“When we started out, we were angry and loud and chaotic. Just a bunch of 20-year-old angry idiots getting drunk and making as much noise as we possibly could. Now we’re middle-aged idiots getting drunk and angry and making noise.”
Dale Stewart, bassist of post-grunge mainstays Seether, has had a pretty remarkable career over the last quarter century. It’s not hard to understand why — throw on anything from an earlier hit like 2005’s “Remedy” to their heavy “Judas Mind,” off 2024’s The Surface Seems So Far, and it’s bound to stick in your head for the next week.
From the jump, the band — which is rounded out by singer-guitarist Shaun Morgan, lead guitarist Corey Lowery and drummer John Humphrey — has had a genuine knack for taking extremely dark, difficult emotions and casting a wide net, making each single manage to sound both universal and personal while maintaining a kick-ass level of grit.
“It’s kind of cool to be in a position where we have such a deep catalog to pull from, where we can just play radio songs and hopefully people, [even] if they don’t love them, at least recognize them from radio,” Stewart says.
This fall, they’ll be trekking out on tour with their pals in Daughtry, along with nu-metal veterans P.O.D. and one-woman heavy-music machine Kami Kehoe. Ahead of the tour, we caught up with Stewart at his home base in Savannah, Georgia, to chat about the upcoming trip, how the world’s changed for bands and what 25 years of Seether means to him.
How do you feel the industry’s changed since Seether started?
DALE STEWART It’s funny how the world’s changed, man. It’s such a completely different landscape from what it used to be. Not even long ago, like 10 years ago, it was so different. I remember back in the day going to the store, and they used to have a little listening booth, and you’d go in there and you could skip through the CD. Now, I’ll just lay in bed [watching] YouTube and [see] the links come up in the suggestions. Like, “Oh, what is that?” Click on it.
I’ve discovered a lot of cool, old, weird stuff that I didn’t even know existed. I discovered this band called Cocteau Twins on our last tour. I had no idea who they were. I heard a song, [and was] like, “That is bizarre, but really cool in a weird way.” So, I started going down the rabbit hole on them. If it wasn’t for YouTube, that probably would never have happened.
For sure. It’s kind of crazy how fast a young kid can become an expert on the history of a subgenre. A little cousin of mine who is 10 started talking to me about Deftones and Far. It’s totally insane.
Totally. It’s cool to see a bunch of young kids coming out to see bands from the early 2000s. You mentioned Deftones…I mean, they’ve had a massive resurgence, and I think it’s because of TikTok. You’ll see a video, and there’ll be an old Deftones song from the late Nineties on it, and kids are like, “What is this band? What is this sound that I’m hearing?” And they go, “Oh my god, this band’s amazing.” So, they’ve been selling out bigger venues — arenas — more than they’ve ever done. If anyone deserves it, it’s them. I’m a massive Deftones fan. But it’s cool to see kids getting into that stuff.
I don’t know if it’s because a lot of the new music is very polished, [but] a lot of the rock music I’ll listen to… I’ll just pop the radio on here in Savannah [while] driving around, and a lot of the new stuff has a very modern sound. It is polished, and you can hear the drums are quantized, and it’s mechanical in nature. And I mean, to each their own — it’s some great stuff — but it’s not the same as Deftones, and it’s not the same as Deftones live. You watch Deftones live and it’s insane. It’s raw, it’s heavy, it’s real, and it’s this living, breathing thing.
I don’t know if they use tracks… I don’t want to say famously, but we adamantly don’t use tracks at all. We’ve never used tracks, we don’t even use click tracks or anything like that. Johnny counts in a song, we’ll start playing. And again, nothing against guys who do this, it’s just not our thing. I think we take some pride in the fact that it’s four dudes getting up [on stage], we’re gonna make as much noise as we can, and hopefully it sounds OK. It’s not gonna sound like the CD, but it’ll sound like a live band — four guys doing as much as they can to make the sound as full as possible.
Over the last month, I saw the Oasis reunion, My Chemical Romance and Nine Inch Nails. All three of those bands fucked up at some point while they were playing. And it felt strangely refreshing, these huge bands who were doing it all for real. I think that’s what you want to see at a show.
You almost want them to mess up, so I’m like, “Oh, so it is real.” [Laughs] It keeps it fun. If you mess up, it’s out there for everyone to hear. That’s always interesting.
What do you think it is about playing shows that connects people?
