The quartet recorded two albums together: Let's Cut the Crap & Hook Up Later On Tonight, released on Black Dog Records in 1998, and Kids in Philly, released on Steve Earle's now-defunct E-Squared Records in 2000. Both critically acclaimed CD's were recorded and produced by the band and recording engineer Paul Smith above an auto repair garage in south Philadelphia.
Metz and Vance left the band in 2000, and were replaced by Mick Bader on drums and Joe Hooven on bass. Augmented by Mike "Slo-Mo" Brenner on lap steel, this version of the group toured extensively to support Kids in Philly. Marah performed the song, "Point Breeze" from Kids in Philly on The Late Show with Conan O'Brien in 2000. Bader and Hooven left Marah in 2001 and were replaced by Jon Kois (drums) and Jamie Mahon (bass) of Philadelphia psychedelic rock band The Three For Tens.
The Bielankos, with Kois and Mahon, left for Wales in late 2001 to record their third CD, Float Away with the Friday Night Gods with former Oasis producer Owen Morris. It was released on Artemis Records in 2002.
In 2003, Marah returned to the auto garage and recorded their fourth record, 20,000 Streets Under the Sky. The CD was released on Yep Rock records in 2004. The band toured this album with John Wurster (of Indie Rock-stalwarts Superchunk) on drums, Mike Brenner on lap steel, and Kirk Henderson on bass and keyboards.
In 2005, the band entered The Magic Shop recording studio in New York City to record their fifth album with the help of Henderson and two new members, Adam Garbinski and Dave Peterson. The result, If You Didn't Laugh, You'd Cry (IYDLYC), was hailed by critics as a return to form for the band.
The release of IYDLYC was complemented by the recording and release of a Christmas album, A Christmas Kind of Town, on October 18, 2005. The band, solidified as a three-guitar quintet, embarked on a year-long tour of the US and Europe to support the two albums. Highlights of the tour included Serge Bielanko's intense renditions of "Dishwasher's Dream" off of IYDLYC, as well as occasional performances of "Reservation Girl," an original song that has never been officially released by the band.
Dave Bielanko, Serge Bielanko, and Adam Garbinski at ACL 2006.The band played at the Bonnaroo Music Festival on June 16, 2006, which was highlighted by a rousing introduction by St. Louis scenester/character Beatle Bob and a cover of The Who's "Baba O'Riley." Marah later played the Austin City Limits Music Festival on September 15th, 2006, featuring a spirited performance from the band with Dave and Serge Bielanko jumping over the crowd barriers into the audience. The audio of this performance was released on iTunes on November 7th, 2006.
On September 21, 2006, the band's website announced the release of a live DVD of the IYDLYC tour, entitled Sooner or Later in Spain. The DVD, which was originally recorded and released as a fan bootleg, was released on November 17th, 2006.
Marah, with Christine Smith now a full time member, entered Nashville's 16 Ton Recording Studios in August 2006 to record songs for a new record. In April 2007, the group recorded and mixed additional songs at Brooklyn, New York's Excello Recording. In June, Marah announced that the new record, Angels of Destruction, would be released on January 8, 2008 and previewed the album at a concert/listening party in Philadelphia on September 8th, 2007. Angels of Destruction was preceded by a 6-song 10" EP entitled Can't Take It With You which was released in October 2007. A Christmas EP called Counting the Days was released in November 2007.
The new album was released in early January 2008 to widespread acclaim. Almost immediately afterwards, however, plans for an extensive US tour were cancelled following the departure of Garbinski, Peterson, and Henderson. A statement from Dave Bielenko stated that the current line-up could not agree on tour plans, and that to acquiesce to rhythm section would have represented a "musical regression." Bassist Johnny Pisano and drummer Joe Gorelick were hired as replacements, and in late February the band embarked on a European tour to promote the album.
