Marah - Strumming it up Philly style

Steve hooks up with Serge from Philadelphia's acclaimed band Marah...

'God knows, this is great rock'n'roll.'

The first thing I read about Philly 4-piece, Marah, was a review that appeared in UNCUT magazine late last year. Their most recent album, 'Kids In Philly', had just been made 'Album of the Month' and the writer had exulted the band. Comparisons were made to a number of timeless American guitar bands - including Wilco and the Replacements - and the article finished with the exclamation above.

I resolved that I needed to investigate.

The album was hard to come by. But so worth the effort. There was energy, fire, momentum, attitude and a handful of great, great tunes. Brothers Serge and Dave Bielanko (lead guitarist and singer respectively) brewed up a storm that smacked of Springsteen and conjured up the city of Philadelphia in my mind. Mentored by Steve Earle, the record had heart and I fell for it.

The band's blinding gig in London's Borderline earlier this year almost didn't happen. Guitarist Serge took the audience on a lengthy monologue to explain that the rhythm section had unceremoniously quit five days before the trip. A bassist and drummer had been hired in a hurry! I caught up with Serge recently to see what's going on in the Marah camp...

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So what's keeping Marah busy these days?
Dave and I are taking our time in deciding who we want to play on the next record, and then who we want to join us on stage when we hit the road once again. It's all good, in fact, it's very exciting for us. To be in a position to decide upon a rhythm section is certainly one that will require us to be picky and choosy, but putting a top-class band on the stage for every gig is really really important to us. So, no matter who we finally decide on, Marah MUST play live better than they ever have before. That is the only rule.

How long have you guys been on the road? I mean, there was some amazingly tight guitar playing at the London gig...
We were on the road for all of 2000, so that helped us become pretty damn tight real quick. However, as you know, our last bass player and drummer unceremoniously quit the band right before we last came over to London and Ireland to play in early May. So, we tapped some of our friends from Philly band, the Three-Four Tens, rehearsed four times, played one gig in Philadelphia, and got on an airplane to play over there. So, that version of Marah proved to my brother and I that if you play with really great musicians (which, believe me, we've just discovered we weren't doing previous), commit yourself hard and fast to practice and make a live show happen on full power, and really want something so badly that you can taste the burning of desire in your damn mouth... well, then, you've simply gotta make it happen. It was a great band that we brought over to Europe in May. I wish I could steal Jamie and Jon from the Three-Four-Tens, but that isn't going to happen. We'll find some young guns, though. No worries.

Where do you think guitar music like yours is going to go? You remind me of the energy and roots of the early Springsteen albums but we now have bands like Radiohead who seem to think that guitar may be old-fashioned?
As far as the future of guitars in rock goes, hell I have no clue, really. I play guitar 'cause it's the only instrument I'm any good at at all. And, there are times when I feel like I really oughta practice a bit more too, you know? I am no purist though. My brother is a bit more strict when it comes to his rock'n'roll... he wants to feel moved no matter who it is. Guitars likely better be front and centre and well done if he is gonna even get to track 2. And, I used to feel that way, but the truth is... I don't find myself putting on Zeppelin IV or CCR or even ACDC all the time when I listen to music at home. I know rock music pretty well. I've listened to it for most of my life. My time on Earth has often been spent listening to the sound of electric guitars playing rock music. And, I've done it myself night after night for a few years now. So, it seems fairly natural to me that, as the face of music changes - and it is always changing somehow, no stopping that - but as it evolves and grows or regresses or however you wanna look at it, I'm interested in hearing what goes down. What do people like? What do they wanna hear? Obviously, with the success of bands like Radiohead and even Coldplay and Travis and stuff, there are a lot of people who don't mind if the guitars don't overshadow the songs themselves. And, they don't mind if the Marshall ain't always cranked up to 10.

Based on that premise, what music has moved you most recently?
My favourite records of the last ten years were Oasis "What's the Story (Morning Glory)" and Badly Drawn Boy's 'Bewilderbeast'. One record featured soaring electric guitar throughout, the other sort of used it much more sparingly. Yet, both records are built upon superb songs, beautiful music, and some strange quality that assures me that they'll be two of my favourites for the rest of my life. Great music is so much more than guitar, I feel. Right now, I listen to this record from a band called Mandaly and even the Dido record. I think they're both gorgeous in their own right, without much guitar stuntwork. Then again, I also listen to Springsteen's live '78 Prove It All Night solo nearly every day. Whatever lifts your skirt, right???

When can we see you back in London? Will you play any gigs in Ireland?
We have three nights or so booked at the Borderline in London at the very end of October, beginning of November. We'll also hit Manchester and Ireland for sure around then. Keep an eye on www.marah-usa.com for exact dates.

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When these guys return with a new line-up later in the year, the temperature will surely rise wherever they play? There is something about a classic guitar, bass, drums line-up that makes my heart pump and the hair on my neck rise. And Marah are a classic American band, for this time or any other..

Stephen McNulty