In episode 9 of Hooked on Creek, I interview John Spignesi to learn about his appreciation for Max Creek, his interactions with the band and the music he creates through the John Spignesi Band.
John also tells the story behind his opportunity to play on stage with Max Creek during this year’s Camp Creek.
The following songs are featured in this episode:
- Max Creek with John Spignesi performing Love Makes You Lose Your Mind at Camp Creek on August 4, 2019
- Max Creek with John Spignesi performing Just a Rose at Camp Creek on August 4, 2019
- John Spignesi Band performing It Could Be True on their album Beautiful Dream
- John Spignesi Band performing Mystery Man live at the Love is Louder Music Festival on August 31, 2019, in Branford, Connecticut.
Watch John Spignesi perform with Max Creek:
Episode 9 transcription
You’re listening to Hooked on Creek, a podcast celebrating the music of Max Creek. I am you host, Korre Johnson, and you are listening to episode 9.
Hey everyone thanks so much for joining me on episode 9 of Hooked on Creek. This episode features an interview with John Spignesi. Since their formation in 2015, The John Spignesi Band has been steadily building a following and establishing their sound in the local jam-band scene in the New England area. As a guitar player, singer and song writer, John’s influences include Jerry Garcia, Duane Allman and Scott Murawski. During this episode, we dig deep into John’s appreciation for Max Creek, his interactions with the band and the music he creates through the John Spignesi Band. John also tells the story behind his recent opportunity to play on stage with Max Creek during this year’s Camp Creek. All that, and a lot of great music is packed into this episode.
In the show notes, you can find direct links to stream or download the music featured in this episode, or simply head over to hookedoncreek.com where you can also find a full transcription of my interview with John. 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.
Korre: John Spignesi, thanks so much for joining me on hooked on Creek.
John: Korre, thanks for having me, man. I appreciate it.
Korre: Well, when I started researching Max Creek a few years ago, I was doing Google searches, I was looking on YouTube to watch some of their music, I was on archive.org. And I know for me, one of the things I found that kept coming up was your name and I was really curious who you were and what your connection to the music scene is out there. Maybe you could tell me a little bit about yourself and the John Spigensi Band.
John: Sure. I’ve been involved in the music scene here in New England probably for coming up on 10 years. I’ve been in various bands throughout that time period, but the John Spignesi Band has been obviously my main focus, obviously, because it’s named after me, of course. We’ve been kind of inspired by different jam bands that we’ve actually had the pleasure of seeing throughout the New England area. There’s a very strong scene in this area, obviously with Creek being the godfathers of it, if you will.
So, we’ve been kind of drawing from that and then kind of making our own little concoction and mixing and kind of forming our own sound. So we’ve been touring pretty steadily for the past four to five years or so. We’re about to celebrate our five-year anniversary in February. And we just released our second album, too. So, we’ve been kind of chugging along with the original music, which is kind of our bread and butter, which is something we’d really like to spread.
Korre: Can you tell me a little bit about the story behind your introduction to Max Creek or the music that Max Creek plays? Where did that begin for you?
John: So that began for me at Gathering of the Vibes down in Bridgeport in 2013. I couldn’t find anybody to go with me. I wanted to go just for Sunday because Sunday was kind of the Connecticut resident day, so you got in for a little cheaper. So, I ended up making the trek down myself. There were a couple of bands that I wanted to see, but that was my first exposure to like a real music festival.
So, I went down there and I’m walking around and I got my Led Zeppelin t-shirt on with my head band and I’m walking around and I’m looking and I see this huge, huge crowd at the main stage. And so I walk up and the band is ripping through You Write the Book and I’m looking around and I’m like, “Wow, these people are really into this music.” So there was this guy next to me and I look over at him and I say, “Hey man, I don’t mean to be ignorant, but who is this up here?” And he looks at me. And I think he thought I was kidding, because he just kind of laughed at me. And then he saw the seriousness of my face and he goes, “Wait, are you serious? You don’t know who this is?” And I said, “No.” And he goes, “This is Max Creek.” And he goes, “You never heard of them?” And I said, “No.” And he goes, “Oh, welcome to the party, my friend.”
And I ended up staying for the rest of that set. And I watched the entire thing and that show was killer. I was actually just listening to that show pretty recently it had You Write the Book, After Midnight, Just a Rose was the closer. Once I heard Just a Rose, that was it. I was hooked. And ever since then, I would catch them whenever I could. I started going to more festivals and all that and I always really appreciated what they did — the fact that they were always pushing out that original music. It really had a strong impact on me and kind of inspired me in my own writing.
