Sitting down for a late afternoon meal at a Cracker Barrel in Oklahoma City may not be the most exotic locales, but when you’re hungry, it will definitely do in a pinch. As the San Diego based band Mower was making their way across the country while on tour behind their new record, “Make It A Double”, I had a chance to chat with lead singer Brian Sheerin of the band after he wrapped up with his dinner. For the new record, the band has divided the album into two halves: one half is the normal metal/punk hybrid the band is known for, and the second half are lounge version of songs previously released by the band, in which the band is dubbing their alter ego “Slower”. It’s quite an intriguing turn for a band that definitely wants to keep their fans on their toes. During the interview, we discussed the inspiration for that move and how the downturn in the economy has affected the band’s show.
Here’s my interview with Brian:
AM: What was the inspiration for developing the Mower/Slower sound?
BS: When we looked to do this album from the start, we had done a lot of the whole metal & punk stuff, it wasn’t really a challenge anymore for us. The Slower stuff was a way to challenge ourselves and develop something that was completely different the fans. Some of the fans were tripping out because of it, but a lot of fans dig both sounds.
AM: Was the band a big fan of the whole lounge scene prior to the recording of the record?
BS: We aren’t really fans of that scene. I don’t even know if there even is a scene like that anymore. For us, it all started when we did a song called “L.A. Riot” for the “Not For You” record and it was that whole vibe, but it started off as kind of a goof. But the Slower scene is a bit different than the usual Mower stuff, and may attract fans that normally wouldn’t listen to the Mower stuff. We’ve played some different types of places, places like high end lounges to some strip clubs. It’s cool because I cant name one other band out there mixing this sort of music right now. We’re figuring out as we go.
AM: What are the major themes of the new record?
BS: It’s mostly about the world we live in right now. We’re angry with the way people are being treated as far as their health care is concerned. Also, listening to all these religious fanatics helped to make the sound the way it did. We come from a belief that you believe what you want to believe and not shove it down everyone’s throat. There’s a lot of corruption and crooked people in government right now too, and we talk about that on the record.
AM: As a label, how has Suburban Noize Records looked at the album?
BS: We know with Suburban Noize that it has a great fan base and it’s always worked for us. We know we’re a different band that the other bands on the label and our music will be different. This record may not have been the most super popular decision, but the label has been very cool with it so far. The only suggestion that they did have is to split the record into two records, but we thought it was better as one.
AM: How has the band adjusted to the state of the economy?
BS: I think everyone is affected with this downturn in the economy. Things are bad out there, but for us, it’s easier now than let’s say two tours ago when gas was 5 dollars a gallon and prices of everything were going up. People have less money to spend, which in turn, brings less people out to the shows. Bands have to be willing to make adjustments in order to survive out there- if you’re not willing to occasionally lower some of the ticket prices for shows, then the shows are gonna be as packed as they once were. We’ve started to do some free shows as a way to bring people out to the shows and show that we understand what’s going on out there.
AM: Being on the road a lot, what do you guys do to keep your sanity?
BS: It’s important to have some comedy and keep it light on the road. We generally have comedians that we listen to when traveling around the country. It helps deal with the stress of being out on the road and being with the same guys day in and day out.
Mower plays a free show at Blondie’s on Monday, August 31st. No tickets are needed and more info can be found at www.myspace.com/officialblondiesnightclub. Additional Mower band info and tour dates can be found at www.myspace.com/mower.
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