Big Head Todd and the Monsters

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Big Head Todd and the Monsters

Rock band

For the Record

The Colonel

Sister Sweetly Scores Platinum

Its a Beautiful World

Selected discography

Sources

Big Head Todd and the Monsters have inspired loyalty among their fans, most of whom admire their unpretentious attitude. Just like their fans, the Monsters are inspired by their love of music and dont aspire to be rock and roll stars. Even with that guy next door image, fans still put the band on a pedestal at times along with their other rock n roll heroes. The band has enjoyed a slow and steady ascent into stardom over the last elevenyears.

The group was formed by three friends who had known each other since their high school days, and they are led by Todd Mohr, who plays lead guitar as well as being the bands singer and songwriter. The monsters are Rob Rodeo Squires on bass and Brian Nevin on drums. The trio hails from Colorado and enjoys supergroup status there. The band started in Boulder as part of the college campus music scene and their first gigs were at fraternity parties and blues jam nights in local nightclubs. Locals have enjoyed watching the band grow from their early beginnings in 1986 to their current national status.

For the Record

Members include Todd Mohr, singer, lead guitar; Brian Nevin, drums; Rob Squires, bass.

Formed in Colorado, 1986; played locally and released two albums on their

label Big Records, Another Mayberry, 1989, and Midnight Radio, 1990; signed to Giant Records, released Sister Sweetly and Big Head Todd and the Monsters Live, 1993; Strategem was released on Giant, 1994; Beautiful World was released on Revolution Records, 1997.

Addresses: Record company Revolution Records, 8900 Wilshire Blvd, Suite 200 Beverly Hills, CA 90211.

The Monsters hold a special place in the heart of their Colorado fans and the band is very appreciative of the local support. Nevin explained the bands enthusiasm about playing in their home state in the Colorado Daily: I still feel like were a part of this community and to play here is different than playing any place elseits always like one big family reunion. In some senses, I think were in the right place at the right time. We want the musical popularity, but its a tough game. Follow your heart, and things will happen the way theyre supposed to. Thats always been our deal. Im glad weve had the opportunity to grow slowly and develop, as very few bands have the luxury of having the education weve had. But in the endits the music thats important.

The Colonel

The Monsters formed in 1986 and became a successful local group in the Denver area and soon built a loyal regional following across the Rocky Mountain States. The band paid their dues traveling the country in their van dubbed the Colonel. They accumulated many memories while logging 400,000 miles on the odometer of the Colonel. Their regional success was gradually expanding through the Midwest and the west coast. Mohr, remembering those early days, stated in an article on the bands website, I dont think its really unusual that we started in a van because everybody does. But what is unusual is the fact that we were in that van for probably seven years.

Their earliest fans were constantly pestering the band for a recording of their music. With their modest means the band formed Big records and released their first album, Another Mayberryin 1989. This was followed by Mid-night Radio in 1990, and both these independent releases carried the band to another level of success. Constant touring allowed the band to perfect and refine their live performance and this soon became known for passionate, inspiring live sets. The band released a live album called Big Head Todd and the Monsters Live that was recorded live at the 1993 H.O.R.D.E. festival.

Sister Sweetly Scores Platinum

The band reached the pinnacle of their success with the 1993 release of Sister Sweetly. Blessed with good timing and more national exposureincluding the H.O.R.D.E. tourthe album went platinum. Alternative music was breaking throughout the country, and radio stations and fans were eagerly looking for new sounds. The Monsters came to the fore, with their unusual name, solid talent, and smash new album. They rode the alternative wave to the top as Sister Sweetly continued to rise on the charts.

The financial and critical success of Sister Sweetly allowed the band more freedom to grow and change as musicians without the pressure to make a living. The album was followed by Stratagem which enjoyed less success than its predecessor, but nevertheless was well received. The band took a prolonged hiatus between albums, fueling unfounded rumors of a breakup.

Its a Beautiful World

For a band like Big Head Todd and the Monsters, working with your heroes and musical influences is a dream come true. That dream was realized by the band as they worked on their Beautiful World album. The album was recorded in Sausilito, California with producer Jerry Harrison. Harrison, ex-member of the Talking Heads and producer of many of the bands contemporaries such as Live, Crash Test Dummies and The Verve Pipe, brought some surprises into the studio.

During the early days of the band, they often performed the John Lee Hooker classic Boom, Boom. Unknown to the Monsters, Hooker was recording down the hall from them. Harrison arranged for the blues legend to sit in on the bands cover of the song. Bassist Rob Squires remembered in an article on the bands website, Hooker has just this incredible presence. He walked in the room and literally everybody was intimidated, including our producer and the people that work at the studio. His voice is just thunder, and when he started talking into the mike, everyone just lost it. A new collaboration of Boom, Boom was born.

The band claims many influences in the blues world, as well as soul, rock and funk. The bands name was inspired by bluesman Eddie Clean Head Vinson. They claim Albert Collins, Lightnin Hopkins, the Allman Brothers, Eric Clapton and the Grateful Dead as influences on their music. The band also worked with funk legend Bernie Worrell on the title track of Beautiful World, Worrell is the former keyboardist for funk supergroup, Parliament-Funkadelic. Squires told the Colorado Daily plans for the Beautiful Worldtour, Were playing soulful and funky stuff more. Well have more Hammond B-3 organ in the sound with Corey Mauser (formerly of the Ugly Americans) and well have Hazel (Miller) doing some singing We just found that when were playing on huge stages that a three-piece can feel really lost. Hopefully, the other players will give assistance in that area.

Selected discography

Another May berry, Big Records, 1989.

Midnight Radio, Big Records, 1990.

Sister Sweetly, Giant Records, 1993.

Big Head Todd and the Monsters Live, Giant Records, 1993.

Stratagem, Giant Records, 1994.

Beautiful World, Revolution Records, 1997.

Sources

Books

Robbins, IraA., editor, The Trouser Press Guide to 90s Rock, Simon and Schuster, New York, 1997.

Periodicals

Colorado Daily, June 12, 1996.

Rolling Stone, February 12, 1996

Online

http://www.bigheadtodd.com

http://www.revolution.com/bhtm/

Additional information for this profile was obtained from a February 3, 1997 interview with the band on America Online, and an appearance on the Conan OBrien show that aired on May 26, 1997.

Janet Smith