In episode 60 of Hooked on Creek, I talk with Graham Gibbs — a musician and lifelong fan of Max Creek whose connection to the band runs deep.
In this episode, Graham shares heartfelt stories about growing up with a Creek-loving dad, learning guitar by studying Scott Murawski and the personal impact the band’s music has had on his life. Graham also talks about his experiences performing on stage with Max Creek.
This episode features clips of the following songs performed live by Max Creek:
- Devil’s Heart performed at Lupo’s Heartbreak Hotel in Providence, Rhode Island, on May 17, 2000.
- Yellow Moon performed at The Living Room in Providence, Rhode Island, on September 19, 2001.
- Yes We Can Can performed with Graham Gibbs at The Met in Pawtucket, Rhode Island, on January 21, 2017.
- Dance performed at The Met in Pawtucket, Rhode Island, on January 25, 2019.
This episode also features a clip of the band Candle Opera performing a cover of Frank Zappa’s song Cosmik Debris live at Bishop’s Lounge in Northampton, Massachusetts, on March 29, 2025. Learn more about Candel Opera on Instagram.
Transcript of episode 60
You’re listening to Hooked on Creek, a podcast celebrating the music, history and fans of the legendary jam band Max Creek. I’m your host, Korre Johnson, and you are listening to episode 60.
Welcome back to Hooked on Creek. In this episode, I talk with Graham Gibbs — a musician and lifelong fan of Max Creek whose connection to the band runs deep. Raised in Rhode Island with a Creek-loving dad, the music of Max Creek has been a constant presence in Graham’s life, practically from the womb, shaping his musical journey from a young age.
In our conversation, Graham shares some incredible stories about his exposure to Max Creek over the years, his admiration for Scott Murawski and what it was like to step on stage and perform with Max Creek. We also talk about his personal connection to the music, what makes Max Creek so special and the band Graham is now performing in.
As a reminder, you can find links to the music featured in this episode in the show notes, and if you head over to hookedoncreek.com you can read a full transcript of my conversation with Graham. Alright, now let’s get started.
[interview begins]
Korre: Graham Gibbs, welcome to Hooked on Creek.
Graham: Thanks for having me, Korre.
Korre: Graham, I understand music is a big part of your life and the music of Max Creek has surrounded you since before you were even born. I want to learn all about that, but first introduce yourself by telling me where you’re from and your background in music.
Graham: I’m from Rhode Island. I’m really from Middletown, Rhode Island, which is right next to Newport. I kind of just grew up in the scene, just being exposed to music. My dad had been taking me to Max Creek shows ever since I was a little kid. And it kind of all stemmed from there, aside from Elvis Presley records as a little, little kid.
Korre: So, it sounds like your family or your dad has a connection to Max Creek. How did that begin or what are your earliest memories of that?
Graham: Well, my dad always told me that he did sound for the band a handful of times. Because he used to work at Lupo’s. Not sure which Lupo’s he worked at, but he worked for Rich Lupo for a number of years. And he told me a handful of stories about doing sound for Max Creek or being behind the boards to some effect. He talked about it a lot in Providence at The Living Room and also at the Agora Ballroom.
These are all like mythology things. Like, I don’t know what these places actually looked like. I just remember the names of them. Yeah, my dad, his name was Derek Gibbs. He was kind of a fellow friend of the band throughout, just becoming a die-hard fan back in those years.
Korre: What age do you think you were when you connected with this band, Creek, and you understood who they were? How old were you when you made that connection in your brain?
Graham: Well, I think when I really realized how important they were, it was probably around when I was 5. I can remember being at Camp Creek at 5 years old. That was probably the first time I really saw them, like with memory. And it was mostly the environment. It just all seemed so important. Everybody was taking it seriously. It wasn’t just camp.
