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Arts & Entertainment

Alternative Heroes 'Marah' to Play Maxwell's

Their rootsy, punk-tinged sound will be show-cased on the 25th.

"We called our most recent album, 'Life Is A Problem,' because it really seemed to sum up how hard things have been lately. We had to leave our last label—Yep Roc—because they weren't really giving us enough money to record. Then, certain band members hijacked us, giving ultimatums and stuff and we lost a couple of people. You start to realize, after a while, that a rock band is a house of cards. People love the new record, saying that it talks eloquently about dealing with adversity. Well, we've lived it. I'm glad it came through in the music."

So says David Bielanko, leader of the highly-respected alternative rock band, Marah. He was calling from his new digs, a farmhouse in central Pennsylvania, where "Life" was recorded. Bielanko is friendly and a smart, detailed conversationalist, with the flat "a"s and the pugnacious manner of a guy from Philly. Considering the rough times cultish rock bands are facing these days, the toughness has probably served him well.

He and Marah will be bringing their rootsy, punk-tinged sound to Maxwell's on the 25th.

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You may know their name. Or that famous fans like Bruce Springsteen and Stephen King love their rough-edged, poetic songs. Their lesser-known fans are pretty vocal in their affection for Marah, too. And when they're angry, boy do they show it.

"When people are frustrated with finding the record, or we do something they don't approve of, we hear about it," said Bielanko.

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Who then goes on to elaborate.

"We've gone indie with this latest record; put it out ourselves. In terms of budgets and stuff, we just had to. Financially and artistically, man, there was no way forward, otherwise. This time out we made something sort of folky, with instruments we bought from flea markets and stuff. So, that was cool. The problem, after that, was distribution. That's where things got weird. Especially with the fans."

Bielanko went on to say that the recording was the easy part. Getting the record to the fans had some fallout.

"We spent a night or two shipping hundreds of records to Amazon, which was, like, an intra-band trauma.We got out as many as we could and then came the e-mails. A bunch of our fans complained they couldn't find the record— anywhere! And that they 'hate' us for this."

Bielanko sighed and let go a complicated laugh.

"Let's just say we have a pretty militant fan base."

Influenced by music as diverse as Waylon Jennings, The Angry Samoans, The Replacements and—hold onto your hat—"the banjoes in the Mummer's Day Parade," Marah also has fans who don't send hate e-mails. That would be Bruce Springsteen and his wife Patti Scialfa.

"I'm pretty sure we met in '99, at an after-party, when Bruce had reconvened the E Street Band. He listens to everything. When he realized I was in Marah, he went nuts. He told me, 'I really love your records.' Patti and I became friends that night, too. She was cool about me bumming cigarettes from her."

Go to YouTube sometime and watch Springsteen play "Twist And Shout." With Bielanko joining in on rhythm guitar. One imagines it makes up for the tough days.

Even though the group's bread and butter is playing live gigs, Bielanko intoned rapturously about life in rural Pennsylvania.

"It's basically an Amish community here. It's like another world, very few modern conveniences. Which is cool with me. I don't use a computer or a cell phone.  So, I fit right in. After playing in Spain (Marah just returned from a festival there) and going through the hassles of air travel, it's nice to come back to a spot so quiet and old world. Plus, with a farmhouse, you're isolated.  You can write and record and make a lot of noise and no one complains."

Although Bielanko is clearly focused on the present—gigs, writing new songs, finding a way to make distribution function more smoothly, so those love/hate e-mails  subside, he's also philosophical about the future.

"The new record is really bleak, even for us," he said. "But it's an honest representation of where the band is right now. It's a tough time for rock bands. Getting airplay and making a living. But my brother said the other night, that it usually takes about five years to assess a piece of art, like our new record. Time will tell about 'Life' and us as a group. You know, as to whether we've made the right decisions. I kinda think we have."

Marah will be at Maxwell's on August 25th. Showtime is 8:30 p.m. Tickets are $12. For more information call 201 653- 1703. For more about Marah (records/gigs)  go to www.marah-usa.com.

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