Big Head Todd takes a career turn

By John Wenzel
Denver Post Staff Writer
06.01.2007

Todd Park Mohr of Big Head Todd and the Monsters.
The best acts stay in the fickle musical spotlight by moving as it does- the irony being that fixtures only remain fixtures by constantly changing.
Before bands like the Fray and DeVotchKa captured national attention, Big Head Todd & the Monsters defined Colorado music for many. The modern rock group's continued relevance testifies to its forward thinking and impressive commitment to fans.
True, it hasn't produced a mainstream hit like the platinum-selling "Sister Sweetly" since 1993, but its constant touring, innovative use of podcasts and prolific creativity have cemented a hard-core base.
The 22-year-old band plays Red Rocks Amphitheatre on Saturday before returning to its packed touring schedule, which takes it around the country through September.
"Things are just really jelling for us right now," said singer-guitarist Todd Park Mohr. "We've had a busy year and played a lot of shows. We have a lot of new music cycling through the band, and we're at the stage where we have over a hundred songs to choose from for our set list."
Mohr's repertoire only will grow as he and bandmates Brian Nevin (drums) and Rob Squires (bass) finish the album they're recording in Los Angeles. The band also chose to work with a producer for the first time in 10 years. Grammy winner and former Rick Rubin partner David Bianco's credits include Mick Jagger, Ozzy Osbourne, John Hiatt and dozens of others.
"Our experiences with producers have always been difficult just because of the situation with record labels, but David is just superb," Mohr said. "He brings a lot of new perspective and is really a smart songwriter as well."
The band has released music on its own label in the past and operated proudly outside the music industry, but it's now in discussions with major labels to issue the new disc. Mohr hopes it will see light this autumn.
The band also shows up in the pilot of an upcoming reality TV show about producing records. "Sessions with Alan Parsons" features the famed producer/musician in the studio with national acts. It will likely debut on the Discovery Channel in the fall, but Mohr isn't focusing his attention on such distant horizons. More pressing is the Red Rocks show, his group's third annual fundraising event.
Past shows have drummed up $6,000 for Boy's and Girl's Clubs of Denver and $11,000 for Rocky Mountain MS Center. This year Mohr estimated they've already raised $17,000 in pre-sales for Children's Hospital autism program.
"We've found it to be an easy way to raise money without taxing people because it's a voluntary donation," Mohr said.
The group also will debut a handful of newer songs at Red Rocks, although the most avid fans already will be familiar with them through the group's Big Head Toddcasts.
The monthly podcasts are a clearinghouse for demos, live material and unreleased tracks, giving fans an inside (and more important, free) glimpse of the band. Mohr long has been a proponent of free digital distribution, embracing the Internet in all its potentially thorny permutations.
"My compositions show up there first before anything else," Mohr said. "It's kind of neat because people get to see them develop over time. I'm looking forward to making that thing grow."
He sees the Internet as one big radio station, good for the creative side of music but not necessarily the industry. Major labels peg plummeting CD sales on illegal peer-to-peer file sharing, but Mohr feels bands willing to go with the flow will discover a great promotional tool.
"The fact is people can listen to whatever they want to whenever they want to," he said. "It's just a technological change that computers brought about that we have to face. I see it as a way to spread your new music around."
Apparently so do the thousands in Big Head Todd's ever expanding fan club.