Why is culture important?

It it brings us to the most important thing, which is our relationship to each other.

I mean nothing in life is more important than how we relate to each other.

As an artist....

There's a responsibility there.

I'm sorry.

And if you have a song and there's three verses of text, you know, make that text count.

Our job as as creative people isn't to tell people what to do or to enforce our morals on people, but just to create the, the circumstance for insight.

And that alone is what's so important.

So how did that start?

Like how did Broken Hearted Savior begin?

I don't think anybody's ever asked me that.

So I don't really have a quick answer for you.

You know, I, I had a series of early songs that had a lot of longing in ‘em.

And it was before, I was very slow to come to romantic relationships, and and I came out of a very religious background.

And so I, I had a lot of religious imagery that, you know, I misapplied [laughs] into romance.

0134 sort of ethereal, like I don't have like real, real relationships to tie them to.

But I think that's maybe what kind of opens them up for people to take them into their own lives.

A lot of people say that's my favorite song, and that's, you know, that's a big deal to us or to me especially.

So, I can't tell you why it's your favorite, but.

Fields are white in snowy spring and I can't remember the last time that I've seen her.

The highway is still cold and wet.

And I can't forget the way I had to leave her.

And every passing day, she flickers and she fades.

And someone will catch her when she falls from the heavens.

And I'll love her yet, though she has done me wrong.

And I'll bring her back, though she has been long gone.

And I'll always be her... broken heart savior.

Hey!

All right.

Let's get it right.

Every heavy night takes out the little life that's left within her, Every man she gives her love, he takes it and leaves her with a dinner.

Our love was once a flame,.

now I'm just a forgotten name.

Am I the lonely one to blame for ever lovin' her?

And, I love her yet.

She has done me wrong.

And I‘ll bring her back, thought she has been long gone.

And I'll always be her broken hearted savior.

Yes.

Yeah.

na na na na.

And I love her yet,.

She has done me wrong.

And I'll bring her back.

She has been long gone.

And I'll always be her broken hearted savior.

Yeah.

Yeah.

na, na, na, na.

Thank you so very much.

It's been the pleasure of our lifetime to make music for, you and all.

It's so wonderful that some of you, a couple of you like.

You know, that's my favorite song.

You're my favorite band.

That's the biggest thing we could ever get.

That's such an amazing thing.

You all have heard a lot of music and we really appreciate everything that you.

It just means that something about it connects.

And, we're just ever so grateful for, a life making music for y'all.

Thank you.

My name is Jeremy Lawton and, I've been in Big Head Todd since 2004.

My name is Brian Nevin.

I'm the drummer with the Big Head Todd and the Monsters band.

Todd, Rob and I met in high school.

Brian's the social chairman.

He's the guy who knows everybody's name.

Goes and talks to everyone.

I don't know what I do, and I'm, I'm okay not knowing what my role is.

That's okay.

But, I think I'm...

He's the musical director.

I'm the computer repairman.

Tech director and tech support.

My name's Rob Squires.

I play bass with Big Head Todd and the Monsters.

Rob's the businessman.

The guy who gets all the, you know, things signed and X's And now, lately, Rob's the travel agent.

You know, cause Todd's the artist.

He's the mysterious guy.

He's the guy who's a little harder to get at.

I'm Todd Park Mohr.

I'm the singer songwriter guitarist in a group called Big Head Todd and the Monsters.

These guys were in a band called Intruder, and they initially said, hey, we got an opening in Intruder, are you interested?

I said, hell yeah!

Intruder!

So that is a true fact.

You got rolling in high school.

You went from Intruders to Big Head Todd and the Monsters.

How did the Monsters happen?

With that name... Just a name.

You know, we were playing.

If I recall, we were playing at a party for a friend.

We needed a name.

We didn't have a name.

Todd thought of.

You know, one thing that bonded the three of us since we were big fans of blues and soul and R&B music, and I think, he was really a high on the sax player named Eddie “Cleanhead” Vinson He was a jazz blues sax player, and I think we needed a name and Todd said, call me Big Head Todd, something like that.

Yeah, and a side of beef or something like that.

Yeah, I.

Think that's was the original.

He wanted to say, you know, we need to call a band something.

That was Todd's original idea for a name.