Korre: Well, I would imagine growing up in an environment where you’re surrounded by the music of Max Creek or your dad’s talking about it to some extent, you’re kind of on a journey towards a musical appreciation that’s been shaped by the different genres of music that flow into jam bands. And that must have been so rewarding or enriching, right, to feel and hear that music.
Graham: Absolutely. I mean, to me, they were the first jam band for me. I was into Max Creek before I was into the Grateful Dead or even into Phish or any of these other bands that are out there. They’re the ones who turned me on to Little Feat and bands like The Band. I got to credit that all to them. Yeah, I mean, it was there from the start. My parents met at a Max Creek show. I had probably heard the band from the womb. So, there was a special connection that I had with the music that once I became older, and old enough to want to actually play the guitar, it was the exact music that I needed to be listening to.
Korre: What age were you when you started picking up an instrument?
Graham: I think I was always interested. I definitely officially picked it up when I was 8 years old. It was just, you know, some acoustic guitar chords. I was into The Beatles. It seemed like the type of music that Max Creek was playing was far away from my abilities at the time. So, I eventually started to learn how to play Max Creek songs by literally pressing pause. We didn’t have any resources as Max Creek fans to go and look up the chords. You can’t go on the internet and find the chords to a Creek song or find a YouTube video on how to play their music. I really had to study them and watch them and figure it out. I really, really wanted to.
So, for so many years, I would just watch Scott. Like I almost didn’t know how to dance for a few years because I just stood there and watched Scott. I just watched him play and just tried to figure it out and I would take a couple of notes and anything that would stay in my memory. When I got home that night, I would pick up the guitar and try to figure it out. I can remember making a joke one time at The Met. I brought a friend of mine, it was their first Creek show, and I brought them up front. said, “This right here. This is where I learned how to play guitar. This spot right next to this beam.”
Korre: Well, something must have happened after you started playing guitar, because I saw some video footage on YouTube of you performing on stage with Max Creek. So, there must be a story somewhere in between there where you got somewhat proficient at guitar and got the opportunity to be on stage with them. What was that journey like for you as you started playing guitar and presumably getting better at it, right?
Graham: Yeah. I mean, there was a lot of open jamming in my hometown, especially Newport. There was a pretty good music scene in Newport. There was a really awesome bar called Billy Goods. It was like this big mega jam with so much talent that came through. And when the bar kind of closed down, it seemed like there was nothing else to do. So, I got a lot of stage experience just through that.
As a kid, everybody else’s favorite guitar player was like Slash or Clapton or Jimmy Page or Jimi Hendrix or somebody like that. And I would tell people that my favorite guitar player was Scott Murawski. And nobody knew, at least in my age group, nobody knew who that was. It didn’t mean anything to them. And it ended up meaning more to me as time went on because I actually could ask him questions.
I could go up to him and say, “Hey, what were you doing in this one spot?” I could send him a message on the internet. Part of that is because the fan base is small, which is something that I’m grateful for. And I just nagged him a bunch of times, ‘Hey, can I sit in? Can I play?” And part of it was I was a little kid, and also part of it was it was never also the right time.
So, when it was the right time, it was at Camp Creek, and Scotty came up to me and was like, “Hey, do you have your guitar?” And I said, “No, I don’t have it with me,” because we were camping. He said, “Well, if you can go find a guitar, I want you to come up and play with me.” So, I had to borrow a guitar from somebody, which was honestly a little awkward for me just because I was so used to playing the same guitar all the time. Because that’s what Scotty always did.
Korre: What year was this Camp Creek that you came on stage with them?
Graham: That was in 2014.
Korre: What was that like, I mean, to be on stage with this band that you’ve been listening to for so long and probably just really idolized? What was that like?
Graham: Well, it was definitely a special honor for me because they had a handful of guests on that afternoon from other musicians that had played in different bands throughout the weekend. And I was the only musician who wasn’t in a band. And I was also a young kid.
Korre: How old were you in 2014, if you can remember, or can do the math?
Graham: I was born in 1994, so I was 19, actually.
