Episode 34 of Hooked on Creek features my interview with Greg Vasso. Greg played drums in Max Creek from 1991 to 1996 and again from 2004 to 2011.
In this episode, you will hear Greg talk about his introduction to Max Creek, his memories of playing and touring with the band, his favorite songs to perform and how he grew as a musician through all his years in Max Creek.
This episode also features the songs Mama Are You Ready and Louisiana Sun > The Seven performed live by Max Creek. It was a lot of fun talking with Greg and I really hope you enjoy listening to our conversation.
Episode 34 transcription
You’re listening to Hooked on Creek, a podcast celebrating the music, history and fans of the legendary jam band Max Creek. I am your host, Korre Johnson, and you are listening to episode 34.
Thank you for joining me on episode 34 of Hooked on Creek. This is another special episode because it features my interview with Greg Vasso. Greg played drums in Max Creek from 1991 to 1996 and again from 2004 to 2011. In this episode, you will hear Greg talk about his introduction to Max Creek, his memories playing and touring with the band, his favorite songs to perform and how he grew as a musician through all his years in Max Creek. Greg and I cover a lot in our conversation, so I really think you are going to enjoy listening to it. But then I conclude this episode with a couple tasty Creek tunes featuring Vasso on drums, so be sure to stick around for that, too.
As a reminder, in the show notes you can find direct links to stream or download the music featured in this episode. Or you can simply head over to hookedoncreek.com and while you are there, click the contact link and let me know what you think. All right, now let’s get started.
Korre: Greg Vasso, welcome to Hooked on Creek.
Greg: Hey, Korre. How’s it going?
Korre: Doing great. Thanks so much for joining me today.
Greg: My pleasure.
Korre: Greg, you played drums in Max Creek from 1991 to 1996 and then again from 2004 to 2011. When you look back at those two periods, how would you compare your two runs with the band? Was the band playing differently in those two periods?
Greg: Good question. I can say I was playing differently for sure. Which then colors how we see the rest of things, right? The medium version of the story is I never intended on being a musician. So, the Max Creek gig kind of fell on my lap and I was as green as you could be really as a musician, for the level of these guys were playing at and me just showing up at clubs and having someone set up my drum kit and spin my monitor at age 20 was just all new to me. So point being, those first five years in the band, I was really just kind of getting my bearings as a musician overall. And especially live playing because that’s what the band is based on as opposed to more studio stuff. I left Creek to come to Boston and study a ton, which I did. So when I came back to the band, I felt I was in a whole new spot of at least in my mind being a more accomplished musician or more understanding musician. I could hear the music at deeper levels. I could understand the rhythm section stuff a lot more. In short, my early days with Creek, I felt it was kind of the Greg and Scott show. I was listening to the guitar a bunch and you know, how can you not love Scott? But I definitely felt when I came back, it was more like, what are the drums supposed to do overall ? Sync up with the bass and the percussion and get people dancing. And OK, I’ll get behind the guitar solo, too. So my head was definitely in a very different spot with those two stints.
Korre: Well, take me back to those years or that time period leading up to before you joined the band. How did you first get introduced to Max Creek? What was the invitation like for you to even start playing with the band?
Greg: Just ramping up to the whole jam band thing. I wasn’t a jam band fan really at all. A friend of mine was relentless and made me go to a Dead show in ’87 and I liked it. I didn’t necessarily love the music. And so part of what brought Creek around — for where I was at the time, 16 year old, the wisdom of a 16 year old having grown up on prog rock — I was just sort of like the Dead or a little light in the loafers for me. Like I need some more fireworks. And a buddy of mine from Branford, Connecticut, because that’s where I grew up, was going to see Creek. And he was like, “Dude, you got to go see Creek. They got a little more rock and roll, you’ll dig it.” And I was like, “Great. Where are we going?” He’s like, “We’re going up to Providence, Rhode Island, on a Wednesday night.” I was just like, “What? It’s a school night, man.” Providence is like a good two hours away from where we were. Nonetheless, we went and quickly came to love the band, for the fireworks and otherwise. It was just a little more up my alley, a little more rootsy. Loved the level of talent that I was seeing in a club. And over the years got to know Degug. And the short version of the story is this show that I was like really on the fence about going out to — I was supposed to go with a bunch of friends — all my friends backed out. So it was like this Saturday night and I’m sitting there and I was going to UConn at the time. And I was like, I’m driving out. I’m driving up to Simsbury to, what was that, Gemini’s, I think? Decided to go see the band. No one was with me. I’m like, I want to go see Creek. I want to see Creek. And, Degug came off the stage after the first set. And he was like, “Dude, I’m so glad you’re here.” He’s like, “I didn’t have your number.” He’s like, “I’m leaving the band.” He’s like, “They’re down on the final auditions, but I’ll see if I can get you in.” It’s just like, what just happened? He got me the audition and kind of the rest is history. So nothing I ever expected. And I often think back on those two things. Well, what if I never went to go see the Grateful Dead? And what if I never went to that Simsbury show that night? Would my life be different? So yeah.
