Big Head Todd and The Monsters (from the album Her Way Out on Big Records)

Big Head Todd and The Monsters (from the album Her Way Out on Big Records)

Big Head Todd and The Monsters (from the album Her Way Out on Big Records) (by Lee Zimmerman)

Big Head Todd and The Monsters have paid their dues the hard way — that is, via constant touring, steadily building a legion of fans, and releasing a dozen albums over the course of a prodigious 40-year career. The band — consisting of Todd Park Mohr (vocals, guitar, keys, sax, harmonica), Brian Nevin (drums), Rob Squires (bass, vocals), and Jeremy Lawton (keyboards, lap pedal-steel guitar, vocals) —have continued to excel on both stage and in the studio, providing a crossover appeal that’s bolstered their popularity on both fronts. They also secured their standing in the cosmos when they performed their song "Blue Sky" live from NASA Mission Control to the Space Station.

That said, the band doesn’t rely on any sort of pretension whatsoever. The music is mostly straight ahead Rock’n’Roll, a passionate display of fully fueled revelry unabashedly expressed via such songs as “Her Way Out”, “Thunderbird”, “Rainbow Girl”, “King King”, “My New Number One”, and “Glorious Full Moon”. The focus falls on upbeat and emphatic barnburners powered by relentless riffing and hard rock happenstance. It holds to a tempestuous template throughout, with a certain populist proviso encased within each of those offerings as well. It’s all shored up by a drive and determination meant to get a stadium sized crowd waving their cell phones in unison while a host of air guitarists punctuate the proceedings with poise and posturing. The energy and intensity are fully affected and ignited, as befitting a band with an impressive pedigree.
That’s not to say the band abandons melody in the process. “Into the Light” and “Don’t Kill Me Tonight” are built on a steady stride and a compelling clarity that makes the music all the more memorable in terms of the exacting execution. Still, Big Head Todd and The Monsters remain, at their core, crowd-pleasing, irrepressible agitators and insurgents. It’s that spirit that finds Her Way Out winning out in a decidedly upbeat and emphatic way. (by Lee Zimmerman)
Listen and buy the music of Big Head Todd and The Monsters from AMAZON
For more info, check out the Big Head Todd and The Monsters website