As Big Head Todd and the Monsters were getting ready to start a four day East Coast run of shows last week, I talked via phone to Todd Park Mohr as he was hanging out before a show in Connecticut. He and the band (all the original members, and together since 1986) come to Indianapolis on February 1, playing the Verizon Stage in the Super Bowl Village. We talked with the Colorado native - now living in Chicago - about his recent Robert Johnson “songbook” album, what teams he follows in the NFL, and what he means when he says “a song belongs to everybody.”

NUVO: With your recent 100 years of Robert Johnson album, you called the band the Big Head Blues Club. Talk about that project.
Todd Park Mohr: Obviously it’s all Robert Johnson material and are songs from a really special time period. That is a fascinating and wonderful part for me. I loved the group nature of recording it, with a lot of musicians involved. They were very spontaneous and fast sessions; it took just three days and was fun to do something that was very uninhibited and about making the moment right. We were in Memphis, which as fabulous place to be, especially for blues music.
(Editor's note: Todd will be a part of a concert to honor blues guitar legend Hubert Sumlin, which will be held February 24 at the Apollo Theatre in New York City, Eric Clapton, Jeff Beck, Levon Helm and dozens more are on the bill, honoring the life of the influential guitarist from Howlin’ Wolf’s band. Sumlin died in December, 2011, and Mick Jagger and Keith Richards paid for Sumlin’s funeral.)

NUVO: What are you listening to these days?
Mohr: I listen to a lot of blues before 1945, like Charlie Patton, Son House, and Mississippi Fred McDowell. I am kind of obsessed with that era right now. I listen on my iPod; I like my shuffle. I also like having access to lots of individual songs, and to be able to listen to stuff immediately.

NUVO: Any new music in the pipeline?
Mohr: I have been performing some new material both solo and with the band; we are going to be in the studio in the fall for a release for early next year.

NUVO: You must have some things you like about Indiana, since you come back here all the time.
Mohr: We have some friends in Indiana who like to drink a lot of tequila. (laughs) It’s a party town. We have been coming there [for] 20 years now. It’s always a lot of fun for us.

NUVO: In the next two months, you are on the road a lot. Is that what you do, or is that busier than normal?
Mohr: We do tours in moderate doses these days, but still play 80 or 90 shows a year. Most of those are on weekends, so I am at home a lot during the week. [I] have a pretty decent family, so I can’t complain. The upcoming three months are going to be a little bit busy.

NUVO: Tell me about the quote I read from you, describing a song as something that “belongs to everybody.”
Mohr: Nobody really owns songs. When an artist does a song, you add a verse here or there, but you are rendering the tradition and hopefully adding something of your own in there, which is totally different idea from the pop hit song mentality — I guess it is more of a communal idea. The music and the language is a traditional thing rather than something that you pretend is original. Just a different way of looking at it.

NUVO: Do you have a favorite NFL team?
Mohr: I am a fair-weather Broncos and Bears fan. For the last six years, I have been living in Chicago, so the Bears have become the only team I can watch on TV, so I thought I better root for them.

Indiana native Otis Gibbs is a folk singer who rocks. His Steve Earle-like rabble rousing serves him well. He’s successful in Europe. Friends from here know him as the guy who plays acoustic guitar, gets on stage by himself and sings. He's the oddly mysterious Hoosier songwriter with the long beard. He’s looking for the truth.

Gibbs will hoist his guitar over his shoulder and get climb the Pepsi Stage in the Super Bowl Village and play his Hoosier folk on Thursday, February 2. In the process, he will spend about an hour doing what he has done his whole career: Sing songs about people. About struggles. About seeking redemption. And about how it is rarely easy.

Otis, who has also revealed an ability to take soul-capturing photographs, currently resides in East Nashville, Tennessee with his long time girlfriend, Amy, their dog and two cats.

