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
The Need
Mushroomhead Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
I can't be anything you need
Now I walk alone I find a way
All of my prayers unanswered
All of my careless actions
Failures catastrophy
This is killing me
Somewhere in here
Upon your thoughts
Yourve never had enough
Pain to feel at all
Its coming up now
Fade the cross from my memory
What part of this is saving me
And what exactly is it saving me for
I don't need to believe
Anymore
I look back upon my life
I find it hard to find
The right words that won't hurt
And brings me back to my knees
Nail yourself upon your thoughts
Close your eyes
If you want to be blind
The lyrics of Mushroomhead's song The Need deal with themes of self-reflection, pain, and loss. The singer begins by acknowledging that they are unable to meet the needs of someone else. They convey a sense of emptiness and loneliness, as they walk alone without any answers to their prayers. The singer seems to be struggling with their past actions and failures, which are causing them intense pain. Despite this, they urge someone else to kindly nail themselves upon their thoughts, suggesting that introspection may be the path to healing.
The second half of the song explores the idea of salvation and religion. The singer fades the cross from their memory, questioning what part of it is actually saving them. They express a sense of skepticism towards belief, stating that they don't need to believe anymore. Looking back on their life, the singer finds it difficult to articulate their feelings without hurting themselves. They conclude by advising the listener to close their eyes if they want to be blind, perhaps suggesting that ignorance may be preferable to facing painful truths.
Overall, the lyrics of The Need convey a sense of hopelessness and disillusionment, while also exploring the idea of introspection and healing.
Line by Line Meaning
Anything you need
Whatever it is that you want, I am willing to offer it
I can't be anything you need
I may not necessarily possess the qualities or abilities that you're looking for
Now I walk alone I find a way
I'm currently on a path where I'm navigating through life by myself and figuring things out along the way
All of my prayers unanswered
Despite my efforts, I haven't received the answers that I've been praying for
All of my careless actions
I've made mistakes due to my carelessness or lack of proper consideration
Failures catastrophe
My failures have been catastrophic, causing significant damage or harm
This is killing me
The stress or burden of these circumstances is causing significant emotional or physical pain
Somewhere in here
In the midst of everything that's happening or being felt
Kindly nail yourself upon your thoughts
Take a moment to reflect on your thoughts and feelings, and try to understand them better
You've never had enough pain to feel at all
You may not have experienced enough pain to truly understand or empathize with what I'm going through
It's coming up now
However, it seems that this pain is finally beginning to surface or manifest itself
Fade the cross from my memory
I want to forget about any religious beliefs or symbols that may have once held significance for me
What part of this is saving me
In light of all that's happened, I can't see how any of this is helping me or making things better
And what exactly is it saving me for
I question what the purpose of any of this could be, or what I have to look forward to
I don't need to believe anymore
I'm ready to let go of any beliefs or expectations I may have had and live in the present moment
I look back upon my life
As I reflect on my past experiences
I find it hard to find the right words that won't hurt
It's difficult to articulate my emotions without unintentionally causing pain to myself or others
And brings me back to my knees
These overwhelming emotions or experiences make me feel weak or powerless
Nail yourself upon your thoughts
Once again, it's important to take the time to process and reflect on one's thoughts and feelings
Close your eyes
Sometimes it's necessary to shut out the world and focus on oneself
If you want to be blind
If that's what it takes to find inner peace or clarity, then it's okay to remove oneself from external stimuli or distractions
Lyrics © CAPITOL CHRISTIAN MUSIC GROUP, BMG Rights Management, Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: DAVID JAMES FELTON, JEFFERY L. HETRICK, JOHN F. KILCOYNE, RICK THOMAS, STEVE FELTON, THOMAS SCHMITZ, WAYLON REAVIS
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind