Anyone with a pulse at recent Drovers shows probably noticed the music to be tighter, steadier and more well rounded than in past performances.

Violin, viola and mandolin player Sean Cleland notices a more refined Drovers as well and pieces the band’s overall improvement into a modest equation.

It’s from playing so much together, the experiences of traveling and writing more and more songs, Cleland said. We added [mandolin player and vocalist Merritt Lear] in June, which added a new kind of energy.

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We have totally new colors to work with.

The Drovers break out their entire spectrum when they take the stage around 10 p.m. Saturday for their first performance in the Copper Dragon Brewing Co.

The Drovers’ blend of psychedelia, Celtic rock and Irish fiddle tunes paved ways for them to open for such notable acts as Ani DiFranco and Bela Fleck. The band also shared album space on The Inner Flame benefit record with such popular artists as Jimmy Page and Robert Plant, Evan Dando, PJ Harvey and Emmylou Harris.

But gaining the notoriety to appear beside major musical acts on compilations or to gain the opportunity to open for a number of others has to start with the band’s inner inspiration.

Cleland said the members of The Drovers find musical motivation from sources ranging widely from The Simpsons to Kurt Vonnegut which also contributes to the band’s progressive musical enhancement.

When you’re an artist, you get to mull over things and get inspired by creativity. How do you write a song like The Simpsons’ ‘ theme song or Vonnegut’s Slaughterhouse 5’? You can’t, he said. But you can definitely get really jizzed about a line or an idea or just the fact that someone did something from scratch.

There’s a million different ways it works. One of the things you’re supposed to do as an artist is to go around absorbing influences by meeting people or being involved in certain experiences.

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The band gained initial notoriety by appearing in Ron Howard’s firefighter flick Backdraft as well as the suspense thriller Blink which also garnered them a spot on the soundtrack.

But what keeps The Drovers in the Celtic rock spotlight is the band’s blatant ability to jam, and Celtic rock does not leap to mind as the type of music bands choose to jam to. When trying to come up with other bands that actually do jam Celtic music, Cleland hardly stands alone as the only person that cannot think of anyone aside from The Drovers.

I don’t think there are any [Celtic jam bands]. But I think it’s because we’re not just a Celtic band, he said. It’s just one of the parts of music we do.

Jam bands pack dance floors. There inception was to give dance fanatics a reason to shake posteriors to live music. So as a jam band, the members of The Drovers realize not every night will bring a swirling wave of dancing fans.

Part of the thing about being in a band that jams is that you have off nights too, Cleland said. If you’re going to make that leap, then sometimes you’ll fall on your ass.

Factoid:Tickets for The Drovers show are $4. For information, call 549-2319.