Korre: It must’ve just been amazing to be up there on stage and to look out to that crowd and to be part of the music, right?
Graham: It was full circle for me. I mean, that’s where I grew up as a kid, especially at that venue. Those are the earliest memories of me being at Max Creek. And I mean, my dad had also nagged the band for years to try to get me on stage. And when they finally heard that I could play, it felt a little like, “I knew I could do it.” You know what I mean?
Korre: How would you describe Scott Murawski’s guitar playing?
Graham: I mean, he’s an absolute master. And I think the biggest thing about it is that he’s taking chances. There’s always this push. It’s like nothing’s ever enough. He could always do more. There’s always more that could be done. And he never fails to surprise you with that. There are so many moments where you’re like, “Oh, this is as intense as it could get,” or “this is the peak” or something in the song — and then there’s more. And it never fails to get me. And it’s been years and you’d think I would be expecting it by now. And maybe sometimes I am, but he still gets me every time.
Korre: I just absolutely love looking at his face and looking at his sort of connection with the crowd and his guitar. There seems to be something happening there that I just, I don’t know, maybe it’s just me imagining it, but I feel like he’s playing guitar almost with the energy of the crowd. It’s so cool.
Graham: They’re always getting the audience to question what’s going to happen next. It’s like they have those moments where you’re like, “Where did they just go? What song were they just in? It was only a minute ago they were playing a song and now they’re somewhere so far away from that. I can’t remember what the song was.”
And what is interesting is that they distinctively do jam different than a lot of the other jam bands. It seems as though the way Phish communicates the ending of their jams, like we’re going to come back into the song now, is surprisingly reminiscent from the Dead. That may sound strange to hear. That’s just my perspective. Creek is completely different from that. There’s so many times where they go into a jam and I’m like, “How did they get here?” Because none of the other jam bands do that. How did they get here?
And I think a lot of that might actually be credited to John Rider. He seems to always be the one who’s changing the actual jam. If they’re in a free form thing, he’ll change the chord or he’ll change the key or something, or he’ll change the progression. It gives everybody else new ideas. And he does it differently than anybody else.
Korre: Tell me about how you got another opportunity to come on stage with Max Creek at The Met. How did that come about?
Graham: Well, slightly sad. Years later, my dad had passed away and there was a show that was right around that time. My friend, Peter Benson, just asked Scotty for me, I guess, without me even asking him. And they just said, “Bring your gear.” I brought my gear and it was a redeeming thing for me, especially. For many years, I had tried to cultivate a really good guitar tone and not having my own gear at that show several years ago, it just didn’t cut it for me. Being able to perform with them again with my own gear really did make a big difference for me. I only wish my dad could have saw that.
Korre: Well, that must have been really special for you and for the band, right? They knew your dad. They’ve seen you grow up. It must’ve been very special for everybody.
Graham: It really was. They called me up a second time throughout the night, which was very special. I can’t thank them enough for that. It really is like a dream come true. Being able to play on stage with your favorite band is something that not very many people get to do, especially not in that environment where you get to know them and socialize with them from then on forward.
Also, I got to say, to be on stage with Max Creek, it was almost like mind control. Their sound is so solidified. The music just goes. It’s like you’re just along for the ride. It’s so established and just like ingrained in their muscle memory, there’s nothing you could do to interfere.
Korre: I could only imagine what it’d be like to have that relationship for, you know, over 50 years now between these band members. It must give you a sense of communication or just feeling between each other that can make music go places and do things that might be hard for other bands to do who don’t know each other that well. Right?
Graham: Yeah. There’s something to be said about that. You know, it’s always funny how they joke about it not getting too personal. But being in a band for a really long time with the same band members is, I think, what most people really want, as musicians anyway. They want to be able to be prolific with the same musicians. If somebody comes up with new ideas, you don’t want to have to join a new band. You want the whole band to be able to go along with you. They seem to have done that.
