Seether is a South-African
rockRock music is a genre of popular music that entered the mainstream in the 1960s. It has its roots in 1940s and 1950s rock and roll, rhythm and blues, country music and also drew on folk music, jazz and classical music....
band from
JohannesburgJohannesburg also known as Jozi or Jo'burg, is the largest city in South Africa. Johannesburg is the provincial capital of Gauteng, the wealthiest province in South Africa, having the largest economy of any metropolitan region in Sub-Saharan Africa...
, formed in 1999. The band is currently signed to
Wind-up RecordsWind-up Records is a record label based in New York City. It was formed in 1997 when Alan and Diana Meltzer purchased Grass Records. The label's releases are distributed by Sony Music Entertainment worldwide, excluding Canada, where the company operates Wind-up Entertainment Canada, Inc. and...
. Originally named
Saron Gas and signed to
Musketeer RecordsMusketeer Records, an independent record label based in Johannesburg, South Africa which releases mainstream rock, adult contemporary and solo acts. It was formed in August 2000 by Brian O'Shea and Peter Lacey. Currently Musketeer has South African representation and offices in Johannesburg, Cape...
in South Africa, they changed their name in 2002, coinciding with the release of their second album and major label debut,
Disclaimer. To date they have sold 5 million albums worldwide.
Saron Gas was started in
JohannesburgJohannesburg also known as Jozi or Jo'burg, is the largest city in South Africa. Johannesburg is the provincial capital of Gauteng, the wealthiest province in South Africa, having the largest economy of any metropolitan region in Sub-Saharan Africa...
,
South AfricaThe Republic of South Africa is a country located at the southern tip of Africa, with a coastline on the Atlantic and Indian Oceans. To the north lie Namibia, Botswana and Zimbabwe, to the east are Mozambique and Swaziland, while Lesotho is an independent country surrounded by South Africa.Modern...
, and the earliest days of the group saw their public appearances at parties, nightclubs, large-scale concerts, and university venues, such as the
University of Cape TownThe University of Cape Town is a public university located in Cape Town in the Western Cape province of South Africa. UCT was founded in 1829 as the South African College, and is the oldest university in South Africa...
and the University of Stellenbosch, where they played for the lunch-time crowds in the
Neelsie centre on the latter campus as late as the summer of 2001.
As Saron Gas, the band released its first album,
FragileFragile is the debut album by the band Saron Gas, which would eventually become Seether. The album was released only in South Africa. After this album, Wind-up Records asked the band to change their name, as Saron Gas was a homophone for sarin gas, a deadly nerve agent...
, on Musketeer Records, in
2000See also:* 2000 in music Record labels established in 2000-Events:*January - Gary Glitter is released from jail, two months before his sentence for sexual offences ends.*January 1**John Tavener is knighted in the New Year's Honours List....
in South Africa.
Seether is a South-African
rockRock music is a genre of popular music that entered the mainstream in the 1960s. It has its roots in 1940s and 1950s rock and roll, rhythm and blues, country music and also drew on folk music, jazz and classical music....
band from
JohannesburgJohannesburg also known as Jozi or Jo'burg, is the largest city in South Africa. Johannesburg is the provincial capital of Gauteng, the wealthiest province in South Africa, having the largest economy of any metropolitan region in Sub-Saharan Africa...
, formed in 1999. The band is currently signed to
Wind-up RecordsWind-up Records is a record label based in New York City. It was formed in 1997 when Alan and Diana Meltzer purchased Grass Records. The label's releases are distributed by Sony Music Entertainment worldwide, excluding Canada, where the company operates Wind-up Entertainment Canada, Inc. and...
. Originally named
Saron Gas and signed to
Musketeer RecordsMusketeer Records, an independent record label based in Johannesburg, South Africa which releases mainstream rock, adult contemporary and solo acts. It was formed in August 2000 by Brian O'Shea and Peter Lacey. Currently Musketeer has South African representation and offices in Johannesburg, Cape...
in South Africa, they changed their name in 2002, coinciding with the release of their second album and major label debut,
Disclaimer. To date they have sold 5 million albums worldwide.
