In episode 8 of Hooked on Creek, I review Max Creek’s performance on April 4, 1999, at Higher Ground in Winooski, Vermont.
A live recording of this entire Max Creek performance is available to stream or download here.
Episode 8 transcription
You’re listening to Hooked on Creek, a podcast celebrating the music of Max Creek. I am your host, Korre Johnson, and you are listening to episode 8.
Hey everyone thanks so much for joining me on episode 8 of Hooked on Creek. Before I jump into details about the Max Creek show I am going to review in this episode, I want to give a quick update related to the Max Creek show I discussed in episode 5. If you remember, in episode 5 I interviewed David Burland, a huge fan of Max Creek and a talented singer/songwriter. In that interview, we discussed Max Creek’s performance back on June 15 of this year at Lincoln Hill Farms in Canandaigua, New York, a show David had recently attended and really enjoyed. Well, now I am excited to announce the Max Creek show we discussed in episode 5 is now posted on archive.org. You can find a direct link in the show notes for this episode or over on hookedoncreek.com. And if you have not yet listened to episode 5, I encourage you to check it out.
OK, In this episode, which is episode 8, I am going to discuss Max Creek’s performance on April 4, 1999, at Higher Ground in Winooski, Vermont. You can find a direct link to stream or download the entire Max Creek show I am reviewing in the episode show notes, or simply head over to hookedoncreek.com. And while you are there, click the contact link and let me know what you think. I am always looking for recommendations on topics to cover or Max Creek shows to feature in this podcast. Alright, now let’s get started.
The show at Higher Ground in Winooski, Vermont, back on April 4, 1999, starts with a stunning version of Cruel World. To me, the intricate and heavy textures woven together throughout this song evoke an industrial feeling that amplifies Scott’s lyrics and energizes the mood of the song. Unfolding over 15 minutes, Scott’s guitar seems to valiantly guide us through a landscape of despair and futility, like some sort of post-apocalyptic hero, in search of comfort, but content with survival. I love this song and I think this version is something special.
After Cruel World, Mark and the band deliver a resplendent version of See It My Way, a song written by Jamaican singer/songwriter Toots Hibbert. Clocking in well over 14 minutes, this version of See It My Way offers some impressive improvisational jamming by the entire band. About six minutes into the song, Mark initiates the jam with some fiery playing on the keys, and about four minutes later, Scott takes over lead, delivering a full-throttled guitar solo that runs through the remainder of the tune.
From here, the band transitions into a fun and energetic version of Wild Side, which is followed by a glowing performance of Solitaire Love, that’s truly sublime.
Next, Mark leads the band through a magical version of Said and Done that transports you back in time, to a moment in history, perhaps imagined or maybe inspired, that feels on the brink of impending and dramatic change. Lyrically, Said and Done is a mountain. In my opinion, It stands as tall as anything you will find from the most recognized songwriters of our time. So if you’ll allow me to indulge myself for a moment, I would like to read the first verse from this epic tale.
Well come all you Survivors you Warriors all,
You souls of breadth, impervious to pain,
And sit down at my table with your backs to the wall,
Until my time, your stories, stake your claim,
We’ll lift our voices up in song and raise our glasses high,
In praise of all the battles we have won,
But the days are growing shorter, and the time is growing nigh,
To account for all the things we’ve said and done.
I’ve probably spent hours just thinking about this song. In doing so, I find myself not just contemplating the meaning behind the lyrics, but also letting my imagination paint the intense visuals Mark’s lyrics evoke.
After Said and Done comes a heavy, 15-minute-long version of Blood Red Roses. John sings the song with the passion and power we’ve come to expect from this classic Creek tune. Scott’s scorching-hot guitar solo surrounding the final chorus punches our senses square in the nose. The band then goes on to reframe the song, shifting into a new, extended jam grounded in some intensely hypnotizing percussive rhythms created by Scott Allshouse and Rob Fried.
After Blood Red Roses, the crowd at Higher Ground in Winooski, Vermont, back on April 4, 1999, is given a spellbinding version of Something Is Forming, which I played earlier during the introduction to this podcast episode. Like a tall glass of water, this nearly 13-minute-long version of Something Is Forming is cool and refreshing, the perfect complement to the hot and heavy Blood Red Roses that preceded it.
In its conclusion, the song Something is Forming gradually transitions into a cover of Who Do You Love, a Bo Diddley song originally released back in 1956 that is one of Bo Diddley’s most popular works. As a singer, guitarist, songwriter and music producer, Bo Diddley is recognized as a key influence on many other artists, including Elvis Presley, the Beatles and the Rolling Stones. Showing their own unique appreciation, Mark and the band deliver a haunting version of the song. With a slow tempo, soft lyrics and expansive feeling, this version of Who Do You Love feels both foreboding and supernatural. I wish I could have been there to experience this one in person. It must have been memorable.
And then, as if somebody abruptly turned the lights on, the mood of the show dramatically shifts as we’re gifted a happy and joyous version of You’re the Only One. But that light is short lived because after You’re the Only One ends, Max Creek launches into a dark and heavy version of The Same Things that tears the fabric binding your sense of safety and security, unleashing raw emotions that seem to intentionally put you at odds with yourself. In some curious way, I find myself wondering if in this song, the repeated lyric “Why don’t you ever call me?” is perhaps a distorted echo from the song Who Do You Love performed earlier in the set. Don’t you think it’s interesting the connections we can make between songs?
OK. After nearly 15 minutes, The Same Things concludes through a transition into an incredible cover of Sailin’ Shoes, which is the title song from Little Feat’s 1972 album. After crushing Sailin’ Shoes, the band charges forward with an impeccable version of Devil’s Heart that’s soaked with emotion.
And to close the set, Max Creek performs a tight and rowdy cover of the Talking Heads’ song, Life During Wartime, from the Talking Heads’ 1979 album Fear of Music.
For the encore, Mark leads the band through a truly impressive cover of Tangled Up in Blue, a song from Bob Dylan’s 1975 album Blood on the Tracks. Mark’s lyrical delivery of this classic Dylan song is superb, and his interpretation of the song on the keys is also incredibly captivating and absorbing. This is certainly a highlight of the show. And after some extensive jamming, Tangled Up in Blue ends with a transition into Back Porch Boogie Blues to close out the show.
Now looking back over this entire show, Max Creek played one song from their self-titled 1977 album, which was Back Porch Boogie Blues, and two songs from their 1983 album Drink the Stars, those were Blood Red Roses and Devil’s Heart. Max Creek played three songs, which were Wild Side, Something Is Forming and You’re the Only One, from their 1998 album Spring Water. They played one song, Cruel World, that appeared on their Live at the Connecticut Expo Center 12/31/99 album released in 2000, and one song, Said and Done, that was included in their Live at 45 album released earlier this year. Max Creek also played two songs that have yet been given an official album release, and those are Solitaire Love and The Same Things.
Alright now lets hear a couple songs from this incredible Max Creek show. First up, we are going to hear Said and Done, and that’s going to be followed by Tangled Up in Blue. This is Max Creek perfoming at Higher Ground in Winooski, Vermont on April 4, 1999.
Next up, Tangled Up in Blue.
And that concludes my review of Max Creek’s performance on April 4, 1999, at Higher Ground in Winooski, Vermont. I highly recommend you check it out. You can stream or download this Max Creek show on archive.org. And if you have feedback about this episode or recommendations for future episodes, visit hookedoncreek.com and click the contact link to send me a message. Thanks for tuning in.