An Interview with Serge Bielanko of Marah

Marah is a band championed by many, including the great rock writer Nick Hornby. Their sound is hard to define, except one word to describe them may be musical. Their music pulsates and has soul like a living, breathing thing in and of itself. Their new CD, 20,000 Streets Under the Sky, comes out this month and is destined for many Top Ten lists. It was our privilege to chat with Serge Bielkanko, guitarist of Marah.

DF: You guys are the posterboys for diverse influences. What did you listen to growing up and how did it affect the Marah sound?

Serge Bielanko: My brother and I grew up listening to the radio first, then we began to buy cassettes. The Rolling Stones, AC/DC, CCR, Genesis, Springsteen....those were all pretty big in our world in the mid-80's. Michael Jackson's Thriller was hard to ignore. So was Culture Club. Later, as we weeded out the stuff we wanted to own, rather than just hear on the stations out of Philly, we'd buy cassettes. Then we would read interviews in Musician or Rolling Stone with certain artists and we'd discover what they'd listened to early on. This led to us being able to discover things slightly off our collective radar. Hearing Keith Richards say he liked Howlin' Wolf; hearing The Replacements speak of NRBQ; finding out that Steve Earle was a big Townes Van Zandt fan.....that sort of trickle down discovery method was important to us. And I suppose all of that great music, be it rock on the radio or some cheap cassette recording of old forgotten blues singers, influenced us in a great many ways. We learned that songs themselves were very important, not just what we saw on MTV or heard on Casey Kasem. We were moved by the fact that so much great music was so buried and needed to be un-Earthed in order to enjoy it.

DF: Being from Philadelphia, you are part of a great musical legacy. How aware are you of that legacy and how you fit in? For example, do you listen to great producers like Thom Bell and those that created the Philadelphia sound? Or do you feel that you happen to be from Philly, no more or less.

Serge Bielanko: Yeah, I think being from Philly has played a huge part in our sound and in our writing. At first we only knew about The Hooters. Then, later, we discovered this great legacy of soulful TSOP stuff...this music that had been born in our city and then launched out, successfully, into the world. We were also always curious as to what other local bands were up to; we'd hear them on the late night local radio shows. Plus, later when we discovered the Mummers stringbands (all banjos and wall of sound bouncing off skyscrapers) we were driven into a frenzy. So its like we have this very diverse eclectic history of music here in Philly; we are inimitable. We got soul!!!!

DF: Do you feel that the Springsteen comparisons are unfair or are you flattered by the comparisons? Is he an influence?

Serge Bielanko: I love Bruce Springsteen's music. I have since I was a kid. It's hard to like a certain band since you were 11 and not be somewhat influenced by that, you know? Comparisons to any great artist are flattering....simple as that. I'm always surprised that not as many artists come out and cite him as an influence.

DF: Your new CD is considered to be a return to the sound of the debut. Was this a conscious choice?

Serge Bielanko: I don't really feel like our new record sounds much like our debut. Nor would I want it to, really. Except for the fact that we made it in the same auto garage in South Philly and my brother's voice is all over it. But, if it does sound that way, then--no, it wasn't really conscious at all to us when we recorded it. Each new record has to be different to us in a million ways.

DF: Marah is a great live band. Do you feel that the Marah sound is best captured live versus in the studio?

Serge Bielanko: Playing live is so much different than making a record in the same way as going out on a Friday night to see a band live is way different than sitting and listening to their record on your boombox. So, after years of both playing live AND making records I have come to see the things as completely separate experiences. For us to set out to capture the essence of the live show on the record, or vice-versa, I would see that as limiting in so many ways. We make our records to be enjoyed by one person at a time, really; to hopefully be played in the car or in the kitchen or in the Discman on the bus.....and to be enjoyed in a personal way, just us and the listener. Live: we want ALL of us...the crowd, the band, the soundguy, to hopefully enjoy the hell out of the time we've all been in the same room together...to feel like we've just had a really loose and wild orgy...with strangers....and enjoyed it. Two different things that we try to be equally as good at.

DF: Where will you be touring, where can we get info about the tour and where can we buy the new CD?

Serge Bielanko: Marah will be touring the East Coast and Mid-West in June, some of Europe in July, and then all over the US, including Seattle and Portland and many places we have never been come August and September. Then, we're gonna turn around and do it all over again. www.marah-usa.com has all the news, tourdates, and a great message board where people are welcome to come and talk to and about the band.

Their record, 20,000 Streets Under the Sky, comes out June 29th on Yep-Roc Records.

Pre-order the CD by clicking here or on the CD cover below

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