Korre: So, in that iteration of the band, Rob Fried was there and you had a percussionist playing next to you. What was that like to be next to Rob and to have that element of the music in the band?
Greg: So, I kind of go back to what I was saying before my ears and my head weren’t fully in the game at that point. And there was also this element that I’d been seeing the band for a good four years by the time I got the gig. So it’s like, as I’m on stage, I’m also sort of hearing the front of house version of Creek, if you know what I mean. And I’d be like, “Oh, there’s that fill that Rob does.” Or, “There’s that sound.” So I certainly enjoyed it. But again, it wasn’t, to me, until I came back in 2004 and just kind of had my head a little bit more in the game that I felt like he and I really connected. And I think he got that as well, too. Like I really do. I felt like our relationship, certainly from a musical aspect, deepened during those years because I think he could tell I was listening to him a lot more and we were trying to lock in a lot more
Korre: And then playing with Scott Allshouse with double drums for that second part with Max Creek, what was that like to have two drum sets on stage?
Greg: Bottom line, it was great. I think it was, I don’t want to say awkward, but whatever. There was a growing period into it all. I started playing with the band partly because Allshouse had his girls and just had a whole bunch of stuff going on couldn’t make some gigs. But then this sort of turned into like, “Well, OK. Vasso is playing, so let’s do some double drums.” And so I think just because it wasn’t like any kind of official like, “As of this date, we have two drummers and so let’s rehearse and go for it.” It was more like sometimes we did gigs together and sometimes not. There was kind of an extended growing period, but I really felt after the first year it really hit a sweet spot. And for me at least, those final three, four years in Creek are my personal favorites. A lot of it because of playing with Scott. I’ll sound humble here — I thought we had it going on. We were just in tune with each other and really complimenting each other on parts. And I loved it.
Korre: I’m curious what your impressions are of the other members of the band. I mean, for those who might not know Mark and Scott and John, how would you describe their personalities to somebody who hasn’t met them? So, let’s maybe start with John. How would you describe John Rider for somebody who has never met him?
Greg: John Rider is like, I don’t know. He’s almost like the camp counselor. Almost like Bill Murray in Meatballs on some level. Just like, “Woo.” He’s got a lot of spunk and personality, funny stories, unique way of approaching the bass — and as we know, ultimately the roots of Max Creek. John’s a quirky personality. It took me a while to get to know is he joking or is he like just breaking my stones? We have a great relationship. John’s a great guy. Big heart.
Korre: What about Mark Mercier? How would you describe him?
Greg: Mercier is a phenomenal musician who doesn’t necessarily realize it. I love him to death. He’s always like, “Oh, I stink, man.” I’m just like, “Dude?” He’s got that perhaps more old schoolness about him. Definitely can tell he spent time in a church and the gospel background. I mean, all the guys are funny. But Mark is his own personality. So I know that’s not describing him necessarily perfectly. But yeah. I love him. I love Mark as well.
Korre: How would you describe Scott to those who’ve never met him?
Greg: I know these guys on a personal level, and having seen the band thing. Certainly, Scott roped me in a lot, as well. Again, I was looking for more fireworks and I’m like, “This is like Eddie Van Halen meets Garcia.” Like he rips. He’s got a lot of the feel, too. Just for the time that we spent together, I’m perhaps closest with Murawski out of everybody in the band. When I first joined, barely at the age of 21, I just went to all the gigs with him and he really just took me under his wing as the mentee and just proceeded to teach me a lot about music. His joking thing was, “Pull the Neil Peart drumstick/broomstick out of your ass.” Because I was a big prog rock guy. So, I was used to precise things and we execute here. And he was just like, “Lose the one.” I would be like, “Ah, what do you mean lose the one?” It’s the last thing that you do as a drummer. He was just a big influence on me. Funny dude. We laugh a ton. Probably most listening to this will know we still play together in Depth Quartet when we can. So yeah, Murawski is just an all around dude, even outside of music. We spend a lot of time together playing basketball and otherwise. Good stuff.
Korre: So, when you think back to your time in Max Creek, what are some of your favorite songs to play that you really enjoyed when they pull out?
Greg: Like, If You Ask Me was always up there. It’s funny, like some of these weren’t necessarily Creek tunes that I personally loved — whatever, not to go off on a rabbit trail, but I think that’s part of the band. Like there’s these different eras and everything. And I personally think there’s tunes that Degug plays the way it’s supposed to be played. And I think there are certain tunes that Allshouse plays the way it’s supposed to be. Like that’s the best drummer for that tune.
Korre: Are you willing to go on record on what those songs are or would you rather not?
Greg: I’ll throw a few. So, I have to lend the disclaimer here that my ear has not been as close to the ground on the Creek stuff since the Billy era. So, Billy love you. Taking nothing away from you, kid. But just from the ’80s, ’90s Creek that I saw. Heartbeat is like a Degug special. I think those slower tempos and the emotion of them. Allshouse — Orange Sunshine; Old Stones, Broken Bones. I’d have to think some more, but I do feel that there are certain gems that each drummer has. So, I’m sorry. What was the original question?
Korre: What songs you enjoyed playing the most.
Greg: If You Ask Me. Hard Love. The Seven. Mama Are You Ready. Those are a couple. Louisiana Sun, I always enjoy playing Louisiana Sun.
Korre: Talk to me about what that crowd is, the scene is, that wraps around Max Creek and who they are and how they influence the musicians and everything that goes on.
Greg: For people that I’ve asked, especially people not in the jam band scene, I say Max Creek is the underground of the underground. Like, if the Dead scene is sort of like the underground of pop, like one level below that the underground of the Dead scene is Creek — in a good way. So, I think with each of those levels, if you will, there’s more of an intimate relationship with the band, whether it’s just knowing them outright. I mean certainly through all the years that I played, I’m talking to 80 percent of the people out in the audience just because you get to know each other along the way. So, there’s certainly that family vibe. And, I think maybe more than other bands, we can be influenced by, “You got to play this song. You haven’t played this in 50 shows. It’s got to happened tonight.” And we are like, “All right. We’ll do it.” Definitely a symbiotic relationship with any band and their fans, but certainly with Creek, I think there’s this comfortableness about it. That we’ve all been there a million times before.
Korre: When I was early on listening to Max Creek online and going through some live recordings, I stumbled across awareness of you through I think it was Sympathy For the Devil. I’m curious if there’s a story behind that song and you performing it.
Greg: Short version is we used to play it in my high school band and I always thought my singer ripped it. I always thought he belted it just a little more than Mick would. And so I always enjoyed that. And then it was a Halloween gig that we did ’97ish, something like that. I’m not sure. But it was like, “You should sing a song for Halloween.” And I’m like, “All right.” Johnny Beauton, if you’re listening to this, my singer from high school band — I’m like, “Let me give them some Johnny Beauton love.” And it just took off. People seem to love it. So, it seemed to fall into the setlist after that.
Korre: Well, take me back to your childhood when you were first introduced to playing drums and performing music. What led you in that direction?
Greg: As cheesy as it sounds, there was an element of fate I feel. In terms of childhood in general, I was like so bad at sports, Boy Scouts — like whatever it was, all your standard stuff, just really not doing well in. And my brother played keyboard and he played in the band his drummer’s kit was down in our basement one day. And I walked downstairs, and it wasn’t even set up, it was on the floor, but there was literally like this “Ahh” that happened. It was like this light shown on the drums. And I was just like, “I think I love drums.” It was like ’82ish. And then just really started to get the itch for drums, listening to a lot of drums. And so, this was the decade certainly of Neil Peart, which I was heavily influenced by. And just fell in love with it. And when I went to my very first drum lesson, I remember my teacher looking at my mother saying, “I think we have some talent here.” And I was like, I never heard that when I played basketball. I never heard that in Boy Scouts. So, I’m like, maybe I’ll stick with this for a little bit. But I absolutely love the instrument. I have from that moment in the basement to when I got home from rehearsal tonight. It’s still as fun. It’s still as great. It’s just an awesome instrument.
