Mushroomhead | |
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Background information | |
Origin | Cleveland, Ohio, U.S. |
Genres | |
Years active | 1993 | –present
Labels | Eclipse, Universal, Megaforce, Filthy Hands |
Website | www |
Members |
Jeffrey Hatrix Jason Popson Tommy Church Ryan Farrell Rick Thomas Robbie Godsey Steve Felton |
Past members |
John Sekula Richie Moore Marko Vukcevich Dave Felton Joe Kilcoyne Jack Kilcoyne Joe Lenkey Daniel Fox Waylon Reavis Tom Schmitz |
Mushroomhead is an American heavy metal band from Cleveland, Ohio. Formed in 1993 in the Cleveland Warehouse District, the band is known for their avant-garde sound which includes influence from heavy metal, art rock and electro-industrial and their imagery which features masks and costumes as well as their unique live shows usually performed at smaller venues. Mushroomhead has sold over 2 million units worldwide, and has made 8 studio albums and 15 music videos. Over their lifetime, Mushroomhead has gone through many changes in band line-ups, with vocalist Jeffrey Hatrix and drummer Steve Felton being the only consistent members.
In 1993, Mushroomhead was established as a side project. To differentiate itself from the members' existing bands and to dispel any misconceptions about the group's sound and musical content, Mushroomhead used costumes, masks, and pseudonyms. Mushroomhead played its first show in 1993. Days later, the octet found itself on stage alongside established metal band GWAR. "We played our first show on a Saturday" said the band's drummer, Skinny, in an article for Mushroomhead’s official website. “Three days later, we got a call to play with GWAR at the Cleveland Agora in front of 2,000 people – our second show ever!”.
In 1995, Mushroomhead released a self-financed debut album, Mushroomhead, with their own record label, Filthy Hands Co. (previously known as Shroomco Records and later on, MRH Records). For the members, Mushroomhead became a priority with their original bands breaking-up. Although the line-up saw many changes throughout the 1990s, the band stayed active, steadily releasing music and gaining followers. In 1996, they released Superbuick. In 1999, Mushroomhead released M3, which was the final album self-financed and self-released by the band.