{"id":35553,"date":"2017-06-24T09:39:30","date_gmt":"2017-06-24T13:39:30","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.unionvilletimes.com\/?p=35553"},"modified":"2017-06-24T09:39:33","modified_gmt":"2017-06-24T13:39:33","slug":"on-stage-bonus-marah-finds-you-can-go-home-again","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.unionvilletimes.com\/?p=35553","title":{"rendered":"On Stage (Bonus): Marah finds you can go home again"},"content":{"rendered":"

By Denny Dyroff<\/strong>, Staff Writer, The Times<\/em><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>

Marah<\/p><\/div>\n

There is an old saying that says you can never go home again.<\/p>\n

Don\u2019t tell that to Dave Bielanko or his band Marah.<\/p>\n

Marah was formed in 1993 by singer\/songwriter\/guitarist Dave Bielanko from Conshohocken, Pennsylvania, bass guitarist Danny Metz and drummer Ronnie Vance in 1993. Singer\/songwriter\/guitarist and harmonica player Serge Bielanko, Dave\u2019s older brother, joined the band in 1995.<\/p>\n

On June 24, Marah will headline the first annual Conshohocken Music Festival (https:\/\/tickets.morethanthecurve.com\/event\/Conshohocken-Music-Festival<\/a>).<\/p>\n

The festival, which will run from 1-9 p.m., will be held at Garthwaite Stadium<\/a> (106 East 11th Avenue, Conshohocken). The festival will offer a variety of music from an opening show just for the kids to Marah headlining later in the evening.<\/p>\n

\u201cA Conshy music festival \u2013 I can see it becoming successful,\u201d said Dave Bielanko, during a phone interview Tuesday morning from his home in Sugar Valley in upstate Pennsylvania.<\/p>\n

\u201cConshy has a coolness about it. I grew up in Conshy at 9th and Fayette. Our house was a large old farmhouse which was one of the oldest in the town. I graduated from Plymouth-Whitemarsh High in 1993.<\/p>\n

\u201cRight from P-W after graduation, I went to the city (Philadelphia) and started the band. Actually, Norristown is where we started our music thing.\u201d<\/p>\n

Marah recorded two albums \u201cLet\u2019s Cut The Crap & Hook Up Later On Tonight\u201d <\/a>for Black Dog Records in 1998, and \u201cKids in Philly<\/a>\u201d for Steve Earle<\/a>‘s now-defunct E-Squared Records in 2000.<\/p>\n

Both well-received albums were recorded and produced by the band and recording engineer\/producer Paul Smith above an auto repair garage (Frank\u2019s Auto Body) in south Philadelphia<\/a>.<\/p>\n

After several personnel changes, The Bielankos with drummer Jon Kois and \u00a0bassist Jamie Mahon left for Wales<\/a> in late 2001 to record their third CD, \u201cFloat Away With the Friday Night Gods<\/a>\u201d \u2013 an album that featured Bruce Springsteen<\/a> on vocals and guitar on the title track.<\/p>\n

In 2003, Marah returned to the auto garage and recorded the band\u2019s fourth record, \u201c20,000 Streets Under the Sky<\/a>.\u201d<\/p>\n

Since then, the line-up of Marah has gone through more changes and released seven albums — \u201cKids in Amsterdam: Live\u201d (2004), \u201cFloat Away Deconstructed\u201d (2005), \u201cIf You Didn\u2019t Laugh, You\u2019d Cry\u201d (2205), \u201cA Christmas Kind of Town\u201d (2005), \u201cAngels of Destruction!\u201d (2008), \u201cLife is a Problem\u201d (2010), and \u201cMarah Presents Mountain Minstrelsy of Pennsylvania\u201d (2014).<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>The current line-up of Marah includes Dave Bielanko, Serge Bielanko, Adam Garbinski, Dave Petersen, Mike “Slo-mo” Brenner.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhen the band broke up in 2008, it was tragic for me,\u201d said Bielanko. \u201cEveryone split and went to different places. We were gone from each other\u2019s lives. We played live on Conan O\u2019Brien\u2019s TV show and the next day it was over.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe spent eight years broken up and then got back together in 2015 to celebrate the 15th anniversary of the release of \u2018Kids in Philadelphia.\u2019 Then, we decided to stick around a bit and that led to this \u2013 to making a new record and playing live shows.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019re working on a new album now and playing some good shows. We just played New York and D.C. and we\u2019re going to the Midwest for a festival \u2013 and we have the Conshy thing. We\u2019ve already played Europe twice this year \u2013 Ireland, England and Spain.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m really happy with how the new album is going. It\u2019s new material \u2013 super analog \u2013 that we\u2019re making with Paul Smith producing again. It\u2019s absolutely back to the basics. It\u2019s going to be very organic \u2013 nothing to do with the music business or trying to be accepted.<\/p>\n

