Metalheads Open to Slagging

"The fact that some people view us as knuckle-dragging metalheads is unfortunate," says Mower front man Brian Sheerin. While "harder and faster" is the general rule with most rock groups, Mower is heading in the opposite direction. Their new jazz-oriented side project, Slower, features the same membership and set list as Mower, but they trade their thunderous volume and denim for more sedate song stylings and suits.

As Mower, the band has toured Japan, opened for Slayer, and had the video for their song "Road Rage" shown on MTV's Headbangers Ball. The band has also appeared on The Dating Game. The Slower approach evolved from playing Mower material in different ways, for fun, during rehearsals.

Though the move has taken some listeners by surprise, Sheerin says, "In a way, the new band is more subversive than our metal music." While the music has changed, "The lyrics are the same, the sentiment is the same." According to him, the response from Mower fans has been good so far, though "Some people go as far as to tell us they like Slower better. No one ever tells us anything negative to our face."

Sheerin says Slower will introduce cover tunes into the mix and record an album in between Mower projects. He says it's possible that they may perform both acts at an occasional show and does not rule out the possibility of experimenting further with the group's sound, envisioning "another side project in the style of Yanni or John Tesh, just to torture our friends."