Nathan and Ian Stewart founded the Vegas rock band Lawn Mower Death Riders a decade ago as a means of sharing their appreciation for country music and horror movies. Ten years and one pandemic later, the brothers have released their sophomore album, Here Comes Another One, out now on GC Records.
“Me and Ian, we used to listen to a lot of punk and metal when we were younger, so some of our weird content comes from the metal side,” says Nathan, who sings and plays mandolin and guitar. “Our love for horror movies definitely comes through, too.”
'Here Comes Another One'
The band name also nods to the brothers’ love of the macabre, as does “deadgrass,” a subgenre coined by Lawn Mower Death Riders to describe their punk-meets-folk sound. (Deadgrass was also the title of the band’s 2015 debut LP.)
The Stewarts, who are joined on the album by bassist Marshall Lytle and drummer Rob Sherwood, say the pandemic has made them more productive than ever before. In addition to the new full-length, “we’ve got an EP that we’re halfway through recording,” Ian says.
Also, with shows on pause for the foreseeable future, the band says it has been polishing its social media skills to stay engaged with listeners. Whether they’re posting music or makeshift memes of Guy Fieri and Steven Seagal, LMDR aims to make people laugh during times of existential crisis.
Many of the group’s lyrics are about death and dying, Nathan says. One look at the tracklist confirms it: “Force-Feeding Me an Afterlife,” “Comatose Conundrum,” “The Ghost of Turd River” … “I like creating stories,” Nathan says. “I try to give you somewhat of a visual—or the opposite, just utter nonsense. It’s easier than writing a book or a movie.”
The song “Fistfight With Mommy” features Nathan’s snarky vocals, a bassline reminiscent of Van Morrison’s classic sound and a ferocious mandolin riff. Title aside, it tells a cinematic story with its lush folk-rock instrumentals and vivid lyrics.
“The past four years have been really bleak,” Ian says. “Our album has a lot of doom and gloom, but that’s why we try to make it catchy as well. Just because it’s doom and gloom doesn’t mean you can’t tap your foot to it.”
LAWN MOWER DEATH RIDERS Gcrecords.bandcamp.com/album/here-comes-another-one, Facebook.com/LawnMowerDeathRiders, Spoti.fi/2YARCvK
