Pianist lets rock guitar influence sound

The musician, who likes to experiment, played one song for 56 hours straight.
By JOHN BENSON
VINDICATOR CORRESPONDENT
Why is it rock guitarists are given leeway to pretty much do as they please, but modern-day piano players within a rock setting need some sort of a gimmick?
Ben Folds, of Ben Folds Five fame, performed in a trio sans guitar. And then there's Mark Mallman, who tickles his ivories with a Van Halen-like "Eruption" flair.
"I've been playing piano since I was 3 but I've always felt more excited by the way a guitarist approaches the rock stage because it's just more physical, more explosive," said Mallman, calling from Boston. "So, my solos tend to be more flashy and less melodic and more percussive and a little bit more like Eddie Van Halen would do a solo on a guitar than Elton John would do on the piano."
The result is decidedly unique but Mallman said unsuspecting audiences are often left perplexed, which isn't necessarily a bad thing. For years, this is how the Minneapolis-based musician has added to his fan base, one confusing show at a time.
Valley appearance
Realizing a piano lead stands out among today's indie and alt sounds, Mallman isn't afraid to use his sense of humor to prove his talents as well as garner publicity. A few years ago he performed one song, "Marathon 1," for 26 straight hours. He topped it earlier this year by playing "Marathon 2" for 56 hours. Considering Mallman and band are making their first trip through Youngstown, with a Dec. 21 show at Cedars Lounge, is there any chance he'll be playing through the night, into the dawn and, well, on Dec. 22 and 23?
"I don't think the club would let us," Mallman said.
But what if the club would?
"If the club would let me, I'd have to ask for a pretty large guarantee," Mallman said, laughing. "But expect a high-energy circus freak that you wouldn't want your daughter to come in contact with."
Mallman admits he's at that point in his career where he could keep his loyal fans stylistically satiated, releasing perhaps a follow-up to his popish 2004 album "Mr. Serious." But redundancy begets stagnation so change can be heard in the keys.
For his current tour, Mallman is road testing new material from an album due out next summer. Tentatively titled "Take That, You Animal," the release marks a change of direction for the piano-driven musician with political and social themes bleeding through songs such as "Rhinestone Killer, Raging Bull" and "Madmen Don't Wear Plaid."
"I think it would be more like my 'John Wesley Harding,' slightly religious, slightly Dylan-esque," Mallman said. "I'm writing a lot like Dylan lately on the guitar. Now I'm going a little bit deeper, a little bit darker and we'll see what happens."