But obviously it wasn't a very serious...

But you get stuck with the name.

That's the thing.

Like, you know, you need a name to play a gig, and then if you do, well, then you better not change your name.

You know what I'm saying?

So... Heart of Wilderness.

And can I also take Monument in Green into this?

You were asking me that.

I've got that.

Okay.

Because.

Because those two.

We played at Red rocks together in a way, in my mind, they're they're really similar.

And it's just, Monument in Green is about, I had a book about the Oregon Trail and, you know, just sort of imagining what our grandparents went through, always fascinated me.

Like, because they had such a poorer life or more difficult life or how adventurers came out to settle America.

You know, they had families and loved ones and, romances and aspirations just like anybody else.

And I was with those two songs, especially maybe a few others from that era.

That was sort of what was my, my imagination was, was kind of like working on these types of ideas.

Monument in Green is, I think, might be my best song lyrically ever.

If only there were time and tenderness, oh for young hearts of wilderness, we run to the city, we build our nest, We work, we get drunk.

We make love, But your love won't take me from the grave to the heavens.

Your love won't take me from the grave to the heavens.

Before I'm gone your arms will be holding some other man.

Before I'm gone your arms will be holding some other man.

In this heart of wilderness.

In this heart of wilderness.

Come run with me, and take my hand.

We'll run and dream in this heart.

This time I won't turn out the light.

Yeah, this time I won't turn out the light.

Make believe everything's all right.

And kiss my lover a cold good night.

Morning turns to noon, and noon to night.

Yeah morning turns to noon, and noon to night My heart's still filled with fright.

I'm still the same broken piece of clay In this heart of wilderness.

In this heart of wilderness... come with me, and take my hand.

We'll run and dream in this heart.

I've been dreaming of something underneath the hill.. Just around the bin, underneath the hill.

Restaurants and people without names.

Oh, sweet Jesus, I'm a broken man.

Oh, sweet Jesus, I'm a broken man.

All I did was follow the plan.

But what I wouldn't do to be loved.

In this heart of wilderness.

In this heart of wilderness.

Come with me and take my hand, and we'll run and dream, in this heart Mine is a heart of wilderness.

Don't go in there.

If you know what's best.

I wrote this tune about the Oregon Trail.

Features the harmonica.

All right.

Well I rode the Green across this country.

Horses lived and died to take me.

Men I killed to help me get there, further west.

I died to take me blackned face and dirty laundry.

Many days since I have eaten.

Found myself a family.

I broke my back so I could feed them.

High in the wind.

Standing in the sun.

We gonna raise up the heavens.

With a shovel and a gun.

I was so much younger then.

I would never ever listen.

I am so much older now.

I thought that things would end up different.

Farewell lover in green.

Well, Elizabeth she is my lady.

Says the prayers and does the learning.

Waking up all children.

Making love in early morning.

We took to building up the cities.

We built the churches in our cities.

Happy in the green country.

And in the green they buried me.

High in the wind.

Standing in the sun.

We're gonna raise up the heavens.. With a shovel and a gun.

I was so much younger then.

I would never ever listen.

I am so much older now.

I thought that things would end up different.

Farewell lover in green.

Oh, she sang so tender.

She made me cry.

Oh, she died so tender when I held her in the night.

Well, I'm dead now.

My wife Elizabeth is at my side.

I got children all around me.

I got grandchildren, great grandchildren.

I got great great great grandchildren.

Maybe one of them is you.

High in the wind.

Standing the sun.

You're going to raise up the heavens, with a shovel and a gun High in the wind Standing in the sun.

You're gonna raise up the heavens with a shovel and a gun.

I was so much younger then, I would never, ever listen.

I am so much older now.

I thought that things would end up different.

Farewell lover in.

Farewell lover in.

Farewell lover in Green I think a lot of it was, we started in a college town in Boulder.

And so it's such a melting pot of people from around the country.

We liked playing.

And so we played as much as we possibly could.

And then eventually, a year into it or so Todd had written a bunch of songs and, hey, why don't we go try to make a record, you know?

And we actually did two records on our own independently, and Brian consigned them in all the local record stores.

As alongside what Rob was saying that we also did, we kind of drew a thousand mile circle around Colorado because we could drive to those places.

