- Max Creek
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Max Creek Origin Connecticut, USA Genres Rock Years active 1971–Present Associated acts BK3 Website www.maxcreek.com Members John Rider (bass, vocals)
Scott Murawski (guitar, vocals)
Mark Mercier (keyboards, vocals)
Scott Allshouse (drums, vocals)
Greg Vasso (drums) (occasionally)Past members Dave Reed (guitar, vocals)
Bob Gosselin (drums)
Amy Fazzano (vocals)
Rob Fried (percussion, vocals) (deceased)
Greg Deguglielmo (drums)Max Creek is an American rock band that was formed by Dave Reed, John Rider and Bob Gosselin in 1971. Scott Murawski, then aged 15, joined the band in the spring of 1972. Murawski left after two months, but returned in 1973. Mark Mercier the keyboardist joined in January 1973. Dave Reed left the band in August, 1974 to form the Hatchet Hill String Band. Max Creek has a loyal following, and put on an annual music festival in upstate New York, dubbed Camp Creek, and was one of the longest running festivals on the East Coast when it took a hiatus in 2008. The festival returned to Maine in the summer of 2011.
Contents
History
Max Creek was formed in 1971, with Dave Reed on acoustic guitar, John Rider on electric bass and Bob Gosselin on drums.[1] The band originally played country music. In 1972, Dave Reed invited one of his music students, 15 year old Scott Murawski, to sit in with the band. Scott's early original association with the band ended abruptly when he was banned from a club that the band played at regularly for drinking a beer. A few months later Dave Reed came down with appendicitis, so Mark Mercier was brought in on keyboards and Scott was invited back to play guitar. Due to the influence of the Grateful Dead, as well as the band's consumption of L.S.D., the band decided to incorporate more improvisation into the music becoming more electrified.[2] The music of the psychedelic era had a heavy influence on the band, leading to a more Grateful Dead and San Francisco Bay sound and style. Eventually, Dave left the band to pursue country rock and acoustic ragtime music, leaving the band's line up as John, Bob, Scott and Mark.
Percussionist Rob Fried joined the band in 1979. Known for his elaborate stage setup, often with dozens drums and percussion pieces, Fried could always be easily identified in a club or hall thanks to his trademark Panama hat, Hawaiian shirt and dark glasses. Fried left the band in 2004 and died on September 6, 2006 as a result of cancer.
Amy (Barefoot) Fazzano was a vocalist with the band from July 1976 until September 10, 1983.
Bob Gosselin left the band in 1985 and was replaced on drums by Greg DeGuglielmo.
Bob Bloom was an occasional second drummer and percussionist in 1976.
Greg Vasso replaced DeGuglielmo in 1991, and stayed until 1996. At that point, Scott Allshouse took over, and is the band's current drummer.
As of 2011, Max Creek is still actively playing shows, most recently celebrating their 40th anniversary in Costa Rica with Bill Kreutzmann of The Grateful Dead in a series of shows dubbed Jungle Jam.
Members
Current members
- Scott Murawski - guitar, vocals (1972, 1973–present)
- Mark Mercier - keyboards, vocals (1973–present)
- John Rider - bass, vocals (1971–present)
- Scott Allshouse - drums, vocals (1996–present)
- Gregg Vasso - additional drums (2004–present)
Former Members
- Dave Reed - guitar, vocals (1971–1974)
- Bob Gosselin - drums (1971–1985)
- Amy Fazzano - vocals (1976–1983)
- Rob Fried - percussion, vocals (1979–2004)
- Greg DeGuglielmo - drums (1985–1991)
- Greg Vasso - drums (1991–1996)
Music
Max Creek's style of intense improvised jams were a significant influence on such later bands as Phish, whose bassist Mike Gordon has referred to Max Creek as one of his “favorite bands,” and has sat in with the band several times over the past few years.[3] On January 5, 2008, Gordon played with Max Creek's Scott Murawski, as well as the Grateful Dead's Bill Kreutzmann, at a benefit concert in Costa Rica.[4] Live shows are the band's forte, often lasting three hours or more. Creek, as they are known, peaked in popularity in the late 1980s, when they would play more than 200 shows a year. They decided to cut back drastically on touring in the early 1990s to concentrate on family, and today play only a handful of shows a year. The loss of sound engineer John Archer and his Crystal Clear sound system in the early 1990s was a devastating blow for Creek and their fans, as was the decision to stop touring at the time that the jam band scene was heating up.
Discography
- (1977) Max Creek
- (1980) Rainbow
- (1982) Drink the Stars
- (1986) Windows
- (1990) MCMXC
- (1998) Spring Water
- (2000) Live at the Connecticut Expo Center 12/31/1999
The band has been working on a box set to be called "Maxology", which is set to document the band's evolution throughout its career.
Live Recordings
A number of the band's live performances are available for download from Archive.org.[5]
Additional Projects
Recently Murawaski has received long overdue recognition with BK3 (aka Bill Kreutzmann Trio, KBM, Three) which also includes Bill Kreutzmann of the Grateful Dead and Bonnie Raitt bassist James "Hutch" Hutchinson.
Murawski also occasionally tours with Phish bassist Mike Gordon side projects.
Murawski and Mercier often play acoustic duo concerts.
Mercier has 2 side projects. One is "The Marks Brothers" which includes himself on keyboards and vocals, Mark Paradis from The Mark Paradis Band on guitar and vocals, Scott Guberman from Rev Tor Band on Hammond B3 and vocals, Dave Stoltz formerly of Dickey Betts and Great Southern on bass and Brian "duke" Konopka formerly from S.L.A.P. and The Mark Paradis Band on drums. His other band that plays a few shows throughout the year is "The Mark Mercier Band"
Mercier and Paradis often play acoustic duo gigs around the CT area, dubbed "Mark and Mark"
Notes
- ^ "Posting on the Max Creek forum marking Max Creek's 30th anniversary", MaxCreek.com, Wednesday, April 25, 2001 at 14:42:51
- ^ "Music Is Nothing that Everything Else Isn't, An Interview with Max Creek's Scott Murawski", Jambands.com, July, 1999
- ^ "Max Creek: Safe and Sound", JamBase, April 8, 2003
- ^ "Gordon, Kreutzmann, Murawski Playing Costa Rica", Glide magazine, December 7, 2007
- ^ Max Creek live recordings at Archive.org
References
- Max Creek on Allmusic
- Moorehouse, Donnie. "Max Creek Still Rockin'", The Republican, April 16, 2008
- Modisette, Lauren. "Max Creek Continues to Jam After 30 Years", The Daily Collegian, March 2, 2007
- Rodriguez, Nathan. "Max Creek: Safe and Sound", JamBase, April 8, 2003
- Handler, Shane. "Deep Within Max Creek", Glide magazine, February 3, 2003
- Max Creek on Home Grown Music Network
- Minor, E. Kyle. "Weekend Gathering of the Vibes", New York Times, June 18, 2000
External links
Categories:- American rock music groups
- Jam bands
- Live Music Archive artists
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