Episode 44 of Hooked on Creek features my conversation with Willy Ackerman. Willy is a huge fan of Max Creek and has been part of the Creek scene for 30 years.
Willy is also known as Psilly Way-Out Willy and is the self-proclaimed Mayor of Creektown. In this episode, Willy talks about his favorite Max Creek memories, venues, and songs. Willy also talks about his love of the Creek family that supports the band and its fans. There is no question Willy brings the Freak to the Creek, so I am excited to share our conversation with you.
This episode also features the following live performances by Max Creek:
- Same Things performed July 20, 1995, at The Sting in New Britain, Connecticut
- Heartbeat performed September 5, 1998, at Sterling Stage in Hannibal, New York
Transcript of episode 44
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 this is episode 44.
Welcome again to Hooked on Creek. I’m excited to have you here with me, so we can keep digging deeper and deeper into this band that we all love so much. What I’ve learned since starting this podcast back in 2019 is that the story of Max Creek is as much about the fans as it is about the music and the members of the band. That’s why I’m excited to share a conversation I recently had with a fan who’s been part of the Max Creek scene for 30 years, Willy Ackerman. He’s also known as Psilly Way-Out Willy or the self-proclaimed Mayor of Creek Town.
In this episode, Willy talks about his favorite memories seeing Max Creek over the years and his love of the Creek family that supports the band. There’s no question that Willy brings the freak to the Creek, so I’m excited to share our conversation with you. As a reminder, if you have feedback about this episode, head over to hookedoncreek.com and click the contact link and let me know what you think. All right, now let’s get started.
[interview begins]
Korre: Willy Ackerman, welcome to Hooked on Creek.
Willy: Mr. Korre Johnson, it’s a pleasure, brother.
Korre: Willy, you’ve been going to Max Creek shows since 1993. And as I understand it, you are the self-proclaimed Mayor of Creek Town. Tell me, what is it about Max Creek that drives your passion for this band?
Willy: Well, it all started, I think, the very first time that I saw them. Little backstory: I was never really into the Grateful Dead. I had this roommate in the early 1990s, and she’s trying to turn me on to the Dead, and I’m like, “I just don’t get it.” She’s like, “Well, do me a favor. Read this book, Playing in the Band.” And I’m like, “All right, I’ll do that.” And then I read that book, and then I started to see Max Creek, and it kind of wasn’t a big jump to figure out what was going on.
So anyway, being 30 years deep with the Creek family is just amazing. My first show was out in Washington, Massachusetts, at a place called Woody’s Roadhouse. Now, I’ve listened to some of your other interviews, Korre, and got some background. In fact, I didn’t realize that Creek, in their formative years, used to play there on a Sunday and the guy would make spaghetti for them for two dollars or whatever. But I picked that up on one of your interviews, and I thought it was great that my first show was actually at a historical place where Creek has its roots.
Korre: What was it like for you in 1993 to see this band? Because you have now 30 years of perspective on Max Creek. Do you remember what those first experiences were like?
Willy: Yeah. Well, here’s the deal. Right up the street from Woody’s, all the Creekers had a place to camp and rage and have a fire. And so, after the show, I went back and started to party and just kind of get a feel for the scene. And I’m like, “Where the fuck have I been?” That’s kind of how I felt. And I met a group of freaks there that I was hanging out with and then soon after got reintroduced to them. So, for the first seven years of seeing Creek, I was actually hanging around with a group, a tribe of people, called the Freaks, and they were all religious, like myself — got to go to a show, can’t miss a show. Everybody’s jonesing for a show. And so, hanging out with these Freaks that I met at my first show for a good seven years was a fantastic way to really turn up the heat, go into shows and join the scene.
Korre: What was that group like? I mean, you talked about it almost like a religious thing where you needed to see the band and you were eager to see them whenever and however you could. What was that connection like for you to have this group of Freaks that were on the same journey as you?
Willy: I guess one way to put it: it was like the best church I’ve ever been to. That’s the way I kind of look at it, to be honest with you.
Korre: Willy, tell me about some of those memorable experiences from your early days seeing Max Creek.
Willy: Well, ironically, those Freaks who I was hanging around with for seven years of going to see Creek, when I first met them — one of those guys, Chippy, he’s like, “Dude, I just knew you were smitten and bitten.” And ironically, these Freaks that I hung around with, we would get together every weekend, drum circle, try to play instruments, blah, blah, blah. And everybody always had LSD in liquid forms. So, whenever we went to a show with these guys, someone was always having a vial, if not everybody, and just walking around dosing everybody at the shows and just trying to put the freak in the Creek.
