Big Head Todd and the Monsters Rock the Showroom at John Ascuaga’s Nugget

Sparks/Reno, Nev. – Known for their unique sound and awesome live performances, Indie rockers Big Head Todd and the Monsters play two nights, April 9-10, in the Celebrity Showroom at John Ascuaga’s Nugget.
Formed in the late 1980s, Big Head Todd consists of lead guitarist, Todd Park Mohr, drummer Brian Nevin and bassist Rob Squires. The trio started playing together while attending high school in Colorado. The group officially formed at the University of Colorado. The band launched its own independent label, Big Records, and released their first two albums, Another Mayberry (1989) and Midnight Radio (1990) to exploding local, regional and national acclaim, selling a then-unheard of 58,000 copies on their own. When Giant Records founder Irving Azoff saw them at an Aspen performance he signed them on the spot. The first Giant album Sister Sweetly (1993) was a platinum-selling smash featuring rousing rock radio hits such as "Broken Hearted Savior" and "Circle," the fan favorite "Bittersweet" and R&B-flavored "It's Alright."
The next two albums Stratagem (1994) and Beautiful World (1997) solidified the group’s ability to balance guitar rock and his penchant for soul and R&B soul. In 1998, the band released Live Monsters, which has become a fan favorite and consistent seller. In 2002 they recorded and released Riviera, their first album of original music in four years, on their own Big Records label, placing three singles in the Top 20 at AAA radio.
Next released was Crimes of Passion, considered by critics and the band as their most compelling and passionate music to date. Released in February 2004, the album featured hard guitar riffs on "Dirty Juice," gently-paced "Angela" about lovelorn heartbreak, while "Come On" pays tribute to bluesy hard rock makes it a must have for all music lovers. That was followed by Live at the Fillmore in the same year and 2007’s best-of titled From The Archives Volume 1. Then came 2008’s All The Love You Need and a 2009 live album Red Rocks.
In 2005, the group joined the throng of Internet-based music sales by releasing the single "Blue Sky" exclusively on iTunes. This single was written at the request of crewmembers of the Space Shuttle Discovery for their STS-114 Return to Flight mission in 2005, the first mission after the Columbia disaster. "Blue Sky" was written and performed as a tribute to the men and women of the American space program, from the people keeping the space shuttle flying to the astronauts doing the flying. Hillary Clinton used the same song in conjunction with her 2008 presidential campaign activities.
Big Head Todd and the Monsters play two nights, April 9-10, at 8 p.m. in the Celebrity Showroom at John Ascuaga’s Nugget. Tickets are $40, and are available by calling (800) 648-1177 or 775) 356-3300 or by visiting janugget.com. Dinner and room packages are available. “Do the Nugget Tonight!”