Seether opens up about new album, not selling out
Seether may have had some fans scratching their heads in the past, but the members of the alternative rock trio says say they haven't "sold out."
"We heard so many comments about how we sold out and become something else because we infused melody in our music, which was I guess a bad thing," singer Shaun Morgan told CBS News. "I don't consider us to ever have done that [sell out]. It's just that people have opinions...People loathe change."
But Seether welcomes it.
"We have to embrace it [change] to keep ourselves entertained...When you write music, you have to challenge the listener...We have to keep testing ourselves as well."
On the latest album, "Isolate and Medicate," Morgan, along with bassist Dale Stewart and drummer John Humphrey hoped to create something special -- not only for them, but also for fans.
"You have to stay relevant. You have to stay current," he said. "You have to have something important to say...I guess we needed to put something out that was solid and powerful."
"Isolate and Medicate" marks Seether's sixth album and the group's first since "Holding Onto Strings Better Left to Fray."
Produced by Brendan O'Brien (Bruce Springsteen, Pearl Jam), the set finds Morgan tapping into his personal life and emotions.
"It's all the negative stuff that I try to purge from that. If I'm happy I don't rush into the studio to try and write some music because it's an emotion I prefer to cling to," he said.
It took just 16 days to lay down the tracks for "Isolate and Medicate" -- and the guys say O'Brien served as a great "sounding board." He lets Seether be Seether, they said.
With each album, Seether tries to improve. The South African natives say they're better at playing their instruments especially in the studio environment. And they'll introduce the new material on the road this summer, which includes stops on the Uproar tour.
There's no slowing down either. Seether plans to be on the road through next year.
"We've weathered a bunch of trends and seen bands come and go. So I guess whatever we're doing is right as far as that goes," said Morgan, who added, "We're just the little engine that could. We keep going."
Check out the video above for our interview with Seether about the new album and more.
