Mushroomhead comes to Kent

Submitted photo

Submitted photo

Kate Kelly

Mushroomhead, a heavy metal band straight out of Cleveland, is coming to JB’s Friday at 7 p.m.

Mushroomhead has a full night planned with opening performances by Wixor, Gemini Syndrome, Final Trigger and Society’s Plague. JB’s, a music venue in downtown Kent, is expecting a full house.

“The night is always a good turn out when Mushroomhead comes to JB’s,” said Jimmy Tribuzzo, owner of JB’s. “They always draw in quite a crowd.”

Mushroomhead’s shows are theatrical performances with artsy masks and matching jumpsuits. Many of the band’s music videos and videos of live performances show the band members hanging from the rafters and the audience members dancing in mosh pits.

“I guess we try to have the most controlled chaos as possible,” said Rick “Stitch” Thomas, a Mushroomhead member. “The music is only half of what we do. We’re all about high energy.”

The band got its start in 1993 in Cleveland. Over its two decades of producing music, Mushroomhead’s Facebook said the band has “forged new ground in the rock world and influenced many other bands to push the envelope and bring art into rock.”

Mushroomhead’s last album “Beautiful Stories for Ugly Children” sold over 200,000 units in the United States alone. The album debuted at No. 44 on Billboard charts.

“It’s hard to classify our music,” Thomas said. “There is a lot of heaviness and keyboard, and the music is all around the map. When people ask me, I just tell them it’s a mixture of Pink Floyd and Pantera. Those are the best two comparisons I can think of.”

Many members have been in and out of the band since its start, but currently seven members make up the band and all play multiple roles in the band.

“We all have different style and music influence that brings Mushroomhead together,” Thomas said. “We all do our own thing; that’s how you get this different hybrid that is hard to classify, something you just have to see.”

Tribuzzo said they will be continuing their tradition by selling “Shroom Bombs,” a shot mixed with Jägermeister, when Mushroomhead performs at JB’s.

“We like to drink and hang out with the crowd after the show if it doesn’t get too crazy,” Thomas said. “But, you can definitely find us somewhere after the show signing merchandise and hanging out with fans, if people recognize us without our masks.”

Tickets are $20 online at www.ticketweb.com. The public can also purchase tickets at the Brewhouse Pub, located right next to JB’s in downtown Kent, anytime before the concert. On the day of the show, tickets can be purchased for $25 at the door.

Contact Kate Kelly at [email protected].