Early days, Fragile, Disclaimer (1999–2002)
Saron Gas was started in
JohannesburgJohannesburg also known as Jozi or Jo'burg, is the largest city in South Africa. Johannesburg is the provincial capital of Gauteng, the wealthiest province in South Africa, having the largest economy of any metropolitan region in Sub-Saharan Africa...
,
South AfricaThe Republic of South Africa is a country located at the southern tip of Africa, with a coastline on the Atlantic and Indian Oceans. To the north lie Namibia, Botswana and Zimbabwe, to the east are Mozambique and Swaziland, while Lesotho is an independent country surrounded by South Africa.Modern...
, and the earliest days of the group saw their public appearances at parties, nightclubs, large-scale concerts, and university venues, such as the
University of Cape TownThe University of Cape Town is a public university located in Cape Town in the Western Cape province of South Africa. UCT was founded in 1829 as the South African College, and is the oldest university in South Africa...
and the University of Stellenbosch, where they played for the lunch-time crowds in the
Neelsie centre on the latter campus as late as the summer of 2001.
As Saron Gas, the band released its first album,
FragileFragile is the debut album by the band Saron Gas, which would eventually become Seether. The album was released only in South Africa. After this album, Wind-up Records asked the band to change their name, as Saron Gas was a homophone for sarin gas, a deadly nerve agent...
, on Musketeer Records, in
2000See also:* 2000 in music Record labels established in 2000-Events:*January - Gary Glitter is released from jail, two months before his sentence for sexual offences ends.*January 1**John Tavener is knighted in the New Year's Honours List....
in South Africa. Upon the band's achieving success on the South African Singles Chart,
Wind-up RecordsWind-up Records is a record label based in New York City. It was formed in 1997 when Alan and Diana Meltzer purchased Grass Records. The label's releases are distributed by Sony Music Entertainment worldwide, excluding Canada, where the company operates Wind-up Entertainment Canada, Inc. and...
took an interest in Saron Gas's melodic-yet-heavy sound and signed them to the label. The band was asked to change their name, Saron Gas being a
homophoneA homophone is a word that is pronounced the same as another word but differs in meaning. The words may be spelled the same, such as rose and rose , or differently, such as carat, caret, and carrot, or to, two and too. Homophones that are spelled the same are also both homographs and homonyms...
of sarin gas, a deadly nerve agent discovered (but never used in war) by Nazi Germany during World War II. The band changed its name to Seether in honor of
Veruca SaltFor the Willy Wonka character, see Veruca Salt.Veruca Salt is an alternative rock band founded in 1993 in Chicago, Illinois. Since its inception, the band's line-up has included vocalist-guitarist Louise Post. The current guitarist is Stephen Fitzpatrick, who has been with the band since 1999...
's song "
Seether"Seether" is a single by the American alternative band Veruca Salt. It was backed with "All Hail Me". Both tracks appear on their 1994 debut album American Thighs.-Interpretations:...
".
Success and Disclaimer II (2002–2004)
After
Disclaimer was released, the band went on a non-stop touring route in hopes of boosting sales and name recognition. Upon completing the tour, the band had planned to go into the studio and record their second release. However, they were instead tapped to support
EvanescenceEvanescence is an American rock band founded in Little Rock, Arkansas in 1995 by singer/pianist Amy Lee and guitarist Ben Moody. After recording two private EPs and a demo CD named Origin, with the help of Bigwig Enterprises in 2000, the band released their first full-length album, Fallen, on...
on a worldwide tour that postponed their recording plans by almost a year. On this tour, the band reworked the
acousticAcoustic music comprises music that solely or primarily uses instruments which produce sound through entirely acoustic means, as opposed to electric or electronic means...
ballad "
Broken"Broken" is a song by post-grunge band Seether with Amy Lee of Evanescence. The original acoustic version is the 12th track on Seether's debut album Disclaimer. It was then re-recorded with Amy Lee, the future girlfriend of Seether vocalist Shaun Morgan, for The Punisher: The Album in March 2004....
" into an electric ballad and had
Amy LeeAmy Lynn Hartzler , better known as Amy Lee, is an American singer-songwriter and classically trained pianist. She is co-founder and lead vocalist of the rock band Evanescence...
of Evanescence share vocal duties with Morgan during live performances. Inspired by the positive reaction the duet got on the road and perhaps fueled by a budding romance between Lee and Morgan, the band headed into the studio and quickly recorded an alternate version of "Broken" with Amy Lee on vocals. The song, along with a new song titled "Sold Me", was featured on the soundtrack for the 2004 film
The Punisher and was massively successful, bringing the band fame in the US, the UK and Australia in particular. Morgan has stated that the hit song relates an incident where the band was subjected to what the record company wanted rather than what the band wanted.
