Seether talks SA tour

Seether jumped onto the post-grunge bandwagon in early 1999, managing to commercialise rock music while ridding it of some of its negative connotations; being radical and unreserved while still appealing to a large portion of the market.

Inspired largely by Nirvana and the grunge movement of the Nineties, singer Shaun Morgan describes his love for the late Kurt Cobain.

“I was 12 years old when I first heard them and was really blown away by how honest, vulnerable and emotional Nevermind was. At the time, it was the most powerful thing I had ever heard and like so many other people, it really spoke to me.”

This was same effect that Seether sought to achieve through their own music, using Nirvana as a template for success.

Although they left South Africa in the hope of finding greener pastures (which they did), Seether have always remained true to their sound. Their music is raw and simple, authentic and engaging.

As a band they have endured many trials and tribulations – the resignation of guitarist Patrick Callahan and then Morgan’s brother Eugene Welgemoed’s suicide. These events could have caused the band to break up, but they fought through, using their music as a means of release.

Morgan started the Rise Above Fest, which raises funds to educate and promote suicide prevention throughout the US. Although the festival is primarily based in the States, it is Morgan’s hope that the initiative will help to raise awareness worldwide.

This November, Seether will return to South Africa and celebrate 10 years of performing together. They will be performing three acoustic sets in Cape Town, Durban and Johannesburg.

Commenting on the tour, Morgan says, “Our fans have always been really responsive to us performing acoustically and we haven’t performed stripped down like this since One Cold Night. I think we are collectively ready to perform these songs stripped-down again and it’s always exciting to return to South Africa to play.”