Korre: Well, I’m wondering then as you started to get more and more into Max Creek, so over the course of these 30 years, how did your relationship with the music or the band evolve? Did you start to appreciate different genres of the band more over time, or did you start to kind of key in on different songs or band members? Talk about your own evolution of your growth with this band.
Willy: Yes. Fortunately, I was there for the Rob Fried years. And I have to say that he was the first one in the Creek — I mean, when I was seeing Creek in the first years, they were like gods. They were like, “Holy shit, these guys are crazy good.” And it was just so nice at one of the shows, Rob came up to me where he was sitting down. He’s like, “Hey, sit down, let me buy you a drink. Let’s talk.” And he was just that kind of guy, and everybody knows what he brought to the music back then when he was participating. So that was a great memory early back on.
But the music, it just — it’s like organic. I don’t know, to me that band is just like a force of nature that few of us get to contend with.
Korre: Yeah. As you know, and many fans of the podcast know, I’ve only seen Max Creek a couple times. I’ve been to the last two Camp Creeks, but my sense is that the band is somewhat approachable. And I’m wondering, as you’ve followed the band over the years, how have you experienced your relationship with the different band members? You talked about meeting Rob Fried. Have you had interactions with other band members over the years?
Willy: Never really talked to Scott, which is fine. He’s doing his deal. Mark Mercier and I, we get along great because there was a time, back I’d say 2010-ish maybe, where I had a private club in my backyard, of which I worked for, and I actually had a vision for like 16 years to do something musically there. But I had to wait for the right person with the right temperament, because I knew I got one shot, and I just happened to pick Mark Paradis and gave him the space in the room at any time he needed it. And before you know it, the Marks Brothers evolved, and it allowed the Marks Brothers to evolve because everybody had different schedules. You got Dave Stoltz, you got Mercier, you got Brian Konopka, and they’re all in different bands. And so, it really gave the Marks Brothers an opportunity to grow into what they’ve become.
So that is like a great story, because I had Mercier in my backyard at least once a month for 10 years. And you’re standing right in front of the magic man. And it was very intimate for all the Creekers. I know that many people said to me, “Willy, that’s my favorite place to play.”
And even when Stoltz couldn’t play, John Rider would sit in sometimes. And I never had reason to talk to John Rider. But the nicest conversation I had when I first did have a conversation with him — when he was at the club where I was at, he’s like, “Willy, I got to tell you something. This is the nicest place that I’ve been to since the 1970s.” And I’m like, serving him glasses of wine and watching him get silly. That was a great experience, too.
And another good story: During that time when the Marks Brothers were there, there was an opportunity where Mark Mercier’s keyboard — some of the keys were sticking. And so, one of his good friends got a bunch of us together to pitch in to get him another keyboard. So, these beautiful people who got together and decided they were going to pitch in and buy Mercier a keyboard — I’m pretty sure it was Matt Zeiner who’s a good friend of Mark. He’s a keyboard player as well. So, it would make sense. Because it’s a long time ago. And his girlfriend Cheryl Sylvester and Jon the Baker and Sheri and Ryan Wilson and myself, we all pitched in. And on a given night — I don’t know if it was his birthday or whatever, maybe it was just a random night — but when we gave that to Mercier, it was just a beautiful thing.
Korre: That sounds like a testament to the type of community this band can create and the types of relationships the fans have, not just with the band and their music, but with each other, right? To pitch in and help.
Willy: Right. But everybody really loves Mark and they’re not afraid to show it, because you know how he treated you the first time you went to see Creek, right?
Korre: So, Mark Mercier was so incredibly nice to me. As you know, I went out to Camp Creek and I didn’t personally know anybody. I had all these relationships online with fans of the podcast. And Mark and I had done an interview, I think, on the podcast by that point in time. But he made a point to come and meet me at the campsite and have breakfast with me. He gave me a tour. It was just — well, I talked about it in a different podcast episode, so I don’t need to bring it up now.
Willy: Yeah, listen to it. It’s sweet. So, while we’re on the subject of you, Korre — because I think what you’ve done with Hooked on Creek is fan-freaking-tastic. And there’s one story I want to bring up, but just a little bit of backdrop on what you’ve done.
Now, from what I understand, listening to some of your podcasts, you saw Scott with Mike Gordon back in 2017, right?
Korre: Yep.
Willy: And then you — your buddy told you who the guitar player was, and you started listening to Creek. What happened?
Korre: Right. So, Mike Gordon was on tour, and my history with music, broadly speaking, has included Phish since college. And one of my best friends is really into Phish. And so, over the course of time, one of the ways we stay together would be to go to Phish shows. And when that doesn’t happen, when Mike Gordon goes on tour, that’s another opportunity for us to get together. And this was one of those opportunities. And this is my friend Nate [Warren] who I brought to the last couple Camp Creeks, he invited me to see Mike Gordon here in Milwaukee.
