Mower 'Not For You' album

Since the release of Mower's blistering, intentionally assaulting self-titled debut in 2003, the San Diego based powerhouse some call "California's hardest working band" has shot up to the rock and metal big leagues, touring and opening for icons like Metallica, Deftones, Linkin Park, P.O.D., Staind, Soulfly, Papa Roach, Slayer and Disturbed.

Fresh from a recent 40-date fall tour with Suburban Noize labelmates and counterculture icons Kottonmouth Kings, Mower continues its all-out, attitude-driven advance ransacking your senses with a wild and wickedly eclectic new album that the San Diego based rockers' fans will love but is definitely Not For You .

The 15-track collection will drop April 4, 2006 , allowing a few months for everyone to prepare themselves for an openly defiant, rumbling and punishing roll through a slate that runs the stylistic gamut from punk to hardcore, metal to rock and even, as co-lead vocalist Dominic Moscatello says, "a little lounge."

While Mower—whose members include Moscatello and fellow lead singer Brian Sheerin, guitarist Matt Wannamaker, bassist Chris McCredie and the band's original drummer, back for another round, Ryan Toth—self-produced its debut album, this time they gave the reins to Mikey Doling, former guitarist for the bands Snot and Soulfly.

"We're at a point where we've been playing music for years, and it's easy to tell when we're trying to satisfy the powers that be rather than ourselves," says Sheerin. "If we're pigeonholing ourselves to please other people, we're not going to be happy. All of us have a varied sense of what music should be, but the one thing that ties us together is our love for intense live bands. Not For You was created with one thought in mind—the hell with sticking to one type of music. This mix creates a mesmerizing feel that hops from metal to a lounge version of a song we did on our first album, thrown together with punk, hardcore, classic rock and whiskey. It doesn't make sense till you get the unique attitude and raw feel. We don't hold back."

In a sad and limiting creative environment where demographic research drives playlists and corporate-run radio keeps a tight leash on what listeners hear, the members of Mower perfectly embody the indie spirit that goes where the raging muse takes them. "We weren't about to pull any punches with this record," adds Sheerin. "We wanted every song to assault listeners from every direction, and we wanted to do it with songs that reflected the spirit of our favorite bands like Jane's Addiction, Snot, Slayer and NOFX, regardless of what the record industry or radio is pushing these days."

Reflecting in words the unique and fascinating harmonies his higher pitched voice creates with Sheerin's bass tones, Moscatello echoes his bandmate: "We took a bunch of different angles, and even use some clean tones on the guitar as opposed to the distorted and dirty ones we have used exclusively in the past. There are endless possibilities in music, so why should we limit ourselves? Mower is about two different things: an entertaining live experience intended to give people their money's worth, and a message that tells listeners to read between the lines and think for themselves in a positive way."

Launching with the brutal take on the Bret Easton Ellis novel, "American Psycho," Not For You rocks into high gear and sets the tone for "Road Rage", the soundtrack to the three hour traffic jam on every freeway. "The End" applies the heavy riffage of Black Sabbath as Mower imagines the scenario as the shit hits the fan. "Undone" pits the laws of nature against the laws of man, while "Seedless" documents a friend's run-in with the federal government. "Broken Hands" is the first of a few departures from the heavier content, with a reflective storyline.

Launched in the late 90s and driven by dual vocalists Sheerin and Moscatello and bassist Chris McCredie, the group quickly took San Diego by storm with an onslaught of insane live performances that left audiences stunned at the amount of energy the band put forth. Mower also took a cue from its punk rock roots and became a self-promoting machine, plastering the entire city with flyers and Mower stickers, which prompted local authorities to serve the band "cease and desist" letters.

"The minute both vocalists were in the same room together the band realized what a cool dynamic it would be," says Moscatello. "We wrote a song together called ëStill Beside The Mask' and we were clicking on a lot of creative levels. We really play off each other well. Our connection defines the whole spirit of Mower perfectly. A lot of bands are ego driven, but we're about dividing responsibility so that we write and play the best songs and create the greatest live show that we can. Mower is less about us as individuals than the music we make together."

With several nationwide tours to their credit, Mower has always maintained a close grass roots contact with their fans. Offstage, the band is easily approachable, from the die hard rock and roll fan, to the girls who come out just for the party, or the young kid who is at his first concert. At the end of the day, Mower is about letting loose and enjoying good music, and if you can't understand that, maybe it's Not For You .

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Mower - Not For You