Korre: I would imagine as a young adult playing drums in a rock band, that must’ve been pretty fun for you just as a lifestyle. Is that true?
Greg: So, like yes and no, just because again, I had no plan for this for my life. I was going to UConn. I was going to get my degree in psychology and suddenly I’m playing with Max Creek. So, I had no grid for what it’s to be like on the road and otherwise. And there was also this element that I was the youngest guy. When I was auditioning, I thought that was going to be a liability. I thought they’re going to be like, “We’re not going to take the young whipper snapper. We’re going to take someone who’s more old and seasoned.” So at least for the first couple of years, it was just kind of like taking it all in and getting used to what was second nature to everybody — being on the road, show up, soundcheck, play. Certainly, I think as like I settled into it, like my last few years with my first stint with the band, yeah it was a lot of fun. We were playing some great shows. I thought we were playing well, certainly. And yeah, a little bit of the rockstar life. Got to go to some Phish shows and it was good. Absolutely.
Korre: Greg, I’m curious. Do you have any favorite memories of playing with Max Creek?
Greg: I do. I have a couple that stand out. I think Camp Creek 2006 was the monster rhythm section. So, it was me, Allshouse, Rob was with us at the time and then Rider of course, and then Mike Gordon came and sat in for most of the tail end of the evening. And it was just nice and relaxed and a good mix. And Mark described it as it was like being on a cruise ship. Like the rhythm section was like a cruise ship. Just this huge thing floating. I experienced that as well. That was, especially in terms of the rhythm section, was just a great, great night. Thoroughly enjoyed that. One other that stands out to me is, what is that place in upstate New York? I can’t remember the stage. Michael Jackson had just passed away. We decided to cover Billy Jean and didn’t rehearse it at all, really. Like sort of verbally ran through it just before we got on stage. And we ran it through and for taking a tune cold I thought we were doing it pretty well. But the best part is, I was sort of concentrating on looking down. And as I looked up, Allshouse was doing the moonwalk past my kit. This is a surreal moment. Allshouse is just doing the moonwalk pass my kit. So that one stands out, too. Just fun night.
Korre: As a drummer in Max Creek, how do you communicate with other members of the band? I mean, because part of their musical style is the improvisation. And I would imagine that there needs to be some level of communication between the members of the band to know where you’re going in some of these jams. As a drummer, how do you do that? Or how did Max Creek do that?
Greg: I think ultimately, it’s about the whole band listening to each other at the same time. When I did my audition, I remember that was one of the segments of the audition. Like we’re just going to stretch, and we just want to listen to each other. So, the communication, I think, ultimately comes in the listening. And you’re looking to create a conversation. And I think, that notwithstanding, John, Scott and Mark may at any given point have sort of a definitive idea that they’re shooting for. Scott more often than not would just lean over my kit and be like, “Do this!” But Mark or Rider would start some sort of mantra of hitting some riff just to set a tone. But at the end of the day, it all comes down to, especially in the spots where we’re stretching out, are we listening to each other? Just like real life, you know? You got to be in a conversation and genuinely listening to somebody and then you can kind of communicate back.
Korre: Greg, do you listen to Max Creek live recordings still? Or did you listen to them back when you were in the band? Was that a common practice for you to go and just listen to all those live recordings?
Greg: Yes and no. So certainly, when I was seeing the band, I used to listen to them a bunch. Much like anything in life, listening to your own recorded voice back or whatever, it’s like, “Whoa!” That happens a lot as a musician. For me though, the interesting part with my time with Creek was, again, I was young and there’s a tendency to rush tempos. And I think the band partially liked that, like, “Oh, the new guy. He’s all full of piss and vinegar. Let’s take everything fast.” But after listening back to those recordings, after a couple of years, I went back to them and I’m like, “Guys. Some of this stuff is just too fast. Let’s slow it down. Let’s get the groove to sink in. Let’s get people to dance.” And so, there was an effort there with the band, but there was also me coming into my drumming a little bit more and being like, OK, let’s lock this in. That’s what the drums are supposed to be. There should be a vibe in the room and everyone should be bumping their heads. So, yeah. It’s sort of that push and pull with recordings of like, oh, I don’t like what I hear. But it was also like, OK, we can make a turn for the better here. But there was a couple gem nights. I can’t remember. I want to say it’s like ’97 or ’98, Woody’s Roadhouse — just a great night. So those gems, I go back and listen to every now and then.
