SOCIAL MEDIA

Twinmusix spoke to Shaun from Seether about their new EP and more. 

TM - Hi, this is Elizabeth and Amelia from Twinmusix, we are here with Shaun from Seether, Thank You for having this interview with us today, we appreciate it.

SM - Thank You for having me, I appreciate it.

TM - First of all, what can fans expect from your new album?

SM - This is an EP that is in support of the single wasteland that came from the album we released last year. We wanted to highlight this song because for a lot of us in the band it's our song and it is a lot of our fans favourite song already, even though it hasn't come out as a single science this week or last week. There is a special emotional connection to the song in particular so we wanted to make sure it wasn't dropped by the wayside. It didn't get as much attention as some of the other songs did from us and the label and people in general. We wanted to do something special for this song, we did an alternative version of this song and an album version which is acoustic but it's been recorded from the ground up. The timing has changed slightly the tuning is slightly different. It's got a different feel, there are Pianos on it and strings, it's not a typical seether sounding song. I had fun doing it and we have got three other songs on there that were originally being held for the deluxe edition of the album. Usually what happens in America is they will release 12 or 13 songs on an album, then they will do albums with bonus versions so those songs were held for that and actually now coming out on this EP and further on down the line. We are working on getting out another EP sometime early next year, so we have a lot of music coming out.

TM - What was your writing and recording process for your EP?

SM - I just sit in this room that I'm in right now and get a couple of vibes and just play the guitar. I play music all day until I figure out if I have any ideas for songs and if I do I record those. If the idea feels good at the time I continue working on it. If it's just a thought and I don't know where it's going I'll just leave that and work on something else. I just mumble vocals and then figure out, If I do like that Melody will stay. Sometimes I go through three or four complete Melody changes, for me, it's just enjoying the process of making music. That's become the best part for me, having nothing a completely blank slate and having to come up with 12 to 20 songs that you are proud of. You think people will enjoy it, it's quite an interesting process. I wouldn't consider it lonely it's just something I enjoy. I get to sit up here and be as creative as I feel, there are no boundaries on that, there's no one weighing in over my shoulder giving me direction, so I enjoy the feel of it.

TM - You are on tour with Three Doors Down at the moment how is that going?

SM - We have known those guys for almost 20 years, they took us out on one of our first national tours in 2003. We got to know them then and they are really good guys, really nice guys. I have been close with Brad science we first meet. It's nice to be on the road with friends. It is their 20th anniversary of The Better Life album that they put out in 2000 which is crazy, next year will be our 20th anniversary of Disclaimer which will be crazy. It's nice to be on tour with friends when you get off the bus and see them in the hallways, everyone has a smile on their face, unlike other tours we have done. I'm a fan so I get to see a band every night, we all appreciate the bond of friendship that has been going on so long that it just makes the whole experience that much better. We playing slightly bigger rooms with them, it gives us a chance to play in front of slightly more people. I think for them it's just they don't have to worry about us being idiots, we toe the line that off stage in exactly 59 minutes and something seconds so it's easy for them too. I think personality-wise is first and foremost so that's the part I was most excited about when I first heard about it.

TM - you said next year's your 20th anniversary, are you doing anything special for it?

SM - There is going to be something yes, I don't know when it's going to be, probably try and coincidence it with the original release was in may 2002 if I'm not mistaken, it might have been June. We have some things in the works, it's cool if it all comes together and thankfully we have a year or so to work it all out before it comes out it will involve a remixing and remastering of Disclaimer at least. We are going to add in some other cool things that I don't think many people have done in the past. I don't want to give away any spoilers but I think it's going to be cool. On top of that, we will do an EP as well and hopefully before the year is out we will be back in the studio again because by that point it will be 2 years since the release of this last album. There will be a lot of things happening in a short space of time and I think because of the amount of time we have been around. The 20th year anniversary for example and because the Covid thing stuffed up a lot of our plans that we originally had so our understanding promo stuff for the foreseeable future. Most of it international certainly going to be digital and released based because we can't get to the places to play for people. We have to try and figure out other ways to keep fans engaged so that's our goal.

TM - You also have a display in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, can you tell us more about that?

SM - It's an honour, it feels surreal. I've had a couple of my friends go to it and take photos for me, it's actually a physical thing. I didn't believe them when they first approached us. It's a temporary exhibit I think, at least a year or two. I'm not sure how long but it's nice to be included in something like that, that place is Hallowed Ground for historical musical figures even if we were a poster about the toilet that would be fine with me but we have our own display. We have an acoustic guitar, a sweater I wore in a photoshoot 15 or 16 years ago, some lyrics and setlists. It's personal stuff that's up there and it's one of my favourite guitars in that box as well. I can't wait to see it, it really drives home that it's real. Everything just feels so bizarre and felt so unreal for so long. It's hard to figure out which things have actually happened and which things will still happen and what has not accurately happened. It's a real honour and we all feel humbled that we are in a place like that. We are there so many of the greats and I don't think we should be on the same pedestal as those people but it's nice to be included for a short time.

TM - You have your own record label?

SM - I had one, covid didn't help many things, to be honest. I had a label and I may still resurrect it. The band that I found was a British band and I still think their music holds up. I think it's great because of the Historic mismanagement of them and themselves and their band and burning a bunch of bridges and a whole bunch of legal things we could never get them out of. The space and the whole thing fell apart and I will say for a while I was hopeful that's we could figure out a way to resurrect that and still get the music out of that band. The band has disbanded and the singer retreated from living in the city and is living in a forest now so it's heartbreaking because I believe in the band so much. I put so much stock into them, I spent so much time and energy, love into that band and through no fault of mine or theirs laws being laws if you've been arrested for some stuff you can't come to the states, they weren't able to come over so that was a big hurdle. It was a definite learning curve, in the future I will start with a local band at least we can get them in a van and tour around the states, which is important. Since that was meant to come out in 2019 that certainly put the brakes on that and 2020 was a total washout. I wouldn't say it was over, but it's a total burnout right now until I can figure out how to start discovering new bands again.

TM - If you could have any band play one of your songs, what band would it be, what song would it be and in your style or their style?

SM - It has been a running joke for a while we have a song called Breakdown that crew guys have said it would be great to hear in a country version. If it was a country version it would be to have to be Dolly Parton so the ultimate version would be Dolly Parton doing Breakdown that would be a pipe dream.

TM - Is there anything else you want to say to your fans?

SM - Thank You for hanging in there and sticking it out. I know things have been strange in the world, it has been topsy-turvy but there is a light at the end of the tunnel. you know for a lot of us on this end without the other side some of these states are open and we are basically living normal lives. That's a hearting thing to think about, it's one of those things it's so difficult to stay positive. I struggled hard last year to stay positive anywhere in the opposite. I was depressed, I just want to thank fans for their support and hopefully, we get to see and play for Australian fans soon.