There’s nothing like a real live band. You can’t replace that emotion, or when a whole room full of rowdy people just falls silent. It’s almost more powerful than roaring and cheering and going nuts. It’s powerful, man, that’s why going to a concert’s such a therapeutic thing — being around like-minded people seeking the same things, trying to have a good time, enjoying the same music…there’s a fellowship.
I’m not a particularly religious person, but it can be almost a religious type of experience — an emotional experience. Something that moves you, and something that could almost heal you a little bit, or at least make you feel not alone. I think it appeals to something that’s almost primal, something that goes way back. From when we used to sit around the fire beating a drum in unison. We’re all feeling something. This ties us together.
How has having children changed your perspective on touring and the band?
We don’t tour like we used to, obviously. I mean, we used to do 200-plus shows a year. Year in, year out. And we just can’t do that now, at our age. Not if you want that family to stay together, anyway.
I have two small kids, Shaun’s got three small kids, so touring becomes a bit different. It gets harder to pack that bag and say goodbye and get on that airplane. We both love being dads, so our time at home is incredibly valuable.
I waited to have kids. I was 42 when my daughter was born. Yeah, [it] just turns your world upside down. Everything’s different, but in the best way. Having these little people with these little opinions and ideas…she’s three-and-a-half now, so now she’s starting to make jokes, and I think she’s starting to figure out what I do. The song comes on the radio, and she’s like, “That’s daddy.” I’m like, “Yeah, you know that song? No way! That’s so cool.”
Looking ahead, what’s your mindset going into the Daughtry tour?
[Chris Daughtry is] a super nice guy, every time we’ve hung out [he’s been] super cool. His band’s super cool. Dude can sing… dude’s got some mad pipes, for sure. Funny enough, on the [fifth] season of [American] Idol, before we even met him, our management came to us, and they were like, “Hey, there’s this kid on Idol, and he wants to sing your song, ‘Broken.'” So, he sang our song on Idol, absolutely nailed it. And next thing, he’s this major star.
I think it’s gonna be a good tour. I think the bands will complement each other nicely. And then P.O.D., as well. There’ll be a little something for everyone. I think it’s a good package. I like touring in the fall, as well. It’s kind of a nice time to tour.
After 25 years, how do you view Seether’s legacy?
It’s hard to think about legacy, because I feel like we’re very much still kind of in the middle of it. So, I don’t really wanna look back like, “Wow, look at everything we’ve done,” because it almost seems like there’s a finality to that. Maybe one day, when it’s all said and done, we’ll look back and think, “Oh wow, that was cool,” and maybe then the legacy will reveal itself.
But I think right now… I mean, it’s who we are, it’s what we do. Seether’s so tied-in with who I am, [and] with my identity. Way more than half my life has been in this band. So, it’s just my life.
This interview has been edited and condensed for flow and clarity.
Daughtry and Seether 2025 tour dates:
Oct. 01 Virginia Beach, VA – The Dome
Oct. 03 Atlantic City, NJ – Hard Rock Hotel And Casino
Oct. 04 Asbury Park, NJ – Stone Pony Summer Stage
Oct. 07 Boston, MA – MGM Music Hall at Fenway
Oct. 08 Bridgeport, CT – Hartford Healthcare Amphitheater
Oct. 10 Huber Heights, OH – Rose Music Center at The Heights
Oct. 11 Sterling Heights, MI – Michigan Lottery Amphitheatre at Freedom Hill
Oct. 12 Baltimore, MD – Pier Six Pavilion
Oct. 15 Indianapolis, IN – Everwise Amphitheater at White River State Park
Oct. 17 Charlotte, NC – Skylo Credit Union Amphitheatre
Oct. 18 Raleigh, NC – Red Hat Amphitheater
Oct. 20 Youngstown, OH – Covelli Centre Arena
Oct. 22 Rogers, AR – Walmart AMP
Oct. 24 Franklin, TN – FirstBank Amphitheater
Oct. 25 Atlanta, GA – Synovus Bank Amphitheater at Chastain Park
Oct. 31 Kansas City, MO – The Midland Theatre
Nov. 01 Denver, CO – Fillmore Auditorium
Nov. 05 Chesterfield, MO – The Factory at The District
Nov. 06 Pittsburgh, PA – UPMC Events Center
Nov. 09 Pikeville, KY – Appalachian Wireless Arena
Nov. 10 Dallas, TX – The Pavilion at Toyota Music Factory
Nov. 12 Houston, TX – 713 Music Hall
Nov. 14 Port Charlotte, FL – Field Of Dreamz Country Classic Music Festival
Nov. 15 Ft. Lauderdale, FL – FTL War Memorial