what they’re saying - home - boiled in lead

about the new album SILVER

• “Boiled in Lead’s return is to be greetedwith huge applause, mass cheering andflag-waving in berserk fashion.” — fRoots,issue 300

• “...this is traditional music brought to theboil. Silver may not be for the purists but it’s one ofthe best things you'll hear this year.Trust me on this.”– Dai Jeffries, Rock’n’Reel (UK)

• “...a legendary figure in the field of American folkrock thanks to its unconventional approach.” — World Music Central

• “...a fine release befitting the silver anniversary of aband that rightly deserves to be heard nationally andinternationally.” — Global Rhythm, June 2008

• “Unlike some bands that tart up the punk edges untiltheir music becomes cartoon-ish, BiL integrates therough edges seamlessly.” — Dirty Linen

• “It smashes genres, hits the most primal nerves, and— even in its acoustic moments — shakes yourbones.” — Bill Snyder, Mpls-St.Paul magazine, March2008

• “Silver ...is a fine addition to the BiL catalog, withbristling takes on trad Celtic tales of mayhem, doom,and excessive drinking, and the odd dash of Algerianrai and Zeppelinesque thunder.There's even a pair oflocal angles: John Van Orman's harrowing tale ofDeath cruising Hennepin Avenue, and Menton's equal-ly unsettling account of aquatic aggression in ‘SilverCarp.’” — Rick Mason, City Pages

about their earlier work• “...a smoking, surprising, commanding combo... Nobody roars,

does a jig or a Balkan boogie quite like Boiled in Lead.” —Minneapolis StarTribune (1998)

• “...a hard-driving blend of Irish folk, punk rock, and world music...an explosive show...” — The Onion (March 2005)

• “...one of the most innovative world beat bands...” — NationalPublic Radio

• “...the most important folk-rock band to appearsince the 1970s... required listening...” — MusicHoundFolk:The Essential Album Guide (1998)

• “...the prime purveyor of a style of Celtic musicinfused with punk-rock attitude, developing over theyears with a hard-driving swirl that combined Irishfolk with heavy rock and elements of styles from allover the world. ...one of the best bands Minnesota's

ever produced. (When they play) all-acoustic, ...don't be fooledinto thinking that means ‘quiet’ — even without amplification,Boiled In Lead can summon up furious punk-folk energy.” — TheOnion (2004)

• “It seems very likely that Boiled in Lead may someday be seenas one of the more interesting and important bridges betweenworld music and rock, with an influence that stretches farbeyond its actual record sales.” – All Music Guide

• “...Boiled In Lead know how to update the traditional, making itaccessible to a contemporary ‘what? Me-listen-to-folk?’ audiencewhile never losing track of what makes it traditional in the firstplace...” – Alternative Press (1995)

• “Not mere armchair musical enthusiasts, BiL offers us instead acolorful, enticing, and ingeniously skewed musical treasure map.”– CMJ Jackpot pick for Orb (1990)

• “godlike...quite, quite brilliant.’ – Salisbury Journal (UK)

• (Orb is) “one of the most cosmopolitan collections of the year.”– Q

• “The more you hear them, the more sense they make.” – KenHunt, Folk Roots (UK)

• “...the energy, inventiveness, and power of a BiL show areunique.” – LA Reader

• “Minneapolis’ finest (and yes, we are including Prince)...speed-folk with Gothic overtones meets 3 Mustaphas 3” – City Limits(London)

• “The traditional material is imaginatively selected and properlyplayed, i.e., with skill and gusto but without reverence.” – LeedsOther Paper (UK)

• “...may well be the best folk-punk band around.” – GeoffreyHimes,Washington Post (1989)

• “The Minneapolis quartet has mastered the art of blurring musi-cal boundaries.And they make it sound like fun. From theLadle... is one of the year’s best releases...” – Chicago Tribune

• “Irish and Celtic folk music played with amazing balls andfire...even the violins rock.” – Steve Albini, Matter (1985)

what they’re saying

W ay back in the 1980s thereweren’t many American bandsinterested in folk-rock – afterall, it was the days of big hair

and MTV had just emerged to startle oursenses. But in 1983, in landlockedMinneapolis, there emerged the ferociousBoiled in Lead (or BiL to their Leadheadfans), who weren’t so much folk-rock asrock-folk, pulling together old tunes andnew, attitude, chops, and an assortmentof global influences. From 1985-1995 theyput out five albums and played many,many shows before vanishing back to theTwin Cities, with their big events anannual St Patrick’s Day bash – althoughthey’ve managed a few others, butstayed fairly low-key.

But now, 25 years after they began,BiL have returned with the cunningly-titled Silver, their first studio album of newmaterial in 13 years. Was it the, er, silveranniversary that prompted them to returnto the studio?

“No, not at all,” replies bassist DrewMiller. “The new line-up [Todd Mentonand Dean Magraw joining] happened in2005. Since then, we’ve been developingnew material, working it gig by gig toblend our individual voices and create aunified band sound. All the songs andinstrumental tunes were chosen becauseof the consistent strength and integrity ofthe new BiL vibe.”

In fact, an album could have hap-pened well before now, as they scheduledrecording sessions in 2006. “That had to becancelled for various reasons. When wefinally were able to get everyone togetherin the same room for live recording in lateOctober ‘07, the music practically playeditself. All our own work – no guests, nooutside producer – with great advice andmany long hours from engineer JohnWright [of Lehto & Wright]. We admit,however, that the symmetry of having afresh new record for the 25th anniversarywas irresistible.”

Unsurprisingly, the material is aneclectic mix of the ancient, modern andforeign, all hammered into shape by thegroup. But what is staggering is their takeon the hoary old House Carpenter, whichopens like Cordelia’s Dad in their primebefore taking off on a unique tack.

“Every time we play it, the band getsstronger and stronger,” says fiddle andzurna player David Stenshoel. “The audi-ence hands us back at least as much energyas we put out, invigorating the whole pro-cess. Todd learned House Carpenter fromPeter Bellamy’s version on the record BothSides Then. Robin employed a rhythm inthe chorus that would be called zaar in

Egypt (denoting exorcism). Dean plays elec-tric sitar on this track.” And, in fact, it’s notnew to the band, they’ve been playing itfor many years, and discerning ears willhave caught a live version on 1997’s Alloy2.

They roar through Rushes Green andSilver Carp with punk energy, and bring amix of wit and reverence to Berber andMenfi or the Celtic deconstructions of Cor-ner House and The Sunset. It’s like the1980s… but better.

Although it might seem like a newline-up, it’s not. Miller and drummer/ per-cussionist Robin Adnan Anders have beenthe rhythm section for over two decades,and Stenshoel is a long-time member whotook seven years off to raise his daughter.Menton was in an early BiL incarnation,which means, Anders laughs, they’ve come“full circle now, back to the Ladle line-upadding a world-travelling instrumentalist.Because of the history, and the addition ofour newest member, the chemistry in thisline-up creates a whole new macro-organ-ism, endlessly mutating.”

But given the way people come andgo, can that remain stable? “We’ve allinstalled subdermal GPS tracking chips tocontinuously monitor each other’s activi-ties,” observes Miller with a worryingtouch of seriousness. But more seriously,the evolution and momentum of the bandportend a bright and lengthy future mak-ing darkly beautiful music.”

More than that, it’s going to includequite a bit of touring to support thealbum. “The band’s nearly feverish enthu-

siasm, chomping at the bit to play, finds usbooking performances on a schedule andin venues which take full advantage of theexcitement we feel about our new direc-tions,” offers Menton. “We are findingourselves in concert venues and at festivalswhere we can enjoy the full range of ourdynamic; enlivening our audiences (oldfans and new converts). In other words, wedon’t subscribe to the prevailing musicbusiness model – the phrase ‘break thisband big’ often literally results in break-age of bands and people.”

“T he acoustic side of the band[first shown on Orb] is nowon an equal footing with theelectric,” adds Stenshoel.

Death On Hennepin is one of the quietestsongs we’ve ever done, and the musicalmost disappears during Dean’s solo inMenfi. All in the same record, Berberfeatures massed zurnas, and Rushes pileson extreme noise. In concert, the linesbetween both types of material are moreblurred than ever: Dean often payselectric guitar on ‘acoustic’ gigs, and on adrum kit show, the band has a widerdynamic than ever. Our volume controlgoes from minus 11 to plus 11.”

“The years have been kind to us all,”says a youthful-looking Miller. “We feelthat the band is evolving into a more pow-erful organism, while continuing its tradi-tion of skating on the brink of exuberantanarchistic chaos. We’re looking forwardto making the next one.”

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Boiled In Lead25 years post-emergence, the Minneapolis folk rockersare going strong again. Chris Nickson catches up.

fRoots issue 300

BOILED IN LEADSilver Omnium OMM2045

Awakening from a comatose existence which has seenoccasional gigs and casual release of live limited editions,Boiled in Lead’s return is to be greeted with hugeapplause, mass cheering and flag-waving in berserk fash-ion.To be honest, since their decision to hide away, therehas been little to challenge their position as premierroots rockers from across the big pond. Sure we’ve hadoodles of Celtic rock wannabes churning out Lannigan’sBall in crucifixion arrangements, Lehto & Wright get thethumbs up, but now the Leadheads are once moreamongst us, we can all breathe a huge sigh of relief. 25years on - Happy Birthday BiL - Silver is not just a con-venient opportunity to celebrate a birthday, but a partyall of its own and, says me, the finest thing they've donesince From The Ladle To The Grave.

You want evidence? Alright. First point:Todd Menton hasreturned to his rightful place as lead vocalist; as good asthey were without him, with him BiL are far stronger, hisknowledge and folk experience make his voice sound sonatural in front of their fire and brimstone. Secondpoint: newest arrival Dean Magraw turns his hand toranting, reeling electric guitar one track, and spooked,slide blues the next; a fine addition.Third point: they’vegone back - not totally but largely - to the Celtic springthat originally fed them; there’s more trad arr. here thanin many a Boiled album. (And when I say trad arr. youknow how they mutate folk sources!) Fourth point:long-serving, key members are still in place and theirunderstanding of the machine is vital. Swirl all thattogether and we have a bit of a classic, yes sir.

I don’t have space to talk about all the fireworks but Ijust love the acoustic / electric mix, the production isclean and sharp. For personal faves, if you twist my arm,I'll opt for “The Sunset,” a really intelligent way to rock’n’ reel;“Death On Hennepin,” which shows they’ve lostnone of their gothic humour as the Grim Reaper stalksuptown Minneapolis looking for victims; Menton’s origi-nal “Silver Carp” is that rare thing, a vicious blues aboutfishing, and the unplugged knockabout “Jolly Tinker” hasa rough house charm.Wrapped in a cover that echoesLadle with images of melted metal and iconography, thewhole is complete and it gives me great pleasure to rec-ommend this for your listening pleasure. Go grab ittiger!

www.omnium.comSimon Jones

Global Rhythm, June 2008

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60 Sing Out! • Vol. 52 #3 • Autumn 2008

The list of bands that last 25 years is very small. The list of bands that can stick around that long and come back with aroaring album after so much time is minuscule. But Minneapolis-based Boiled in Lead have beaten the odds and checkedthe boxes on both counts. Not only have they celebrated their silver anniversary this year, they’ve rocketed out of the blocks

with a superb CD, the appropriately-titled Silver. It’s quite an achievement, and quite a long road they’ve travelled to get here.In some ways here is almost full circle, and the new BiL is actually quite close to an early incarnation of the band,

with guitarist (and many other things) Todd Menton back on board along with fiddler David Stenshoel, who tookseven years off from the Lead to raise his son, while Menton had a 13-year sabbatical.

The original group grew out of a band called the Colorful Ethnic Natives, which consisted of bassist Drew Miller andfiddlers Brian Fox and Mick Wright backed by a “bad drum machine” before morphing into a power trio of Miller, Fox and

BY CHRIS NICKSON

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Autumn 2008 • Vol. 52 #3 • Sing Out! 61

‘Cuz Mapfumo’ came aboutwhen we were driving in thevan l i s t en ing to ThomasMapfumo and David said, ‘Ican play a slip jig over that.’We throw things against thewall and first see if they makeus happy, then if they makethe crowd happy.”