The roster of entertainers for the Conshohocken Music Festival includes The First Notes, Lolly & YoYo, Sparkle Pony, The Boatloads, Vince Zeller, Coast to Coast, The Sofa Kings, and Marah.
\nIn addition to all the music, the event will have a kids area with bounce houses, instruments and more. The kids area is sponsored by John Kennedy Ford Conshohocken<\/a> and John Kennedy Mazda Conshohocken<\/a>.<\/p>\n

There will be beer, wine and great food for sale. Attendees can bring their own lawn chairs and beach blankets and spread out on the field.<\/p>\n

Video link for Marah — https:\/\/youtu.be\/JrtooewzJxw<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Tickets are $25.00 for adults, $10.00 for kids five to 17 and free to those four and under. The event is brought to you by LoveConshy<\/a> and MoreThanTheCurve.com<\/a>.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>

Imelda May<\/p><\/div>\n

After a three-year wait, Imelda May\u2019s fans were treated to new batch of songs when May released her new album \u201cLife, Love, Flesh, Blood<\/em>,\u201d which came out on April 21 via Verve Records. There is also a new video from the album — \u201cShould\u2019ve Been You.\u201d<\/p>\n

Produced by the legendary T Bone Burnett, the new album marks a new direction for May\u00a0who recently\u00a0ended her marriage of 18 years — making\u00a0\u201cLife, Love, Flesh, Blood\u201d her most autobiographical record to date. The album\u00a0features contributions from Jeff Beck and Jools Holland.<\/p>\n

May will celebrate the new release with U.S. tour dates this summer. She is also performing select dates with Elvis Costello in June. The tour will bring her to the area for a show on June 25 at Union Transfer (1026 Spring Garden Street, Philadelphia, 215-232-2100, www.utphilly.com<\/a>).<\/p>\n

\u201cI recorded the album last year in the Village and in L.A.,\u201d said May, during a phone interview from Richmond, Virginia from side stage as she watched Elvis Costello\u2019s set Tuesday.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhen I finished writing the songs for the album, my manager asked me who I wanted to produce the album. I said — T Bone Burnett. You always have to aim high.\u201d<\/p>\n

May\u2019s career has included aiming high and succeeding. She has recorded and performed with rick guitar legend and performed at the 52nd Grammy Awards with Jeff Beck in tribute to Les Paul.<\/p>\n

May has recorded songs in the studio with artists such as Lou Reed, Jools Holland, Smokey Robinson, Tom Jones, Paul Brady, Meat Loaf, The Levellers, The Chieftains, Mary Black, and The Dubliners.<\/p>\n

Additionally, she has performed onstage with David Gilmour, Jools Holland, Smokey Robinson, Bono, U2, Tom Jones, Marc Almond, Sinead O\u2019Connor, Paul Brady, Meat Loaf, Lulu, The Boomtown Rats, The Levellers, The Chieftains, Mary Black, The Dubliners, Elvis Costello, Paolo Nutini, Michel Legrand, Wanda Jackson, \u00a0and Kodaline.<\/p>\n

May\u2019s career as a singer was given an enormous boost when she got involved in several projects with Jeff Beck, one of the all-time best rock guitarists. May knows that her talent is what caught Beck\u2019s eye \u2013 actually his ears \u2013 but the singer from Dublin, Ireland owes a lot of gratitude to Dave.<\/p>\n

Dave was the catalyst that caused the careers of Beck and May to come together. But, Dave is not a musician or a mutual friend. Dave is a crow.<\/p>\n

