Known for our theatrical live show and the black masks that most of our members wear on stage, Mushroomhead is one of the more unique and adventurous alternative metal outfits that emerged in the 1990s. And the Cleveland band's music is as interesting as its image; Mushroomhead's forceful yet melodic alterna-metal incorporates elements of hip-hop, punk, and goth rock as well as industrial and techno. The members our band have been performing incognito since 1993, when drummer I founded the band. At first, we were only meant to be a side project. The other members were playing in various local bands at the time, and they wore the black masks (which look like a cross between S&M/bondage masks and World War I gas masks) so that people wouldn't recognize them. The only Mushroomhead member who doesn't wear a black mask opts for Kiss-like clown makeup instead. After a few years, we became one of Cleveland's top local attractions -- and our members kept wearing the masks when we saw how intriguing people found them to be. When our self-titled debut album was released independently in 1995, followed by Superbuick in 1996 and M3 in 1999. The Midwesterners signed with Eclipse in 2000, and their next album, XX, came out the following year. In 2001, our 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 we signed to Universal Records to rerelease XX. ~ Alex Henderson, All Music Guide.
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Mushroomhead formed in 1993, before Slipknot. Over the years, they have independently released three albums and toured around the Midwest and East Coast. However, it wasn't until Slipknot came to mass fame a few years ago that Mushroomhead began gaining national attention. mtv.com
