Marbin is comprised of two Israelis (Dani and Danny) and two black guys from the hood of Chicago (Justyn and Jae). We tour about three hundred days a year, each day in a different town.
Once we had a show in a place called PK’s (Pizza King) in Carbondale, Illinois. Our start time was 10 p.m., but we got into town early (around 2 p.m.). We walked into the bar and saw a lady playing an acoustic guitar, so we went up to her and we started talking. She told us that her name was Mandy-Jo and invited our band to a barbeque in honor of someone who just passed away. Being in a band means there is no saying no to free food and drinks, so we climbed in the van and followed her.
Mandy-Jo led us to a trailer park in town, introduced us, and then immediately took off! This left the four of us with a forty-year-old ex-girlfriend of the guy who had just died, and a very nice old man named Bob, who was in charge of the grill. After a while, we began having a pleasant time, eating, drinking, and singing Johnny Cash songs. But then, out of Bob’s trailer steps a very big, very mean-looking guy (we found out later he was a brick layer) in his late forties. Bob then points at him and says: “Fellows, meet my roommate Carl. He’s the sweetest guy, and he hates everyone who loves him.” First thing we noticed about Carl was that his arms were covered in tattoos of swastikas and iron crosses.
At this point, we’re thinking that Carl probably can’t tell that we’re Jewish but he can definitely tell that Justyn and Jae are black.
So Nazi Carl steps out of the trailer and this is the conversation that ensued:
Nazi Carl: Who the **** are you and what the **** are you doing here?
Marbin: We’re a band from Chicago, we’re playing PK’s later tonight, if you’re not busy you should stop by.
Marbin Carl: Do you play any of this hippie-*** bull****?
Marbin: We play fusion—jazz-rock.
Nazi Carl: Are you ****ing kidding me??? I LOVE fusion!
Apparently Nazi Carl was a huge fan of Allan Holdsworth (we’re on the same label as Allan and we actually toured with him for a month), and other musicians we toured with and play on our albums. Carl actually came to our show and loved it. He stole the poster from the bathroom and had us all sign it. So right now, in southern Illinois, in Nazi Carl’s bedroom, there is a Marbin poster hanging on the wall with the signatures of two Jews from Israel and two black guys from Chicago! In other words, Marbin’s music is the cure for racism.
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