F rom its electric folk beginnings, their sound had become alot more complex. But it was a natural, not forced, evolu-

tion, Miller believes, as “there was David playing EasternEuropean music, and there weren’t any other drummers likeRobin with his power kit playing, but also equally good ondumbek and other things. I think one of the successes of thisband isn’t that it’s one thing stapled to another, it’s manythings swirled together in a mix.”

They were also spreading their touring wings much fur-ther, and becoming a draw not only in America, but evenmore so abroad – by 1989 they were playing more showsoutside the U.S. than at home. Quite an achievement.

1990’s Orb was the next step for the group, and it provedto be a major one, the first time they used an outside pro-ducer, in this case Hijaz Mustapha from the British worldmusic band 3 Mustaphas 3.

“We recorded with him for five days in the studio indowntown St. Paul, then he took the tracks back to Lon-don and mixed them,” says Miller.

guitarist Jane Dauphin. How-ever, as Boiled in Lead, theymade their debut on St.Patrick’s Day 1983, the lineupnow Miller, Fox, Dauphin,along with Mitch Griffin ondrums and a second fiddler,David Stenshoel. Their mis-sion, Miller recounts, was “totake traditional music from theBritish Isles and give it a swift kick up the butt. That wasthe lineup that made the first record. We were pretty muchplaying locally. It was a time when the rules about making arecord were changing and the indie/alternative world wasexploding.”

Their eponymous debut brought a lot of praise for bothattitude and delivery. But Miller notes, “The early ’80s waswhen the Fairports and Steeleyes of the world had becomefairly safe, and we wanted to bring back the brutality!”

They obviously succeeded. Menton was an early fan:“Before I joined Boiled in Lead I’d been at a festival, andthere was an Irish traditional band – who will remain name-less – that had decided to add a rhythm section of bass anddrums; it was the talk of the festival. They came on andstarted to play, and I just thought, ‘C’mon guys.’ Theysounded so poppy. I’d seen Boiled in Lead a couple of timesby then and they were like a rock band playing folk.”

From there the band slowly evolved into BiL Mark 2.“Brian Fox decided he didn’t want to be in a band.

Todd joined, and we got better at what wewere doing,” says Miller.

“That was January, 1987, and we beganrecording the second album, Hotheads, in thefall,” recalls Menton.

Although they were still effectively a Min-nesota band, BiL was gigging more and castingits net a bit wider. But just a year later Dauphinquit, along with flautist Laura MacKenzie,who’d been a partial member (“she had othergigs,” Miller explains). That led to another shiftin personnel and when drummer Griffin left tobe replaced by drummer and percussionistRobin Anders – essentially the current BiLlineup – the band began a shift in focus towardsa broader world music sound.

Although Anders could rock just as hard ashis predecessor, his background playing in theEthnic Dance Theater, as well as in Turkish,Egyptian and Algerian percussion, definitely of-fered a broader scope.

“It was huge,” noted Menton, with Milleradding, “It gave us the ability to play acous-tically, too.”

They appreciated that, but it was, at heart,just something else for them to try.

“If there’s one thread that’s been continu-ous in this band, it’s our willingness to ex-periment,” Miller observes. “I remember that

“I t’s a great big anarchist stew that feels like it’s about to collapse,but it doesn’t and that energizes themusic. It boils.”

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Boiled in Lead perform liveat Cedar Cultural Center in2005



And although it wasn’timmediately apparent, thealbum saw yet another shiftin personnel for the group.

“Dave Stenshoel appearedas a guest on Orb, because hewas having a daughter and hewanted time at home,” ex-plains Miller. “We had afiddle player named MichelleRavaz, who never recordedwith us, but she did our U.K.tour in 1990. And then Toddleft the band. Robin and I de-cided we wanted to keepthings going, so we got in aguitarist/singer – we alreadyknew Adam Stemple from thegroup Cats Laughing.”

Although Ravaz didn’treally feature on any proper release, the full Alloy – acompilation from the group – does have some of her work,and she brought some Puerto Rican influences to BiL.

Menton ended up leaving the band in November 1992,and Stemple’s first gig was March 17, 1993, the band’s tenthanniversary. But even before that, fiddler Joe Kessler be-came a member of Boiled in Lead, replacing Ravaz at theend of ’91.