NUVO: Let’s start with this: You take a lot of photographs, and are pretty good at it. How did you discover that you had a knack for interesting pics?
Otis Gibbs: Thank you for the kind words. I kept it to myself for about ten years, but friends encouraged me to post some photos on my website. I ended up getting a very positive reaction from people who saw them. I could honestly care less what camera I use. Contrary to what advertising would like us to believe, it's one of the least important parts of the process. (See photos of his travels at otisgibbs.com)

NUVO: You live in East Nashville, right? Other musicians who you hang with that we would know? What’s the musical vibe there?
Gibbs: My inner Hoosier is stopping me from namedropping, but there are a lot of creative folks that I get to see and hang with on a daily basis. East Nashville feels a lot like Broad Ripple in the early 90s. There's a thriving rock scene and you can't walk down the street without stepping on ground where a notable event in music history took place. It's a fun place to be if you're a creative person.

NUVO: Any new music in your near future?
Gibbs: I have a new album that will be released on February 28th in the states and on May 7th in Europe. It will be streaming at otisgibbs.com will also be available for pre-order about the same time.

NUVO: What do you like about coming back to Indiana?
Gibbs: Indiana is still home to me. I toured in 11 countries and 22 states last year and I was introduced every night as the man "from Wanamaker, Indiana, Otis Gibbs." About once a week, I find myself craving Mug N Bun root beer or apple cider from Adrien Orchards.

NUVO: Are you a football fan?
Gibbs: I've been a football fan since I was a little kid. I have a lot of mixed feelings about Indy hosting the Super Bowl. It's great to see the city get some national attention, but I'm not a fan of tax money going to build stadiums for sports teams. I truly hope that when this is all said and done, it becomes a huge windfall for the people of Indianapolis.

NUVO: Anything else we need to know up here?
Gibbs: I was at the Melody Inn and Birdy’s a few weeks ago and ran into some old friends who had no idea what I've been up to. After telling them about my European tours and realized that I must be doing a terrible job of getting the word out. I've always hated listening to someone hype themselves, but I guess there's a time and place for everything.

Tim Grimm
Wilderness Songs and Bad Man Ballads

Part compilation album, part new material, Tim Grimm’s new album Wilderness Songs and Bad Man Ballads invites you in with his warm, conversational, roughly gorgeous voice. He keeps you listening because the songs richly describe the details of the characters that live in those songs.

The Indiana Americana singer/songwriter calls on friends Krista Detor, Jason Wilber, Bobbie Lancaster, The White Lightning Boys (for some scampering bluegrass) and wife Jan Lucas to lend texture and vocal beauty to the record.

The songs, based on the writings of his friend, Scott Russell Sanders, become a showcase for the storyteller, sharing his ability to pair his words with music that lopes, twists, twangs and is full of mystery. The people in many of these stories are from another time but their messages are true today; individuals struggling with personal demons and lives that are dealt a raw deal, yet still harboring hope.

The gentle guitar and Springsteen’s The Ghost of Tom Joad vibe of “Fruit” and the Carter Family echo of “Frostbite of the Soul” were originally released on 2007’s Wilderness Plots, while “Rebecca Versailles” and her children crossing the Mason/Dixon line and “Squaw” are from Grimm’s 2008 release Holding Up the World.

Of the new songs, the best are “Cover These Bones” - with Bobbie Lancaster sharing haunting and brooding vocals - and the lead track, “China”, s one of two with Grimm’s son Conner on bass. The elder Grimm sings of taking to the Ohio River, seeking redemption and hope, and feeling desperation.

Tim Grimm’s given us the finest single album he’s ever released. And there is no one better that Grimm when writing music that is about Indiana, and about life. It may, compilation or not, be the best roots album of 2011.

In addition to being one of the nicest guys playing music in Indy, Americana singer/songwriter Jethro Easyfields has been a proud dog owner for many years. Word got to me that his beloved basset hound Chelsea has some severe eye problems. Easyfields posted pics on Facebook of his Ford Mustang that he recently sold to help fund eye surgery for Chelsea.

On New Year’s Eve, I tracked down Jethro to see how his music is going, and to ask about Chelsea.

NUVO: First, I want to catch up with you and find out about your dog and what’s going on. I’ve seen the pics you have posted of her on web over the past couple of years.

