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 Wrist
Mushroomhead Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
In An Inept Manner
Trying To Act Like
Something Really Mattered
When I Open My Eyes
It's All Gone
Overthrown By Your Children
God Willing Shut You Down
I Start To Regret
What I've Done
A Sick Piece Of Shit,
With The Balls To Admit,
When He's Wrong
React Defiantly
I Am Someone, Someone
Might Even Fool Myself
Before I'm Done
When I Open My Eyes
It's All Gone
Overthrown By Your Children
God Willing Shut You Down
Making Believe
There's Someplace I Belong
Greedo Died By The Hand Of Solo
Amass A Fortress Of Steel
Unsure If I Can Instill My Will
Is Caving In Black
'til There's No Bringing It Back Again
Led Astray By Their Mock Sincerity
False Charity
Condemned
Chewing Insult
Inheriting Unwarranted Birthright
Crown A Scapegoat
New King Of Shit
Ignorance Is Followed
By Ignorance
Repetition Diminishing Senses
Defenseless
Crippled Libido
Greedo Died By The Hand Of Solo
When I Open My Eyes
It's All Gone
Making Believe
There's Someplace I Belong
When I Open My Eyes
It's All Gone
Might Even Fool Myself
Before I'm Done
The song, "The Wrist," by Mushroomhead speaks about the struggle and frustration of an individual who is trying to fit in or find their place in society. The lyrics mention how this individual is trying to act in a way that seems important, but in reality, it all means nothing. The line "Overthrown by your children, God willing shut you down" could be interpreted as the younger generation overthrowing the outdated ideas or norms of the previous generations.
The lyrics also talk about how this individual is beginning to regret their past actions, which they describe as being a "sick piece of shit." However, this person is still trying to maintain their identity and assert themselves defiantly. Nevertheless, they start to doubt their ability to make a significant impact when they realize that society is driven by ignorance, repetition, and greed.
Overall, "The Wrist" expresses the frustration of an individual who is navigating their way through the complex and daunting aspects of society. It highlights the struggles and challenges that come with trying to find one's place in the world and to make meaningful contributions to it.
Line by Line Meaning
Acting Tragically,
Putting on a show of tragedy and being dramatic,
In An Inept Manner
Being clumsy and unable to handle the situation correctly
Trying To Act Like
Pretending to be something you're not
Something Really Mattered
When in fact, it didn't matter at all
When I Open My Eyes
After a moment of reflection
It's All Gone
Everything has vanished and is lost forever
Overthrown By Your Children
Defeated by those who come after you
God Willing Shut You Down
Hope that some higher power will bring an end to all of it
It's Like The Closer I Get
When you approach something too close, it becomes clearer but less desirable
I Start To Regret
Wishing you hadn't done something
What I've Done
Actions taken in the past
A Sick Piece Of Shit,
Someone who is mentally or morally twisted
With The Balls To Admit,
Having the courage to acknowledge one's own faults
When He's Wrong
Making mistakes
React Defiantly
Responding in a rebellious manner
I Am Someone, Someone
A person who exists, with all the complexities and flaws that come along with being human
Might Even Fool Myself
Sometimes people can convince themselves of things that aren't true
Before I'm Done
Before reaching the end
Making Believe
Imagining that something is real when it's not
There's Someplace I Belong
Searching for a place where one fits in and feels at home
Greedo Died By The Hand Of Solo
A reference to Star Wars; someone was outsmarted and defeated by someone more skilled
Amass A Fortress Of Steel
Building up a wall of protection
Unsure If I Can Instill My Will
Doubting one's ability to exert control over a situation
Is Caving In Black
Collapsing or falling apart
'til There's No Bringing It Back Again
Until it's beyond repair and can't be salvaged
Led Astray By Their Mock Sincerity
Deceived by people who pretend to be genuine but are actually insincere
False Charity
Charity that is merely for show and not genuinely helpful
Condemned
Punished for wrongdoing
Chewing Insult
Mentally and emotionally torturing someone with insults
Inheriting Unwarranted Birthright
Receiving a position or privilege that was not earned or deserved
Crown A Scapegoat
Blaming someone else for one's own mistakes
New King Of Shit
Becoming the new source of problems
Ignorance Is Followed
When someone doesn't know any better, they frequently do the wrong thing
By Ignorance
This bad behavior is then repeated by others
Repetition Diminishing Senses
When something happens repeatedly, it becomes less impactful and meaningful over time
Defenseless
Unable to protect oneself
Crippled Libido
Unable to function sexually
When I Open My Eyes
After a moment of reflection
It's All Gone
Everything has vanished and is lost forever
Might Even Fool Myself
Sometimes people can convince themselves of things that aren't true
Before I'm Done
Before reaching the end
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management, Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: STEVE FELTON, JEFFERY L. HETRICK, JOHN F. KILCOYNE, THOMAS SCHMITZ, JASON POPSON, JOHN SEKULA
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind