When Jimmi Migliozzi was singing with the hard rock / hair metal band Lazarus in the early 1990s, Bret Miller wasn’t born yet.

When he started The Fillbillys about 20 years ago, Miller still wasn’t born.

Bret will be a week shy of his 17th birthday when he gets behind the drum kit Saturday with bandmates about three times his age as The Fillbillys kick off the 2023 River Rock at the Amp season opening for Eagles tribute band 7 Bridges.

Teens playing in garage bands with their friends isn’t uncommon, but someone that young stepping into one of the Mahoning Valley’s most established bands is.

It wasn’t something either of them expected.

“I was worried about there being such a generation gap,” Migliozzi said. “But his mom told me in our first conversation, ‘He’s an old soul. He’s been listening to our music since he was born.’ There’s never been that awkwardness of him being three generations behind us yet.”

In 2016 when Bret was 10 years old, his father, Robert “Bobby” Miller, took him to see former Skid Row frontman Sebastian Bach with Migliozzi’s band Love Turns Hate opening. Migliozzi gave him a hug and encouraged him to keep playing.

A couple of years ago, Migliozzi was having dinner at Sunrise Inn. Miller, one of the owners of the restaurant, thanked Migliozzi for his kindness that night and showed him a video of Bret playing.

“This kid is fricking incredible,” Migliozzi said. “I told Bobby to bring him to Up a Creek or one of our more all ages shows, and we’ll let him sit in on a song.”

Bret was just as impressive live, and he sat in with the band a few other times, including playing a song with the Fillbillys last year at the Warren Community Amphitheatre.

Around this time the Fillbillys were going through some upheaval. Health issues and a motorcycle accident kept some of its members off the stage. Some of Migliozzi’s old Lazarus bandmates filled in for the interim, but permanent replacements were needed.

One of the nights the Fillbillys had some musicians sitting in as kind of a live audition, Bret also played a couple songs with the band.

“Our sound man came up at the end of the night,” Migliozzi said. “He’s our most critical ear. ‘Do you want to know my opinion? The guitar player’s amazing. Absolutely get him.’ I asked, ‘As far as the drummer, what did you think?’ (He answered), ‘The kid.’ I laughed at him. ‘How the hell would that work?’ I kind of blew him off.”

But the next morning, Migliozzi was talking to his wife, who told him, “When he sits in with you, you guys come alive. You kick it up another level.” And she reminded Migliozzi that he grew up as an Army brat, and when he was Bret’s age and living in Germany, he was playing in bands with GIs in their 20s.

He talked to the other guys in the band and found out that Lazarus drummer Butch Likens had been encouraging him to learn more songs in the band’s repertoire and giving him advice.

The next call went to Bret’s parents.

“I”m not gonna lie, I teared up,” his father said, when Migliozzi told him they wanted Bret to join the band. “Jimmi said, ‘Do you want to ask him?’ No, I’m going to put you on speaker and you can ask him.”

“It was really life changing,” Bret said of the call. “I was sitting at table eating breakfast, and Jimmi says, ‘We want you to step in and be the new guy.’ At that moment, I knew everything I’d worked for was starting to pay off. I was so thankful. That phone call was like the next step in my career.”

Bret started playing drums when he was about 2, using spoons to bang on pot and pans, laundry baskets and anything else he could find.

He got his first drum set when he was 3 and his first full-size kit at age 6. He regularly spends six to eight hours a day practicing and playing.

KISS was his first favorite band, and Bret has seen most of his idols live. Not only does Bret play drums better than kids his age, he’s been to more concerts. He’s been pulled up on stage by KISS, while wearing full Peter Criss makeup, and sung with Five Finger Death Punch.

“Getting to look out at the crowd, it was incredible,” Bret said. “Being on that big stage just really fired my desire to get to that point, to work hard and get to that point where everyone is there to see you.”

Bret admitted to being sweaty and nervous the first time he played a song with The Fillbillys. It was much easier when he made his debut as a full-fledged member of the band in April at Leon’s in Howland.

“I felt like I belonged there,” he said.

The members of The Fillbillys adopt on-stage personas to match its Southern rock / party band sound. Migliozzi is Elvis McCoy, guitar player Mick Rispoli is Doc McHooligan and bassist Merl Fell is Critter McGillicutty. Bret goes by The Kid, an appropriate name for someone four years too young to be in many of the places unaccompanied where the band plays.

“His dad or mother or both generally are at all our shows,” Migliozzi said. “By law, he can legally be in a bar with his parents. But with him, it’s not about the drinking, it’s not about the girls, it’s not about the partying. He’s so focused on his music. He’s definitely on a path to greatness. I told Bobby, in a couple years when he graduates from high school, you should pack his drums and pack his suitcase and send him to Nashville.'”

That’s Bret’s plan too.

“Many years down the line, I want to be able to look back and say I started here and now I’m touring the world with a huge band that everybody knows.”

River Rock at the Amp

• June 10: 7 Bridges (Eagles tribute) and The Fillbillys

• June 17: Disco Inferno and Old Skool

• June 24: The Prince Project (Prince tribute) and No Funk No Justice

• July 8: E5C4P3 (Journey tribute) and Best of Times (Styx tribute) ($12)

• July 15: Face 2 Face (Elton John / Billy Joel tribute) and RDNA

• July 24: Wish You Were Here (Pink Floyd tribute) and Invincible (Pat Benatar tribute) ($12)

• July 29: Queen Nation (Queen tribute) and Bad Juju ($12)

• Aug. 5: Forever Seger — The Silver Bullet Experience (Bob Seger tribute) and Back Traxx

• Aug. 19: No Fences (Garth Brooks) and Chris Higbee

• Aug. 26: ZOSO (Led Zeppelin tribute) and Harvest (Neil Young tribute)

River Rock at the Amp concerts take place at the Warren Community Amphitheatre, 321 Mahoning Ave. NW, Warren. Gates open at 5 p.m., with the first band starting at 5:30 p.m. Unless stated otherwise, admission is $10 with children 12 and younger admitted free with a paying adult. Tickets are available in advance online at www.riverrockat theamp.com and at Sunrise Inn, Warren.