Mushroomhead Biography
Known for its theatrical live show and the black masks that most of its members wear on-stage, Mushroomhead is one of the more unique and adventurous alternative metal outfits that emerged in the 1990s. And the Cleveland band's music is as interesting as its image; Mushroomhead's forceful yet melodic alterna-metal incorporates elements of hip-hop, punk, and goth rock as well as industrial and techno. The members of Mushroomhead have been performing incognito since 1993, when drummer Skinny founded the band. At first, Mushroomhead was only meant to be a side project. Its members were playing in various local bands at the time, and they wore the blacks masks (which look like a cross between S&M/bondage masks and World War I gas masks) so that people wouldn't recognize them. The only Mushroomhead member who doesn't wear a black mask opts for Kiss-like clown makeup instead. After a few years, Mushroomhead became one of Cleveland's top local attractions -- and its members kept wearing the masks when they saw how intriguing people found them to be. Mushroomhead's self-titled debut album was released independently in 1995, followed by Superbuick in 1996 and M3 in 1999. The Midwesterners signed with Eclipse in 2000, and their next album, XX, came out the following year. In 2001, Mushroomhead's members included drummer/founder Skinny, lead vocalists J. Mann and Jeffrey Nothing, guitarists Bronson and Gravy, keyboardist Shmotz, bassist Pig Benis, and sample provider Stitch when they signed to Universal Records to re-release XX. Their first proper effort for the label was 2003's dynamic XIII, but the band soon parted ways with not only Universal, but also vocalist J. Mann during a subsequent tour. Undeterred, Mushroomhead pressed on with their D.I.Y. ethos intact and welcomed new frontman Waylon, formerly of 3 Quarters Dead, into the fray. The DVD Mushroomhead, Vol. 1 followed in mid-2005 before the guys returned in September 2006 with Savior Sorrow, released through New York-based indie Megaforce Records. ~ Alex Henderson, All Music Guide
Popular Biographies:
Luciano pavarotti Biography: Arguably no other opera singer in music history achieved the same level of international celebrity as tenor Luciano Pavarotti; his voice -- robust, resonant, and immediately recognizable -- launched...
Biz markie Biography: Biz Markie's inclination toward juvenile humor and his fondness for goofy, tuneless, half-sung choruses camouflaged his true talents as a freestyle rhymer. The Biz may not have been able...
Mice parade Biography: The experimental electronica/post-rock of New York's Mice Parade, aka Adam Pierce, blends live instrumentation, layers of overdubs, and intricate percussion into a distinctive, playful sound. Mice...
Nightmare of you Biography: Nightmare of You rose out of the ashes of the Long Island punk revivalist band the Movielife. Ex-Movielife guitarist Brandon Reilly formed the melodic indie rock group in 2003 with a sound much more...
Banda maguey Biography: Mexican 12-piece Banda Maguey started playing local traditional music in their native Villa Corona before taking over Jalisco with their onda grupera style. In 1993, the band, led by...
Earlies Biography: With half its members residing in Texas (Brandon Carr and J.M. Lapham) and the other half (Christian Madden and Giles Hatton) in northern England, the Earlies bridge the geographical gap with the...
Panda bear Biography: Noah Lennox adopted the name Panda Bear in the late '90s, when he drew a picture of a panda on one of his first bedroom studio recordings. He grew up in Pennsylvania, went to college at the...
Dismember Biography: Longtime proponents of the grinding, powerful sound of no-frills Swedish death metal, Dismember was originally formed in Stockholm in 1988 as a power trio featuring vocalist/bassist Robert...