Disclaimer IIDisclaimer II is the second album released by the post grunge rock band Seether. This disc is a recompilation of the band's first album, Disclaimer, from 2002. Although the 12 tracks from the original album are present, they have been slightly remixed and differ from the original...
, an alternate version of the original album with many of the songs remixed or re-recorded as well as eight extra tracks, was released in late 2004.
Karma and Effect, One Cold Night (2005–2006)
In 2005, the band released their follow-up album
Karma and EffectKarma and Effect is the third album by the South African post grunge rock band Seether. It was released on May 24, 2005 by Wind-up Records. It is certified Platinum Worldwide going gold in the USA and Canada....
. The original title for the album was
Catering to Cowards, but the band's record label instructed them to change the name. "Karma and Effect" debuted at number 8 of the US Billboard 200 album charts and was certified gold in the US and Canada. The album spawned three singles, "Remedy", "
Truth"Truth" is a song by post grunge band Seether. It is the third track and second single from their album Karma and Effect.The music video was directed by Dean Karr, who had also directed the video for their previous single Remedy, and features singer Shaun Morgan dressed as a ring announcer for a...
" and "
The Gift"The Gift" is a song by post grunge band Seether. It is the fourth track and third and final single off their album Karma and Effect.-Music Video:...
". "Remedy" reached number 1 of the US Mainstream Rock Charts, becoming the band's first number 1 single.
Seether released an acoustic CD/DVD set titled
One Cold NightOne Cold Night is an acoustic album by South African rock band Seether, released on July 11, 2006, that features 12 acoustic tracks plus bonus DVD footage recorded in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania in the Grape Street Club on February 22, 2006...
, recorded on February 22, 2006, at Grape Street in Philadelphia. Morgan, who had been suffering from a stomach ailment, decided to do an acoustic performance of their set-list rather than cancel the show. Shaun has stated that the label chose to make the album without obscenties, which is the reason why "Needles" and "Burrito" are not on the album.
Guitarist departure, rehab (2006)
On June 16, 2006, it was announced via Seether's official site that lead guitarist Pat Callahan had chosen to leave the band. The exact reason for Callahan's departure is unknown, but regarding his feelings over the situation,
Shaun MorganShaun Morgan Welgemoed is a South African musician, known as the lead singer and rhythm guitarist of the post-grunge band Seether.-Early life:...
commented:
- "Um… relieved a little… actually a lot. He was the guy in the band that was always our naysayer, and he was the negative energy as far as writing. I personally have no love lost, which is weird for some reason 'cause he was my friend for four years. But when he walked out, it kinda walked out with him."
Morgan went into rehab for
alcoholismAlcoholism is a term with multiple and sometimes conflicting definitions. In common and historic usage, alcoholism is any condition that results in the continued consumption of alcoholic beverages, despite health problems and negative social consequences...
in August 2006, forcing the band to cancel their tour with
StaindStaind is an American rock band from Springfield, Massachusetts, including lead singer/guitarist Aaron Lewis, lead guitarist Mike Mushok, bassist/vocalist Johnny April and drummer Jon Wysocki...
and
Three Days GraceThree Days Grace is a Canadian rock band, formed in Norwood, Ontario, Canada in 1992, under the name Groundswell. After a breakup in 1995, the band reformed in 1997 under its current name and with a line-up consisting of guitarist and lead vocalist Adam Gontier, drummer and backing vocalist Neil...
.
Finding Beauty in Negative Spaces (2007–2009)
Frontman Shaun Morgan claimed prior to the new album's debut that it would be more "diverse" than previous efforts. Originally aimed at an August release,
Finding Beauty in Negative SpacesFinding Beauty in Negative Spaces is the fourth studio album by South African post-grunge band Seether. The album was released in South Africa on October 19, 2007, and released worldwide on October 23, 2007....
was delayed due to the
suicideSuicide is the intentional killing of one's self. Many dictionaries also note the metaphorical sense of "willful destruction of one's self-interest"...
of Morgan's brother, Eugene Welgemoed. Produced by
Howard BensonHoward Benson is a two time Grammy nominated music producer and aerospace engineer.Benson attended Lower Merion High School until his graduation in 1974, he then went on to attend Drexel University receiving a B.S. in Materials Engineering in 1980...