And, so we got a van and drove, to San Francisco and Austin, Chicago, Minneapolis routinely, you know, just begging for work initially.

But, you know, we just just kind of built followings in those places... slowly right along this, this time when there was sort of building national interest in our group.

We started there because we knew people we could crash on their couches and literally would drive to town and with no gigs, just go from bar to bar and go, hey, is it you need a we're a band, we're a band.

Can we play happy hour?

Can we play, you know, can we open for whoever is headlining tonight?

Can we put a open a guitar case and play on Frat Row in New Orleans?

We went once and just we were kids just having fun, driving around and being kids playing music.

And then we had enough success that it kind of propelled things to keep going.

So, in that way, I think we were kind of fortunate, but it was definitely, you know, we're the last generation of pre-internet bands and no cell phones.

So like Rob so we would drive, we'd have gigs.

It was like one gig and we'd be pulling off at payphones to go.

The other guy didn't get back to me.

I think we have a gig in Iowa, but I'm not sure it's in like in two days, so we'd be doing that kind of thing.

But again, when you're 18, you're hanging out with your buddies making music, you know, life's great.

When Sister Sweetly came out and that record was and it was getting tons of radio airplay, like we've been walking around Boulder and it was blaring out of every store, every I mean, that record was happening, and it was really strange because we're just three guys renting a place, you know, hang out with their buddies at the local bar, and now all of a sudden we're this big deal and there is a transition.

I mean, we were psyched for it, but it was a little strange for a while because, cause Todd in particular, was pretty recognizable.

George Thorogood has a great sentence that he shared with us that he described his career as scratching and clawing his way to the middle.

And and even today, we we find like there's times when one the Beatles and then the next day we're, we're doing a wedding or a, you know, a very small show.

And, and sometimes people care and sometimes they don't.

I think that's the healthiest way.

Yeah.

That's life.

You include My New Number One.

That'd be great.

That's, a new, new song of ours.

Okay.

The novel lyric to me is came from the idea that as a guitar player.

I always come up with the new guitar to the band.

I love to purchase guitars, unfortunately, and I collect way more than I need.

And they always laugh at me because, you know, I'm always like, no, no, this.

Is my new, new, new number.

One.

You'll see .

This was the best one, out of all of them.

As soon as I said that word the last time to the band, I knew that that's a great title for a song.

And and then it just it's easy to go from there because the song's about all the other numbers you have.

Past relationships.

And, so it's a just a relationship song, but it's really it's got a lot of humor in it and a lot of good rhyme.

Number seven was a psychokinetic supervillan with X-ray vision.

I could see she was not the one.

Number eight was a live grenade, she pulled the pin but it would not detonate.

Left me stranded in the Barcelona sun.

Number three was a giving tree.

She gave me nothing, but the third degree.

And so I went back to my old wicked ways.

Yeah.

You are my new number one.

Yeah, you are my new number one with a bullet.

On liquid fire Solid smoke my prime desire Number six was a quick fix.

Never stick rebound bag of tricks.

Left me a fool.

Out in the rain.

Number five was revving high, she overheated on our first test drive.

So we tried to end as friends.

Yeah.

You are my new number one.

Yeah you are my new number one with a bullet.

On liquid fire solid smoke.

My prime desire.

That brings us down to the, o the girl before you.

This is everything I have learned.

In the end, it doesn't matter what you do.

Or what you don't do.

Sometimes you get burned.

Sometimes you burn.

Yeah, you are my new number one.

Yeah, you are my new number one.

Oh!

Yeah, you are my new number.

One with a bullet.

on liquid fire.

Solid smoke, my prime desire.

Well one thing that was interesting for us.

At least.

I'll just speak for myself as having grown up, kind of in the shadow of Red Rocks.

So my first concert was U2 at Red Rocks, Under a Blood Red Sky or that era like the one that was became their their big Red Rocks show.

Yeah, but that's quite a shadow to grow up in.

Like this.

You know, it's sort of the Super Bowl of music and it still is today.

So to kind of get a whiff of that as a young person, you know, gave us big dreams to start out with.

Red Rocks is the best venue in the world.

You know, we grew up going to shows there and, and I think it was my second concert I ever went to.

And it's just it's the best.

