By: David Schultz

Over the course of his career, "Big Head" Todd Park Mohr has assumed the role of a freedom fighter, resigned superman, blues conquistador and, most endearingly, a broken hearted savior. On their 2006 winter tour, Big Head Todd & The Monsters are taking the opportunity to revel in the enduring quality of their music, reviving treasured but infrequently played songs from their catalogue while unfailingly offering reenergized versions of songs that have been live staples for close to two decades.

While ably backed by long-time Monsters, bassist Rob Squires and drummer Brian Nevin, Todd Park Mohr remains the attraction. Whether offering naked emotion on "Tomorrow Never Comes" and "Please Don’t Tell Her," bruised soul on "Julianna" and "Resignation Superman," swampy blues takes on "Dirty Juice" and "Love Transmission" or just stepping back to let the guitar solos fly during "Conquistador" and "Circle," Mohr's versatility shows why his name deserves top billing on the marquee. This past Friday, an expanded version of the Monsters accompanied Mohr at their annual appearance at New York City's Irving Plaza. In addition to the usual Monsters, keyboardist Jeremy Lawton and singer Hazel Miller joined the Colorado trio, flushing out the group's soulful, bluesy sound. A long-time collaborator with BHT, Miller's stage presence rivals Mohr's, especially when she emerges from her back-up role to take over BHT chestnuts "It’s Alright" and "Tower" with a voice and musical acumen American Idol contestants would kill for. A strong counterpoint to Mohr's soulful, gravelly voice, Miller punctuated the more contemplative songs and brought a Koko Taylor bombast to funkier, bluesy numbers like "Sister Sweetly." Lawton's efforts on the Hammond organ added a different layer, bringing depth to some of BHT's well-traveled songs like "Broken Hearted Savior."

Despite the absence of a new album to promote, BHT didn't confine the show to greatest hits and deep album cuts. Utilizing their web site as more than just an informational tool, the band has been releasing new music through "Toddcasts" since the end of 2005. Subverting the traditional CD release formula, BHT has considerably shortened the process between recording new songs and getting them to their fans. Consequently, Friday night's performances of "Under A Silvery Moon" and "Cashbox" were not met with the relative unfamiliarity greeting most unreleased tracks.

Mohr and the Monsters covered material from all phases of their career, going back as far as Another Mayberry's "Flander's Field" which Mohr proudly informed the crowd was "the first song on our first album." With the exception of "Dinner With Ivan" and the requisite version of "Bittersweet," the 2 hour set contained little from the underrated Midnight Radio. Otherwise, the show touched evenly on BHT's seven studio albums, offering familiar renditions of their concert standards with the exception of a revelatory Allman Brothers "Midnight Rider"-esque arrangement of "Turn The Light Out." The only misstep of the evening disappointingly came during the most anticipated moment of any BHT show, the guitar solo that caps off their biggest hit "Bittersweet." Instead of taking a moment before launching in to the signature guitar solo, the band essentially brings the song to a halt. While it would be cruel to demand the Monsters slavishly reproduce "Bittersweet" in an identical fashion for years on end, the interminable pause, leading you to believe the song has concluded, doesn't build anticipation as much as it kills momentum.

Big Head Todd's winter tour will continue through the middle of March, concluding at Atlanta's Fox Theater on March 11. The band will not rest though. Picking up on one of the newer trends in music, the Big Head Todd & The Monsters Big Caribbean Cruise will leave St. Maarten on March 18th, taking a small group of devoted fans for a weeklong tour of music and sun.

Labels: Big Head Todd and The Monsters