The Slowhand Project came about when The Granny decided to strike out on his own, being completely disillusioned with playing in bands due to guitarists who seemed to be solely interested in showcasing their techical ability in jams on classic rock covers. He borrowed a cheap guitar and amp from his girlfriend's older sister and got to work on the dual task of rounding out some songs he'd been working on and learning to play. He also began collecting recording and noise-making gear; a friend had introduced him to the concept of the DAW and The Granny became excited with the prospect of being part of the digital recolution. Unfortunately, The Granny was a bit early - this was a time before Myspace and the ubiquity of non-physical music formats, such as MP3, that have enabled many bands to reach audiences they otherwise wouldn't have. The internet was in it's infancy, and though people were trying, the only folks making any money were the porn-mongers. There was a tremendous sense of hope and excitement about this internet thing though - the bubble hadn't burst yet.

By the spring of 2000 there were a number of songs recorded, one of which, Long Walk Home, was released on AssPress Vol 1, a compilation by (now defunked) Associate Records. The Granny started playing shows around town, but the strategic advantage of a one-man-and-a-laptop setup was offset by the public not yet being used to the whole idea (as well as frequent technical difficulties as some of the technology wasn't quite mature yet). The Granny had also, by this time, overcome his previous disillusionment with guitarists and had started jamming with other people. A limited edition cassette EP called Runaway Balloon was released which was meant as a teaser for the coming full-length Old Leather Trench Coat and Runaway Balloon which never materialised. This tape contained most Slowhand material recorded up to this point as well as a few Elektravision tracks.