Big Head Todd and the Monsters embraces changing industry and the music
“Monsters Music Monthly” perfectly sums up the latest concept from Big Head Todd and the Monsters.
The rock quartet has been around for 33 years and has released 12 albums since forming in Boulder, Colo. But the group has noticed that it’s a singles-driven world. Since November, Big Head Todd has dropped a single a month via “Monsters Music Monthly.”
“We’re written and released four new songs so far in this manner and we really like it,” vocalist-guitarist Todd Mohr says while calling from St. Paul, Minn.
“We have decided to release a free single and a video by the first of each month,” Mohr said. “It’s a great way to communicate with our fans. The downside of an album is that sometimes the 12th song on an album will not be heard. But this way our fans will hear every song we put out. I’m not saying we’ll never release another album but we really like the singles format. We’re adapting and it’s all good. We’ve never been one of those bands that does one thing and that’s it.”
The jam band, which also includes bassist Rob Squires, keyboardist Jeremy Lawton and drummer Brian Nevin, has made a name for itself, courtesy of an amalgam of rock, blues and a bit of jazz tossed into the mix. They will perform at The Ritz in Raleigh on March 7.
“We’ve never been about one genre,” Mohr says. “It’s always been about music. We all love different styles of music. For us, it’s healthier to have an ‘anything goes’ type of situation. Everything we’ve done with this band has been organic. I can’t imagine being in a band in which something is forced. We play the kind of music that we grew up loving to play. It’s never been about trying to write a hit. It’s about going back to what moved us to be musicians in the first place.”
Mohr, 53, came of age in Denver during the ‘70s and embraced Led Zeppelin and Jimi Hendrix. “That kind of music just spoke to me,” Mohr says. “It just hit me right in the gut. It was so powerful and it still is so powerful. Listen to a Hendrix song and it’s so amazing and timeless. That goes for the hits and the deep cuts. Led Zeppelin’s music is still incredible. They were so amazing and so crazy popular.”
Mohr is fine with Big Head Todd and the Monsters not being a household name like Zeppelin. “It makes things easier,” Mohr says. “There are about four songs we have to play every night and I’m fine with that. I would never pass on playing the songs people want to hear. The fans come out for songs like ‘Broken Hearted Savior’ and ‘Circle’ and that’s fine. We’ll play those favorites and then we have 12 songs to play whatever we want. We can play fun covers or whatever moves us.”
Mohr, Squires and Nevin have been friends since high school a generation ago. “I think that makes us a better band,” Mohr says. “We have a long history and we’re on the same page. We’ve been doing this for such a long time and we have many years ahead of us I hope.”
Details
Who: Big Head Todd and the Monsters
When: 7:30 p.m. March 7
Where: The Ritz, 2820 Industrial Drive, Raleigh
Cost: $27.
Info: 919-424-1400 or ritzraleigh.com