Follow Friday: Seether, Jeff Schroeder, Dakota Rhodes, and More.

Seether

Hailing from Pretoria, South Africa and dominating the airwaves, Seether has established themselves not only as a global band but has amassed a huge dedicated fanbase that has organically grown and been devoted throughout the years. Seether has a strong sense of self and commitment to their unique craft and sound, which has garnered them several accolades but not limited to 3 platinum, 2 gold albums, 15 #1 singles, 19 Top 5 multiformat hits, 17 million single sales, and 1.5 billion streams worldwide across all platforms. 

Three years after the band’s latest release Poison The Parish, Seether has set their course to release their latest album on August 28th, 2020 titled Si Vis Pacem, Para Bellum which translates into “If You Want Peace, Prepare For War” out via Fantasy Records which you can preorder here. The 13 track record bounces back and forth between the juxtaposition of pleasure and misery like a rollercoaster of emotions. The lead-off single “Dangerous” perfectly exemplifies the tone of the record by building till a breaking point when the chorus kicks in. Seether continues to push not only for their dedicated fans but for themselves. Check out the official music video for “Dangerous” above. 

When I’m playing music or I’m writing music it’s the closest I can get to what I’m hearing in my head. It’s the closest I can get to what I’m trying to express, or what feeling I’m trying to slowly chip away at inside of me.

Shaun Morgan, Ernie Ball String Theory

Listen to Seether below and look out for their new record coming out 8/28/2020 which you can preorder here.

Seether digs in with Ernie Ball Paradigm Beefy Slinky and Power Bass Slinky strings and Shaun plays an Ernie Ball Music Man – StingRay RS.

Bonus Content

If you haven’t yet, make sure to check out the epic String Theory episode featuring Shaun Morgan.

Jeff Schroeder

Jeff Schroeder is one of those guitar players other guitar players strive to be. Growing up in Los Angeles, Jeff was in the music mecca where he joined the Alt-Rock band The Violent Burning which led to forming the indie rock/shoegaze band, The Lassie Foundation. It was with this band that Jeff really honed his riff chops and got his taste for the musician touring life. Jeff’s playing style is an amalgam of influences ranging from the greats like Ace Frehley, Jeff Beck, Pete Townshend, and Slash, to the loud and fuzzy guitar players like J Mascis, Thurston Moore, and Carrie Brownstein. It’s this mixture that really gives Jeff a style and tone which piqued his interest in the legendary Smashing Pumpkins in 2007. Before he joined the band, Jeff took a hiatus to pursue a Ph.D. in Comparative Literature at UCLA, but the rock gods called him back when he received a little note about Billy Corgan’s search for a replacement for James Iha. 

Joining the band has been unbelievable… this is where I really wanted to go musically. I was a fan of Billy Corgan’s music for years, so to be able to work with him on his vision and help take the band to a new place is incredible. It’s great to be part of something that you can be completely passionate about.

Jeff Schroeder to Music Radar

Since joining The Smashing Pumpkins, Jeff has been with Billy and the gang every step of the way, including the progress on a new double album as of May 2020. He’s also recorded with his old bandmates of The Lassie Foundation and is continuing to finish his Ph.D. Recently, Jeff also began a new project called Night Dreamer with multi-instrumentalist Mindy Song, allowing him to really flex his song-writing and playing muscles. To hear more directly from Jeff, check out his episode of Ernie Ball’s podcast Striking A Chord (LIVE edition) here.

Jeff Schroeder uses Power Slinky, Not Even Slinky, and Regular Slinky electric guitar strings and Earthwood Medium Phosphor Bronze acoustic strings.

Ben Ellis

The story often told is of young bands that are best friends, who grew up together, and reached success. Though true for some, the reality is that bands often break up, schedules don’t line up, you take the gig offered, and you build up an eclectic resume that keeps your phone ringing. Quite the vintage connoisseur and always ready for the next best thing is Ernie Ball artist, Ben Ellis.

