BIWFY / TWWFNO / Sour Lemon / Violet Street / Sunlit Youth / Hummingbird / Gorilla Manor

Big Head Todd and The Monsters have persisted as a rare force of nature in rock ‘n’ roll. The platinum-selling Colorado quartet—Todd Park Mohr [vocals, guitar, keys, sax, harmonica], Brian Nevin [drums, percussion], Rob Squires [bass, vocals], and Jeremy Lawton [guitar, keys, vocals, steel guitar]—have consistently churned out undeniable and often uplifting anthems fueled by a hybrid of no-nonsense hard rock, simmering soul, dyed-in-the-wool blues, and a twist of country. Akin to your favorite classic automobile, their influence and imprint only widen over time, selling out even bigger venues and enrapturing new eras of fans with every passing year. These cats have always paved their own lane. Todd, Brian, and Rob started playing music together while still in high school during the early eighties. Becoming Big Head Todd and The Monsters during 1986, that lane has twisted and turned just as much as Highway 66. Following a quiet D.I.Y. rise, the group shook the mainstream with 1993’s now-classic platinum-certified Sister Sweetly. In its wake, Robert Plant tapped the band to open his Fate of Nations Tour. Following Strategem [1994], they unveiled Beautiful World [1997] highlighted by a cover of “Boom Boom” [feat. John Lee Hooker]—which notably became the theme song for NCIS: New Orleans. They welcomed Jeremy to the fold in 2001. After penning “Blue Sky” at the urging of friends connected to NASA, they notably performed the song live from Mission Control as an interplanetary wakeup call for astronauts on the shuttle. Along the way, the guys joined B.B. King for a “Crossroads” session and toured with blues heroes a la Hubert Sumlin and David “Honeyboy” Edwards. They have headlined Red Rocks Amphitheatre a staggering 35 times. Recognizing “38 years of continuous musical service to fans,” the Colorado Music Hall of Fame inducted the quartet as part of its “Class of 2023.” Now, they’ve crafted the perfect soundtrack to this journey in the form of their 12th full-length offering, Thunderbird.

Daniel Paz 13 is following