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 War Inside
Mushroomhead Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
The natives speak in tongues and tangled truths while chanting diatribes
Somewhere deep down in the subconscious wrapped in riddles lies
The meaning of this we try to find but only lose our minds
Through my blind desperation soul solely rages on
Social defacing here my replacement comes
Rumors of cutbacks harbored hypocrisy
My body imprisons me
Breakdown - All the walls have fallen
My soul solely rages on
Storm the palace seize the crown
Soul solely rages
Whispered winds soon sound the calling
My soul solely rages on
Betray your malice heed your vows
On
Victory misery glory defeat
The wat inside pushing me
Brings me to bleed
I thank you all for the laughs
Raise a glass for my father then put me to sleep
Breakdown - All the walls have fallen
My soul solely rages on
Storm the palace seize the crown
Soul solely rages
Whispered winds soon sound the calling
My soul solely rages on
Betray your malice heed your vows
On
Erase those saccharine smiles vague in their sincerity
Lift these veiled chains in an endless search for clarity
Barely hanging on to a faith I'd briefly known
I've seen an angels face, the broken wings on which she'd flown
Emotion fades to faceless as we soon become sedate
Is it time to mourn this loss or is it time to celebrate
Through my blind desperation soul solely rages on
Social defacing here my replacement comes
Rumors of cutbacks harbored hypocrisy
My heart dwells in darkness
My body imprisons me
Breakdown - All the walls have fallen
My soul solely rages on
Storm the palace seize the crown
Soul solely rages
Whispered winds soon sound the calling
My soul solely rages on
Betray your malice heed your vows
On and on and on and on
Soul solely rages on
The lyrics of Mushroomhead's song The War Inside are a reflection of the inner struggle that one faces within themselves. The first verse talks about how the potential for greatness can go unrealized as people become trapped in their subconscious minds, filled with riddles and tangled truths. As individuals try to find the meaning in all of this, they only lose their minds in the process. The second verse talks about how the soul solely rages on through blind desperation and social defacing. The heart dwells in darkness as the body imprisons the mind. The breakdown of the walls represents the surrender to the battle within oneself.
The chorus talks about the internal struggle that leads to both victory and defeat. It pushes one to the bleeding edge and thanks everyone for the laughs while raising a glass for the father before falling asleep. The final verse talks about a broken heart and veiled chains, where faith is briefly known before emotion fades to faceless. The lyrics of the song suggest that it's time to mourn the loss and celebrate.
Line by Line Meaning
How could such potential go unrealized
Despite having potential, we have failed to realize it
The natives speak in tongues and tangled truths while chanting diatribes
People speak in confusing ways, making it hard to understand their true intentions
Somewhere deep down in the subconscious wrapped in riddles lies
There is a hidden meaning that is difficult to uncover
The meaning of this we try to find but only lose our minds
Trying to uncover the hidden meaning causes confusion and frustration
Through my blind desperation soul solely rages on
Despite my desperation, I am determined to continue fighting
Social defacing here my replacement comes
My negative actions have caused someone else to replace me socially
Rumors of cutbacks harbored hypocrisy
People are pretending to have good intentions despite knowing that cutbacks are coming
My heart dwells in darkness
I feel lost and unhappy
My body imprisons me
I feel trapped by my physical body
Breakdown - All the walls have fallen
Everything has fallen apart
Storm the palace seize the crown
Take charge and become the leader
Whispered winds soon sound the calling
A message is coming through, but it is not yet clear
Betray your malice heed your vows
Stop being malicious and keep your promises
Victory misery glory defeat
These are the ups and downs of life
The war inside pushing me
My inner turmoil is causing me to suffer
Brings me to bleed
Causes me to experience pain
I thank you all for the laughs
Thank you for the good times
Raise a glass for my father then put me to sleep
Celebrate my father's life, then let me rest
Erase those saccharine smiles vague in their sincerity
Get rid of fake smiles that are insincere
Lift these veiled chains in an endless search for clarity
Try to gain a clearer understanding by removing obstacles
Barely hanging on to a faith I'd briefly known
I am struggling to hold onto a belief I once knew
I've seen an angels face, the broken wings on which she'd flown
I have seen something beautiful, but it is broken and cannot fly
Emotion fades to faceless as we soon become sedate
We start to lose our emotions and become dull
Is it time to mourn this loss or is it time to celebrate
Should we be sad or happy about this situation?
On and on and on and on
It continues without stopping
Soul solely rages on
My soul is fiercely fighting
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management, Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: DAVID JAMES FELTON, STEVE FELTON, JEFFERY L. HETRICK, JOHN F. KILCOYNE, THOMAS SCHMITZ, RICK THOMAS, JASON POPSON, MARKO VUKCEVICH
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind