(NEWTON, NJ) -- Big Head Todd and The Monsters bring their tour to The Newton Theatre on Saturday, January 28, 2023 at 8:00pm. The band has quietly become an American institution following three and a half decades of writing, recording and touring.
After countless sold out shows in amphitheaters and on the high seas, beaming their tunes to outer space (literally), earning the endorsement of everyone from Robert Plant to The Denver Broncos, and tallying tens of millions of streams, Big Head Todd and The Monsters cite the friendships formed in the crowd among their proudest accomplishments. Fast forward to now and the 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]—continue to unite audiences.
Mohr and Nevin first crossed paths in high school jazz band circa 1982. Soon, the guys started to jam in Nevin’s basement also joined by Squires. Sweat-soaked house party gigs and talent shows followed until they became a fixture on the bar circuit. Adopting the moniker Big Head Todd & The Monsters, they served up their independent debut “Another Mayberry in 1989” and “Midnight Radio in 1990” to critical acclaim, setting the stage for their seminal 1993 breakout “Sister Sweetly”. Powered by staples “Broken Hearted Savior,” “It’s Alright” and “Bittersweet,” it eventually went platinum, and they supported Plant on tour.
At the time, Variety hailed Mohr as “a soulful singer and nimble lead guitarist,” while The Los Angeles Times claimed, “Mohr, who has a voice like smoke, writes great songs that incorporates blues, folk, rock and country, which sounds sort of like, well, Big Head Todd and the Monsters.” Throughout the next decade, the group presented fan favorites such as“Strategem” [1994] and “Beautiful World” [1997]. The latter yielded the cover of “Boom Boom” [feat. John Lee Hooker], which famously served as the theme to “NCIS: New Orleans”.
Tickets range from $45-$70 and are available for purchase online as of Friday, October 28 at 10:00am. The Newton Theatre is located at 234 Spring Street, Newton, New Jersey.