MARAH
Presents: Mountain Minstrelsy of Pennsylvania
Valley Farm Songs

www.marah-usa.com
 

Philadelphia roots-rockers Marah have gone “up the country,” relocating to the small town of Milheim, PA, and embracing their new community wholeheartedly. Hence the “presents” in their new record’s title: while Dave Bielanko and Christine Smith, the remaining core of Marah, are the driving force, the album is a journey through – make that with – the town’s music culture, and an interpretation of lyrics plucked from an obscure academic compilation of Pennsylvania folk songs.

That makes for an eclectic listen. Featuring heavily is eight-year-old fiddler Gus Tritsch, whose playing can be beautifully evocative (the lovely “The Old Riverman’s Regret”), or a slice of old-time Appalachia (rousing opener “The Falling of the Pine”). His perhaps more typical-of-an-8-year-old meandering on the oompah closer “Mother Dad & Joe” actually evokes, without actually going free-jazz, Michael Sampson’s fiddling with Albert Ayler – the master of coaxing discord from a beautiful melody. His vocal also features on “Harry Bell” (with banjo) and “Rattlesnake” is a combination of jarring and charming.

Other guests bring pipes, drums, and banjos and, on the single “Ten Cents At the Gate” a full chorus. That song cops a few lyrics from “In The Sweet Bye & Bye” but comes out sounding a bit like something from the Lawrence Welk Show, in the best possible way. Other treatments range from old-time rock to mountain-bluesy jams to the gorgeous chamber-folk of “Lulianna.”

The album is recorded perfectly for the concept – live to tape in a church-turned-makeshift-analog-studio. Sessions included up to 100 people, and throughout most of the record the result is a loose, live and spontaneous feel, like we’re listening in on a kitchen party. There might be a few moments where you want to hop out to the porch for a drink, but mostly it’s a great time. 
— Dan Greenwood