Tensions are boiling over in the masked world of Mushroomhead, as a legal battle has erupted between the band’s current lineup and one of its founding members. Jeffrey “Nothing” Hatrix, who lent his voice to the group from 1993 until 2018, has taken aim at fellow co-founder and drummer Steve “Skinny” Felton, along with their business venture, Filthy Hands Company, in a federal lawsuit. Hatrix alleges that Felton and the company have been stiffing him on royalties for years, leaving him out in the cold while the band continues to cash in. Interestingly, the band itself isn’t named in the lawsuit, just Felton and the business.
According to Cleveland.com, the suit was filed earlier this week in Cleveland’s federal court, with Hatrix claiming credits on 148 Mushroomhead tracks. But this isn’t just about unpaid royalties. Hatrix is accusing Felton of some seriously shady moves, like paying himself under multiple aliases and siphoning off cash through an “unknown” publicist and writer supposedly on the payroll.
Hatrix is going after $3.5 million and demanding a peek into the band’s financial records. And as if things couldn’t get messier, it looks like the group let their trademark on their iconic double X logo lapse. Not one to miss an opportunity, Hatrix swooped in with a trademark application for the logo on August 1st. So far, it’s still up in the air whether he’ll get it.
This legal drama comes right as Mushroomhead is out on the road, touring in support of their latest release, Call The Devil, which dropped on August 9th. Here’s where you can catch them in the coming days:
08/15 Sulingen, GER – Reload Festival
08/16 Moravsky Krumlov, CZE – Rock Castle
08/17 Warsaw, POL – Proxima (feat. Silenzer)
08/18 Krakow, POL – Kwadrat (feat. Silenzer)
08/19 Berlin, GER – Cassiopeia (feat. Silenzer)
And later this fall, they’ll be hitting the U.S. with Upon A Burning Body, There Is No Us, and Mind Incision:
10/04 Buffalo, NY – Rec Room
10/05 Hampton Beach, NH – Wally’s
10/06 Worcester, MA – Palladium Upstairs
10/08 Leesburg, VA – Tally Ho
10/09 Sayreville, NJ – Starland Ballroom
10/10 Lititz, PA – Mickey’s Black Box
10/12 Pittsburgh, PA – Preserving Underground
10/13 Cincinnati, OH – Bogarts
10/15 Grand Rapids, MI – The Intersection
10/16 Belvidere, IL – Apollo Theater
10/18 Green Bay, WI – Epic Events Center
10/19 Joliet, IL – The Forge
10/20 Milwaukee, WI – The Rave
10/22 Moline, IL – The Rust Belt
10/23 Bloomington, IL – Castle Theater
10/24 Columbus, OH – The King of Clubs (no Upon A Burning Body)
10/25 Flint, MI – Machine Shop
10/26 Cleveland, OH – Agora Theater (Halloween Show) (no Upon A Burning Body)
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