Let's Cut the Crap and Hook Up Later on Tonight [Digipak]

Performer: Marah
Producer: Paul Smith
Distributor: Harvest Media Group Dist.

Notes: Marah: Dave Bielanko, Serge Bielanko, Ronnie Vance, Danny Metz. Tracks numbered 13 through 19 are hidden bonus tracks. Marah: David Bielanko (vocals, guitar, banjo, dulcimer, violin, accordion, unknown instrument); Serge Bielanko (guitar, banjo, harmonica, steel drum, sound effects, background vocals); Danny Metz (bass guitar, sound effects, unknown instrument, background vocals); Ronnie Vance (drums). Additional personnel: Eden Daniels, Claire Nixon (vocals); Andrew Chalfen (guitar, whistle, xylophone, wine bottle, chimes); Paul Smith (guitar, piano, organ, hand claps, background vocals); Bruce Langfeld (lap steel guitar); Troy Haffley (pedal steel guitar); Mike Brenner (dobro); Bill Fergusson (mandolin); Jeff Clarke (bagpipe); Tony Gairo (clarinet, alto saxophone); Lou Fuiano (baritone saxophone); Matt Cappy (trumpet, cornet); Mike Head (trumpet); Bill Frease (tuba); Isaac Finkelstein (piano); Harry Kalas (unknown instrument). It may seem odd for an alt-country band to kick off their debut album with some Dixieland-style jazz, but that's exactly what Marah does on Let's Cut the Crap & Hook Up Later on Tonight. That is, until they break into the first chords of "Fever," the shambling opening track. Like everything on the album, it sounds suitably worn, like a loving musical hand-me-down. "Another Day at Bay" follows as singer Dave Bielanko tosses off the opening lines "Whiskey and tobacco/melancholia and black lungs" against a rich musical backing reminiscent of the Band. Echoes of many groups can be heard throughout Let's Cut the Crap, but Marah recognizes that, while they may or may not be influences, they are, more importantly, a part of the rock & roll tradition. Any nods to the past feel so intuitive you are compelled to ignore them. While "Eventually Rock" may sound like Vic Chesnutt covering Bruce Springsteen, all that matters is that the group delivers it with a joy that's completely infectious. Plenty of good humor is on hand, too. Marah is described by a fake radio announcer as "velvety throated teen idol sensations" as they take their place on a baseball field, under pouring rain to sing the national anthem. They also have a firm understanding of rock's clich�s; the music's attitude informs Bielanko's philosophy. "You learn to love when you're a baby," he sings at the opening of "Another Day at Bay," sounding like a complete mess, "You learn dying when you die/You learn drinking when you're working." Someone attempts to blow into a jug for a good, old-time feel and fails miserably, hardly getting a tone out at all. "Head On" even seems to catch the band by surprise: they dive in before everyone's gotten a hold of their instruments. Sparkling horns enter, punctuating the barn-storming rock & roll. It's not all good times on Let's Cut the Crap. There is, for example, the potent self-realization of "For the Price of a Song" and the aching loser's anthem "Formula, Cola, Dollar Draft." Perhaps no one is better at this blend than Steve Earle, a singer/songwriter whose company many would love to be in after their debut record. ~ Nathan Bush

Philadelphia-bred roots-rockers Marah have had a career distinguished by two things: one, an unselfconsciously classic-rock approach to their craft that, since the mid-1990s, has bucked any of the trends of the day; and two, an ability to attract powerful champions while maintaining indie cred. Formed around the nucleus of brothers Dave and Serge Bielanko, the band released their first album on a small label in '98, and got the attention of Steve Earle, who released the follow-up on his E-Squared Records. Oasis producer Owen Morris, generally reluctant to work with Americans, helmed the next album, on which Bruce Springsteen guested, and writers Nick Hornby and Stephen King have both raved in print about their music. Despite all the public praise, by their eighth studio release in 2008 the band was still proudly independent.

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