Big Head Todd & the Monsters

Two rootsy, blues-influenced bands that came to fame during the '90s team up for this summer tour that lands at the Mountain Winery this weekend when Big Head Todd & the Monsters and G. Love & Special Sauce share the stage Saturday.

Playing together since their days as teenagers growing up in Colorado, the members of Big Head Todd and the Monsters have developed an almost telepathic communication that has made their guitar-driven rock a favorite of fans for going on 30 years.

Formed in 1987 by songwriter Todd Park Mohr (who plays guitars, keyboards and sax), drummer Brian Nevin and bassist Rob Squires, Big Head Todd and the Monsters gradually built a loyal following around Colorado and in the Western U.S. before picking up steam as part of the jam-band movement that included fellow improv-oriented bands Blues Traveller and Widespread Panic. The band became a regular part of the popular series of summerl HORDE tours and established friendships with such future powerhouses as Sheryl Crow and the Dave Matthews Band.

Though they're known for stretching out onstage, Mohr has a distinct gift for storytelling songs that is readily apparent in the band's 2010 album, Rocksteady, which featured covers of the Rolling Stones classic "Beast of Burden" and the Howlin' Wolf blues chestnut "Smokestack Lightning." The following year, the group delved deeper into the blues on 100 Years of Robert Johnson, recording new versions of Johnson gems with help in the studio (and a subsequent tour) by such greats as B. B. King, Charlie Musselwhite, David "Honeyboy" Edwards, the late Hubert Sumlin and Ruthie Foster. 

The band returns to the Bay Area for a night that will feature tunes from their entire career in addition to tracks from their latest acclaimed effort Black Beehive when they play this show.

Big Head Todd & the Monsters
Saturday, July 25, 7 p.m. $39.50-$79.50
The Mountain Winery