Ben has called many places home whether it be Los Angeles, New York, Paris, or Berlin, but has mostly found himself calling London is true home since 2003. Cutting his teeth in Glasgow, Ben lived under the motto of the rising scene of the 1990’s priding the phrase “DIY or die”. Ben spent most of his 20’s playing in noise pop bands that old BBC Radio 1 DJ John Peel would approve of. From recording around the world and touring to performing at heaps of international music festivals, a few of Ben’s many credits that he’s collected over the years include the legendary Iggy Pop, Swervedriver, and Razorlight. Hyper focused in the pocket while still having a blast, check out the live footage from Lyon where Ben Ellis hits the stage with Iggy Pop to perform “Skull Ring” in 2015, with Kevin Armstrong rocking an Ernie Ball Music Man Armada. 

Make sure to check out Ben Ellis on Iggy Pop tracks below and keep up with him on his social media here.

Ben Ellis rocks Ernie Ball Stainless Steel, .050 -.115 individual bass strings, Flatwound Group I bass strings, and Regular Short Scale bass strings.

Dakota Rhodes

YouTube has launched so many names, bringing entertainment, great covers, and talent directly to our devices or televisions for free. Each success story looks different. Dakota Rhodes is a 23 year old singer/songwriter who picked up the guitar as a young teen and found singing to be her biggest passion. Inspired by various artists ranging from Miley Cyrus to Avenged Sevenfold, Dakota began developing her sound and ear for production. Now with over 350K subscribers tuning in to her YouTube channel, Dakota has become a multi-instrumentalist that not only performs incredible covers of hit songs on guitar and piano, but co-produces her own music. Her latest single “Comfortable Silence”  and her EP titled, I AM showcases, Dakota, as not just your average singer/songwriter making covers on the internet but as an artist in her own right. Check out her official music video above.

Make sure to keep up to date on the latest for Dakota on her official website, and check out her music below.

Dakota Rhodes vibes with Ernie Ball Everlast Medium Phosphor Bronze on her acoustic guitars and Regular Slinky for electric. 

Owen Rivera

It’s easy to write off a young kid who mainly has cover videos up on YouTube and some mentions here and there on other social media channels, but that’s because Owen Rivera has already achieved something most people, especially musicians, strive for their entire life; a sense of identity. He isn’t blasting himself out in the world in hopes of proving himself in the music industry, he’s going to play and write regardless of anyone’s approval.

Owen is an old classic soul living in the body of a thirteen-year-old Puerto Rican boy. By 4 years old, he was rocking the stage at The House of Blues, and by 5 years old, he had already signed multiple music endorsement deals. Owen is a multi-instrumentalist who wrote and produced his first original song at 8 years old. Over the years, he has worked with or performed for many artists including Joan Osborne, Graham Nash, and William Bell, as well as many other artists from the iconic Memphis Stax Record label including Mavis Staples. Currently, Owen is collaborating on his own original music with a multiple Gold and Platinum Album Award Winning Producer, as well as many Grammy and other Award Winning musicians from bands such as Tom Petty and the HeartBreakers, Ringo Starr’s All-Star Band, Alice Cooper, Guns And Roses, Mavis Staples, Patti LaBelle, Christina Aguilera, and Halsey to name a few. 

When not writing music, Rivera has found success in the acting world as well. He has appeared on numerous TV commercials, in music films and is working as a voiceover artist in feature films, animated movies, and starred as a lead character in a recent Emmy Nominated TV Show. Not bad for 13, right?

Above all, Owen is an artist who is just getting started. Inspired by the likes of Bob Dylan, John Lennon, Bob Marley, and many others before him, Owen’s pursuit is to be the voice of a generation and to take people back to an older sound and time, while still being firmly grounded in today. Be on the lookout for more from Owen Rivera.

Owen uses Super Slinky, Not Even Slinky, Extra Slinky and Regular Slinky electric guitar strings, and Earthwood 80/20 Bronze Medium Light acoustic guitar strings to create his signature sound.