reissue on vinyl, CD, and digital. Morgan has long been an outspoken mental health advocate, sharing his experiences with abuse, neglect, depression, and addiction. And in our conversation, Morgan discussed how he felt that the abuse and neglect he faced growing up from his mother left him feeling that his emotions didn't matter. As a result, his achieving healthy emotion regulation was not seen as a priority or possibility. Partially due to this experience, Morgan frequently avoided and suppressed his feelings, which he felt exacerbated his struggles with depression and addiction. We discussed how Morgan eventually began a path towards healthy emotion regulation with an approach he referred to as his ability to “empty his jar.” Morgan detailed a long history of abuse and neglect that he and his brother Eugene faced as children–particularly from his mother and his mother's boyfriends. According to Morgan, the result was that he did not feel empowered or capable of feeling emotionally vulnerable. "She was a woman who was having affairs with married men, leaving us in cars at nighttime. We’d sit in an abandoned shopping mall parking lot at two in the morning. I spent my childhood having to fight for my brother fight for myself, against grown men. And take the physical abuse instead of him," Morgan told me. "And never allow yourself a moment of vulnerability. I had to be the rock. I had to be the stalwart person in the room. So maybe vulnerability is something that I've always been running away from" - Shaun Morgan When Morgan tried to be emotionally vulnerable and express himself, he felt that his mother ignored his feelings and blamed him for any problems. This resulted in Morgan experiencing a deep sense of shame. “Growing up, I was told everything was my fault, no matter what it was,” Morgan recalled: "Every time I allowed myself to be vulnerable, I was let down again. And then it became a shame. I felt ashamed that I had allowed myself to be fooled again and again and again … I feel ashamed because they are disappointed in me, and I'm not living up to their expectations." Further, in trying to be “strong” and take responsibility for difficult interpersonal situations, Morgan often ignored his feelings and was hypervigilant of others' negative emotions. Specifically, Morgan would observe when others were angry or sad and blame himself. “Shame is something that I carry around all the time," "he described: "I'm the guy that when you walk into a classroom and said ‘Who stole this off my desk,’ I act guilty even though I would never do that. My physiological responses are the guy that's trying to hide a secret, sweats, and [gets nervous] when I know for a fact it wasn't me." As time passed, Morgan often felt he could not express himself in his relationships. As a result, even if he was with people, he felt lonely and disconnected. For example, he explained how touring was often difficult for him. “My description of touring is you're always lonely, but you're never alone,” Morgan said, "Lonely because you don't really talk to your boys about your feelings. You don't talk to them about your day. I'm not going to come out and lay my personal problems at their feet. Because I'm sure they have their own." Throughout his life, Morgan continued to have difficult experiences that he didn’t fully process emotionally. He felt that he was in a cycle of depression and addiction. In 2002 Morgan was divorced. In 2007 his brother committed suicide. And in 2017, Morgan’s father died in a motorcycle accident. Eventually, he came into contact with a therapist who encouraged him to express his feelings using the metaphor of how he should “empty the jar": "I just kept running from stuff. As long as I kept running, kept playing, kept being on a bus or plane, kept putting drugs and booze in me. As long as I kept doing all those things. The problems would never catch up. "I wouldn't work through them. I wouldn't digest them or even properly mourn. So about two weeks after my brother's suicide, I was back shooting a music video. And we were back out on the tour on the road. And none of us had been to any kind of counseling. We had one session where a guy came out and sat with all of us band and crew and said, ‘Hey, you know, grief is important to deal with.’ His analogy was that you imagine all your emotions are like a jar inside you. And every emotion is a marble. And if you don't empty the jar every once in a while, eventually it's going to overflow." Morgan took this advice to heart and began exploring and expressing his feelings and examining his patterns of emotion regulation. One of the first steps was to examine how devaluing his feelings resulted in shame and defensiveness rather than helping him connect to himself and others. "When somebody criticizes me, I immediately take it as a negative about myself, and then get defensive. I get angry," Morgan explained. "I have this really terrible response to not even criticism, just somebody honestly expressing how they feel." The next step for Morgan was recognizing that the patterns of relating to others he learned from in his early family life–where people were attacking or blaming him–did not mean that others would react similarly. He discussed how his relationship with his current wife helped him see that people could be kind and well-intentioned when they shared their feelings and that he should share his: "Like, oftentimes, my wife would just say, she's feeling something, and I'll immediately assume it's my fault. And then I’d get defensive. My wife, she's just not that kind of a person. She's not malicious and mean." He continued, "I've gotten to a point now where I'll just say, ‘Hey, I need to walk away, or I need a couple minutes, or, I just need to go take a couple breaths. And that's already a massive improvement over, immediately taking offense and getting defensive." Morgan has committed himself to not continuing this maladaptive cycle and trying to make his home an emotionally safe place for his family. Ultimately, while he respects the challenges in emotion regulation that lie ahead, he is optimistic that he can foster a healthy emotional environment: "It's not easy. But if I am more aware of it, in the moments that it's needed, to say, Hey, this is the thing I don't want to be. This is that person I don't want to be. This is that response I don't want to give. This is not how I want my wife to feel. "I'll make her feel safe.”