MUSIC : New Type of American Rock ‘N’ Roll Band : Big Head Todd and the Monsters will be opening for legend Robert Plant on Friday night.

While most bands are content to hang around the back door of the local club arguing with the bouncer who couldn’t care less about why the girlfriend’s girlfriend was left off the guest list, Big Head Todd and the Monsters from Boulder, Colo., are driving around between San Francisco and Chicago making new fans.

They’ll be opening for one of their newer fans, rock legend Robert Plant, Friday night at the Santa Barbara County Bowl.

No more vans, these days the band is slurping and slugging in the back of one of those big ol’ tour buses. All those zzzzzzz’s you hear is not them snoozing either--it’s that industry buzz that’s been going since the band’s debut, “Another Mayberry,” came out in 1989.

“Midnight Radio” followed in 1990. Getting a favorable review of an independent record in Rolling Stone and Billboard didn’t hurt, either. Their third album, “Sister Sweetly,” was a major label release on Giant Records.

Much like their musical pal, Michael On Fire, Big Head Todd and the Monsters accumulated a strong body of work and a bunch of fans, which culminated in their record deal. MOF, meanwhile, is still cruising in his van, proving once again that there ain’t no justice in rock ‘n’ roll.

Firm believers in truth in advertising, there’s really a real Todd in Big Head Todd--Todd Park Mohr, who sings and plays guitar. Rob Squires plays bass and Brian Nevin hits the drums--both sing harmony vocals. Mohr, who has a voice like smoke, writes great songs that incorporate blues, folk, rock and country, which sounds sort of like, well, Big Head Todd and the Monsters. That’s important. Too bad they only get 45 minutes on this gig.

In a recent phoner from Seattle, Big Head gave us the lowdown on his favorite band.

So what’s it like being on the same bill with one of the legendary geezers of rock?

The tour is going great; and Robert Plant is no geezer. He’s quite the gentleman. We got this gig because he invited us on this tour, and it’s a serious night of rock ‘n’ roll.

How is “Sister Sweetly” different than your two independent albums?

Well, it’s our first produced album, but writing-wise, I don’t think it’s anything that’s different from our past. It’s just much more of a radio-produced effort. We already have had two Top Ten singles, “Broken Hearted Savior” and “Circle.” The next single will be “Bittersweet.”

How did you guys go about getting your second album, “Midnight Radio,” reviewed in Rolling Stone?

Well, we just put our product out there. I think someone in the Rolling Stone office was just a fan and pushed it. It’s hard to say how much that helped, but it certainly gave us some credibility.

How did your band support itself without day jobs all those years?

Well, I think it’s pretty much impossible to in L.A. Where we’re from, there’s no pay-to-play environment and the competition isn’t as intense. The real secret is to be able to draw fans to your live shows. We had a big van and did a lot of driving, playing three to five times a week from San Francisco to Chicago. Also we had a big mailing list, and that works.

What finally got your band signed?

We signed a management deal with a company in Denver that was sort of country-oriented. They have bands like the Nitty Gritty Dirt Band and Leo Kottke. They were the kind of guys who have been around forever and just knew everybody. Soon after we signed with them, they started shopping us, and one night, Irving Azoff flew to Denver to watch us play.

How did the band get started?

We were all in college going to the University of Colorado, living together. I dropped out because I found I couldn’t do both things well. We’ve been together seven years now, same guys. I pretty much made the decision to stick with this once the band started to make some money. It’s great doing what you like to do, playing live and making records.

What do you think Monster music sounds like?

Just new American rock ‘n’ roll.

How many Monster songs are there?

We have a lot of songs, maybe 75. When we first started out, we’d play blues and old cover songs. When we play now, we don’t even use a set list.

What’s up with a fourth album?

It’s already written, but I’m supposed to live in the present and push the new one.

Details

* WHAT & WHERE: Robert Plant, Big Head Todd and the Monsters at the Santa Barbara County Bowl, 1122 Milpas St., 568-2695. Friday night, 7 p.m.

* TICKETS: $30.50, $28.00 or $26.50.