, the album finally hit the shelves on October 23, 2007. The album debuted at number 9 in the Billboard 200 album charts, selling 57,000 copies in the first week. The album's cover artwork featured "Candice the Ghost", and was illustrated by
David HoDavid G. Ho is a Chinese-American artistHo was born in New Jersey. He moved to Taiwan with his family when he was a child, and moved back to California as a teenager...
.
The first single, "
Fake It"Fake It" is the first single from Seether's album Finding Beauty in Negative Spaces. The single quickly rose to number one on both the Billboard Hot Mainstream Rock Tracks and Hot Modern Rock Tracks charts. It also reached number 56 on the Billboard Hot 100, the second highest of their singles...
", reached the top position in the US Mainstream Rock Charts and Modern Rock Charts, remaining on top for at least 9 weeks on both charts. It was also the theme for WWE's No Way Out 2008. After the success of "Fake It," a second single, "
Rise Above This"Rise Above This" is the second single from Seether's album Finding Beauty in Negative Spaces. It is the sixth track on the album and became the band's second consective number-one song on the U.S. Modern Rock chart. Seether's vocalist Shaun Morgan has stated that the song is about his late...
", was released and has reached the #1 spot on the
Modern Rock TracksAlternative Songs is a music chart in the United States that has appeared in Billboard magazine since September 10, 1988. It lists the 40 most-played songs on modern rock radio stations, most of which are alternative rock songs...
chart and the top 2 with its mainstream counterpart. The final single from the album was "Breakdown", the video of which was released on November 12 2008 after a delay from its original October 23 scheduled release date.
Seether launched a tour in support of the album in early 2008 which was to last much of the year, employing
Troy McLawhornTroy McLawhorn is an American musician, and the current lead guitarist of Seether. He was formerly of the bands Dark New Day, doubleDrive and Still Rain. After the demise of his first band, Still Rain, McLawhorn helped form Dark New Day in 1995, although they were inactive for several years...
of
Dark New DayDark New Day is an American hard rock band that formed in 1995, disbanded, and re-formed in late 2004.- History :The band was originally formed in 1995, by five people: Brett Hestla of Virgos Merlot, Troy McLawhorn of Doubledrive, Clint Lowery of Sevendust, Corey Lowery of Stereomud, Stuck Mojo,...
as a touring guitarist on February 15 2008. McLawhorn previously did a stint as
EvanescenceEvanescence is an American rock band founded in Little Rock, Arkansas in 1995 by singer/pianist Amy Lee and guitarist Ben Moody. After recording two private EPs and a demo CD named Origin, with the help of Bigwig Enterprises in 2000, the band released their first full-length album, Fallen, on...
's replacement guitarist during the last leg of
The Open DoorThe Open Door is the second and latest studio album released by American alternative metal band Evanescence. To date, it has spawned five singles and been supported by two worldwide tours...
tour. The tour saw the band share the stage with several bands for several different legs, including
Three Days GraceThree Days Grace is a Canadian rock band, formed in Norwood, Ontario, Canada in 1992, under the name Groundswell. After a breakup in 1995, the band reformed in 1997 under its current name and with a line-up consisting of guitarist and lead vocalist Adam Gontier, drummer and backing vocalist Neil...
,
Finger ElevenFinger Eleven is a Canadian rock band from Burlington, Ontario, formed in 1989. They originated in Burlington, Ontario, as the Rainbow Butt Monkeys. They have currently released five studio albums, with their album The Greyest of Blue Skies bringing them into the mainstream...
,
Breaking BenjaminBreaking Benjamin is an American rock band from Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania, currently consisting of Benjamin Burnley, Aaron Fink, Mark Klepaski and Chad Szeliga. They have released four albums to date.-Formation:...