It's Alright was as one of my first attempts at a proper soul ballad.

And, I was a lover of Aretha Franklin and Ray Charles and all rhythm and blues and blues music.

These guys met me, and that's.

That's all I cared about.

And so, yeah, I think that's one of the very first real, you know, straight up soul pop songs.

I ever really tried for.

And, you know, the idea is just really simple, which is again, like, you know, as an outsider of a relationship, you know, you're sort of the friend that takes care of somebody or, you know what I'm saying?

Like, I guess the content of it to me is less important.

Again, kind of like Bittersweet and Broken Hearted Savior in a way.

You know, that's it was less about anything I'd really experienced and more about something I had hoped to experience, I guess.

Well, at this point in our show, this is a really this is our tribute to Hazel Miller.

This is our set up for her fantastic talent.

Get up.

Get up there, Hazel Miller.

Come on, baby.

Okay...

I'm ready, I'm ready.

You can't turn back the tide, of the cold tears from your eyes.

The pangs of wounded pride you hold me.

Did someone do you wrong?

Good lovin's as good as gone.

Maybe, you ain't as strong as you wanna be..

It's alright if you don't wanna go home.

It's alright if you don't want to be alone.

Yes.

It's alright if you don't want to go home I understand, I understand, I understand.

Nothin' stays if it's gotta go.

You can't get water from a stone.

Sometimes you gotta think about the things you're gonna love.

You can point the finger at him.

You can say you're sufferin' for his sins.

Somehow he never was never was good enough.

It's alright if you don't wanna go home, it's alright.

If you don't want to be alone.

Yes.

It's alright if you don't wanna go home.

Oh, I understand, I understand, I understand.

When the morning comes and you put your self together to face another day.

And when the day is done and you ain't feelin' better,.

You come walkin' my way.

You, you you you you you, oh.

Oh.

I want to know.

I want to know.

Oh, oh.

I want to know I got to know.

Yeah, yeah, yeah.

Do you feel it in your soul?

I want to know.

Do you feel it in your soul?

Put your hands together.

Everybody, everybody.

everybody, everybody knows Oh, Oh, yeah.

Oh, yes I want to know.

Do you, do you, do you.

Do you feel it in your soul?

Early success is really difficult psychologically for young people, especially for me.

I was very poorly equipped to to have that much, scrutiny and pressure and, you know, the, the, the process of making records.

Our first record, Sister Sweetly, was a difficult, painful process because, producers are very commercial in that they want to edge you in ways that you resist.

So there's always really positive things intermixed with difficult things.

But, you know, what I remember most is the difficult of the difficulties of, you know, just sort of dealing with, you know, what?

It's what it's like to have early success.

You know, I didn't feel like I earned it.

So that was I didn't feel like I deserved it.

So that that really had, made it hard for me to be comfortable on stage or in my job.

So it's sort of like being a good chef in this.

The the joy of it is being really good at cooking and making a great meal for somebody, and whatever happens, happens after that.

So once you get to that point, I feel like like we are I think what Jeremy says and then you're sane and you go do your job and you can do it well no matter what happens.

And, you know, and you have joy, the joy of doing a great job to keep you going to the next day.

I'm a blues lover.

And, and one of the things that's so fascinating to me about blues is that it's a, it's about passing a tradition on.

And, you know, it's sort of like, a culinary tradition is about passing these certain ingredients, for people to digest and enjoy.

And that has a, to me, that's a joy thing to do.

But, above and beyond that, I think culture is just every art is so important.

And I don't think art, the importance of art isn't to preach to people or tell them what the answers are, what the function of it is, is to create, the environment where, insight can break through.

So we're not I'm not forcing an insight on somebody.

But if I did my job well, you know, there might be something you see in the song that reflects your life or that's universal, you know, and it's human.

So those are the big things to me about, that give me purpose about what I do personally.

Bittersweet.

How'd that get rolling?

Similar, similar kind of story.

And, you know, I'll just I'll.

So you, just as a confession, I had an event where some buddies of mine went to the Anasazi Ruins.

And I was probably 19 or so, and we had some mushrooms, and I wrote, like, three songs that day.

And Broken Hearted Savior was one of them.

Bittersweet was another one.

I don't care who finds out about that.

