Seether Frontman Shaun Morgan Talks Rise Above Fest – Exclusive

2017-07-20

Story by Anne Erickson

Seether singer Shaun Morgan is proud of how Rise Above Fest has grown

Seether unleashed a new album earlier this year called “Poison the Parish,” and you can bet on hearing some of those tracks at the band’s Rise Above Festival this weekend. The annual event will take place July 22 and 23 at Darling’s Waterfront Pavilion in Bangor, Maine.

The festival, which was created by Seether frontman Shaun Morgan and the band, is expanding to two days this year. The event supports suicide prevention and mental illness and is the largest suicide awareness music event in the world.

This year’s lineup includes Seether, as well as Korn, Stone Sour, Skillet, Falling in Reverse, Shinedown, Halestorm, All That Remains, Theory of a Deadman, Kyng and Hellyeah, to name a few.

Morgan lost his brother to suicide roughly a decade ago, so this cause is very close to his heart.

“This will be the fifth year, but we’ve really put it on over the past six years, and in that time, we’ve managed to go from the first event with 4,000 people to 14,000 people today, and it’s going to be two days instead of one, so it’s kind of a trip that it’s grown so quickly,” Morgan told Anne Erickson with Audio Ink Radio.

“What’s exciting about it is that it’s raising awareness for such a good cause,” Morgan added. “Teenagers and young people are killing themselves on a daily basis, so it’s raising awareness to try and brush this out from under the carpet. It gives me hope that maybe in the future we can start doing this around the country.”

In light of Chester Bennington of Linkin Park committing suicide this week, Morgan says Rise Above Fest will honor Bennington.

“Losing another great rock voice to suicide yesterday is absolutely tragic and heartbreaking,” Morgan said in a statement. “It’s exactly why we are doing what we set out to do this weekend – to build awareness for this mental disease. I started this festival as a tribute to anyone who has lost someone. If this festival does something to help one person reconsider the tragic choice of suicide, then it will be the greatest success of my career. We will honor the memories of Chester Bennington and Chris Cornell and dedicate this weekend to them.”

All proceeds from Rise Above Fest will benefit the SAVE (Suicide Awareness Voices of Education) organization.

Photo credit: Anne Erickson

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