Mushroomhead | Interview

Story by Jacob Fricke 

| Published Dec 7, 2010

In a world where masked men playing heavy metal isn’t quite as rare as one might imagine, Mushroomhead is constantly struggling to stay at the head of the pack.

When combined with a passion for the holidays, it is nearly impossible to tell what will happen.

The band will be performing Monday promoting their new album, “Beautiful Stories for Ugly Children.” Additionally, the show will be as close to a Christmas show as fans can expect.

“I love the holidays,” keyboardist Tom Schmitz said. “And I personally will call it Christmas with Christ, not with an X. That’s my preference, the guys can have whatever preference they want as well. I don’t mess with the holidays.”

He warns fans not to expect anything too crazy, however.

“That’ll be our closest thing to a Christmas show but we’re not going to go with Santa suits or anything this year,” Schmitz said.

Known in character as Shmotz, Schmitz said the band is ready to take on critics in the never ending quest for respect in the music industry. Twenty years into his music career, he is used to the challenges presented by a changing music industry and a rabid but demanding fan base.

Of interest during the holiday season is the sharp contrast between the images and music Mushroomhead produces and their actual beliefs.

“Jesus would dig this record, if I asked him,” Schmitz said. “He’s cool and pretty open minded. (Our album) doesn’t openly praise Jesus. It maybe openly doesn’t, but don’t judge a book by it’s cover.”

Classifying the band’s music has always been a point of contention for music critics, something Schmitz takes pride in. They’ve been called “alternative” until they switched that to “nu metal” and now they’re’re back to just “metal,” Schmitz said, “It depends who you ask.”

Still, that’s ultimately not what is on Schmitz’s mind. The primary focus is the band.

“I’m not going to sit here and act like I’m saving the world,” Schmitz said, “because we know we’re not doing that. But we put smiles on faces, and it’s one of the best jobs anyone could ever ask for.”

And as far as the holidays goes, Schmitz has a different plan.

“I think all the masked bands (Mushroomhead, GWAR, Slipknot, Lordi) should do a gift exchange,” Schmitz said. “It would be something that Rolling Stone might want to cover. It’s an awfully good idea. There are no current plans, but we’re going to talk about it now.”