In August 2008, Dave Bielanko, Smith and Pisano started recording new material at 16 Ton Studios in Nashville. Bielanko has stated his intentions of recording "a lilting beautiful folky record of acoustic guitars, tack pianos, and the stand-up bass".
Head On
Marah Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Dark horse runnin' me down from behind
Saw me celebrating at the finish line
Put me in 2nd place?
Now I'm watchin' him on victory line
Lookin into his eyes for the very first time
And somethin' there about 'em reminds me of mine
Beat at my own game
Oooh, now I can't go home
So I lap the vacant speedway
At a pace of my own
The checkered flags been folded
And the fans have all gone....
Just me and my mistake
Well I'm a delicate dish
Sadly fallen victim to the
Tablecloth trick
Out from underneath me
The bottom went quick
But I'll have another day
So get 'em up you
Dick trickle
The lyrics to Marah's song Head On tell a story of defeat and denial. The singer is a racer who has just lost a race, but not to the expected winner. A dark horse, an underdog, has overtaken him and won the race. The singer is in shock, unable to believe that he has been beaten by someone he didn't see coming. He is reminded of his own qualities when he looks into the eyes of the winner, but also feels the sting of being beat at his own game. As a result, he laps the speedway, unable to accept the result, unable to go home.
The next verses talk about the metaphorical fall of the singer, comparing him to a delicate dish that has fallen victim to the tablecloth trick. He has been caught off guard and has fallen hard. However, the singer is not willing to simply give up. The song ends with a call to action, with the mention of Dick Trickle, a successful Nascar driver who passed away in 2013. The singer is determined to not let this defeat define him and is ready for another chance to race and win.
This song is a poignant reminder of the highs and lows of life and how we deal with them. It is a song about the importance of resilience, the ability to accept defeat and strive to overcome it. The lyrics paint a picture of a racing world that is both exhilarating and harsh, and the music itself is a perfect match, with its upbeat tempo and classic rock-and-roll style.
Line by Line Meaning
What kind of end of the line,
The singer is wondering about the kind of finish he might experience, given his current state of affairs.
Dark horse runnin' me down from behind
The singer is being surpassed by an unexpected and unknown competitor.
Saw me celebrating at the finish line
The singer was confident about crossing the finish line first.
Put me in 2nd place?
The artist realizes that he has been surpassed by the dark horse and isn't sure what his final placing would be.
Now I'm watchin' him on victory line
The artist is a spectator rather than a participant in the final moments of the race.
Lookin into his eyes for the very first time
The singer is struck by the unfamiliar and perhaps untrustworthy winner of the race.
And somethin' there about 'em reminds me of mine
The singer sees something of himself in the victor, suggesting that the competition was closer than expected.
Beat at my own game
The artist feels that his own skills and tactics may have been turned against him by his new opponent.
Oooh, now I can't go home
The artist is unable to face leaving the race track following his loss.
So I lap the vacant speedway
The artist continues driving around the empty track, processing what has happened.
At a pace of my own
The singer is in control of the pace of his own recovery process.
The checkered flags been folded
The event is over and the artist must now move on to the next challenge.
And the fans have all gone....
The singer is now alone and without support or encouragement.
Just me and my mistake
The singer feels responsible for his own failure and is owning up to it.
Well I'm a delicate dish
The singer is admitting to being sensitive and susceptible to harm.
Sadly fallen victim to the
The artist is lamenting the fact that something happened to him that was out of his control.
Tablecloth trick
The artist is using a metaphor of a magician's trick to describe how he was blindsided by an unexpected event.
Out from underneath me
The singer was caught off guard by the occurrence.
The bottom went quick
The singer suffered a sudden and unexpected collapse.
But I'll have another day
The artist is optimistic about the future.
So get 'em up you
The artist is trying to motivate himself and move forward.
Dick trickle
This is a reference to a NASCAR driver who the artist may admire for his competitive spirit and resilience.
Contributed by Wyatt S. Suggest a correction in the comments below.