Episode 39: The fantasy Max Creek concert playing in my head

Published:

In episode 39 of Hooked on Creek, I describe an imaginary Max Creek performance that I would love to see.

So instead of reviewing a live recording of an actual Max Creek performance, I am going to bring you into my head and give you a front-row view of a fantasy Max Creek performance.

This episode also features live recordings of the songs:

Episode 39 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 39.

Welcome, Creek Freaks, to the inside of my head. Here, among faded memories, obscured fantasies and a relentless passion for Creek jams, is a door. Walk with me through this door and enter the theater of my mind. It is here, with me, where you get to experience a Max Creek performance like no other. What does that mean?

Well, instead of reviewing a live recording of an actual Max Creek performance from archive.org, I am going to bring you into my head and give you a front-row view of an imaginary Max Creek performance — one that I would love to see.

Have you ever created a setlist in your mind and thought how awesome it would be to see Max Creek perform those songs — the ones you love — in the order you think would kick ass, melt faces or just flow? Do you crave specific songs or jams? Are you jonesin’ for Creek to bust out a rarely played song? Well, all those things have been swirling through my head lately. Maybe it’s because I don’t get to see Max Creek as much as you. Or maybe it’s because I have an active imagination. But either way, stick around. I think you will enjoy hearing me describe the Max Creek show playing in my head right now.

So to set the stage, the first question is where are we? Well if I am going to imagine Creek playing anywhere, I might as well imagine them playing where I live — in Milwaukee. And there really is no better place to see a band in Milwaukee then the Pabst Theater. It is a gorgeous theater that was built back in 1895 by Milwaukee brewing magnate Captain Frederick Pabst.

And this venue holds a special place in my heart because the Pabst Theater is where I was first exposed to Scott Murawski when I saw him playing in Mike Gordon’s band back in 2017. And that started everything for me. My love of Max Creek, this podcast and why you are listening to me, right now.

Of course, since this is a completely imaginary show, I am going to be super greedy and have Max Creek play three sets. And just to keep things interesting, their first set in my head is an acoustic set consisting of five songs. So, a somewhat short set to start the show, but the band has a long night in front of them, so I don’t want to wear them out too soon.

OK, so to kick things off the first set begins with the song Dance, a favorite of mine, and then John transitions the band into Angel of My Mind, a beautiful song that I really enjoy. After that, Mark leads the band through a playful version of Howard Johnson’s and then Scott busts out a cover of She Took Off My Romeos. And then to end the acoustic set, Creek jams out Hard Love. I think that would be a cool acoustic set to start a show.

If you are curious, She Took Off My Romoes is a song with a reggae vibe that I don’t think the band plays very often. For you reference, I played a portion of that tune during the introduction to this episode. But from what I can tell on archive.org, the band played it mostly in 1990 and a handful of times since then. So, I think it would be fun to catch it at a show. I did a little research on She Took Off My Romoes and learned the song was written by Robert “Frizz” Fuller and it was originally released by David Lindley on his 1981 album El Rayo-X. And here is something interesting, David Lindley’s El Rayo-X album also includes another song Max Creek covers — Mercury Blues. So maybe Scott picked up the album El Rayo-X in the early 80s, and maybe that album was the band’s introduction to both Mercury Blues and She Took Off My Romoes? Do you think I am right? I have no idea.

But David Lindley is an accomplished musician who has been writing, performing and recording eclectic, world music since the late 60s. Over that time, David Lindley has built a distinguished career. He is probably most well-known for his many years recording with Jackson Browne, but I learned he has been one of Hollywood’s most in-demand session musicians, performing on the recorded works of Bob Dylan, Rod Stewart, Warren Zevon and Crosby, Stills and Nash, among others. So, I encourage you to check out David Lindley’s album El Rayo-X. I think you will really enjoy it.

Ok, now back to show. After the set break Max Creek returns to the stage, in this imaginary show, with Scott kicking off the second set with a blazing version of Secrets — I absolutely love that song — which sets up John to deliver an extended version of I Heard it Through the Grapevine. After that, I am having Bill lead that band through his song Brown Water. I always love it when Bill gets his turn at the mic.