I mean, I was.

Searching for inspiration, man... Whatever it takes.

That's funny.

I don't think.

I've ever heard that.

You guys haven't heard that either.

Yeah, well, I remember that trip.

You.

But I didn't know that those songs.

Yeah.

It was.

Todd writes a lot of songs, and we're fortunate.

He's a great songwriter.

He writes a lot.

So This is Bittersweet.

A little light looks through her bedroom window, she dances and I dream She's not so far as she seems.

Of brighter meadows, melting sunsets.

her hair blowing in the breeze.

And she can't see me watching, I'm thinking love, love, love, love Love, love, love, love, love.

Love , love It's bittersweet.

More sweet than bitter.

Bitter than sweet.

It's a bittersweet, surrender.

It's bittersweet.

More sweet than bitter, bitter It's a bittersweet surrender.

Said I'm older now.

I work in Littleton.

We live together.

But it's different than my dreams.

Morning light fills the room, I rise.

She pretends she's sleeping.

Are we everything we wanted?

Thinkin' Love, love, love, love.

Love, love love love love love love love.

It's bittersweet.

More sweet than bitter, bitter than sweet It's a bittersweet.

surrender.

It's bittersweet.

More sweet than bitter, Bitter than sweet.

It's a bitter sweet, surrender..

So I know we don't talk about it.

We don't tell each other.

All the little things that we need.

We work our way around each other.

As we tremble and we.

As we tremble.

And we bleed as we tremble and we.

As we tremble and we bleed.

It's bittersweet, more sweet than bitter.

Bitter than sweet.

It's a bittersweet, surrender.

It's bittersweet.

More sweet than bitter.

Bitter than sweet.

It's a bittersweet, surrender.

The fact that we're still here almost 40 years later and people still want to hear that song that's, you know, for me, it's just gratitude.

Like when we're talking about our career.

And if we're going to sum it all up.

I'd prefer not to be losing it on camera, but to me, I'm happy.

I'm really, really super happy.

I mean, I have I have met my dreams and crushed them with this band, and we're continuing to do that today.

I mean, the show we did at Red Rocks is our best show.

It was mine.

You're going to put that out.

That's amazing.

I mean, we haven't had a major label or, you know, we're not part of the media.

You know, they you'll never see us there.

It's people like you that give... You want to hear it again.

And that's that's the marrow of what art and music is about.

And we get to participate in that.

So I'm really proud of that.

It seems to me.

You and me are chasing something.

What it is is anybody here want to know.

It seems to me you and me.

Forgetting something.

When love is so easily, forgotten Pick you up Will you drag me down?

If I run to you will you turn around Rise and fall Turn the wheel.

Cause all life is really Just a circle.

Seems to me.

You and me.

Are being chased by something.

What it is has anybody here apprehended Seems to me.

It would be terrfied of nothing Nothing is the reason we are here.

Oh, Nothing at all.

If I cry to you.

Will you drag me down?

But I'm asking you to turn around rise and fall turn the wheel cause all life is.

It is just a circle.

Yeah, yeah.

Yeah, yeah.

yeah, yeah, yeah Yeah yeah.

Nah nah nah nah nah nah.

nah, nah.

Yeah.

Hey.

Nah nah nah nah nah nah nah nah You are the only one that I wanted.

You are the only one that I want.

And you are the only one I want.

You are, you are, you are, you are, you are , you are, you are, you are, you are, If I cry to you will you laugh me down.

But I'm asking you.

Turn around.

Rise and fall turn the wheel.

Cause all life is really just a circle.

Rise and fall.

Turn the wheel.

Cause all life is really just a circle Yay yay yay yay yay yay.

Yay.

La la la la la la la la la la.

Yeah La la la la la la la.

Give it up for Brian Nevin on the drums!

Brian Nevin.

Robert Squires, bass man.

Low end.

Give it up.

Rumble Jeremy Lawton on the Keyboards and steel guitars.

The multi-talented instrumental.

J-Law laying down the law.

I'm Todd Park Mohr, live long and prosper.

Once again, thank you kindly for having us once again.

Happy all.

Happy everything.

Thank you so very much.

From the bottom of our hearts, Y'all be well, we'll see you next time.

Be kind.

Good night.