\u201cMy first big break came when I performed on the British television show \u2018Later\u2026with Jools Holland\u2019,\u201d said May. \u201cI had done a tour with Jools and when I told him that I wasn\u2019t signed to a record label, he said \u2013 I really have to get you on my TV show.<\/p>\n

\u201cA few weeks later, I got as notice that I was scheduled to be on in two days. So, I had to rush from Dublin down to London. Jeff Beck was at the show. I nearly passed out when Jeff said that the main reason he was there was to hear me play. It was like a dream.\u201d<\/p>\n

May sings music from a variety of genres \u2013 jazz, blues, rock and rockabilly. Beck, who is one of the most electrifying rock guitarists, also is a big rockabilly fan.<\/p>\n

\u201cA few years ago, I rescued a baby crow from a local park,\u201d said May. \u201cI took it home and hand-raised it. My former husband and I used to bring it to gigs with us.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe were opening for Jools in London and Jeff and his wife Sandra came to the gig. Sandra rescues animals and birds. She said that she would take Dave to her aviary and work with him so he could return to the wild.<\/p>\n

\u201cSo, we took Dave to their place. When we were there, Jeff and I started jamming together. It was great and he said he wanted to play with me. I\u2019ve performed with him at the Grammys and at Royal Albert Hall \u2013 and we\u2019ve gone on tour together.\u201d<\/p>\n

Now, Dave has recovered, been released and is having a wonderful life in the wild.<\/p>\n

May hooked up with T Bone Burnett in a much more conventional way.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe record company contacted T Bone and I got him,\u201d said May, who has lived in England for the last 10 years. \u201cT Bone said to me \u2013 I\u2019ve been watching you for a long time. You weren\u2019t ready for me then. You\u2019re ready now.<\/p>\n

\u201cI was ready to write an honest album. My life had changed and I was open for change. Change is a songwriter\u2019s inspiration. I\u2019ve always written honestly before but I found a way of hiding stuff.<\/p>\n

\u201cI didn\u2019t want to do that on this album. I wrote the album I had to write. Everything is an influence. Life is an influence. My divorce is an influence but the album wasn\u2019t just about a divorce. I write about what\u2019s going on in my life. Even if you make mistakes, you have to follow your heart.\u201d<\/p>\n

At this point in the interview, May had to take a break because Elvis Costello called her out on stage to join him singing his version of the Sam and Dave classic \u201cCan\u2019t Stand Up For Falling Down.\u201d<\/p>\n

When the interview resumed, May said, \u201cI write about my life but I love when the sons then belong to someone else. Fans come up to me and tell me that they\u2019ve gone through similar things \u2013 that it\u2019s exactly what they were feeling but they couldn\u2019t put it into words.<\/p>\n

\u201cComments like that are very gratifying. It\u2019s all about the heart and soul \u2013 and connecting with people.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe album was a synopsis of my life \u2013 love, having guilt, heartbreak, having regret for my family. Writing these songs and making this album was 100 per cent cathartic. And, based on what my fans have told me, it\u2019s very cathartic for them too.\u201d<\/p>\n

Video link for Imelda May — https:\/\/youtu.be\/gIZ2rRHn-SQ<\/a>.<\/p>\n

The show at Union Transfer, which has Hemming as the opening act, will start at 8:30 p.m. Tickets are $25.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

By Denny Dyroff, Staff Writer, The Times There is an old saying that says you can never go home again. Don\u2019t tell that to Dave Bielanko or his band Marah. Marah was formed in 1993 by singer\/songwriter\/guitarist Dave Bielanko from Conshohocken, Pennsylvania, bass guitarist Danny Metz and drummer Ronnie Vance in 1993. Singer\/songwriter\/guitarist and harmonica […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":35555,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[8457],"tags":[10029,7426,10028,10027],"class_list":["post-35553","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-d-arts-entertainment","tag-conshohocken-music-festival","tag-featured","tag-imelda-may","tag-marah"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.unionvilletimes.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/35553","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.unionvilletimes.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.unionvilletimes.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.unionvilletimes.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.unionvilletimes.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=35553"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.unionvilletimes.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/35553\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":35554,"href":"https:\/\/www.unionvilletimes.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/35553\/revisions\/35554"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.unionvilletimes.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/35555"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.unionvilletimes.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=35553"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.unionvilletimes.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=35553"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.unionvilletimes.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=35553"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}