,
3 Doors Down3 Doors Down is an American rock band from , formed in 1996. Founded by Brad Arnold , Matt Roberts , and Todd Harrell . The band signed to Universal Records after the success of their song "Kryptonite". The band has since sold well over 16 million records worldwide since their debut album, The...
, Skillet,
RedRed is an American Christian alternative metal / post-grunge band from Nashville, Tennessee established in 2004.-History:...
,
Papa RoachPapa Roach is a four-piece hard rock band from Vacaville, California. They broke into the mainstream with their triple-platinum major-label debut Infest . The group's success continued with later releases Lovehatetragedy , Getting Away with Murder and The Paramour Sessions . Their latest album,...
,
FlyleafFlyleaf is an American alternative rock band, formed in the Belton and Temple, Texas regions in 2000. They performed around the United States in 2003 until releasing their eponymous debut album, Flyleaf, in 2005. The album went platinum after selling more than one million copies...
,
Econoline CrushEconoline Crush is a band from Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada formed in 1992. Originally formed in Seattle, they eventually moved back to Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada...
, and
StaindStaind is an American rock band from Springfield, Massachusetts, including lead singer/guitarist Aaron Lewis, lead guitarist Mike Mushok, bassist/vocalist Johnny April and drummer Jon Wysocki...
. After the success of the tour, McLawhorn was made an official member of the band.
Seether claimed their first
South African Music AwardThe South African Music Awards is an annual celebration of the best of South Africa's eclectic music industry. It is run by the Recording Industry of South Africa . An award statuette is called a SAMA. The event was instituted in 1995, and 2008 will thus be the 14th SAMA awards...
in the category "Best Rock: English" for
Finding Beauty in Negative Spaces, as well as their first
MTV Africa Music AwardThe MTV Africa Music Awards were established in 2008 by MTV Networks Africa to celebrate the most popular music in Africa.-History:...
for "Best Alternative Artist".
In early 2009, a new song titled "No Shelter" was featured on the
NCIS Official TV SoundtrackNCIS: The Official TV Soundtrack is a series of soundtrack albums featuring music utilized in the CBS television series NCIS. The first volume in the series, released on February 10, 2009, received attention for its method of compiling music for the album; show producers and writers were presented...
, released on February 10. Also, a cover of
Wham!Wham! was a British duo formed in 1981 by George Michael and Andrew Ridgeley. They were briefly known in the United States as Wham! UK because of a naming conflict with another band.-Beginnings:...
's "
Careless Whisper"Careless Whisper" is a 1984 single by George Michael , released by Epic Records in the UK, Japan, and other countries; and by Columbia Records in North America. The song was George Michael's first solo single although he was still performing in Wham! at the time...
" was made available for purchase as a digital or mobile download. The music video for "Careless Whisper" premiered on June 15, 2009, and the song can be found as an additional track on the reissue of
Finding Beauty in Negative Spaces.
Sixth studio album (2009 onward)
From March until April 2009, Seether supported
NickelbackNickelback is a Grammy award nominated Canadian rock band from Hanna, Alberta, formed in 1995. Founded by members Chad Kroeger, Mike Kroeger, Ryan Peake and then-drummer Brandon Kroeger. Nickelback is one of the most commercially successful Canadian groups, having sold 30 million records worldwide...
on their 2009
Dark HorseDark Horse is the sixth studio album by Canadian rock band Nickelback, released on November 14, 2008 and a day prior in Europe. The follow-up to their multi-platinum selling All the Right Reasons , was co-produced by the band and Grammy Award-winning producer and songwriter Robert John "Mutt"...
tour. Shaun and Dale confirmed in an interview on March 2, 2009 that, after the Nickelback tour, Seether would take the rest of year off to write and record the follow up to
Finding Beauty in Negative Spaces, which is expected for release in early 2010. Despite this statement, the band did play a series of "one-off" shows during the remainder of 2009, including a gig in Japan to play for American troops as part of a USO tour on May 23 and May 24, 2009 in Okinawa at Camp Schwab, and then in MCAS Iwakuni on May 26, 2009 for the US Marines. As well as this, Seether made appearances at a number of festivals during the summer of 2009, including sets at the Chippewa Valley Music Festival and the Quebec City Festival, before concluding their tour at The Big E Festival, Springfield, on October 4, 2009. It is assumed that Seether would now continue their work on the new album, which will be the first that new guitarist Troy McLawhorn appears on.
