Mushroomhead to play at Ushuaia Friday night

Ohio band could be venue's 'best' rock show yet

By Zach Dionne

Posted on Nov. 02, 2006, at 12:00 a.m.

University of Maine students dressed up all weekend to enjoy Halloween parties on and off campus. They dressed up again Tuesday for the big night itself. But tomorrow, Nov. 3, Mushroomhead will keep the Halloween spirit alive at Ushuaia for one more night. The seven-piece band from Cleveland, Ohio have been around for over a decade, always donning surreal masks and makeup for live shows.

Alex Gray, owner of Ushuaia, said that Mushroomhead “might be the best rock show that [he has] seen at Ushuaia,” adding that they “bring in a huge light show with a professional lighting director.”

Supporting Mushroomhead will be Soil, Brand New Sin and The Autumn Offering.

“Soil is very good even with the loss of their front man to Drowning Pool, and Brand New Sin seems like the best band that has come to Ushuaia in the past few years,” Gray said.

Mushroomhead features audio samples, keyboards and two vocalists, as well as the standard drummer, guitarist and bassist. Jeffrey Popson, better known as J. Mann in the group’s history, was a founding member and one of the two vocalists. His departure in 2004 was well-publicized, and a replacement was eventually found in Waylon Reavis. Reavis was chosen not only due to his friendship with the band, but also because his vocal style is strikingly similar to Popson’s.

“I was a bit skeptical about the new singer, but as soon as the songs started and Waylon did his thing, I decided he was a great replacement,” Jesse Potter said. Potter, a Husson College student and long-time Mushroomhead fan, saw the group for the first time at the State Theater in Portland in August of 2005. “The show was great. The stage show was full of props, strobe lights, and smoke machines. [Reavis] sounded a lot like [J. Mann] and also added a mix of his own style,” Potter said.

Mushroomhead is touring to support the release of their album, “Savior Sorrow,” through Megaforce Records. It is their first album since 2003′s “XIII.”

Tickets for the all-ages show are $20, and doors open at 8 p.m.

This entry was posted on Thursday, November 2nd, 2006, 12:00 am. You can follow any responses to this article through the RSS feed.