Korre: When you look back at your experience of seeing Max Creek over the years, do you have any favorite venues or places that really stand out to you?
Graham: My favorite venue is The Met, probably still. That might just be because it’s always a really good show. It might be because of it being near my hometown, but it really is my favorite place to see them. It’s also where I got to play on stage with them. I’ve heard people describe that venue like one of the old Lupo’s venues. Not sure which one, once again. And I’ve also heard, not necessarily from the band itself, but I’ve heard that they also really like that venue specifically.
Korre: What are some of your favorite Max Creek songs?
Graham: Devil’s Heart’s probably my favorite Max Creek song. It’s just the perfect example of a Max Creek song. The way it has that interesting guitar intro that’s also a drum intro and also a bass intro. It’s like every band member doing this intro at the exact same time. So they all fall into this actual folk song. It’s a folk song and there’s chords and lyrics. And somehow when they play the chords and lyrics as an instrumental, it doesn’t just sound like chords. It sounds like an instrumental. They leave the end of the song open-ended.
They used to go into a song called Signature for years and left us expecting them to go into that. And now they oftentimes go into a freeform jam. It was on the first record. They still play it. It’s one of the quintessential Max Creek songs.
One of my other favorites is Hard Love. One thing I’ve always thought was interesting about that is it’s like three hooks in a row or like there’s three things in the song that are catchy. There’s like three catchy turnarounds. They all happen in a row. It’s like pre-chorus, chorus and then another chorus. I don’t know how he does that. It’s so clever. There is this part in the middle of song where he and Scott sing these harmonies that are like slightly out of time for this split second. It’s really interesting how they do that. I don’t really know, how did they write that?
My favorite Scott song has got to be Dance. I mean, I’m a guitar player. It’s about guitar. I’m pretty sure it’s about guitar. “You’re a guitar man. You only understand the things that you can play.” And I was listening to everything after I heard that line.
Korre: Max Creek has this famously tight knit community of fans that follow the band around and support the band. Talk to me about what you see in the community of fans that supports Max Creek?
Graham: It seems like they might be part of the reason why we have so many festivals out in this neck of the woods, like coming from Camp Creek and then Strange Creek. They’ve all evolved. There was the old Phil’s Farm Party. There was Sterling Stage. They were one of the main bands for a few years for a lot of these smaller festivals that have all now gotten a lot bigger or changed venues or changed names.
It really is interesting how overlooked they seem to have been because all the traces are there, there’s so many footsteps of it everywhere. And I go to other concerts and I’ll see Max Creek shirts and other people who know.
Korre: Max Creek has been performing now for 54 years. I wonder sometimes, what does the future hold for Max Creek? Maybe as a fan of Max Creek, what expectations do you have of the band now going forward?
Graham: Well, their songs have this legacy to them. One of the beautiful things that the Dead did, it always felt like their music became public domain, like almost immediately. And I think that Max Creek wants people to cover their music. I want these songs to do that. I want more other bands to throw Max Creek covers into their rotation.
Korre: Tell me about some of your favorite interactions with members of the band.
Graham: Probably my favorite is when I was a kid, it was I believe Camp Creek in 2008. I must have been 14. I was playing my acoustic guitar and just hanging out in one of the fields somewhere. Scott was walking around and he came up to me to check out my guitar and say hello and he talked to me for a few minutes. He showed me how to play Yellow Moon by The Neville Brothers because at the time that was very popular in their rotation.
I was trying to learn it and I didn’t have a guitar pick and he gave me the guitar pick that was in his pocket. I don’t know if he knew this and he might not know this still, but I’ve been using the same guitar pick forever. I went to the store and made sure I bought the exact same guitar pick and I have been using that exact style of pick for years.
Korre: Well, that’s really cool. So, you got a personal lesson from Scott Murawski. That’s awesome.