Korre: Over the years, since 2013, your connections to the band have grown. Can you talk a little bit about how that’s evolved over the years?
John: Yeah. I have a good friend of mine, Chris Andrews, he plays in a couple of other bands and he actually has a farm up in northern Connecticut and he has like a little barn. He has barn parties and he has different bands come and play. And I’ve been fortunate enough to play and attend a few. So my first exposure with Jay, the percussionist, was actually up there. They called him and he came down and played and I got to jam with him for a little bit. Shortly after that, I think it was like a month later, Mark was playing down the street at Strange Brew and I got to sit in with them.
And you know, Bill. Actually this is a pretty funny story. So I was supposed to play at a gig up in northern Connecticut. It was like close to like Christmas time and at the very last second, my drummer, his kid was sick so he couldn’t do it. So, we were kind of scrambling who we were going to get to fill in the last minute. It turns out the band we were opening for was one that Bill Carbone was actually playing with. And Bill Carbone, I actually messaged him and he said, “Yeah man, absolutely. I’ll play your set with you.” So we got to play an entire set with Bill on drums, which is probably one of the top moments of my musical career. So, I got to play with those three, that was the main thing.
It was only recently that I got to actually share the stage with John Rider. He was actually sitting in on a gig up in Hartford. And so after I played with him, it was just the four of them. And Scott was the only one who I hadn’t played with. I’d only got to play the four out of the five guys, which was awesome. And Scott knew that I hadn’t gotten a chance play with him, so he would always bust my stones every time he saw me, with that elusive smirk that he actually tends to have. Saying, “Oh, you know, you haven’t gotten to play with me yet.” Which was funny. It was a little like a cat and mouse kind of thing. But eventually, obviously at the most recent Camp Creek I had the honor of playing with them and it was a great experience.
Korre: How did the band approach you about performing with them at Camp Creek?
John: This is probably one of the craziest stories I think of my musical career. So, my buddy, my best friend, Will — it was his first festival, actually Camp Creek, which I can’t think of a better festival to attend. So, we drive up there. It’s up in like northern Connecticut. It’s about an hour probably of us. We drive up there and we’re in line and we’re getting ready to go in. And I actually get a message from Scott on Facebook and he messages me and says, “Hey man, are you coming to Camp and are you bringing gear?” And I like kind of cocked my head a little bit and I was like, “I am coming to the Camp. I can bring gear. Sure.” So we get in and I looked at my buddy, Will, and I was like, “Dude, we gotta go back to get my stuff.”
So we made the trek back. He must be a really good friend since he made that trek back with me, but it was worth it. We went back. We got the stuff, my gear. We headed back up and I walked down to the stage and Scott’s down there. This was on Sunday morning and he looks at me and he goes, “You got the stuff? You got your gear in your car, right?” And I said, “Yes, of course I do.” And he goes, “Well, you’re in, you know.” And I said, “Oh my God. Like awesome, that sounds great.” And he goes, “Well, what do you want to do?” And I said, “Well, you know, I’m happy with anything you guys have planned. I don’t want to take away from, you know, your your Sunday sets. I know those are the ones not to miss.” And he goes, “No, no, no, no. I want you to pick the song and I want you to sing it.”
And so then at this point, I’m just like, OK. What haven’t they played already? Because Camp Creeks are when they really stretch out those sets and they really do long, long shows. So the one song I could think of that they hadn’t done yet was Just a Rose, which was the first song I learned by them. So, we ended up trading versus in it. I sang the first verse. He saying the second verse. And I thought I was actually only going to be up there for that one song. But he looked at me and he goes, “You got good ears.” He goes, “You could stay up here.” So he actually had me up there for 55 minutes. Almost an hour. I got to play a couple of John’s songs. Scott Allshouse got to come up, too, and I got to play with him, too. It was a very great experience and it really kind of opened my eyes to what great warm people they are. At the end of the day, they’re people just like you and I. They’re just wonderful people, as well as musicians.
Korre: Now let’s take a break from my interview to play that version of Just a Rose that John was talking about. But stay tuned to hear more of my interview with John and a lot more music. This is Max Creek performing with John Spignesi at Camp Creek on August 4, 2019.
Korre: As a guitar player yourself, how would you describe Scott as a guitar player?
John: Well, I would say that he has definitely a style unique to his own. I think of him almost like a chameleon. He can adapt himself to very different genres and I like that he’s not afraid to try new things, too. It’s inspired me. In the very beginning, I always thought that jam bands had to sound a certain way. It had to have the certain kind of effects and the certain kind of tones, if you will. But, I realized at the end of the day, you just gotta be original. And, he’s really encouraged that to me. I would consider him not just a great musician, but a friend at this point.