Jethro Easyfields: She has acute glaucoma in one of her eyes. Basset hounds have the worst time with this disease. This week, she will be receiving surgery [to] most likely to remove her right eye and sew the eyelid shut. Her mother Midget also had this problem. She's stickin' in there [though she's] in much pain. Hopefully soon she will get a break. She also has some foot issues. The VCA Veterinary Specialty Center on 96th Street is treating her, but she is at home now.

NUVO: My thoughts are with you guys. Thanks for the info. And how about your music? Anything we can look forward to?

JE: Scott Kern and I have been putting together a collection of my story songs. It's a bit upbeat and bluegrassy, involving many characters in my archive. I hope to have this out late spring. It's a breath of fresh air compared to the dark Bloodletting LP.

NUVO: That’s sounds good. Anything else? I know you never rest.

JE: [I'm planning] a hard rock album with the Innocent Boys (Harley Poe members), and will do the recording in the summer.

NUVO: Thanks for all the info, and best of luck with Chelsea.

JE: Thanks again. Many folks are hoping for the best.

If you'd like to check on Chelsea or donate to her medical care, contact Jethro at easyfields@yahoo.com.

Here's the question I get more than any other about bands and music: What do they sound like? And when I write about musicians and their music, it is critical to relay influences I hear without making it seem like a singer or a band is only that. This is because it's also my job to figure out what might make them unique; why we should care about them. For 2011, what resonated was the wide swath of sound encompassed by roots music in Indianapolis, whether we call it Americana, alt-country, folk or simply American rock and roll. I leaned on some of my favorite moments of the year here. New music and concerts that resonated by pushing ahead while respecting what came before. That's when roots-rock music is at its best.

Best New Local Band: The Dead Hearts
Brandon Perry and his buddies put together a group of Indiana guys playing crunchy Midwest and Memphis rock and roll. They made the Q95 Next Big Thing contest, and have a look and sound that harkens back to power pop crossed with Fogerty. This is unapologetic, Petty rock.

Best Local Album: Tim Grimm - Wilderness Songs and Bad Man Ballads
Part compilation album, part new material, Grimm's new album invites you in with his warm, conversational, roughly gorgeous voice. He keeps you listening because the songs richly describe the details of the characters who live there.

Lucky to See Them Here: Civil Wars at the Earth House
Huge. That is what they are. The success they have had this year, both critical and commercial, was on display on a sweaty July night when the duo poured beautiful harmonies into the old church. They played late in the year at a larger venue (the Egyptian Room), but this is the show that the fans will talk about in reverential terms in 10 years. It was a magical and memorable night of music for the soul.

Two Unexpectedly Great Live Shows: REO Speedwagon at Rib America and Huey Lewis at Clowes Hall
The Champaign, Ill., boys of REO turned Rib America into a sing-along that was propelled by a surprising classic rock energy from Kevin Cronin and his band. They pulled out some old stuff ("Son of a Poor Man") that felt good, and celebrated the 30th anniversary of the Hi Infidelity album with multiple cuts from that smash. Great sound, great energy and one of the nicest surprises from an old rock band this year. Lewis, on the other hand, has partially reinvented his band as a Stax/Memphis soul and rock group. Mixing his hits with the soulful sound of the South, Lewis thrilled a Clowes Hall crowd, looked good and proved how you can maintain your integrity as a performer 20 years after your most recent hit song.

Guitar Player Taking it National: Thom Daugherty
Fresh from the breakup of The Elms, Daugherty has done some production work and caught on as a sideman/guitarist with the uber-hot The Band Perry. As the DVD/album "The Last Band on Earth" shows, the guitarist and his crunchy chords were a large part of the legacy of The Elms. He has taken that start and vaulted himself to a place that takes him on a cross-country trek, meeting some of his heroes and allowing him to play for more people than The Elms ever did.

Last Time Around For Two Legends: George Jones at the Murat, and Glen Campbell at the Palladium
Campbell is wrapping up his career with a tour and battling Alzheimer's disease, while George is simply an old guy who has lived nine lives. Both revisited their hits for audiences that sensed they were watching history.

