Dale Stewart of Seether Talks New Album, Staying True to Their Roots, and Rocking RIFF Fest 2024

Date: September 28, 2024
Location: Pine Knob Music Theatre

Meltdown: Backstage at RIFF Fest with Dale from Seether. Great to have you back!

Dale Stewart: Nice to be back, man! It feels like it’s been a while since we played. We’re getting older now, so we don’t quite scream as hard as we used to, but I’m looking forward to it.

Meltdown: This is your second RIFF Fest, right? You guys played here back in 2018 or 2019. I remember one night, you just showed up at a bar and jammed three songs. It was legendary!

Dale Stewart: Yeah, we used to do that! We’d go out, have some drinks, and if a band was playing, we’d ask if we could hop on stage. Those were some fun times, but now we’re just old and tired.

Meltdown: One of the songs you played that night was “Gasoline,” which is one of my favorites. Now, your new album, The Surface Seems So Far Away, just dropped a week ago. Tell me about it—there’s nothing light on this record, right?

Dale Stewart: No, it’s a pretty heavy album. It’s interesting because we never set out to make it sound a certain way. Sean produced this album again, and when you have an outside producer, the label tends to give you some direction. But since we’re doing it all in-house now, we can get as heavy and angry as we want. It feels almost like our old garage days.

Meltdown: So this isn’t the first time you’ve done it that way?

Dale Stewart: No, we produced our last album as well, Parabellum.

Meltdown: I’m glad you brought that record out; I can actually pronounce The Surface Seems So Far Away!

Dale Stewart: (laughs) Yeah, that’s definitely a bonus!

Meltdown: What’s it like to hand over the album to the record company? Are you nervous, or do you feel confident?

Dale Stewart: I’m not really nervous anymore. The label has a lot of faith in us now, which is great. In the beginning, there was a lot of back and forth and approvals. It could be frustrating, but now they just let us do our thing, which is refreshing.

Meltdown: That must feel good, especially after all these years.

Dale Stewart: Absolutely. It takes time to earn that trust. We’ve been doing this for over two decades, and people still care about what we do.

Meltdown: I saw an interview with Sean where he mentioned there were bands they thought were better than them that are no longer around. You’ve weathered a lot of changes in the rock genre.

Dale Stewart: Exactly. We’ve seen trends come and go, like rap metal, pop punk, emo, and metalcore. We’ve managed to stay true to ourselves, which has helped us avoid being pigeonholed.

Meltdown: It reminds me of that Pearl Jam lyric about not changing at all.

Dale Stewart: Right! We haven’t changed that much; our music has matured, but it’s still distinctly Seether. We write music that we want to listen to.

Meltdown: I hate bringing it up, but this is essentially your pandemic record, correct?

Dale Stewart: Yeah, the last album came out right as the pandemic started. We had just finished Parabellum when COVID hit.

Meltdown: So you decided to release it anyway?

Dale Stewart: Exactly. We thought it was important for people to have new music during that time. The themes of the new album definitely stem from that period, reflecting frustration and challenges we all faced.

Meltdown: Can you tell when Sean brings you lyrics if they were written during a darker time?

Dale Stewart: Yeah, for sure. He’s not one to discuss lyrics, though. He treats songwriting like a diary or therapy session. He puts his feelings into the songs without needing to explain them.

Meltdown: Has there ever been a time when you were shocked by the lyrics?

Dale Stewart: I usually know what they mean to me and how they apply to our situation. We all share similar frustrations from that time.

Meltdown: It must have been tough for musicians when performing in front of crowds was suddenly off-limits.

Dale Stewart: Exactly. We had no idea what was going to happen next. It was a challenging time for everyone.

Meltdown: So, what’s it like for you when a new record drops? You’ve released many albums by now.

Dale Stewart: It’s still exciting! I love that feeling when I hear our new single on the radio for the first time. It never gets old.

Meltdown: Do you remember the first time you heard one of your songs on the radio?

Dale Stewart: Yes! We were in South Africa, and we had these rough demos. A local DJ played our song on his show. It was an incredible moment for us.

Meltdown: That’s amazing! What made you change your name from Sarin Gas?

Dale Stewart: When we signed with a record label in the U.S. after 9/11, they told us we had to change our name because Sarin Gas was associated with a terrorist attack. We were green and went along with it.

Meltdown: So how did you come up with Seether?

Dale Stewart: Picking a band name is tough because everything is taken. We liked the name from the song “Can’t Fight the Moonlight,” and it hadn’t been used yet. It was short and catchy.

Meltdown: That’s interesting! I’ve never heard that before.

Dale Stewart: Yeah! In hindsight, we probably could have kept the old name, but we’re happy with Seether.

Meltdown: Good luck with the record! And thanks so much for being here at RIFF Fest.

Dale Stewart: It’s great to be back. Thanks for having me!