DISCOGRAPHYBOiLeD iN lEaD, 1985, Crack (o-o-p)Hotheads, 1987, Atomic Theory (o-o-p)From the Ladle to the Grave, 1989, Omnium #2005Orb, 1990, Omnium #2006Old Lead, 1991, Omnium #2001 (reissue of first two CDs)Boiled Alive, 1992, Crack #008Antler Dance, 1994, Omnium #2007Songs From the Gypsy, 1995, Omnium #2013Alloy, 1998, Omnium #2017Silver, 2008, Omnium #462045

CONTACTSBOOKING: New Folk Booking, Elisa Wright, 5217 North

6th Street, Minneapolis, MN 55430; Ph: 507-438-6756; E-mail: <[email protected]>; Web:<www.newfolkbooking.com>.

ON THE WEB: <www.boiledinlead.com>

Interestingly, the intro-duction to Kessler camethrough former KlezmaticFrank London, who’d pro-duce the band’s next release,Antler Dance, in 1993.

“Frank’s a great arranger,”Miller notes. “The first timewe met him was when wewere playing in New York withLes Miserables Brass Band.We’re of the same generation,we weren’t born into our tra-ditions – we found them andthey resonated with us.”

Antler Dance containedmore original songs than pre-vious releases, again a movein a different direction to-wards material influenced by

different traditions, but not exclusively of them.“I don’t know that all the songs stand the test of time,”

Miller says 15 years after the event. “But it was us keepingon pushing things forward.”

The problem with that lineup, Miller remembers, is thatit was “predicated on flying the fiddle player in from Bostonfor recording and gigs. That turned out to be an unsustain-able business arrangement.”

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The swansong ofthat incarnation camewith Songs from TheGypsy. It was an am-bitious project of alloriginal material toaccompany a fantasynovel, The Gypsy ,which was includedon the CD. Initiallyintended as a sideproject, it garneredpraise, but the bandcould not sustain lifeon the road.

“The band hadvery heavy touring in’93 through ’95,”notes Miller. “Bythen end of ’96, withthe flights and every-thing else, we justcouldn’t afford it any more. At that point, the logic wentthat touring was unsustainable, so we couldn’t play with Joeany more. However, if we’re just going to play around town,we could play with Dave again. And basically that was thesituation from 1997 through the summer of 2004. We starteddoing house concerts ... very, very stripped down. If therewas a party or a festival [we played there], and there were aseries of official bootlegs of the First Avenue shows.”

Those shows became quite legendary. Every March 17,Boiled in Lead would celebrate their anniversary – and St.Patrick’s Day – with a show at Minneapolis’s most famousclub, First Avenue – as seen in Prince’s Purple Rain. Theybecame major annual events for the fans, known as“Leadheads.”

“Adam was playing with his band, so that was 40-50weekends a year that were his livelihood. In the summer of2004, there were more and more things the band couldn’t dobecause of Adam’s schedule. There was a wedding of somefriends in upstate Minnesota, no public profile at all, andAdam couldn’t do it. Robin suggested I give Todd a call,and I did.”

“I gave an emphatic, and, I repeat, an emphatic, ‘yes,’”Menton says gleefully. “Then I went and vacuumed out myamplifier. I don’t know the last time I’d changed the stringson my Telecaster. And it all went very well.”

“It was a heck of a lot more fun than we’d had in a while,and Adam’s schedule made it impossible to do a lot of thethings we wanted or had the opportunity to do,” Miller says.“I’d gotten so frustrated myself with not playing that I’d gottogether with some folks to get Felonious Bosch started.”

Also part of the re-invigorated BiL was a new face,guitarist Dean Magraw.

“They had me come as a guest a number of times,” hesays. “My son came along and loved it. When they talkedabout me joining I said I’d do it if you want me to do it, butit was my son loving the band and me with the band that

really did it. They were also negotiating Todd’s return at thattime. We had a few rehearsals and discussions together anddecided to try it. The main thrust was to make a new record-ing and get things moving.”

