Formed by drummer Skinny in 1993, Mushroomhead was originally a side-project for members of other Cleveland bands. They played their first show on October 22nd of that year. The members wore a variety of masks to hide their identity and for theatrical impact. One of the vocalists, J Mann, eventually stopped wearing a mask and just put white make-up on his face with black make-up on his mouth and around his eyes, similar to make-up worn in the movie Dead Presidents.
Mushroomhead quickly became one of Cleveland's top local acts and developed a devoted fanbase. Mushroomhead's self-titled debut album was released independently in 1995, followed by Superbuick in 1996 and M3 in 1999. Over the course of those 3 albums the band had several line-up changes: Bassist Mr Murdernickel was replaced by Pig Benis after the first album, female dancer Roxy left, guitarist Dinner was replaced by Gravy, male dancer Bronson went to playing samples and then took over as 2nd Guitarist when J.J. Righteous left. During this time Mushroomhead was the #1 underground band in Cleveland.
Roadrunner Records approached Mushroomhead with a record contract which they declined. The band eventually got signed to Eclipse Records in 2000, and their next album, XX (a "best of" compilation), 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. During this time Jeffrey Nothing also ditched his trademark goat / devil masks in favor of face paint.
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. Second guitarist Bronson would depart not long after Waylon's entry, leaving to study in film school. The DVD Mushroomhead, Volume 1 followed in mid-2005 before the guys returned in September 2006 with Savior Sorrow, released through New York-based indie Megaforce Records.
Mushroomhead released another DVD titled Volume 2 on October 28th 2008 and the band released the album Beautiful Stories for Ugly Children in 2010 via Megaforce Records.
Late in 2013, it was announced via social media that original vocalist J.Mann would be returning to the band. This leaves Mushroomhead with 3 active vocalists. There were some other lineup changes along the way, with new members Church stepping in on guitar, Dr. F on bass, and Roberto Diablo on percussion.
In May of 2014, the band will release their 7th studio album, The Righteous and the Butterfly, once again via Megaforce Records. This album will be the first to feature all 3 vocalists and the rest of the newer members.
Current
"Jeffrey Nothing" – Vocals (1993 - present)
"Waylon" – Vocals (2004 - present)
"J Mann" - Vocals (1993 - 2004, 2013 - present)
"Church" - Guitars (2012 - present)
"Dr. F" - Bass (2012 - present)
"Shmotz" – Keyboards (1993 - present)
"ST1TCH" – Turntables, Electronics, Samples, water drums (2001 - present)
"Skinny" – Drums, Percussion (1993 - present)
"Roberto Diablo" - Percussion (2013 - present)
Former
"Gravy" – Guitars (1999 – present)
"Pig Benis" – Bass (1995 - present)
"DJ Virus" - turntables (1993 – 1995)
"Mr. Murdernickel" - bass (1993 – 1995)
"Dinner" - guitars (1993 – 1998)
"Roxy" - dancing, electronics (1993 – 2000)
"J.J. Righteous" - guitars (1993 – 2001) (R.I.P.-J.J. passed away on October 28th 2010)
"Bronson" - dancing, samples (1993 – 2001), guitars (2001 – 2006)
A little more history:
Since 1999, Mushroomhead has had an on-and-off rivalry with Iowa-based band Slipknot. The feud erupted due to the image similarities between the bands. Many fans of Mushroomhead claim Slipknot stole their 'masked' look, and vice-versa. In an interview with Soundbites, then lead singer of Mushroomhead Jason Popson stated, "It seems a little strange, because they look so much like us and they have the same number of members and some of the same masks, and it was a little too strange that their record label had all of our material. I think it's obvious that they borrowed material from our show."
An incident between Mushroomhead fans and Slipknot themselves occurred when Slipknot trekked to Cleveland as part of their tour in support of their debut album. Mushroomhead fans flocked to the concert and peppered Slipknot with batteries, rocks, bottles of piss, etc., forcing them off-stage. In a press conference, Slipknot lead singer Corey Taylor stated that members of Mushroomhead had encouraged fans to do these acts. However, Mushroomhead has publicly stated that the band in no way encourages this sort of behavior, nor were any band members even at the show where the incident took place.
