Because the main participants in singer/songwriter Todd Pasternack's
Marlow project all have strong jam band credentials -- including guitarist
Lo Faber, drummer Ted Marotta, and Pasternack himself -- some people have wrongly assumed that
Marlow is a jam band. But, in fact,
Marlow's music does not fall into the jam band category;
Marlow's earthy roots rock brings to mind
Tom Petty,
the Black Crowes,
John Cougar Mellencamp, and
Bruce Springsteen rather than
the Grateful Dead,
Kingfish, or
the New Riders of the Purple Sage. Not all of
Marlow's influences are male;
Sheryl Crow is also a valid comparison, and Pasternack has claimed
Aimee Mann (former lead vocalist of the popular '80s band
'Til Tuesday) as an influence. Like
Mann, Pasternack writes a lot of dark, melancholy lyrics -- many of
Mann's albums have had a very world-weary outlook, and the term "world-weary" easily describes
Marlow's debut album, White Out. Full of sadness, disillusionment, heartbreak, and remorse, White Out is Pasternack's account of a romantic relationship that failed. In a 2002 interview, Pasternack described that romance as "a very unhealthy, abusive relationship" and added that writing the highly personal songs on White Out was cathartic for him -- he seemed to view White Out as part of his emotional healing process.
Pasternack, who plays acoustic and electric guitar as well as bass and piano, was playing in bands several years before his
Marlow project got underway in 2001. Originally from New York City's Long Island suburbs, Pasternack was living in Albany, NY (the state capital), when he joined a local outfit called the Mr. Ferguson Band (which recorded two albums that Pasternack co-produced). Members of
the Ominous Seapods, an East Coast jam band, were well aware of Pasternack's work with the Mr. Ferguson Band -- and when guitarist Max Verna announced that he was leaving
the Seapods in late 1998, Pasternack was hired to replace him. Pasternack has also been a member of
the Lo Faber Band, another East Coast jam band. When
the Seapods decided to take a break in 2001 (they never officially disbanded), Pasternack launched his
Marlow project and recruited musicians he knew from
the Seapods and
the Lo Faber Band. In November 2001, Pasternack began co-producing White Out with
Seapods drummer Ted Marotta and bassist
Lo Faber; keyboardist/organist
Devin Greenwood (who Pasternack knew from both
the Seapods and
the Lo Faber Band) appeared on some of the songs.
Marlow finished recording White Out in January 2002, and Pasternack released the album independently on his own label, Marlow Music, later that year. After spending much of his life in various parts of New York state, Pasternack moved to Philadelphia in 2002. ~ Alex Henderson