Korre: I would imagine that with all of your connections to Max Creek, you must find yourself talking about the band to others that maybe have not yet been exposed to them or maybe not have not been hooked on Creek, yet. How do you explain Max Creek to somebody who is not familiar with them? How would you describe their music or the scene around that band?
John: I think the main thing that I try to definitely make known to people is that they’ve been around for a long, long time. I think people appreciate that when you tell them, “Hey, this band has been around since the early 70s.” Right away they’re kinda like, “Wow.” Like these are pros. These are seasons musicians here. And as far as the music goes, I love that anything goes with these guys. I’m a big Grateful Dead fan, but more often than not you can pick certain songs and know that, OK, that song is probably going to be like the second set. That song is probably going to be in the first set or they’re going to close with this.
But Creek definitely keeps me guessing, that’s for sure. I don’t know all the songs, too. So, especially when they bust out a cover that I haven’t heard, it’s inspiring. It’s almost like going to my first show and seeing them all over again. So, I love taking people to their first shows. My girlfriend, I’d brought her to her first one pretty recently, too. And she absolutely loved it and we go see them whenever we can. But people that appreciate longevity in music, people that appreciate a band that has a brotherhood on stage, I think are definitely gonna like this kind of stuff.
Korre: Tell me more about the John Spignesi Band. I understand that you just recently released your second album, is that correct?
John: We did, yeah. It’s called Beautiful Dream. It came out in May. We had the release party at Strange Creek, actually right after Max Creek played on the main stage. So we were definitely all fired up after we watched them. It’s a 10-track album of all originals. We feel it’s our best work yet. We tracked the whole thing live in the studio together. Really, just trying to spread that original music vibe, if you will.
Korre: For those who haven’t heard your music, how would you describe the music you guys create?
John: Well, I think definitely we pick and pull from certain things, but we’re trying something different. Our idea of jamming is a little more structured, I would say, then some of the other bands that I’ve heard. We like to be loose, but tight, at the same time. It’s different. We don’t use setlists, which is something I absolutely love. We go entirely off the cuff. We have probably a catalog of about 30 to 40 original songs and then like 60 covers that we do. So, every show is different.
Korre: For bands that have released their second album, can you talk about what that experience is like having gone through it once with your first album and then maybe learning from that and growing and sort of evolving into your second album? Are they different musically?
John: Oh, absolutely. The first album we recorded all separately, different instruments — the drummer and the bass played first, and then I came in and dubbed that. And it was good. It definitely was good. But the second album, we wanted to do something a little different. That’s why I feel playing together we were able to work off each other’s energy and each other’s vibe, which is extremely important, especially for this kind of music. That kind of stuff is what people feed off of. You need to be able to kind of grow off of that, as well.
So, we recorded the album with the same guy that recorded the first one, Matt Terribile at Ace Tone Productions. He absolutely knew our sound. He knew what we were going for. And I think that the songwriting in this album is definitely a little more mature, I would say. We try to tackle a lot of different themes, a lot of different things as well. I do most of the song writing by myself, but the band members adding their parts in, it literally makes it take on a whole life of its own and I feel that somewhere in the direction we’re kind of moving.
Korre: I am going to take another break from my interview to play a cut from the John Spignesi Band’s second studio album. After this song, be sure to stay tuned for more of my interview with John and even more music. This is the John Spignesi Band performing It Could Be True on their album Beautiful Dream.
Korre: Over those years your band, the John Spignesi Band, had been performing, were you incorporating Max Creek songs into your set lists?
John: We were. I always get the compliments that nobody covers Creek. I think I started to acquire a bit more of a fan base once we started to put some of their songs into our setlist. People were always saying, “Oh man, I only get to hear these songs when I go see them. It’s refreshing to hear them in a local setting, as well.” Which is great. And it was actually more of a challenge for me because most of their songs are not available online with the lyrics or anything like that. So, I’m over here watching YouTube videos and watching Scott’s hand and trying to listen to the lyrics and really getting down and kind of deciphering it, which is a good exercise, I feel, as a musician.
Korre: As you were playing some of these songs, were your band mates eager and open to playing Max Creek songs or did that take some convincing?
