MSM 90s: Jump Around, GMANE
8/30/26
By Monica Collier
The Muscle Shoals Meets the 90s concert had a pretty epic beginning sequence of performances that Saturday night in early August at Renaissance Shoals Conference Center.
First, Russell Mefford kicked off the show with the Stone Temple Pilot's "Interstate Love Song." Next up, Mitch Mann and the Shoals Strings did The Verve's "Bittersweet Symphony." Then, Cissy Guin's version of Melissa Etheridge's "Come to My Window" and Steve Vickery's rendition of Live's "Lightning Crashes" were both surprise favorites of mine. What happened next in the fifth slot of the lineup absolutely blew me away.
Sure, MSM artist and song pairings consistently surprise me. Usually my MSM "surprise" moments come because one of my favorite local artists does the seemingly impossible by making me actually like a song that I historically hate. That night, though, was the first time I was truly shocked by a setlist choice.
Y'all! GMANE performing House of Pain's 1992 Grammy-nominated anthem, "Jump Around," really did happen and I was shocked in the best way possible. It wasn't a dream. I repeat: That GMANE 'pinch me' MSM dream performance was real.
In that moment in time when "Jump Around's" iconic intro filled the room, my eyes were wide as saucers. I looked to my son, Jared, with a raised brow/questioning look and we shared a 'what the what(???)' moment. MSM friends, I was in blissful shock. I shook my head in disbelief as GMANE -- with Russell Mefford by his side -- launched into the opening bar of "Jump Around."
Holy smokes, y'all. What an epic MSM moment. I'm so glad I had no clue one of my all-time favorite artists, the one and only legendary GMANE, was going to perform one of my forever go-to kick my butt into gear anthems. What a next level surprise performance. I never sing at concerts, friends (no one paid to hear me), but I couldn't resist spitting those rhymes that night.
Thinking about it now still has me feeling all dumbfounded. I was in the same room with GMANE -- the Godfather of Shoals Hip Hop -- performing "Jump Around." It was three glorious minutes of me absolutely losing my mind in a very over the top 1990s fangirl sort of way.
I had some short girl challenges that night, friends, so I'm not exactly sure what was happening on stage. I know Russell was giving support vocals and I assume our fantastic MSM horns -- Brad Guin, Drew White, and Ricky Burks -- were blowing magic into the song's iconic Irish vibe. I think Eddie Martin and Malcolm Singleton were on background vocals, too. Regardless of the details of how it went down, the performance was everything. EVERYTHING.
OK. Y'all. I'll stop now. I could talk about GMANE all day. Spoiler alert: We'll talk more about GMANE later. He was the only MSM artist to take the spotlight twice.
Stay tuned. More to come.
Dig Worms.
Photo by Devona Hawkins
