Best Old Bands Volume V: Boiled in Lead

A continuing series on the Twin Cities most lasting music artists and architects

Mar 19, 2025

Around the world in a night: Haley Olson, Todd Menton, Drew Miller, Mo Engel

Boiled in Lead for beginners

Boiled in Lead mainstays Drew Miller and Todd Menton have added long-time scene drummer Mo Engel and versatile young fiddler/vocalist Haley Olson for a fresh start into the fifth decade.

By Jim Meyer

Among the bands with 40-plus years on the boards in these towns, most have endured by delivering consistent quality and clear identifiability.

Flamin’ Ohs? They’re probably gonna start with ``Stop’’ and then carry on to a celebration of Midwest power pop.
Hypstrz/Mighty Mofos? The Batson brothers always bring a joyous storm of garage rock, thank God.
The Suburbs? A sprawling dance-rock party onstage, spilling into the crowd like a Longhorn High class reunion.
Jayhawks? Well…. It’s complicated, but with the lineup settled they change within a reliable range.
Boiled in Lead? It’s very complicated, but there’s an exception to every rule, and Boiled in Lead has thrived by breaking all the rules as an enduring one-stop-shop for the broadly curious music-world traveler.

Even when they started in 1983, Boiled in Lead’s mix of deep Celtic tradition and raucous post-punk fire was a delightful headscratcher for some, and they’ve only grown more adventurous through the ages and after distinct lineup changes. Whether that’s aided their longevity, brought undue obscurity or both is a fun debate. What’s more certain is there are not many musical outfits in the area or even the world like the one in our backyard.

The fact of Boiled in Lead’s inscrutability hasn’t escaped the group’s remaining founder and guiding spirit, bassist Drew Miller. Besides 42 years on stage, he’s had dovetailing careers as a manager for multiple indie labels (ESD, NorthSide and his own label Omnium), and as a website builder and technology consultant, audio archivist, a community-radio legend on KFAI-FM and now record shop co-owner in White Bear Lake. He as much as anyone knows the importance of categorization in commercialization and is proud Boiled in Lead has not succumbed.

“Especially now in the digital age, everything is in a genre box,’’ says Miller. “So when I’m entering the metadata for our online listings, I can do it for each track, but for the band overall…I don’t know,’’ he says with a playful exasperation. “Mixing distinct cultures in cooking has always been accepted, but doing it with music is trickier.’’

For longtime singer and songwriter Todd Menton, the band’s continual musical reveals are the basic appeal. He’s an admitted folkie, an olde music aficionado and a regular performer at Minnesota Renaissance Festival. Though a true devotee of British Isles legends such as Martin Carthy or the Watersons, his life was also changed by Stop Making Sense and Tom Waits, particular those wild years on the Island Records albums. And I detect a little Led Zep in some of the borrowed licks.

After being blown away by BiL’s self-released and self-titled debut, Menton joined the group for sophomore album Hotheads (Atomic Theory, 1987) as they were set for liftoff with more award-winning records, world-wide critical acclaim, and an English record deal for From the Ladle to the Grave (Atomic Theory/Cooking Vinyl, 1989). It’s all led to a proud achievement for any band, an enduring star on First Avenue’s Wall of Fame.

Menton did depart in 1993 for a successful solo decade when he perfectly timed ``the Riverdance bump’’ of the mid-to-late ‘90s. (``Everybody wanted to open an Irish Pub. I could barely get a weekend off.’’) Since rejoining BiL in 2005, he’s now with a lighter solo schedule, and a steady income from teaching at the Center for Irish Music in St. Paul. The stability allows him to re-commit to a band that’s rather non-committal about its niche.

``Boiled in Lead is a place where there is no real limit to what you can do,’’ he said over coffee before his noon stage call at Celtic Junction. ``People still call us folk-punk, but it ain’t that. I’m really fortunate I can focus on the traditional scene through the school, then pivot to Boiled in Lead where we can really explore musically or crank up the amps.’’

Miller explained that BiL now plays their annual holiday concert the week after St. Patrick’s Day weekends, very willing to accommodate Menton’s work in the band for the O’Shea Dancers’ `Kickin’ it Irish.’’ ``He’s someone deeply immersed in Irish music but wants to play it on a Telecaster,’’ says Miller. ``That’s a rare set of passions.’’

It’s a boon for the group that the bassist and founder is also a professional web designer. He’s done wonders for the band site, loaded with history and live samples galore, with more to come in due time.

Local freelance writer/editor and longtime band fan Christopher Bahn attended a 2015 BiL show. Seeing they had no Wikipedia page, he stepped up, taking Miller’s binders full of old hard-copy press clips to construct an electronic history. ``The main thing I was impressed with was how well the albums stood the test of time,’’ says Bahn. ``There's nothing gimmicky about their embrace of old traditional music, and nothing superficial about the way they modernized it.’’

With his industry experience, Miller obviously knows how to make records, but Boiled in Lead has also shown admirable restraint in not making them. BiL’s last studio LP Silver (Omnium, 2008) marked Menton’s return to the fold. The low-key but lovable The Well Below EP (Omnium, 2012) is the last studio release.

40 Years CD at the Parkway: Menton Comes Alive

The death of longtime Boiled in Lead fiddler and beloved spirit David Stenshoel in September of 2021 was a low point for the band’s remaining members. Stenshoel, a cohesive force within numerous music communities, is memorialized beautifully in a concert preserved on the band site.

Eventually it was time to find replacements for a group whose alumni are a daunting rock and reel hall of fame: Stenshoel, Marc Anderson, Dean Magraw, Robin `Adnan’ Anders, and Adam Stemple to name five. Miller had some ideas. Menton had… other ideas. Gradually, they came upon a sort of local-band fantasy draft.

Drew picked first, staying with drummer Mo Engel. Those two had already locked in as the rhythm pair in roots and rockabilly group Kinda Fonda Wanda with vocalist Amanda White and guitarist Alan Subola. Engel may be known for his long-ago days in New Orleans jazz rompers Straw Dogs and Hotheads. These days he’s a ready roots rock substitute around town, but with a particular passion for ‘50s and ‘60s ``lounge pop’ in The Smarts and Retrofizz. Last not least, he’s the beat behind comic country swing thing Saddle Sores with Jenny Russ. In his lifelong career, he’s played just about everything except what Boiled in Lead was cooking, but Miller had to ask.

``I said `are you crazy enough to want to learn to play in 15?’ and he said `sure!’ ’’

``It’s completely different than anything I’ve done in my life,’’ says Engel, a youth band geek in his native Madison, who made his way up to the UW Orchestra. ``I’ve never been in anything with this much history and such a strong vision so it’s just great to get under that sail and get swept up. It’s been a trip and reinvigorated my exploration of different music.’’

Photo: Tim Van Cleave

Typically, the harder musical fit would be for a requisite top-flight and musically omnivorous violinist. But Menton had known Minneapolis native Haley Olson long ago, having taught her mandolin and bodhran. She studied classical violin from pre-K, then learned Arabic dance music and eastern European styles before a deep dive into Irish music in college. Though initially invited as a guest, she surprised the boys with her vocal ability and was quickly brought into the firm full-on.

Photo: Tim Van Cleave

``I followed Todd for like a decade, recalls Olson (with no O apostrophe. She’s predominantly Scottish, but two percent Irish!) ``I enjoyed his solo gigs, his Renaissance Festival shows, as well as Boiled in Lead concerts at the Cedar Cultural Center. I told him I had left my Celtic band in Tennessee. If anybody else on the planet had asked me in I would have declined because I was burnt out on music and bands. But it’s definitely the finest group I’ve been a part of, and we have a lot of fun.’’

Proof of Olson’s composure, proficiency and lightning-fast but light touch is that her band debut is also the live recording of the band’s delightful career retrospective, 40 Years (Omnium, 2024). Recorded at the 2023 holiday concert at Parkway, it’s an unveiling of the new lineup’s approach to both respecting and reimagining Boiled in Lead classics, with new selections in a range of styles as well as choice originals by Menton, and the haunting ``Death on Hennepin,’’ by Boiled in Lead ally John C. Van Orman. It fills a large gap in recorded product, serving as a cool primer as the band puts the finish on studio recordings they hope to license this year.

``When we bring in someone new, we adjust to them,’’ says Menton. There’s no such thing as `this is what a Boiled in Lead drummer or fiddle player does. When Haley and Mo both joined, there was just an audible `click.’

Photo: Tim Van Cleave

White Bear Lake Records: Highway 61 Visited

For reminiscing about Boiled in Lead, I thought it would be appropriate to meet Miller in person at White Bear Lake Records he co-owns with Tom Novak and Chris Valenty. Nestled in beautiful WBL in a walkable downtown that seems more vibrant than our two major cities if I’m honest. It’s a fast 30-minute drive from my Nokomis area, and an excuse to go browsing some different inventory.

I’m accustomed to the more spacious south Minneapolis shops so I thought we could get some privacy and quiet, but the 400-square foot shop is chockablock, with a steady stream of buyers and sellers, teens and retirees or Deadheads on lunchbreak as Miller grades records on turntable, be it Pink Floyd, Carla Bley, Jerry Reed or who knows what. One fellow inquired about Brandi Carlile’s debut now going for hundreds of dollars. His second search was for 13 Nightmares by local goth rockers Morticia, ``on vinyl.’’ Exceedingly rare, as that format was never pressed.

The joint was once a barber shop, and Miller likes continuing the community conversation tradition of such places on his Mondays and Tuesdays. He prefers the old-style `pal-gorithm’’ system of inductive musical shopping suggestions for more personalized and adventurous recommendations. He’s a deep well of musical and industrial knowledge and undying passion. We met on a Monday because Tuesday he would do a store shift while listening to his own and other DJ mixes for Twin Cities New Wave Day, then plow through that evening’s snowstorm to DJ 45s at Grumpy’s Northeast." 2100 Drew Miller in Twin Cities New Wave Day 2025

``Boiled in Lead and the Pogues emerged about the same time,’’ Miller recalled. ``Long before there was a Dropkick Murphys, the Pogues were doing their thing. Shane turned out to be one of the great songwriters of all time but they started by playing Clancy Brothers and Dubliners tunes in London pubs. We started off playing medieval ballads like `Twa Corbies’ with a space echo at the Upper Deck. That’s the been the through line. To shine a light on the continuum of music, and put old music in the face of a modern audience. And push ourselves. Always push ourselves.’’

Drew Miller’s Top Three Boiled in Lead Career Highlights: 1. Early acceptance by the punk rock community, especially Bob Mould and Steve Albini. (“…even the violins rock.” – Albini.) 2. Berlin Independence Days gig 1988 in the former East Berlin. The session in the dressing room with the Bisserov Sisters went on so long the sound crew put up mics and played it over the PA. 3. March 2023 - Rebuilding the band after David Stenshoel passed away.

Boiled in Lead’s past musical styles have ranged from Afro-beat to Albania, klezmer or some classic rock jollies. Recently, Olson brought in a Serbian megahit `Adje Jano.’’ They may introduce ``Bold Maurauder,’’ an ``acid anthem’’ by Richard and Mimi Fariña, or a Serbian Cacek Miller unearthed while categorizing a stack of old 78s. They’re slowly bringing back other BiL classics (no spoilers) for a set almost completely new since last year’s CD release show.

It's true that cultural groups of all kinds have surfaced more prominently on our music scene over the years, suggesting that when Boiled in Lead were bringing back ancient music 43 years ago, they were ahead of their time. ``I know there’s a lot more insanely talented people in town working in this realm of music,’’ says Miller. ``Natalie Nowytsky can sing the phonebook in any language. Laura McKenzie’s Brass Lassie is an amazing 14-piece big band. I just saw the hot rockin’ Ukrainian Village Band at the Schooner. There are a lot more people doing it, but they are . . .’’ he begins to laugh… ``more tightly focused than Boiled in Lead is or ever will be.’’

Photo: Tim Van Cleave

A tradition dating back to their St. Patrick’s Day debut at Upper Deck, Boiled in Lead present their 42^nd annual concert this Saturday. They’ll team with special guests Corpse Reviver, a group dedicated to the musical collection of folk historian Harry Smith. And it wouldn’t be a Parkway show without the Brian Boru Irish Pipe Band in organic Sensurround Sound when they stride through the aisles. It’s a seated show, of course, but for determined dancers, if there’s a will and a walkway – and two sections of seats on the wings – there’s a way.

A grand Irishman Van Morrison once pleaded that ``It’s Too Late to Stop Now.’’ But if Boiled in Lead are verging on a resurgence with a new line-up, a dedicated booking agent and a long-awaited album in production, it’s much too soon to stop as well. For those of us who may have lost touch or for the totally uninitiated, it’s never too late to start in again.

Engel: ``Last time we played Celtic Junction, there were plenty of people my age, but they were there with their kids getting up and dancing. I think Boiled in Lead is totally ripe for another generation.’’

Minneapolis native Jim Meyer was a music reporter at City Pages, Star Tribune, and Sam Goody/Best Buy a century ago. He’s a willing patron of the arts but won’t turn down gig invites, free demos or story ideas at meyerforhire@yahoo.com.

Best Old Bands Minnesota | Jim Meyer, LPN | Substack

Past Features

Barbara Cohen and Little Lizard Live at Hook and Ladder Theater

https://jamesmeyerlpn.substack.com/p/best-old-bands-volume-vii-barbara?r=f99ik

Volume IV : Consolation Champ

https://jamesmeyerlpn.substack.com/p/best-old-bands-volume-vi-consolation?r=f99ik

Our House Live at the Fitzgerald Theater

https://jamesmeyerlpn.substack.com/p/best-old-bands-vol-v-our-house-live?r=f99ik

Volume III : Barbara Cohen and Little Lizard

https://jamesmeyerlpn.substack.com/p/best-old-bands-volume-iii-barbara?r=f99ik

Volume II Our House : Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young

https://jamesmeyerlpn.substack.com/p/best-old-bands-vol-ii-our-house-tribute?r=f99ik