Graham: Yeah. And probably one of the other cool ones was there’s a show that happened in 2001. It was like the first show that they performed after 9/11 and it became kind of a legendary show or a legendary recording at Archive, especially. A lot of people have told interesting stories about this show, especially because of the weird time that it was. Mark says happy birthday to me at that recording. And I’ve always had that on tape to listen to ever since I was a kid.
And that specific show, I would like to add, is very good sound quality for some reason, being in 2001. It was influential on me. All of the guitar playing that happened during that night, all of the keyboard work is some of the best done. Jeff Pevar was sitting in with them that night and that recording became influential on me.
Korre: And you’ve got Mark wishing you a happy birthday anytime you want to hear it.
Graham: Yeah, so wasn’t a direct interaction, but God, I played that recording back to myself so many times.
Korre: Do you have any other stories to share?
I mean, this one goes way back, but my father had told me a story about back when I was still in my mother’s belly. Sally and John had my mom over for the weekend. Sally and John were trying to start a family. My mother was newly pregnant and they had my mother and father over for the weekend at one moment to try to put that energy in the house. And Gratton and I are around the same age, pretty much. I don’t know how far apart we are, but my dad always used to joke about how our names are both GR names, Gratton and my name is Graham.
Korre: Tell me about the music you’re performing or playing right now.
Graham: I was just recruited by two friends, James Rafferty and Sophia Coppola, to joined this band called Candle Opera. James has written this entire album a couple of years ago and has it fully recorded. He has gotten some musicians together to learn how to perform that album and then take the band in whatever direction it goes onward. And I am so excited because it’s kind of prog rock, but with a bunch of jams. It’s so up my alley. Definitely go on to Instagram and look up Candle Opera Music with underscores Candle, underscore, Opera, underscore Music.
Korre: I’ll make sure to put a link to that in the show notes for this podcast episode. Graham, why is music such a big part of your life? I mean, you’ve decided to play guitar yourself and join bands and you’re surrounded by music. Talk to me about the role music has had in your life.
Graham: I think that music is mainly so important in my life because I had been listening to it from such a young age. I was surrounded by so many people who saw music as important. They saw music as like a means to get by. They saw music as healing. They saw music as fun. Music can make you happy. It can make you cry. I feel blessed to be surrounded by people who had so much joy for music and so much appreciation for it that it inspired me to want to make it, because I appreciate it just as much as these other people. And if I can make music that I appreciate, maybe some of them would also appreciate the music that I make.
Korre: Graham Gibbs, I had a lot of fun talking with you. Thank you for joining me on the Hooked on Creek podcast.
Graham: Thank you for having me. This has been just way too cool. Any chance that I can have to just go off on a tangent about Max Creek and talk about how much I love them — any day.
[interview ends]
That was my conversation with Graham Gibbs — a true fan, a talented guitarist and someone whose life has been beautifully intertwined with the music of Max Creek. I’m so grateful to Graham for sharing his stories, his memories and his deep love for the band. It’s always inspiring to hear how the music of Max Creek continues to shape and connect people across generations.
If you are curious, this episode featured clips of Max Creek performing two songs live at The Met in Pawtucket, Rhode Island. You heard Yes We Can Can performed with Graham Gibbs on January 21, 2017, and the song Dance from January 25, 2019. I played a clip of Max Creek performing Devil’s Heart live at Lupo’s Heartbreak Hotel in Providence, Rhode Island, on May 17, 2000, and a clip of Yellow Moon performed live by Max Creek on September 19, 2001, at The Living Room in Providence, Rhode Island.
I also played a clip of the band Candle Opera performing a cover of Frank Zappa’s song Cosmik Debris live at Bishop’s Lounge in Northampton, Massachusetts, on March 29 of this year. You can find a link to learn more about the band Candle Opera in the show notes — definitely give them a listen and show them some support.
That concludes episode 60 of Hooked on Creek. If you have feedback about this episode or suggestions for future episodes, please visit hookedoncreek.com and click the contact link to send me a message. I would love to hear from you. Thanks for tuning in!