Michael Mushok (born April 10, 1970) is an American musician best known as the lead guitarist for the

nu metal Nu metal (sometimes stylized as nü-metal, sometimes called aggro-metal) is a subgenre of that combines elements of heavy metal music with elements of other music genres such as hip hop, alternative rock, funk, industrial, and grunge. Nu met ...

band

Staind Staind ( ) is an American rock band from Springfield, Massachusetts, formed in 1995. The original lineup consisted of lead vocalist and rhythm guitarist Aaron Lewis, lead guitarist Mike Mushok, bassist and backing vocalist Johnny April, and dr ...

. He is a member of supergroup

Saint Asonia Saint Asonia (stylized as SΔINT ΔSONIΔ) is a Canadian-American rock supergroup consisting of lead vocalist and rhythm guitarist Adam Gontier, lead guitarist Mike Mushok, bassist and backing vocalist Cale Gontier, and drummer Cody Watkins. ...

and played in the band

Newsted Newsted (stylized as NEWSTƎD) was an American heavy metal band formed in October 2012. The lineup consisted of former Metallica, Flotsam and Jetsam and Voivod member Jason Newsted on lead vocals and bass, drummer Jesus Mendez, Jr., guitari ...

Life and career

Mushok was born in

Ludlow, Massachusetts Ludlow is a New England town in Hampden County, Massachusetts, Hampden County, Massachusetts, United States. The population was 21,002 as of the 2020 2020 United States Census, census, and it is considered part of the Springfield Springfield me ...

on April 10, 1970. He formed Staind in

Springfield, Massachusetts Springfield is a city in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, United States, and the seat of Hampden County. Springfield sits on the eastern bank of the Connecticut River near its confluence with three rivers: the western Westfield River, the ...

in 1995 with

Aaron Lewis Aaron Lewis (born April 13, 1972) is an American musician who is best known as the lead vocalist, rhythm guitarist and founding member of the nu metal band Staind, with whom he released seven studio albums. Since 2010, he has pursued a solo ca ...

, Johnny April, and Jon Wysocki. In 1997, before Staind was set to perform an opening concert set, headlining band

Limp Bizkit Limp Bizkit is an American rap rock band from Jacksonville, Florida. Its lineup consists of lead vocalist Fred Durst, drummer John Otto, guitarist Wes Borland, turntablist DJ Lethal and bassist Sam Rivers. The band's music is marked by D ...

's frontman

Fred Durst William Frederick Durst (born August 20, 1970) is an American rapper, singer, songwriter, actor, and director. He is the frontman and lyricist of the nu metal band Limp Bizkit, formed in 1994, with whom he has released seven studio albums. He ap ...

confronted them regarding seemingly Satanic cover artwork on their debut album '' Tormented''. The band convinced Durst that the image did not convey devil worship and their performance that evening impressed him enough that he signed them to Flip Records. Staind released the albums ''Dysfunction'' in 1999, ''

Break the Cycle ''Break the Cycle'' is the third studio album by American rock band Staind, released through Elektra Entertainment and Flip Records in 2001. It is Staind's most successful album to date and was the album that broke them into the mainstream. It ...

'' in 2001, ''

14 Shades of Grey ''14 Shades of Grey'' is the fourth studio album by American rock band Staind, released on May 20, 2003. The album continues to develop a post-grunge sound seen on the band's previous album ''Break the Cycle'', though the songs on ''14 Shades of ...

'' in 2003, ''Chapter V'' in 2005, '' The Singles: 1996–2006'' in 2006, ''

The Illusion of Progress ''The Illusion of Progress'' is the sixth studio album by American rock band Staind. It was released on August 19, 2008. ''The Illusion of Progress'' was produced by Johnny K and recorded in lead singer Aaron Lewis's home studio. It debuted at N ...

'' in 2008, and their self-titled album in 2011 before going on hiatus in 2012. In 2014, Staind began to tour again briefly before going on a second hiatus. They reunited for a one-off set in August 2017 and again on an ongoing basis in September 2019. In 2013, Mushok joined heavy metal band

, fronted by former

Metallica Metallica is an American heavy metal band. The band was formed in 1981 in Los Angeles by vocalist/guitarist James Hetfield and drummer Lars Ulrich, and has been based in San Francisco for most of its career. The band's fast tempos, instrume ...

bassist

Jason Newsted Jason Curtis Newsted (born March 4, 1963) is an American musician who was the bassist of heavy metal band Metallica from 1986 to 2001. He first performed with thrash metal band Flotsam and Jetsam from 1981 to 1986 before joining Metallica to su ...

. After Newsted disbanded in 2014, and while Lewis pursued a solo career, Mushok joined

in 2015.

Personal life

Mushok is married and has two children.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Mushok, Mike Living people 1970 births Guitarists from Massachusetts People from Ludlow, Massachusetts Lead guitarists Alternative metal musicians American heavy metal musicians Alternative metal guitarists Staind members 21st-century American guitarists Saint Asonia members