On Thursday, October 17th, Jacksonville was treated to a night of insanity and celebration. The Roc Bar, part of Brewster’s Megaplex in the Arlington area, welcomed Mushroomhead’s 20th Anniversary Tour. Opening acts Razorz Edge, Denied Til Death, and Ionia paved the way for touring bands The X-Members and XFactor1 to tenderize the crowd. One Eyed Doll provided ceremonial opening duties with a psychotic and schizophrenic version of story time. Seriously living up to the title they earned as “The greatest band you’ve never heard” the incredibly skilled duo of Kimberly Freeman and “Junior” Jason Rufuss Sewell amazed and delighted everyone in attendance with a flurry of hats, jokes, and… Floridatexas? A display that defies description. And then they welcomed Mushroomhead to the stage…
On October 23rd of this year, Mushroomhead will be officially celebrating 20 years of industrial metal, masks, drums, masks, and wetworks from their home of Cleveland, Ohio. Oh and they wear masks... that they plan, sculpt, pour, pull, and paint themselves in the same ways that Hollywood FX masters do. To add to the excitement, this tour marks the official return of original vocalist Jason “J Mann” Popson, which makes a roster of nine maniacs on stage with three singers. Jeffrey “Nothing” Hatrix, J Mann, and Waylon Reavis shared harmonies and brought a new chemistry to an already amazing stage show. “Water Drums” played by Rick “St1tch” Thomas and Robbie “Roberto Diablo” Godsey never fail to steal the show as the crowd revels at colorfully lit splashes of water in time with percussive beats produced by the emotive duo. The stage was flanked by Tommy “Church” Church on guitar and Ryan “Dr. F” Farrell on bass as they each climbed and performed on setpieces. Not to be outdone, drummer Steve “Skinny” Felton and keyboardist Tom “Shmotz” Schmitz put on skilled displays from their own respective quarters. To say the least, a Mushroomhead show is an experience every fan needs to have, whether you look forward to classics “Solitaire Unraveling” and “Simple Survival” or newer releases like “Come On”, they will play them as a spectacle and give you a whole new way to remember them.
To those who missed out on this event, never fear, a delightful post show conversation with Dr. F. revealed that a new album is fully recorded and is just awaiting their return to be wrapped up and set up for release. After which they will “tour the f*** out of it” and definitely be back. And who knows…if you have the time to hang out afterward, you may be able to enjoy incredible moments with these nine awesome guys or even be the next chick to grab Waylon’s rump while he talks with someone like me.
by Patrick Foster
MOVEMENT Jax
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