Hailing from Denver, Big Head Todd and the Monsters (their name is a tribute to blues artist, Eddie "Clean Head" Vinson), includes Todd Mohr (guitar, lead vocals, harmonica, keyboard), Brian Nevin (percussion), and Rob Squires (bass), broke into the limelight after touring with the HORDE festival.
Now Big Head Todd is back, touring with fellow HORDE members, The Dave Matthews Band.
When they were virtually unknown, they traveled 250,000 miles a year in a 1977 Plymouth van, playing any club they could, in an effort to gain national popularity. They eventually signed with Giant Records, but even with a major label, and a real tour bus, they still prefer small venues.
Although Big Head Todd only recently found fame, they already have an impressive string of accomplishments. Their first major label release, "Sister Sweetly"went Gold in 1993. In the last 18 months, Big Head Todd placed three singles in the AOR Top Ten, performed on the David Letterman show, opened for Robert Plant, and headlined four sold-out tours where Sheryl Crow and 4 Non-Blondes opened.
Their most recent album, "Stratagem," is an upbeat, yet contemplative, album that offers an entrance into a world of clashing values and desires. "The 'empty hand' is a theme that runs through the album. It's about achieving the void, being removed from desire" said Mohr.
Despite Big Head Todd's growing following, their complex, genre-specific, "thinking man's rock" remains confined to a cult audience. Fans prefer this decidedly non-MTV route that the band has taken, and leader Mohr intends to preserve that feel. "I'll do anything I can to avoid being a TV celebrity."