Next up in this imaginary show I have Scott performing Cruel World. And I am thinking this Cruel World contains a crushing jam that gives birth to Burgers and Fries which then weaves its way back into Cruel World. So, a Burgers and Fries sandwiched inside a Cruel World. What do you think of that?

Then I have Mark changing the pace with Band from Chicago, which sets up L.F.S., always a favorite of mine, and then L.F.S. ends with a spacey transition into a massive Big Boat to end the set. That would be pretty, cool, right? Well hold on, the band is coming back for more.

Now for this fantasy show in my head, in their third set of music, I am imagining Scott kicking things off with the Carrie, and then, here it comes — The Seven. There is just something about The Seven that transports me to another place, so I would love to hear John lead the band through that song.

And then after that, I have Max Creek delivering a gigantic Old Stones, Broken Bones . And now in this fantasy show, I am imagining a extensive jam from Old Stones, Broken Bones that sets up a transition into the song Over You. That’s right, I am having Greg DeGuglielmo join the band to perform his song Over You — a song I absolutely love. Don’t ask how Degugs made it to Milwaukee for this show, or for that matter, how Max Creek put together a tour that included a stop in Milwaukee. This is my imaginary show, and I will do what I want!

OK, after Degugs wraps up Over You, I am imagining he hangs with the band for one more song, supporting Bill and Jay by playing additional drums while Scott rips into a mind-bending version of The Field. And now things are really flowing, as then I am imagining John unleashing a jam-heavy I Will Always See Your Face which then sets up something the band, to my knowledge has never done before.

OK, so how cool would it be to hear Mark debut a cover of Throwing Stones by the Grateful Dead? Are you feeling me here? For some reason, I can picture Mark and the band really nailing that song. But then instead of dissolving into Not Fade Away like the Grateful Dead did so often, I am having Creek’s cover of Throwing Stones transition into Something is Forming to end this massive set of music.

And then to wrap up the night, in this imaginary show, I am dreaming of Max Creek delivering a two-song encore. First, I am picturing John leading the band through July, You’re a Woman and then Mark brings it to a close with Feelin’ Alright. How cool would that be?

Now here is a quick recap of all the songs in my setlist. The first set is all acoustic consisting of Dance, Angel of my Mind, Howard Johnson’s, She Took Off My Romeos and Hard Love. The second set delivers Secrets, I heard it through the grapevine, Brown Water, Cruel World into Burgers and Fries and back into Cruel World, then Band from Chicago, L.F.S. and Big Boat. And then the third set consists of Carrie, The Seven, Old Stones, Broken Bones, Over You, The Field, I Will Always See Your Face, Throwing Stones and Something is Forming. And then the encore includes July, You’re a Woman and Feelin’ Alright.

So, there it is. I feel a lot better now that I got that out of my head. Now hang with me for a bit longer because I am going to share a couple live recordings of songs represented in my fantasy setlist. But before I do that, I have a request and a couple announcements. First, I would love to know what songs you would put in your fantasy Max Creek performance. So hit me up on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter or the Hooked on Creek website and let me know. Also, I want to let you all know the Hooked on Creek website now has the lyrics to over 70 original Max Creek songs. This took a long time for me to compile. Some of the lyrics were sourced from various websites and some I figured out myself. So just click the song lyrics link on the Hooked on Creek website to dig in. If you see anything that is incorrect, let me know. And please contact me if you know the lyrics to any more original Creek tunes. And the last thing I want to mention before we bite into some delicious tunes is that I am coming back to Camp Creek! That’s right. I will be there. So if you see me, please say hello. I am a bit of an introvert, so sometimes I need help meeting people. Just look for the guy with the Hooked on Creek hat.

Alright, now I am now going to play a couple tunes represented in my fantasy Max Creek setlist. So coming up you are going to hear the songs Secrets and I Heard It Through the Grapevine. I think you are really going to enjoy these. This is Max Creek performing Secrets live at the Connecticut Expo Center in Hartford, Connecticut, on October 30, 1999.

And now this is Max Creek performing a cover of I Heard It Through the Grapevine live at The Blue Pelican in Newport, Rhode Island, on November 15, 1987.

And that concludes episode 39 of Hooked on Creek. 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. I look forward to hearing from you. Thanks for tuning in.