Shaun Morgan, vocalist/guitarist for the band Seether, said the group doesn't like to waste time in the recording studio.

"We have time to pound out the songs and get them ready to record in our rehearsal space in a slum in Los Angeles," Morgan said by phone from Portland, Maine. "We get the songs set up and go into the studio and record. We don't do a lot of writing in the studio. We did that on our first album and we've learned from that."

Besides Morgan, Seether includes bassist Dale Stewart, guitarist Pat Callahan and drummer John Humphrey. Their latest album is "Karma and Effect" on Wind-Up records, produced by Bob Marlette, who has worked with Ill Nino, Tracy Chapman, and who produced the Black Sabbath "Reunion" album.

"Bob was OK to work with," said the South African-born Morgan. "I really don't like working with producers, though. I've worked with three in the past and they don't really do anything. Bob was fine. I think we were able to get to the closest we could get to what we wanted to sound like with him. We did butt heads a couple of times, but for the most part, he knew our sound and we played our music.

"I think, however, the next time we do an album, we'll self-produce it."

Morgan and Seether have been through some changes in the past couple of years — since the song "Broken," a duet sung by Morgan and Evanescence vocalist Amy Lee, hit the charts in 2004. "We've been through three drummers. They were all very good drummers but difficult to travel with. That's one of the things we have to look at when choosing members for a band. They have to be easy to travel with. It doesn't matter how well they can play if you don't get along in tight quarters."

Morgan decided he wanted to play music because of Nirvana. "I loved the '90s music scene. Nirvana, Alice in Chains, Pearl Jam, Soundgarden and Rage Against the Machine — all those bands. But I can say that once I heard (Nirvana's) 'Nevermind' album, I wanted to play guitar."

Seether just got off the road playing with Audioslave, the band that features Soundgarden vocalist Chris Cornell and former members of Rage Against the Machine. "I think one of the biggest things for me was to be on the road with Audioslave," said Morgan. "Growing up in South Africa, I never thought I'd see any of my musical heroes live. And yet I toured with and met them this past year."

Now Seether is preparing for its first headlining tour, something Morgan has always wanted to do. "When we were an opening band, we would only be able to play a few minutes. Now we'll have a full set, and we'll be able to play a lot of new stuff, mixed in with some old stuff.

"Our goal is to introduce new fans and audiences to 'Karma and Effect.' Our old fans know us, but we want to make new fans."


If you go . . .

What: Seether, Thirty Seconds to Mars

Where: The Great Saltair

When: Monday, 7:30 p.m.

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How much: $18

Phone: 467-8499 or 800-888-8499

Web:www.smithstix.com


E-mail: scott@desnews.com

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