Even though he's the leader of America's longest-lasting Celtic rock band, Drew Miller did not spend St. Patrick's Day painting the town green. Instead, he cleaned out his garage in White Bear Lake so his band could rehearse this week for Saturday's celebration at the Parkway Theater in Minneapolis.
The concert marks the 41st anniversary of Boiled in Lead and the first anniversary of its new lineup. "We're the youngest 40-year-old band ever," Miller said.
Boiled in Lead will be saluting its new live album, "40 Years of Rock 'n' Reel," which was recorded last March at the Parkway.
Here are excerpts from a conversation with bassist Miller on St. Patrick's Day.
Q: How Irish are you?
A: Not very. By blood, more English and German. For me, it's all through records. I had a friend in high school who had me pick up a Steeleye Span record for him and I said, "Can I open and listen to it once before I give it to you?" It ripped the top of my head off. I was familiar with American commercial folk stuff like Chad Mitchell Trio, Ian & Sylvia, Peter, Paul & Mary, but hadn't really heard much of the English and Irish traditions until that point. So I just became obsessed.
Q: How have you kept a band together for 41 years?
A: I don't know. It's had its ups and downs. I'm certainly the only one who's been to all the gigs. I get great joy from playing music regardless of what the music is.
Q: Singer/guitarist/mandolinist Todd Menton has been with you guys forever, on and off; tell me about the newer members.
A: Drummer Mo Engel, he and I met when we were both subbing in the Bad Companions for a one-off. Maybe 2019. Rockabilly's got so many stops. I gave him a significant look as I saw his drum stick heading to the snare and he stopped mid move. That really laid it down for the fact that he and I communicated really well as a rhythm section. Subsequent to that, he became the full-time drummer in Kinda Fonda Wanda [Miller's other band]. We've really got a nice groove together.
[Boiled in Lead violinist] Dave Stenshoel passed away in September of 2021. We did a memorial show at Celtic Junction. Then we let everything sit for six or eight months. Todd and I wanted to figure out what's next. Mo is completely new to this entire world of music, which is great, because he's bringing his own musicality and influences to bear without getting in the clichés of the genre. He's fearless. We did a few things as a trio.
I feel like it's not Boiled in Lead unless there is violin. Todd knew Haley Olson from the [Center] for Irish Music. She's an Irish tune monster. So the two of them lock amazing well on that music. We're not locked into playing just Irish music. She brought in a song that's a Serbian megahit.
Q: How has the band evolved?
A: The early stuff was for me imprinted by those classic British folk-rock records but wanting to do things differently, doing kind of a bluegrass version "Over Under Sideways Down" by the Yardbirds. The Eastern European stuff came in because of Dave Stenshoel's involvement with the Ethnic Dance Theatre Orchestra. The 1990s version of the band was a very different flavor, and Todd came back in 2005. Now the band is a little leaner and meaner. It's less focused on out-there improvisation like [guitarist] Dean Magraw brought to the group.
Q: Tell me about the new live album.
A: It was kind of ballsy to bring in two cameras and multitrack recording for a new band's first gig. But we got enough good performances to make a record. It's different, but it feels like the same band to me. We go where the spirit takes us. It makes it difficult to market. The thing that stands out to me is we're having a great time. It really feels fresh and new and fun.
Q: What can you share about the new studio album you're working on?
A: We've already recorded the basics. We're so far past the era of a one-man operation [i.e. Miller] to do stuff. We're going to shop it to labels.
Q: Lately, it seems that Boiled in Lead only comes out in March. Will you be playing more often?
A: There are couple things that haven't been announced yet for this year. We're going to be doing Jon Clifford's alley [behind HiFi Hair and Records] and the Irish Fair, and we're playing the WORTstock festival in Madison in May. We're building up a team and looking to be very more active. We've got a booking agent now.
Q: How long have you had your day job at White Bear Lake Records?
A: Seven years. It's a joint venture between three people. It's a very small store, only 400 square feet. The selection changes over time. Everything from common stuff to really deep collector stuff. New and used. Not only am I amazed at the young people playing $50 Taylor Swift records on $50 record players but I can keep the first four Brian Eno records in stock all the time.
Boiled in Lead
Opening: Áit Ait, Brian Boru Irish Pipe Band
When: 8 p.m. Sat.
Where: Parkway Theater, 4814 Chicago Av. S., Mpls.
Tickets: $25-$30, theparkwaytheater.com