M iller recalls that “Adam’s last gig with us was St. Paddy’sDay, 2005. We said we have this shiny new toy to play

with now. We had a lot of material we’d been playing for along time, let’s throw it out and develop new stuff. Silver isdocumenting that new stuff.”

However, it wasn’t all smooth sailing. As Magraw ob-serves, “there were problems, Todd got sick once, Dave gotsick once, people were in different places. But when we couldgather the people on the right place and the right time, itwas basically two sessions. We did the acoustic tracks atone place and the electric tracks at another.”

And Miller agrees that “given the delays we actually hadgetting into the studio to actually record it, I think all thematerial except ‘Berber’ was already very well played in.We did all the electric basic tracks in one day. The six drumkit tracks were done in one day, and the five acoustic songswere done in one day.”

And the future?“We just got off a little touring,” Miller says happily.

“Where we see ourselves playing is festivals, where we canfly in, play, and return to our lives. It’s absolutely viable forus to keep recording and we’ve got material we’re raring toget going on.”

For Magraw, there are “not enough gigs yet. But it has tobe the right thing and the right timing. I wouldn’t mind moreconcert venues.” He even holds out the tantalizing idea of anew forum for the band – “I could see us breaking into thejam band market.”

After 25 years, why not?

(TURN THE PAGE FOR A BIOLED IN LEAD SONG ☞☞☞☞☞ )

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Boiled in Lead in 2006, onstageat the Mabel Tainter Theater inMenomonie, Wisconsin.



JJJJJolly Tinkerolly Tinkerolly Tinkerolly Tinkerolly Tinker

Traditional, arranged by Boiled in Lead© 2008 Boiled in Lead / DeSelby Productions, Inc.

M inneapolis-based quintet Boiled in Lead put to-gether a lively arrangement of this traditional

bawdy song full of the sorts of double entendre lyricsand humorous scenes of romantic dalliance and do-mestic deception between master and servant classesoften found in material from the British Isles. Bandmember Todd Menton recalls hearing John Van Ormanperform a similar setting of “Jolly Tinker” a few yearsback. You can hear Boiled in Lead’s take on Silver, their25th anniversary release from Omnium Records (#2045;available from P.O. Box 7367, Minneapolis, MN 55407;Ph: 612-375-0233; Web: <www.omnium.com>).

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TRACK 16

There was a Dublin lady, she loved a tinker manBut she couldn’t get in his company just a little now and then

Indeed she did, oh you know she didWith me right fol fiddlary-o, indeed she did

She wrote to him a letter, signed it with her handSays, “Oh how I love you my jolly tinker man.”

And indeed she did, oh you know she did.With me right fol fiddlary-o, indeed she did.

She wrote to him another, sent it with a friendSays, “Oh, my jolly tinker, now my kettle needs a mend.”

Indeed it does, oh you know it does.With me right fol fiddlary-o, indeed it does.

He ran up to the lady’s door and he gave her door a knockSays, “Where’s the rusty kettle with the hole I have to block?”

Indeed I will, oh you know I willWith me right fol fiddlary-o, indeed I will

She led him through the kitchen, she led him through the hallThe servants said, “The devil, now, has he come to block us all?”

Indeed he had, oh you know he hadWith me right fol fiddlary-o, indeed he had

The lady led him up the stairs to show him what to doHe falls on her feather bed, she falls on it too

Indeed they did, oh you know they didWith me right fol fiddlary-o, indeed they did

She picked up a kettle, she began to knockJust to let the servants know they were hard at work

Indeed they were, oh you know they wereWith me right fol fiddlary-o, indeed they were

The lady goes into her purse, she pulls out twenty poundsSays, “Here my jolly tinker, we’ll go another round.”

Indeed they did, oh you know they didWith me right fol fiddlary-o, indeed they did

Well there was Dublin lady, she loved her tinker manBut she couldn’t get in his company just a little now and then

And indeed she did, oh you know she didWith me right fol fiddlary-oIndeed she did, oh you know she didWith me right fol fiddlary-o, indeed she did

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motherhood have also intervened, with an obvious influence on selec-tions for this latest CD. Herring’s maternal instincts are at their most tender on the traditional lullaby, “All the Pretty Little Horses,” which was memorably covered by Joan Baez on Baptism (1968). Herring’s vocals are clear and lovely, evoking the classic voices of Baez, Collins, and Mitchell, yet grounded in the country dirt of Gillian Welch, Lucinda Williams, and Eliza Gilkyson. Such a sweet voice takes one by surprise on “Paper Gown.” You hear the refrain about the little girl on her daddy’s knee before you comprehend that the song is based on Texas mother Susan Smith, who dispatched her children to God via a ramp into a lake. It’s a scary maternal moment. Many of Herring’s songs seem to come straight from a traditional canon; it’s hard to believe that they’re products of the 21st century. “Lay My Burden Down,” “States of Grace,” “Fair and Tender Ladies,” and “Song for Fay” have an old-time sensibility that makes for a timeless song. And when Herring takes on a traditional song, “Midnight on the Water,” she turns it into the album highlight indistinguishable musi-cally or thematically from her self-penned work. Herring is a Southern classic, not as well known as she merits, but Lantana is another step into a wider spotlight.

— Colleen Moore (Baltimore, MD)

Boiled in LeadSilverOmnium OMM2045 (2008)

The guys in the Minneapolis “rock and reel” band Boiled in Lead (a name that perfectly reflects its folk and punk influences) celebrate their 25th anniversary and first new album in 13 years by upgrading their metallic status from lead to Silver with this award-worthy album.In the term “folk-rock,” the “rock” part always came second. With Boiled in Lead, that’s never been the case — the dual influences balance out into a pulsating whole. Unlike some bands that tart up the punk edges until their music becomes cartoon-ish, BiL integrates the rough edges seamlessly.Original members Drew Miller, on bass, and fiddler Dave Stenshoel are joined here by later recruits Robin “Adnan” Anders and vocalist/guitarist Todd Menton (who left the band in the early 90s but, thankfully,

is back). And officially joining the band is Dean Magraw, who’s been sitting in for years. The band is blessed to have Menton’s vocals again. His voice is full and forceful, which is needed to work with the percussive, electrified music, but he also carefully forms and enunciates his words, making the lyrics always clearly heard through the din.The album opens with “Apple Tree Wassail,” a New Year’s drinking song. A perfect choice: A new start for the band, upbeat English folk sounds. The second song, “The Sunset,” is a Celtic instrumental, but very dark in theme, with a driving electric guitar beat. Again, perfect Boiled in Lead sounds. The album also features several rocked-up traditional tunes, such as “House Carpenter” and “The Jolly Tinker,” with its sly double entendres. On the original side, “Silver Carp” presents some kind of neo-pagan species retribution in a relentless spooky song about killer fish (“Oh, the carp are comin’… Arkansas carp with their fins on fire!”).Over the years, Boiled in Lead has ranged afar musically, incor-porating folk, rock, Hungarian, Middle Eastern, and Celtic sounds. So while it doesn’t break any new ground, Silver offers a solid return to form and dance-worthy good news for Lead-Heads everywhere.— Jeffery R. Lindholm (Montpelier, VT)

Various artistsPutumayo Presents:African PartyPutumayo World Music P276-SL (2008)

This delightful CD will keep your feet tapping and your tail wagging. Ten percolating and danceable tracks present notable musicians from Africa, including sax and samba from BoPol Mansiamina (Congo);

jazz-inflected melodies with a rhumba beat from singer/songwriter and multi-instrumentalist Louis Mhlanga (South Africa); and a pop-influenced tune from Bonga, who is a superstar in Europe and Africa for both his music and his political activism for a peaceful future in his Angolan homeland. Kotoja, a band comprising nine members from the United States and Nigeria and based in the San Francisco Bay area, plays a tight and exciting arrangement in a style that fuses Afrobeat, jazz, and highlife. Chiwoniso, an artist who was born and raised in Seattle in a musical Zimbabwean family (her father is an ethnomusicolo-gist and teacher), can do it all; she has extensive experience in many styles and in collaborations with performers from all over the world. Here he sings “Nguva Ye Kufara,” which starts with simple mbira accompaniment that is later joined by a driving rhythm section. Some names that are more familiar to American audiences include Oliver “Tuku” Mtukudzi an Les Go de Koteba. Slip these tunes onto your iPod or Walkman before you leave the house for a walk, and you’re guaranteed an aerobic workout!

— Susan Hartman (Baltimore, MD)

Jimmy BlytheMessin’ Around BluesDelmark DE 792 (2007)

Jimmy Blythe (1901-1931) may not be a name blues aficionados will automatically cite when recalling their favorite pianists, yet he does have his place in early recorded blues music. In the 20s and into the 30s, he served as a session sideman for many a Chicago jazz and blues artist, including Louis Armstrong, Johnny Dodds, Lonnie Johnson, the Hokum Boys, Monette Moore,

Boiled in Lead - the apple tart is on fire

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Dirty Linen 43

Dirty Linen, issue #136 – June / July 2008

Dr Ricky McKinnie

Recent Blind Boys Of

Alabama recruit Dr Ricky

McKinnie sings His

praises. David Burke

helps spread the word.

Michelle Shocked

George Bush isn’t the

only one to whom God

talks. Avowed non-

believer David Burke

Boiled In Lead

Silver

Omnium

2008

Boiled In Lead

Silver

It's been a while since Boiled In lead were a full-time band although they have played occasionalgigs but, to celebrate their tWenty-fifthanniversary, they have returned to the studio andto their roots.

This is glorious, old-fashioned folk-rock with overtones of grunge. Forget'Rasputin' and some of the strangersounds on Alloy, this is traditionalmusic brought to the boil. There's'Silver Carp' - a typically strangeTodd Menton song, tWo North Africantunes - including one by RobinAnders, and John Van Orman's re-imagining of the story of Death andthe lady, 'Death On Hennepin'. Butthe majority of the material traces itsorigins back to this side of theAtlantic and especially Ireland.

The Watersons are cited as thesource of the opening 'Apple TreeWassail' and Peter Bellamy gets creditfor 'House Carpenter', with Altan,Boys Of The Lough and BrendanPower name-checked on the way butall the music gets the Leadtreatment, with pounding percussionand screaming guitar and fiddle fromDean Magraw and David Stenshoel.Silver may not be for the purists butit's one of the best things you'll hear

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Folk Rock Reborn

06/13/2008 03:56AMContributed by: ARomero

Boiled in Lead

Silver (Omnium, 2008)

With Silver, folk rock group Boiled in Lead marks its25th anniversary. By now, the Minneapolis-basedband has become a legendary figure in the field of American folkrock thanks to its unconventional approach. Even though thefolk, Celtic and world music influences are evident, the rockingredient is also essential for Boiled in Lead's sound. The rockelements range from British style folk rock and punk to Americanalternative rock and even progressive rock epic moments, such

as in the massive instrumental piece titled "Berber".

For the new recording, Boiled in Lead recovered its original singer and multi-instrumentalist,Todd Menton and added virtuoso guitarist Dean Magraw. The rest of Boiled In Lead's line upis: Robin "Adnan" Anders on drums and percussion, Drew Miller on bass guitar and dulcimer,and David Stenshoel on fiddle.

Buy the CD:

In North America: SilverIn Europe: Silver

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Last update: April 24, 1998 at 2:46 PM

Boiled in Lead

Tom Surowicz, Minneapolis writer

April 25, 1998 FTBOILED

A veteran folk-rock band that really kicks out the jams. Boiled in Leadstarted out playing mostly Irish tunes, with the abandon of slash 'n'burn punks. Their early sounds were aptly christened "Celtodelic rockand reel." But the world-renowned group, which has recorded at leasta half-dozen high-spirited albums -- many for their leader DrewMiller's own mighty little Omnium Records label -- evolved into asmoking, surprising, commanding combo that's just as likely to barrelthrough Macedonian, Bulgarian, Hungarian or Middle Eastern music,as tunes from the Emerald Isle. Boiled in Lead also has its own self-penned songbag of romantic, cinematic, at times psychedelicnumbers. Protest songs, driving dance tunes, centuries-old murderballads, plus a world class cover of the Eurodisco hit, "Rasputin" --BiL sets are always fun, potent, and surprising. Nobody roars, does ajig or a Balkan boogie quite like Boiled in Lead.

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