Marah at 400 Bar on 2/8/06

By: David Rachac

From the amount of press, positive reviews in music magazines for their most recent album (If You Didn’t Laugh, You’d Cry on Yep Roc), and celebrity endorsements by Stephen King and Nick Hornby, it would seem that Marah must be one of the biggest rock bands around.

But at the late show at the 400 Bar, I was left wondering why a mere crowd of less than 200 people showed up. Seeing them play live for the first time, I walked out with a new-found respect for Marah, and joined the chorus of fans that have been wondering for years: Why aren’t these guys more successful?

To describe Marah’s sound beyond “good old American rock and roll,” you have to be willing to talk about the elephant in the room: Bruce Springsteen. Just about anyone who has reviewed a Marah album or show inevitably invokes The Boss as a musical starting point (and for some, a stopping point as well). For some of the songs (most notably “It’s Only Money, Tyrone” and “Round Eye Blues”), I think the Springsteen comparisons are fair and undeniable. But to pigeonhole this band as a mere Springsteen tribute band is really inaccurate; and I totally came to understand the ire of Marah fans whenever the “B” word is mentioned. While I can see some of the Replacements comparisons (if Westerberg walked onstage during “Pigeon Heart,” I would not have been surprised), it really does a disservice to a band - that effortlessly ranges from straight rock, to Philly doo-wop, to Motown soul - to identify them solely with one band or musician.

When singer/guitarist Dave Bielanko stepped onstage, almost everyone’s eyes were immediately drawn to his bundle of frenetic energy. Skinny and slightly strung-out from driving, he has the iconic “rock star” look - the ideal front man for such a high-energy outfit. But much of the magic of Marah comes from his interaction with his older brother Serge (guitar/vocals/harmonica), with whom he traded vocal leads and the spotlight throughout the night. Together with bassist/keyboardist Kirk Henderson (who shaved his beard the night before and totally had the Ron Jeremy thing rolling) and the two newest members of the band (drummer Dave Peterson and guitarist Adam Garbinski), Marah played nearly two hours of loud and intense rock, and left everyone - including the band - exhausted.

Before they launched into “Barstool Boys,” Serge told the story of how they traveled from Vancouver to Minneapolis and stopped at Little Bighorn to see the battlefield where Custer fell, and how they felt compelled to buy souvenirs. He also dedicated “The Apartment” to his wife and, “the woman I love, Jessica Simpson,” to much laughter from the rest of the band (they had been listening to the Grammy red-carpet show on satellite radio). And outside of the one threat of a fistfight after “Pigeon Heart” (and what band with brothers DOESN’T face a chance of fighting), you could really tell that these guys have a lot of affection for one another, and their show was much more about a sense of community than a star vehicle for any member of the band.

Highlights of the night included a cover of the Jam’s “In The City,” “Sooner Or Later” (which struck me with an out-of-left-field Eddie Money vibe), and a blistering version of “It’s Only Money, Tyrone”. Although I didn’t fully believe it, I have come around to the Marah fans’ way of thinking: This band should be bigger than it is. If you truly believe in the power of rock and roll, you have to go see Marah the next time they come into town.

Location Info: 400 Bar
Artist Info: Marah

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