Maybe Not The Last Time: Bob Seger at Conseco Fieldhouse
His show in May was a greatest hits extravaganza, but how could it not be, with his ubiquitous radio status? He forgot the words to "Turn the Page" and laughed it off. That's because the other two and a half hours were filled with the rock and roll soundtrack of the lives of any rock fan between the ages of 35 and 60. Seger tours without a flashy stage set up - no big screens, no lasers, no fire bombs. He just brings the band and rock and rolls like it's 1980. God bless Bob Seger. He's back out on the road and putting a new album together.

If there was an Indianapolis band that seemed to have the right ingredients for a bit of Americana success, it was Chevy Downs. Made of guys who had spent time in a couple of the state's most interesting rock bands, this was the one that ended up splintering too soon.

It has been more than 15 years since the Wilco-esque band first got together, and we’ll never know if they would have been bigger if they had hung together longer. Alas, the boys are back to rock for at least one night, with a holiday party at Birdy’s on December 23 that allows us to revisit the greatness that burned not long enough.

A pair of singer/songwriters David Moore (Chamberlain) and Tim Jones (Old Pike, now with Truth & Salvage Co.) were at the core of the band. The group also included Jason Brammer (Old Pike) on bass, Seth Greathouse (Chamberlain) on mandolin and banjo, John Byrne (Mere Mortals) on pedal steel, dobro and guitar and Andrew Snyder on drums.

I found Byrne, and got the scoop on how the gang of “pretend brothers” (they each adopted a name and persona — ala the Traveling Wilbury’s to become the Downs Brothers) decided to reunite.

NUVO: OK, tell the story.
John Byrne: My understanding is that our banjo/mandolin player, Seth, got together with our longtime friend Ryan Hughey and his Bearded Flower Productions, and put out emails to each of us late in November about playing during the holidays.

NUVO: And everyone was willing?
JB: Within a day or two everyone but Tim Jones had confirmed, and that was only because he was making his way home to Los Angeles from the completion of the 2011 Truth & Salvage Company tour somewhere on the east coast.

NUVO: So, after, the band said yes?
JB: Ryan and Seth found a venue, got a date, and commenced to put Bearded Flower's promotional machine to work, replete with a handful of merchandise for our audience to make up for their holiday shopping deficiencies.

NUVO: You think people need some merchandise bribe to get them out their door to come see one of the greatest country-rock bands to ever hail from Indy?
JB: I mean, seriously - what family member wouldn't cherish the opportunity to tear open a package on Christmas morning to find a gleaming Chevy Downs commemorative flask shining back at them?

"I'm Not Putting You On (When I Tell You to Take Off)" - Chevy Downs

Not a supergroup as much as a teaming of Bloomington's flagbearers of intelligent post-punk pop music, Paul Mahern, David England and Scott Kellogg, along with drummer Alex Jarvis, have come together to form *ask. The band has released a two-song single+ just ahead of a New Year's Eve gig at Radio Radio with four other bands, including Toxic Reasons.

Like Kellogg's most recent effort, Silver in Their Veins (also produced by Mahern), the music on the single-plus-b-side favors the same "The Edge-style guitar razors and echo". Mahern's clean, minimalistic production polishes the eclectic, guitar-based pop, while letting the oddness shine. "Painted Hole" is the A-side, and builds a base upon a repeated and echoing guitar riff, before the song jumps into a melencholy power chord hook, with some pop sweetness in the chorus. Think a U2 b-side from the Joshua Tree album, with some Achtung Baby! glam.

With this release, it feels like *ask is a band that, if they desire, could produce some studio gems.

Mahern, also revered as the former frontman for Indianapolis' legendary punk band The Zero Boys, is the compass of the band - the line that connects the dots. He previously teamed up with England on the latter's 2009 excellent pop/rock album Little Death. Mahern produced, engineered, mixed, and added harmony vocals and percussion to that album. The two also worked together on England's first solo record Almost True.

The second cut here, "Best Friends," turns to a chunky punk buzz, adding a Clash attitude to the song's sound. The cut swirls guitars around the vocals, and digs deeper into the U2 resemblence, with a flash of the Unforgettable Fire. That influence is the piece of the puzzle that grabs the listener's ear, allowing the uniqueness of the band to follow.

Hear the music.