Big Head Todd & the Monsters are more than a catchy name. In fact, “Big Head Todd” (frontman Todd Mohr Park) really does exist. Park isn’t the only one who has earned the right to have a big head. The entire band has a right to brag with the release of the band’s new disc “Beautiful World” and a spot on 97’s H.O.R.D.E tour. BHTM’s current sound is a harder-edged step up from the band’s previous releases. With five full-length LP’s since 1989, one would think the band spends day and night in the studio. The truth is, they have charted more than 1,300 live dates in their 1978 Plymouth touring van they’ve dubbed “The Colonel.” On August 8, BHTM played the Big Mountain Amphitheater. The crowd stayed through numerous rain showers and unusual 40 degree temperatures to hear the band perform. Keyboardist Corey Mauser and backup vocalist Hazel Miller, along with Park, bassist Rob Squires and drummer Brian Nevin, skillfully showcased songs from “Beautiful World” and mixed in other songs from the bands previous releases “Sister Sweetly” and “Strategem.” “Beautiful World” produces a rock sound with a strong blues presence. That presence is most evident on “Boom Boom,” where the band collaborates with blues legend John Lee Hooker. The song sounds as close to a classic Chicago blues tune as a 1990s Colorado rock band can hope to get. BHTM had been covering the song for years, but when Hooker wanted to collaborate on the song, BHTM had their chance to shine. Big Head Todd & The Monsters don’t want to be rock stars — if they did, they would have disappeared long ago. They may never conquer the Top 40, but they really don’t seem to care. After all, they have made it this far in the musical ocean, on their underground wave of popularity. |
