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January 5, 1996
Vigorous Violin: Josef Kessler is an eclectic with style
to spare
By Byran Reesman
With his giant bush of hair and his fiddle bow flying, 25-year-old string virtuoso Josef Kessler has been a familiar sight on Boston stages in the past five years. A musical chameleon, Kessler has freelanced all over town (including a gig with the string section of Plant & Page in their recent FleetCenter shows). He served time in the psychedelic / Cajun / klezmer outfit Hypnotic Clambake; recently he's been working with the traditional Celtic band Sunday's Well and renowned Celtic-eclectic punks Boiled In Lead.
For a hint of Kessler's virtuosity (as well as versatility), check out BiL's Antler Dance (Omnium). On "Walk Through the Door," his fiddle follows the racing hard-rock riff and transposes up the register, chasing guitarist Adam Stemple, then breaks into a sweeping folkish melody, taking the tune into the next verse. Kessler introduces the Middle Eastern "Neda Voda" with delicate, electronically enhanced buzzing double stops and sweet harmonics. Listen to his many different performances in sequence and he might sound like a dozen different players.
The son of a Jewish cantor, Kessler draws his eclectic musical background from both his musical schooling and his heritage. "I was six years old when my dad brought me a violin and said, `This is what you're going to do,' and I said okay, Josef explains from a gold-colored pay phone in Las Vegas, a stop on the recent BiL tour. "I studied classical violin for 10 years. In college, I started playing Yugoslavian folk music and then got into other kinds of folk music for the violin." After two years of studying math at Tufts, he left to pursue music full-time. Playing in Harvard Square, he not only was able to support himself, he made connections that led to gigs in clubs, both solo and with other groups.
In 1990, he joined Hypnotic Clambake, with their often parodic Cajun/klezmer mix and "songs about food as well. I think the idea was that food is a very entertainiong subject that people can relate to." Kessler left the Clambake in 1992, after joining the Minneapolis-based Boiled In Lead. BiL's raucous-yet-refined eclecticism, defined by rock aggression and extensive knowledge of world musics, fits Kessler to a T. So does their flamboyant, punkish stage presence, which can confuse some members of more traditional folk audiences.
In BiL, Kessler dances frenetically and often moves into the audience with his blue fiddle, both playing for people and confronting them, invariably winning them over. Kessler's confrontational style extends to band members as well, He recalls one ultimately happy run-in with BiL singer/guitarist Stemple. During a show in Albuquerque, "at the end of playing the first part of an Irish medley, I was like 'Adam, one more time.' He said no, so I went into the next tune. After that I was kind of mad, so I said 'Fuck you!' And Adam said, 'Oh really? Fuck me?' So he decided to slam into me. Then I unplugged his pedals, and he came over and played my wah-wah." The audience's response? `They were dancing; it was cool."
Most recently Kessler played in the string section (along with other "crossover" locals like Mimi Rabson and Tracy Bonham) for Plant & Page, who had an eight-piece Arabic ensemble they toured with, "and they wanted to book a string section in Boston that was familiar with Middle Eastern music. So they hired a half-dozen or more violinists who weren't straight-ahead classical players We actually jammed backstage with the Arabic players." And what was the show like? "There was this moment that I had a break. I looked up and thought, "Wow! There's Led Zeppelin right in front of me.' And then I thought, `I gotta work here. I've got to to come back in 30 seconds.' A lot of us were jumping around up there and laughing. We couldn't believe we were actually playing those tunes."
During the big gig, the fiddler became aware that his approach so playing is very similar to that of Jimmy Page. "When Jimmy hits certain notes, he really looks out at the audience and is very aware of those notes and so the audience becomes aware of those notes as well. It's very conscsious entertaining. That's what I'm doing up there as well. Whether it's a traditional Bulgarian tune or an American bluegrass tune, I look at it like those notes are the reason I'm up there on stage. Someone was saying this the other day: an important thing you do as an entertainer is not necessarily to make people happy, but you show them on stage it's acceptable to have emotions. If it's a sad song then people get sad, and that's good. If it's a happy song, then people are happy." Thus he doesn't attempt to pander to audiences. "It's ultimately self-limiting, because what they want can be what you want. Actually, I find that the audience is looking for something; they're looking for quality up there. Quality is not just McDonald's. They want a complex performance."
December 1995
Boiled In Lead: Folking Around
Once self-described as "Celtodelic World Rock ‘n’ Reel," Boiled In Lead purposefully defy the cliché singer-songwriter tag with their heavy, confrontational folk rock. Their approach is derived from the members’ distinct musical personalities: fluent bassist Drew Miller, who adeptly doubles on dulcimer; high-speed fiddler Josef Kessler, bluesy vocalist/guitarist Adam Stemple who, upon breaking a guitar string, will attempt to break all the others in time; and percussionist Robin "Adnan" Anders who can pound out an impressive drum solo with ten fingers on a doumbek as opposed to predictably bludgeoning your standard rock kit....
This at-odds diversity is an advantage to their clever improvisation, which occurs in many forms. A classic example is the line from the Russian- flavored "Rasputin" where they sing "there was a cat who really was gone," which some fans interpreted as "who really was hung." The band performed that version, but they weren’t sure how some folks would appreciate it. "At the Winnipeg Folk Festival," says Kessler, "Drew and I wimped out and sang, ‘There was a man who really was gone.’" Stemple, of course, screamed out the opposite. "We looked at Adam like ‘Oh, yeah, sorry about that.’"
This Minneapolis-based quartet enjoys throwing their diverse world, rock, and folk influences (not to mention their warped sense of humor) into a large musical soup. "Each song has a different story," Drew explains. "Some of them are traditional things that we found, forgot, then relearned, then all four of us started beating on them. Some of them are originals that somebody writes, and then they throw it into the stew pot and we all beat on them. There’s a lot of improvisation going on. A lot of really significant looks and foot gestures."
Some of these gestures the members use to outsmart each other. "It’s an adversarial kind of relationship we have onstage," Adam notes. "If you can make the other guy crack up so much he can no longer continue playing, you’ve won." And how do audiences react? "If we have fun," Robin says, "we’ve found out that the crowed will have fun." Kessler himself often moves into audiences while playing his signature blue fiddle, as if serenading people. "It’s a combination of serenading and pissing them off," Josef wryly remarks...
The group’s sets vary, depending upon the venue they play. Adam alternates between a Strat and an acoustic guitar, while Robin plays drum set and/or a wide variety of ethnic percussion, from a jimbae (sic) to a large Macedonian drum. Anders’ choices also are dictated by his bandmates: "I have one drum for each purpose. I have the little drum, then the next biggest drum, then the next biggest, and if I really have to kick their asses, I use the really big drum!"
Straddling the line between folk and rock, Boiled In Lead consider
themselves the hardest folk band around. As they opened a recent set in New
York, Stemple joked with the audience, "You know it’s been a good
show when your ears ring after an acoustic set."
--Bryan Reesman
Chattanooga, TN, August 11, 1995
Go around the world with Boiled in Lead
By Michele Dula Baum
Hip musicians may be unplugged, but Boiled in Lead has transcended acoustic and gone eclectic. The widely varied nature of the Minnesota band's music is a natural evolution, according to Drew Miller, bassist and electric dulcumer player who has been with the band since its start 12 years ago.
"We all come from different places," said Miller, the group's only remaining original member. "And we tend to reinvent things every night." They'll be reinventing things tonight as the Nightfall headliners at 8 p.m. in Miller Plaza.
Nine different musicians have played with Boiled in Lead, but current members Miller, Robin "Adnan" Anders (percussion), Josef Kessler (fiddle) and Adam Stemple (guitar and lead vocals) have been together since 1993. "I think the name puts people off," said Miller. "But once people get past the name and hear the music, it really draws them in."
Back in those early days, Boiled in Lead played mostly Irish folk and rock. But albums Antler Dance (1994) and Songs from the Gypsy (1995) show just how far talent, ambition and multi-instrument gifts can go - specifically, that's around the world in a little more than 90 minutes. Antler Dance and Songs from the Gypsy, the group's fourth and fifth albums, amply showcase the foursome's virtuosity with what's been described as heavy-metal Celtic, folk-punk and rock-world music. Fiddles and guitars scream and slam, rhythms and vocals joust and melodies roll and crash in a pounding surf of pure instrumental joy. And for Songs from the Gypsy, Boiled in Lead has carried experimentation into a new realm.
"It's the first time we've ever done a record like this," Miller said of the disk, a cycle of songs written by Stemple and fantasy novelist Steven Brust. "The songs inspired a novel." Written by Brust and Megan Lindholm and published by Tor Books, The Gypsy tells the story of three gypsy brothers in a way that interweaves Hungarian folktales with what is allegedly real life. Songs from the Gypsy "took on a life of its own," said Miller. "We kind of went over the top."
Over the top, that is, because in addition to blasting Hungarian folk rhythms and haunting lyrics, Songs from the Gypsy is a CD-ROM that includes the music, author notes, credits and the full text of the novel.
Miller is Boiled in Lead's Internet surfer, and he said he particularly enjoyed working on the CD-ROM. "We need to please ourselves," he said of that and the group's iconoclastic style. "If we're not having fun, how can we expect anyone else to?" For Internet surfers who want to know more, Miller passed on the following addresses: http://www.omnium.com/pub/omnium/ or e-mail bil@omnium.com.
As for Miller, he said he's looking forward to cranking up on Miller Plaza's outdoor stage. "it's easier to tap into the magic when you're outdoors," he said. So go and hear the magic.
Charlotte, NC, August 9, 1995
Boiled in Lead Brews Strange Musical Stew
By Lew Herman
Take electric Celtic, punk rock, folk, middle eastern pop, Bosnian dance music, updated disco and country-western - that's what Boiled in Lead begins to sound like. Or put it this way, Boiled in Lead sounds like what would happen if Richard Thompson formed a band made up of members of Jethro Tull, Metallica and the Pogues. "We just wanted to rock the hell out of traditional music," explained bass player and band founder Drew Miller. Boiled in Lead will appear this Thursday, Aug. 10, at Tremont Music Hall.
We spoke with Miller on his portable phone while he and the band were driving through eastern Massachusetts. It was a fitting way to see how this band operates. "We're a travelling band," Miller explained. "We're a road worthy crew. Our purpose is to travel and put out records. The last couple of years we traveled in the states, mostly. We're working on getting some momentum."
The band's present formation is relatively new. Relatively new, because the band originally began back on St. Patrick's Day in 1983. The current lineup Miller tells us, "started exactly 10 years later, St. Patty's Day, 1993." Band members include drummer and percussionist, Robin Anders, and Josef Kessler who plays fiddle. Drew Miller, besides playing bass also plays electric dulcimer and Adam Stemple plays electric and acoustic guitar and mandolin. How did Miller get into the rock 'n' roll world to begin with? "It was back in 1980...I bought a bass in a pawn shop in Phoenix, Ariz. I couldn't really play bass, but you know, it was red and changed my life." Miller went on, "I'd never been in a band before, but now I had a bass. Several of us got together and we had our first gig in 1983. We weren't traditional types, we weren't about trying to preserve and pass it on. We said, "let's beat on this stuff.'"
Strangely enough for an electric Celtic band, Boiled in Lead is based in Minneapoilis, Minn., not in England or Scotland. Still, the Celtic connections have given the band some unique opportunities. "Every St. Patrick's Day, we play at Prince's club. It seats 1,500. We really pack it every time."
Boiled in Lead has released about a half a dozen recordings through the years. "We have quite a following," said Miller. "They're called Leadheads. They buy everything. It's great." Recent recordings include the well received Antler Dance and a very recent CD-ROM release called Songs from the Gypsy which is a soundtrack from a novel. "That one doesn't exactly represent us as we are now." Miller explains, "because these songs were written six years ago. It was a side project, actually. It's not indicative of which way the band is going." Antler Dance contains the usual great sounding BiL eclectic nonsense. The recording includes a Bruce Springsteen cover, a feminist fairy tale, Balkan dance music, some Russian history and an American fiddle tune, all served up in a brilliant musical stew.
Boiled in Lead are do-it-yourselfers who have been recording and releasing their material for years on their own Omnium record label. But they're not averse to dealing with the big record companies either. "We're demo-ing the stuff," Miller explains, but he hastens to add, "We take the long view. Our music is already nationally distributed. We can take our time. We don't want to go into debt with these big companies."
What about the band's unique name? "Ever hear of the Anglo (sic, Irish) band, Clannad?", Miller asked. "They did a song called 'Two Sisters.' Well, the eldest sister was boiled in lead." Miller continued, "Actually the practice was a fairly common, gruesome medieval punishment. And you know with that being our band name, people think we're a metal band, but once they get past the name, it's fine."
When they perform in Charlotte, Boiled in Lead will play a concert type set. "We'll start with electric instruments, play some acoustic and then come back with electric....BiL," he concluded, "Gets off on variety."
So traditionalists and purists beware. No musical genre is sacred with this group. After bassist Miller utters his deadpan intro, "Now we're gonna do a song about a cow," don't expect to remain sitting on your hands.
Edmonton Alberta Canada, May 21, 1994
Hybrid music makers conjure delightful eclectic diversions: Anyone for
Celtic, Arabic and Balkan folk rhythms with Appalachian swing, blues, heavy
metal?
By Roger Levesque
Sorting out the strains of hybrid music makers can get the brain working overtime - with delight, that is. The Minneapolis quartet Boiled In Lead and Winnipeg's six-piece Acoustically Inclined offered two different, crazily eclectic musical equations on a double bill Thursday at the Sidetrack.
Boiled In Lead first visited here at the 1992 folk fest but they seem to have grown even more diverse since then. Metal mantras, anyone? Imagine a guitar or violin solo that begins in an eastern, Arabic-sounding vein and takes off into soaring metal-fuzz distortion. The amazing part is how this band of thirtysomething players makes such seemingly incongruous elements work together.
Bassist Drew Miller (doubling on dulcimer) is the only original member of the 11-year old group, joined by Robin Anders's percussion and drums, Josef Kessler's fiddle, and Adam Stemple's vocals, guitars and mandolin. They'll play a full concert set for tonight's show.
Anders says that over the years they've been entertained by critics' attempts to categorize them. They call it "country music from many countries" with ingredients that include Celtic, Arabic and Balkan folk rhythms Appalachian swing and touches of blues along with the metal guitar chords.
Lyrics tend toward romance with a mythic air but Stemple found considerable vigor belting out the chorus of (get this!) Boney M's disco hit "Rah Rah Rasputin." The band concentrates on original material and tailors programs to suit their venue. They've been on the road about eight months of the past year, allowing just enough time to record the upbeat new album Antler Dance (Klezmatics trumpeter Frank London plays and produces). It includes much of the material they featured live, including the entrancing Arabic feel of Anders' piece "Nasrudin." His hand percussion is a highlight live as he masters Egyptian tabla, the metallic echo of a Syrian dourbakee and a Macedonian tupan or marching drum (also featured on his album Blue Buddha).
Seattle, WA, January 17-23, 1995
Boiled In Lead
Saturday, Jan. 21, $8, the Backstage
So you don't think you could bang your head to a band with electric fiddle and dulcimer in it, eh? You hear the word FOLK and you break out in a rash, right? Open your mind and get to Ballard on Saturday. BiL is a twisted entourage that is so musically tight they'll leave you spinning for days after the crime. Offering a world music meltdown including tastes of Celtic, bluegrass, Russian, metal, and pure chaotic folk rock, BiL will bring out dancing skills you never knew you possessed. These Minnesotans' 1993 (sic, 1989) record From the Ladle to the Grave won numerous awards, and their latest Antler Dance (Omnium, 1994) runs the gamut from Irish reels to gypsy polkas. "Polkas!" you screech, clutching your Pearl Jam, "But...what if somebody sees me there?" Get over it; "folk" is all relative. Chew on that, and don't miss them live.
Guitarist / singer Adam Stemple, bassist Drew Miller, drummer Robin Anders, and fiddler Josef Kessler live the unique gift on onstage evolution. They take the stage like four wild minstrels, drunk with pleasure, who stumble into a moonlit grove at midnight, each bringing music from faraway places. High with rhythm, seduced by muses, these guys are driven by an outrageous need to burn the forest down. BiL's shows are wild and executed at breakneck speed, which is effective, barring any technical problems. Don't think tights, pan flutes, and funny knickers -- think drums, amps, wah-wah pedals, and a sweaty, noisy good time.
Diversity, multiple talents, and fun fuel this group. Drummer Anders jumps
from Egyptian tabla to muzhar, to drum set, to tapan, and occasionally to
keyboards. His rhythms are hypnotic, his grooves hauntingly original. He and
bassist Miller (who occasionally pulls out an electrric dulcimer) create an
ever-mutating base so rhythmically true it soaks you to your bones. Guitarist /
singer Stemple's canary-eating smile, straightforward vocals, and grinding
guitar riffs are intoxicating and infectious, and Kessler will fiddle your socks
off -- and maybe your pants and shirt too. His wild stage presence is only
outshined by his uncompromising skill. He's innovative, dangerous, and a lot of
fun to watch. Treat yourself to something different this weekend.
Boiled In Lead play an in-store set at Cellophane Square, Saturday at
3pm, in case you want a free sample. N.W.B.
June 1994
On the Rock Road With Sadie
By Sadie O.
A good, solid, extremely eclectic month, it's been - just the way I like em!
Started off with a CD release party for Those Darn Accordions...Also couldn't
resist seeing Johnny Legend at the Ace Cafe, backed by Frank Novicki on guitars
and some other of the Bay Area's hot rockers (as the Rockabilly Bastards)...
Non-BiL
material deleted.
I went to see my Minneapolis buddies Boiled in Lead three times in a row - first at a semi-acoustic gig at Freight and Salvage in Berkeley (highlighted by a guest appearance of a charming young man playing digeridoo), then a raucous electric gig at the DNA Lounge, and finally another semi-acoustic show at a sort of a spiderweb strewn barn in Davis (CA) called the Palms.
Boiled in Lead are a strange and delightful concoction - started out as a punk Celtic outfit and mutated by adding more international influences until now they are basically a form of amalgamated mayhem. The bassist doubles on dulcimer, the drummer often plays doumbec, the guitarist/singer does a sort of frantic classical business, and the fiddler, with his long black curls and strange and exotic Eastern European violin style, makes it suddenly obvious why so many old folk stories feature the lady abandoning her home and family to run off with the raggle-taggle gypsy-o.
This was also a CD release party, and Antler Dance is a fantastic piece of petroleum by-product. Highpoints of performance and CD include the vastly testosteronated cover of the old disco hit "Rasputin" ("Rah rah Rasputin, Russia's greatest sex machine") and the staunchly anti-vegetarian anthem "Hook 'Em Cow" ("she's a ramblin' rovin' bovine with a gatling gun"). What an absolute joy to have those boys pass our way again at last.
Go to Sadie O.'s webpage.
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Los Angeles CA, April 29 1994
By Richard Foss
Boiled in Lead. This is one of the only bands that can play a folk festival one day and a punk club the next, and leave both audiences shouting for more. Boiled in Lead is a delightful mass of contradictions: equally at home playing acoustic and electric originals, Irish jigs and reels, and thunderous versions of traditional Balkan pieces. If you have heard of them, but not heard them, you're not alone; the band has achieved international exposure in print, as characters in books by Emma Bull and other writers, but rarely tours the West Coast (this is its first LA appearance in nearly a year.) The roster has been turbulent, but every incarnation of Boiled in Lead has delivered brilliant and eccentric shows full of humor and virtuosity. Hints of Oriental, Arabic, and Celtic music enliven rock and folk numbers, and rock energy makes traditional material into dance-floor classics.
Fergus Falls, MN, Monday November 22, 1993
Band with varied past pleases varied crowd
By Joel Myhre
An elderly woman rhythmically tapped her cane on the floor and smiled. Even though, based on age, the members of Boiled In Lead could be her grandchildren, she seemed to relate to and be astounded by the group's entrancing music, which explores almost every musical style, but busts through all musical boundaries. The four-member band played Friday night at the New York Mills Regional Cultural Center.
After 10 years, Boiled In Lead has changed its members several times nine different musicians have been in the band at one time or another, and bassist Drew Miller is the only original member. The current four members have been together since guitarist and lead vocalist Adam Stemple joined in March.
With the change in personnel, Boiled In Lead has also changed its musical styles. When the band started, Boiled In Lead primarily played Irish folk/rock. But with Robin Anders as the "one-man band" percussionist and Josef Kessler on his blue violin, Boiled In Lead has since explored into traditional Gypsy, Greek, Appalachian, as well as a toasting rendition of Bruce Springsteen's "State Trooper."
"We just grew," Miller said. "We basically play things we like to play. The Irish is still there, but we also like to mix things up. Miller also prides himself and the rest of the band on its ability to play to just about any audience, from a downtown Minneapolis nightclub, where is cranks up its electric guitars and wails out full drum sets, to smaller venues such as in New York Mills, where it has the opportunity to play delicate ballads, using acoustical instruments. "We like to play it all," Miller said.
Miller also said the two New York Mills concerts have been both successful and enjoyable, and that Boiled In Lead is likely to bring their ever-evolving music to this area again. "People like our music here," he said, "so it's not too far to come up here."
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