Korre: When you think about Max Creek, are you surprised that they’re still around after 50 years — this band, it’s still going?
Greg: On some levels, yes. Just for the sheer math of 50 years. I mean, all that could potentially happen within that. And again, I’ve been relatively removed from the band for almost nine years at this point. It’s crazy. But I remember those last few years with me and Allshouse and otherwise, it really felt to me like every night was just sort of like we don’t have anything to prove anymore. There was a time in the band when we were really gunning. We were trying to be a part of one of the top jam band folks and yada yada. And it felt to me, at least, those last few years it was just sort of like, who knows whether we’re all going to be here tomorrow. Like let’s just have a lot of fun tonight and play some good music tonight. And that’s a good spot for a band to be in. So, assuming that has sort of remained throughout the years here, yeah. You just got to enjoy every night and play your heart out. You never know when it’s your last. And so, I think that’s part of what’s kept it alive this long, amongst other things
Korre: When you are not playing drums, I’m curious, what keeps you busy? What other hobbies or things do you do besides play drums?
Greg: These days? Primarily working to support my family. So, I’m a project manager for ADP, Automatic Data Processing. So, for clients that buy some of our bigger solution sets, I’m the project manager to help set it all up and get them going.
Korre: Do they know about your history as a drummer?
Greg: At some point, yes. Or at the very least, I let them know I was like a touring musician most of the ’90s and they’ll Google me and be like, “Oh. I see pictures of you playing drums.” But certainly, it’s been a lot about being the family guy for the past 10 years, but I play as much as I can.
Korre: Greg, are you still playing drums right now? And if so, what brings you out on stage or what brings you to your drum kit?
Greg: Yeah. So, my most consistent thing at this point is probably playing with my church, more Sundays than not. And our set is a lot like a Dead show. People are like, “Woo.” They’re all fired up. We get a good like 45 minutes and we are encouraged to stretch out if we’re feeling things as well. So, it’s cool. It’s not just a couple of tunes every Sunday. So, I’ve certainly enjoyed that. I do a function band with Gary Backstrom from Jiggle and a couple other cats in Boston, John Vanderpool — weddings, parties, things like that. We’re about to do a Paul Simon cover thing November 20th in Taunton. So that’s with Gary from Jiggle and some other folks. So, I do that from time to time. And then Depth Quartet as well, with Scott. We kind of average like one gig a year at this point, but we practice a whole bunch. We practice for like 20 weeks for that one gig. So, all those kind of keep me active these days.
Korre: Greg Vasso, thank you so much for joining me on Hooked on Creek.
Greg: My pleasure.
It was a lot of fun talking with Greg Vasso and I really hope you enjoyed listening to our conversation. One small clarification from our interview, I think the story Greg told about the monster rhythm section with Mike Gordon was from Camp Creek 2004, not 2006 — well that’s what I found when I went searching for it online. I guess after a while, all the years combine. You know, every time I get the opportunity to talk with somebody in the band or connected to the band, I learn something new and I gain a deeper appreciation for everything Max Creek has accomplished over the years. And that’s really what this podcast is all about. Alright, now I am going to play a couple tunes featuring Vasso on drums. This is Max Creek performing Louisiana Sun into The Seven live on December 31, 2009, at The Warehouse in Hartford, Connecticut.
And that concludes episode 34 of Hooked on Creek. Huge thanks to Greg Vasso for coming on the podcast and a huge thanks to you for listening. It really means a lot to me. If you are curious, during the introduction to this episode I played a portion of Mama Are You Ready performed by Max Creek live at The Living Room in Providence, Rhode Island, on October 13, 1995. And as always, let me know if you have suggestions for future episodes or recommendations on people to interview for this podcast. You can get in touch with me via the contact link on the Hooked on Creek website at hookedoncreek.com or via Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. Just search for Hooked on Creek to get connected. I look forward to hearing from you. Thanks for tuning in.