John: My drummer, he’s probably in his late 40s and he hadn’t even heard of them. I brought him to New Year’s Eve a couple of years ago. He saw them for the first time. So, he’d been playing these songs and kind of not really knowing what they were, which was kind of funny — which is almost better, I feel. He didn’t go in with any preconceived notion. He kind of added his own feel to it, which is what I feel is important when you’re kind of covering tunes. You gotta put your own spin on things. But once I brought him to New Year’s Eve at Toad’s Place in New Haven, he was hooked. And my keyboard player has been seeing them since the late 80s, like 1987 I think was his first show. So, he’s really good friends with one of the former drummers, Greg Vasso. They graduated together from high school. It’s definitely in our blood, that’s for sure.
Korre: Now I know another part of your connection to the band is through what you’re doing in — I’m not sure if you’d call it a side project, but — Something is Forming. It’s a tribute band that you and some others have put together to play exclusively Max Creek songs. Is that correct?
John: That is correct, yeah.
Korre: Tell me more about that.
John: Sure. So, Chris Andrews — the guy that has the barn parties up in northern Connecticut — I got him into them recently, too. I tell you, it’s like a bug. You can get people kind of hooked on them. Hooked on Creek. See how it’s all connected? I got him hooked on it and he even said, “You know, somebody should be doing this as a tribute to them.” And not just as a tribute. I think he actually worded it perfectly. He called it a celebration. So, we recruited a couple of other local musicians, Jeff King on the bass. He’s probably one of the best bass players I’ve ever played with. He can sound just like John when he needs to do, just like Scott and he’s a very fast learner. And then we also have a Steven Provost on keys. He’s taken the Mark sound to a whole new level. And then, Ryan Lizotte is on percussion, too.
So we have the whole five man kinda line up. The exact way that they have it. We’ve just been kinda having fun learning these different songs. We got to play a festival. We got to play Strange Creek for the first time last year. It was an absolute blast. We had a huge turnout. It was right before Creek actually played, too. So, we weren’t worried about stealing any their songs. They were actually busting our chops later on that night, too. Scott, he was like, “I hear there’s a Creek cover band. We’re coming for you.” Which was funny. We got a big kick out of it, but we’ve been having a really good time playing this music, that’s for sure.
Korre: Talk a little bit about the experience of being a musician in a band on stage and sort of, I imagine, letting go and letting the improvisation take over among you and your band mates and letting the music flow. What is that like to let yourself go and extend your music out into a jam? Does that come naturally for you?
John: It does. More often than not, too, I get sometimes kind of like self conscious and I’m trying to think of, “Oh my God, what can I play to make this interesting?” But it’s the second that I’m not thinking that — my mantra that I like to kind of repeat to myself while I’m up there is forget your fingers and just kind of go. And when I’m able to do that I find that we’re able to reach new heights. And I listened back to the tapes and I’m kind of inspired all over again, knowing we were able to create something new.
And when you’re up there in that moment and you’re kind of all just together and you’re out there, it’s one of the kind. You can’t touch it. If there’s any other way of saying living in the moment, I think that would absolutely be it. And the crowd — the people that had come to appreciate that — they absolutely can feel it, too, which obviously goes back to Creek and the Dead and all that with their improvisational skills. It’s one of a kind, that’s for sure.
Korre: I am going to take one more break from my interview to share a taste of what the John Spignesi Band sounds like during a live performance. After this song, be sure to stick around for the conclusion of my interview with John. Now the song I am about to play begins with John telling the audience the story behind the song, which I think is really powerful, and you will learn why in a moment. This is the John Spignesi Band performing Mystery Man live at the Love is Louder music festival on August 31, 2019, in Branford, Connecticut.
Korre: For those who want to learn more about the John Spignesi Band, what can they do? I understand you have a couple albums out there, you’re having some concerts. What would you tell folks out there who are listening right now who want to learn more?
John: Everything’s on the website, of course, at jsbmusic.org. Every single show the band has ever played, has been recorded. I think we’ve played over 190 shows or something along those natures. And we’ve actually recorded every single one. And you can listen to our, our evolution up until the show we played a few days ago. You can kind of see our growth over time, which is cool. I like to obviously know that we came from a certain area and we’re moving forward
Korre: John, thank you so much for joining me on Hooked on Creek. I really appreciate your time and I look forward to listening to more of your music.
John: Hey Korre, thanks for having me, man. I appreciate it a lot.
And that concludes my interview with John Spignesi. I really had a lot of fun talking with John, so I hope you enjoyed it and I hope you check out his music. But before I go, I want to say thank you for all the emails, Facebook messages, Instagram messages and Tweets that I am getting that include feedback and suggestions for this podcast. You have know idea how much it means to me to hear from you.
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