Mushroomhead – are one of the most unique and adventurous alternative metal bands working today. Known for their stunningly theatrical live show and artsy masks, this innovative band has forged new ground in the rock world and influenced many other bands to push the envelope and bring art into rock. Formed in the early-1990s in Cleveland Ohio, the band’s combination of metal, rock and atmospheric elements has struck a chord with thousands of fans worldwide.

Mushroomhead have been performing incognito since 1993, when drummer Skinny founded the band. The band was meant to be a side-project so they wore masks to go unrecognized, but after only a few shows they developed a rabid and loyal fan base in Cleveland. Mushroomhead released their 1995 self-titled debut album independently and it went on to became an underground hit. This was history in the making because the band really had no proper distribution. Superbuick followed in 1996 and M3 in 1999, all released via an underground street effort.

After the band felt its image and hyper-melodic, heavy style of music was being diluted by other bands jumping into this space, the band started to change their look to reflect nothing out there. After a brief stint on Eclipse Records, a move to Universal Records saw the release of XX (a combination of the past independent releases) in 2001 and XIII in 2003. The band’s last album sold over 200,000 units in the USA alone. Mushroomhead released Savior Sorrow for the pioneering rock label, Megaforce Records (Metallica, Anthrax, Ministry, Warren Haynes, Bad Brains) in 2006. Mushroomhead released “Beautiful Stories for Ugly Children” in the Fall of 2010 and it debuted at #44 on Billboard charts.

It can be said that Mushroomhead’s musical ascendance was a singular, original, aesthetic of eight guys decked out in matching jumpsuits and artsy masks, playing unbelievable, unsettling music. No other band was wearing masks and jumpsuits and purveying this type of ultra-melodic, ultra-dynamic music at the time – Mushroomhead sounded like nothing else. The band’s merging of metal, atmospheric elements, rock, and theatrics mixed with a punk DIY attitude has inspired and spawned other bands. Even though Mushroomhead’s music is rock-leaning in thought, the group remains firmly committed to pushing the envelope and trying new things.

Influences range from the driving rhythms and breakneck turns of Pantera, to the dark melodies of Faith No More, to the atmospheric stylings of Pink Floyd, but all done in Mushroomhead style.

In a world that seems to spiral further and further out of control every day, Kurt Deimer is just trying to create order in the chaos. 

“There’s too many people trying to tell everyone how to be today,” says Deimer, drawing on a cigarette and pausing before continuing his thought… “I’m just a simple guy. I support the people that make my life better, and I try to make their lives better in return. If we all just worried about that and not everything else that we can’t control, the world would be such a better place.”

Enter “Hero,” Deimer’s new single, and the follow-up to his debut EP Work Hard, Rock Hard, which was released in November 2021 and featured the single “Burn Together,” an acclaimed collaboration with former Queensryche frontman Geoff Tate. He sang about the ills of the 21st century on the EP and offered solutions instead of excuses. He promised change instead of cataclysm. And he delivered hope instead of hubris. In his new single, he casts a spotlight on the everyday people that make a difference in everyday life. 

 “I wrote ‘Hero’ to honor and thank all of the men and women who are frontline workers, first responders, and our military and our veterans,” explains Deimer. “Without them we could not live free, live safe, or be able to live peacefully in this world. I also wrote ‘Hero’ to point out that anyone can be a hero - your neighbor, the kids playing at the park, a co-worker. Everyday people. No matter where we are, the situation may arise to step up and be a hero. That is the essence of this song. Look deep inside, help others whenever you can, don’t be selfish, be kind, and be a hero.”

The video for “Hero” builds on that theme. “Director Paul Boyd came to hang at my Cincinnati studio, and I told him that I wanted the video to focus on real life heroes, which you see throughout the video. We shot Phil X with me in L.A. before he left for a Bon Jovi tour, and our producer Chris Lord-Alge even showed up for a cameo! Heroes are on call 24/7, and we wanted our video to have that same vibe. We show the heroes in color and our performance video in black and white - we’re the same color as newspaper print, and we are telling the story of heroes.” 

“I saw something completely different in Kurt, and that was the lure for me,” says Lord-Alge of his work with Deimer. “He isn’t a typical rock or country artist - I love hearing him talk and narrating a story, and I was drawn to taking those stories and helping turn them into music. He’s a personality, he’s someone you want to talk to, and his combination of narration and singing really works for me. He can tell a story as well as anyone I’ve ever worked with, and I love that we aren’t working within a certain format - I like being outside the box, that’s what makes it fun.”

“I’ve worked with so many artists on so many different levels, it’s nice to be in a situation where you feel full creative freedom, and that’s what I’ve found with Kurt Deimer,” says guitarist Phil X of their musical partnership. “It started with recording ‘full-on Phil X’ uncensored guitar parts and has evolved into writing music that would have never materialized if Kurt hadn’t sent me his lyrics in his style.”  

Despite making his mark in the business world, Deimer didn’t feel complete - so at an age when most people start thinking about slowing down, he started to speed up. Inspired by the artists that helped shape him - Boston, Lynyrd Skynyrd, Bob Marley and AC/DC, to name just a few - he started writing song lyrics. And inspired by his love of movies and acting roles in films including the 2018 ‘Halloween’ remake and John Travolta’s ‘Trading Paint,’ he filmed his feature length movie aimed to launch his ‘Hellbilly Hollow’ horror franchise and has recorded dozens of songs with Phil X and Lord-Alge. He is a Renaissance man of sorts, a beat poet for the modern age - a throwback to a simpler time when troubadours traveled the streets and sang about what inspired them. 

“When people listen to my music, I want to help them decompress and feel better after a brutal day. That’s what music always did for me, and that’s what we need more of today,” says the frontman, taking another long drag off his cigarette… “After a long, hard day of work, just come to my show and jam. We need this in our lives to fight the stress. We work hard all day, we deserve to rock hard.”