The group Mushroomhead started in 1993 in Cleveland, Ohio. It began as a side project for the boys, Skinny on drums, Schmotz on keyboards, J Mann on lead vocals, Jeffrey Nothing on lead vocals, Pig Benis on bass, Gravy on guitar, Bronson on guitar and DJ Stitch on samples, who wanted an outlet for something more extreme that what they were playing with their main groups. They found that via the black masks, which look like World War I gas masks and S&M masks combined, they could remain incognito and have fans focus on the music. Starting to play local gigs around 1993 with their first show in October of that year, the group became an instant local success story, as fans began to garner their own Mushroomhead type masks during concerts and events. Startling fans with their vaudevillian style stage show and eclectic rock music, the group didn't last for long as merely a side project. As their local fame increased, selling out concert halls in Cleveland, they began opening for other rock hard hitters like Marilyn Manson, Type O Negative, Down, Anthrax, The Misfits and Gwar.The alternative metal outfit released their debut album independently in 1995, followed by their sophomore effort, Superbuick in 1996. The following year the group flew over to St. Louis to perform in the Midwest Regional music conference, eventually releasing a remix record. Continuing to write new material, the group performed at the CMJ Conference in New York City and the NXNE music conference in Toronto, Canada before releasing M3 in 1999. In 2000, they signed with label Eclipse and released their album XX the next year. Later they signed with Universal Records, re-released XX and debuted 2003's XIII. They have released two more albums since and welcomed Waylon as their new front man.