Big Head Todd and the Monsters, Still Rockin'

Denver-based quartet Big Head Todd and the Monsters has been entertaining audiences across the country since 1986.

With its catchy brand of alt-rock that combines rock and blues, the band has been among fan’s favorites for a number of years.

The group still tours to strong audiences throughout the country even though it hasn’t had the widespread commercial success seen by other groups from the same time period.

Hermosa Beach is among stops for Big Head Todd and the Monsters this month, with a at .

As part of their first tour of the country in three years, the band members have a special surprise for fans in six select cities: they will be performing their breakthrough album, 1990’s Midnight Radio, in its entirety.

Unfortunately for fans in the South Bay, Hermosa Beach isn’t one of those select cities. However, that doesn’t mean frontman Todd Park Mohr doesn’t enjoy the area.

"There’s just a cool vibe along the outside towns on the California coast," Mohr said. "I think that’s where the people are. We can obviously play in L.A. periodically but I like being able to get to the smaller, cooler towns."

Forming as a trio at Columbine High School, Todd Park Mohr (guitar and vocals) and friends Brian Nevin (drums and vocals) and Rob Squires (bass and vocals) started rocking at a young age. 

After high school, Mohr attended Colorado State University and transferred to the University of Colorado to join Nevin and Squires. The trio started touring in Denver, Fort Collins, and Boulder beginning in 1987 and haven’t looked back since.

"I’m so fortunate that I can still do this," Mohr said about his music career.

Just because the band hasn’t toured in a few years, doesn’t mean life hasn’t been busy. The band released Rocksteady in 2010, and Mohr and the group still play shows at Red Rocks near their home in Denver.

The band last year took its boldest step yet; recording an album of Robert Johnson covers in honor of what would have been the legendary bluesman’s 100th birthday.

"Nobody else seemed to be doing anything, so it seemed like a great idea to pay tribute to him," Mohr said. "Honestly, I wasn’t really familiar with his music before this project. I was more of a ‘60s electric blues guy, so it’s been a fascinating learning curve for me to discover what a treasure delta blues was."

With bluesmen such as B.B. King, Charlie Musselwhite and Hubert Sumlin featured on the record, the band morphed into the Big Head Blues Club—a new style of music it may not have discovered before.

Now the band continues to follow its tour, which spans several months crossing the country. "It’s obviously a great tribute to our music that people are still supporting us," Mohr said.

Carefully contrived, the band has chosen to shun playing in L.A., preferring to play at Saint Rocke instead.

"The difference is the crowds in Hollywood are stale," Mohr explained. "Most of the crowds up there are touristy and aren’t there for the music. The scene there isn’t, well, there. It’s more fun to play in places that feel like a community and that’s what makes the coast so enticing."