Band members
Current
- Shaun Morgan
Shaun Morgan Welgemoed is a South African musician, known as the lead singer and rhythm guitarist of the post-grunge band Seether.-Early life:...
– lead vocalsThe lead vocalist is the member of a band who sings the main vocal portions of a song. Lead vocalists may also play one or more instruments...
, rhythm guitarRhythm guitar is the use of a guitar to provide rhythmic chordal accompaniment for a singer or other instruments in a musical ensemble. In ensembles or "bands" playing within the acoustic, country, blues, rock or metal genres , a guitarist playing the rhythm part of a composition supports the...
(since 1999)
- Dale Stewart
Dale Stewart is a South African musician, best known as the bass guitarist of the post-grunge band Seether.-Seether:Studio albums*Fragile *Disclaimer *Karma and Effect...
– bassThe electric bass guitar is a stringed instrument played primarily with the fingers or thumb , or by using a plectrum....
, backing vocalsA backing vocalist or backing singer is a singer who provides vocal harmony with the lead vocalist or other backing vocalists...
(since 2000)
- John Humphrey
John Humphrey is an American musician, and currently the drummer of the post-grunge band Seether. From 1994 until 2000, Humphrey was the drummer for The Nixons...
– drumsA drum set is a collection of drums, cymbals and sometimes other percussion instruments, such as cowbells, wood blocks, triangles, chimes, or tambourines, arranged for convenient playing by a single person . The term "drum kit" first became used in the 1700s in Britain...
(since 2004)
- Troy McLawhorn
Troy McLawhorn is an American musician, and the current lead guitarist of Seether. He was formerly of the bands Dark New Day, doubleDrive and Still Rain. After the demise of his first band, Still Rain, McLawhorn helped form Dark New Day in 1995, although they were inactive for several years...
– lead guitarA lead guitar is a guitar part which plays melody lines, instrumental fill passages, and guitar solos within a song structure.In rock, heavy metal, blues, jazz and fusion bands and some pop contexts as well as others, the lead guitar lines are usually supported by a second guitarist who plays...
(since 2008)
Former
- Johan Greyling – lead guitar (1999) (in Saron Gas)
- Tyronne Morris – bass (1999–2000) (in Saron Gas)
- David Cohoe – drums, backing vocals (1999–2002) (in Saron Gas)
- Nick Oshiro
Nick Oshiro is an American musician, best known as the current drummer of the industrial metal band Static-X. He has previously played with the South African post grunge band Seether. He started out with a drumkit made by his father as he stated in an interview with Tama. It was made of pots and...
– drums (2002–2003)
- Pat Callahan – lead guitar (2002–2006)
Touring
- Nic Argyros – drums (2002)
- John Johnston – drums (2002)
- Erik Eldenius – drums (2002)
- Nick Annis – lead guitar (2002)
Session
- Josh Freese
Josh Freese is an American session drummer and songwriter. He is a permanent member of A Perfect Circle, The Vandals, and Devo, was the drummer for Nine Inch Nails from late 2005 until late 2008, and for Guns N' Roses from mid-1998 to 2001. Freese has appeared on close to 300 records...
– drums (Disclaimer sessions)
- Kevin Soffera – drums (Disclaimer II sessions)
Discography
- Fragile (2002) (as Saron Gas)
- Disclaimer
Disclaimer is the major label debut album by post-grunge band Seether, released in 2002. The album was remastered and remixed slightly in 2004 as Disclaimer II with eight extra tracks. The album had ten different cover variations...
(2002)
- Disclaimer II
Disclaimer II is the second album released by the post grunge rock band Seether. This disc is a recompilation of the band's first album, Disclaimer, from 2002. Although the 12 tracks from the original album are present, they have been slightly remixed and differ from the original...
(2004)
- Karma and Effect
Karma and Effect is the third album by the South African post grunge rock band Seether. It was released on May 24, 2005 by Wind-up Records. It is certified Platinum Worldwide going gold in the USA and Canada....
(2005)
- Finding Beauty in Negative Spaces
Finding Beauty in Negative Spaces is the fourth studio album by South African post-grunge band Seether. The album was released in South Africa on October 19, 2007, and released worldwide on October 23, 2007....
(2007)