Jackson Free Press

If You Didn't Laugh, You'd Cry, the fifth, and arguably finest, record from that little ole' band from Philadelphia known as Marah, will hit stores on October 18th. These days the group's core, brothers Serge and Dave Bielanko call New York City – Brooklyn, to be precise – home, which is where these 14 tracks here were recorded. Some were done within the confines of a proper studio, others in the cramped quarters of a tiny apartment, but all of them delivered with the kind of power and passion you've come to expect from a band that's been bearing the torch for literate and inspired rock 'n' roll for a decade.

Among the tracks here you'll find the usual assortment of compelling Marah musings: drunken anthems of lust, songs of howling intensity and brute honesty, vignettes of tragi-comic brilliance – all balanced by some of the most achingly beautiful melodies and sharply penned narratives you'll find anywhere.

The magic etched in the grooves of If You Didn't Laugh, You'd Cry, wasn't achieved by the Bielankos alone. The Marah family now includes guitarist Adam Garbinski and drummer Dave Peterson from Philly band Squad Five-O, who add their talents to an impressive unit that already features veteran multi-instrumentalist Kirk "The Barber" Henderson and lap steel virtuoso Mike "Slo Mo" Brenner and drummer extraordinaire Jon Wurster. (a stripped-down incarnation of the band– minus Brenner and Wurster– will hit the road starting this fall).

SATURDAY NOVEMBER 5, 2005
PROUD LARRY'S
211 S Lamar Blvd, Oxford MS
(662) 236-0050, http://www.proudlarrys.com/
21+, Doors open at 8:00pm
9pm opener tba, 10pm MARAH

SOME TIDBITS:
* Album out October 18th on Yep Roc.
* Marah have shared the stage with the Boss and were even invited onto stage to perform WITH him.
* Nick Hornby wrote about Marah on his op-ed page, and has shared the stage with them as well:
http://www.suntimes.com/output/music/cst-ftr-hornby10.html