In a May 2007 interview it Imhotep.com, singer Jeffrey Nothing stated that the day after the Cleveland incident, his then girlfriend went down to the venue and the members of Slipknot and some of their crew harassed her saying: "You're wearing a Mushroomhead shirt, what do you know?" And they said it was our idea that you stole and now you are mocking us that we stole this masked-looking from you?, "The bottom line is: here is our city, our fans support us completely! They felt just as fucked over by these puny 'Clowns' as us and they aren't afraid to show it. "Welcome to Cleveland bitches." In 2005 Mushroomhead dressed as Slipknot for three shows in the northeast Ohio area, avidly mocking the band.
Mushroomhead's 2006 Midnight Halloween performance started with an announcement over the PA: “Due to unforeseen circumstances, Slipknot will not be appearing tonight,” which was greeted by chants of “Fuck Slipknot!” from the sold-out Agora Theatre. Soon after, the lights came up, revealing their Nightmare Before Christmas-themed set, complete with falling snow. St1tch and Little Dan (Skinny’s drum tech and drummer for Ventana) came out wearing masks from two members of Slipknot. Dan wearing Chris Fehn’s mask with the Pinocchio-style nose, Stitch wearing Shawn “Clown” Crahan’s mask.
Cleveland, Ohio, United States
Inspiration
Mushroomhead Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
blinding the minds, of the young
there are truths in the lies of forgiveness
fall down and worship the sun
fall down
Inspiration
A storm is coming, to hell with redemption
save yourself and hear the word of the fallen
Inspiration
Command meant nothing to me
My loss is not crossing the sea, on my feet
You baptised me don't you see?
I choose not to believe.
I can't ignore, your lack of intellect
Inspiration comes and goes
Hindsight's taught me,
some kind of self-respect
The song “Inspiration” by Mushroomhead speaks about the power of words and beliefs, and its effect on individuals. It begins by describing how the words of those who have fallen in life can cause doom and blindness to the young as they are the ones who are easily influenced by the words of others. The lyrics suggest that forgiveness has lies that hold truths and advise listeners to Fall down and worship the sun, perhaps referring to a higher power or entity that can provide inspiration and guidance.
The song goes on to describe a coming storm, a metaphor for a major event that can bring turmoil and chaos. It suggests that redemption is useless, and individuals should save themselves and listen to the word of the fallen, who have already experienced the hardships of life. The chorus repeats the idea of inspiration, which seems to be a source of salvation in the song.
The song also touches on the concept of belief and how it affects people by questioning the hierarchy of command and stating that loss isn’t determined by who controls what part of the world. The lyrics suggest that the singer was baptized but chose not to believe, emphasizing individual choice and the importance of free will. The song concludes with an observation about how inspiration comes and goes while hindsight has taught the singer self-respect.
Line by Line Meaning
There is doom in the words of the fallen
The words of those who have failed can have a negative impact on others.
blinding the minds, of the young
Young and impressionable people can easily be led astray by these words.
there are truths in the lies of forgiveness
Sometimes, what seems like a lie can actually hold some truth, especially in the case of forgiveness.
fall down and worship the sun
People are often tempted to worship something for their own benefit, even if it isn't truly worthy of worship.
fall down
Giving in to these temptations can lead to disastrous consequences.
Inspiration
Despite the hardships and struggles, inspiration can still be found and used to create something better.
A storm is coming, to hell with redemption
A difficult time is coming and there won't be any easy way out.
save yourself and hear the word of the fallen
The only way to survive is to listen to the words of others, but be careful to choose wisely.
Command meant nothing to me
Following the orders of others is meaningless if you don't understand the purpose behind them.
My loss is not crossing the sea, on my feet
Even though I may have lost something important, I will pick myself up and keep moving forward.
You baptised me don't you see?
You may have tried to teach me something, but I am still free to make my own choices.
I choose not to believe.
In the end, the decision to believe or not believe is up to me.
I can't ignore, your lack of intellect
It's hard to ignore when someone lacks the ability to think critically and solve problems.
Inspiration comes and goes
The ability to find inspiration is not always consistent and can vary over time.
Hindsight's taught me, some kind of self-respect
Looking back on past experiences has helped me gain a better sense of self-worth.
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: MICHAEL BECKER, PAUL REVELLI, GENE STASHUK
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind