Mark “Bone” Boland first hooked up with the Real McKenzies more than 15 years ago. He joined on the advice of Joey Keithley, after the DOA guitarist told him the band was “going places.”
It was an exciting time for Boland, because the McKenzies were popularizing the Celtic punk style that, at the time, few were familiar with.
Nine albums later Boland continues his run as the McKenzies’ guitarist, an impressive feat in a band whose lineup seems to change with the seasons.
Paul McKenzie, the founding and sole remaining original member of the band, once told Vue Weekly that the Real McKenzies has had more than 100 members over its lifetime.
Boland laughs at the number, but said he can confirm that at least 35 different members have passed through during his 16-year run.
He said that considering the Real McKenzies have been around since 1992, Paul’s estimate of 100 different members “could be dead on.”
Boland said that while playing with the McKenzies has been a great time, the ever-shifting lineup has at times meant a serious set of headaches.
“It’s very frustrating because I’m constantly showing new people the old songs,” he said. “And then you have to figure someone out. You know, you get stuck in a band with these people and you’re not entirely sure if they know what they’re getting themselves into. So you’re kind of waiting to see whose breaking point is where.
“Not everyone can put up with us, I guess,” he said with a bemused chuckle. It sounds more like he’s bragging than complaining.
According to Boland, not long ago “half of the band quit or got fired” and everyone was left wondering what they were going to do next. But it didn’t take long for the phone to start ringing, with enthusiastic musicians on the line begging to be a part of punk-rock history.
Although the English band The Pogues were playing Celtic punk 10 years before the Real McKenzies, Boland and his band is still one of the most important groups in the genre, even if they didn’t reach the same level of fame as acts like the Dropkick Murphys.
Boland said the new lineup—Mario Nieva, Troy Zak, Jesse Pinner, Gord Taylor, Aspy Luison and he and Paul—bring a palpable energy and enthusiasm to the group, and he hasn’t had more fun playing in a long time.
“The new guys we’ve got in the band right now, they’re definitely my favourite lineup. They’re good players, the attitude is there, they want to be here,” he said.
“It’s refreshing, you know, not everyone’s a drug-addled, drunken [screw] up.”
Boland said that even though there’s been some turmoil throughout the years, the Real McKenzies has still been a great ride.
“I got to travel the world playing music, that’s all I ever really wanted to do. I would have been happy just releasing one CD and touring across Canada. I could have put it down after that, even. This gave me the opportunity to do so much more.
“I can say it’s been a whirlwind of good times.”
Trevor Nichols
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