And I had no idea who Max Creek was. And I definitely had no idea who Scott Murawski was. But at that show in 2017, I found myself so almost entranced by Scott’s guitar playing and what he was doing. I immediately looked up who that guitar player was when I got home that night. And Willy, the first thing I saw though was some YouTube videos of Max Creek, but not current ones for some reason. Google or the search engines served up — and I may be getting the year wrong, but I think it’s like 1981 — there’s like black and white videos of Max Creek playing at some farm, I think somewhere.
And I was just struck by, first of all, seeing somebody just earlier that night in 2017 compared to that same person as a guitar player in 1981, I think it was. I was like, “Is that really him? That’s the same guy.” And then the collection of music that were in those videos included some incredible covers of Grateful Dead, which was probably the bridge for me. Because I was familiar with the Grateful Dead and I was like, “Oh, wow, I know these songs. That’s really cool.”
But then I started listening to some of the other ones and I was like, “Whoa, these songs are cool, too.” And then I just went down this rabbit hole of like, “Well, I’m confused now. So, this band’s been around for how long? Who’s Max Creek? Who’s Scott Murawski?” And then there probably was a time within a couple days when archive.org opened up to me, I’m like, “Hold on here.” Because I’d been listening to a lot of Grateful Dead, almost like every day, because at that point in time I was taking the bus to work and back, and so I had like an hour each way, every day, where I had nothing to do but listen to music.
And so, I had made this sort of commitment to myself to just listen to good music. So, I was going through the Grateful Dead’s catalog, like back and forth, to work. And then I switched that to Max Creek because I had the time to do it. And then everything opened up to me because then I started to listen to the band in a way that allowed me to pick out different decades and pick out areas of the band that had different drummers. And then I started to think about the context of this band in relation to bands, big bands like Phish and Grateful Dead.
And then the mystery of Max Creek sat in front of me like, “Well, I don’t understand this.” I mean, this band is so fucking good, and yet I’ve never heard of this band, and literally nobody around me really has ever heard of Max Creek in Milwaukee. Maybe there are people I don’t know. I don’t know who they are.
And so, I just could not get enough of it because there’s so much music, as you know, posted online. And every day I was just getting sucked further and further into this. And I wouldn’t call it an obsession, but maybe it was. And in the midst of it was just me needing a way to connect to something related to this band. And that’s where the podcast came out, because I never thought, honestly, Willy, I never thought I would see this band because I’m in Milwaukee. They are never gonna tour over here.
Willy: That speaks volumes of how the music impacted you.
Korre: Yeah.
Willy: That you’re like, “I don’t know if I’m ever going to see this band, but I’m going to do a podcast.”
Korre: I needed something to connect.
Willy: Wow.
Korre: And then the podcast — here’s a secret for you. Being a podcast host is a pretty lonely sport, right? I sit in my basement by myself and literally talk to myself. So, I didn’t even think even then that I would meet people who are connected to the band. I just was more doing it for myself, just to kind of document at that point in time what I thought were really cool shows. And I wondered, maybe someday I could talk to somebody and do an interview. And it was just like, “Oh yeah, right, whatever, Korre. That’ll never happen.”
And then Greg DeGuglielmo, thankfully I connected with him on Twitter and because of him, sort of doors started to open within the Creek scene. And a lot has happened since.
Willy: Yeah, that is a beautiful story. So, there’s only one other thing I wanted to bring out about your experience, which I thought was pretty amazing, and that was your Gypsy Blue experience.
Korre: Yeah, the first Camp Creek. That was Sunday. And for me, Willy, to even think that the band cared enough to let me participate, I guess, in the community — because I did ask. Like early on, I sent an email to the Max Creek website and Bill Carbone replied, and I asked like, “Hey, band,” — because I didn’t know anybody, “Do you mind if I have a podcast?” Because I definitely did not want to be like this annoying guy with a podcast.
And then when I got there and then Mark gave me such a warm welcome and showed me around, like I was over the moon. It was amazing. But when Mark mentioned me — oh, I mean, I’ll be honest, I knew it was being recorded. And like after years and years of listening to Max Creek recordings, to think that my name is somewhere in a live recording, I just cried. And then the song was so beautiful and just the transition off of the weekend into that song and it just was just like the most amazing moment in my life, almost.
Willy: That’s incredible.
Korre: Well, OK, let’s get back to you. That’s more interesting than me probably.
Willy: Right. All right, well, I’d like to share a couple Creek stories. And this is a funny story when I really think about it. Because Creek affected my life well before I even heard of them. And you’ll understand why when I tell you this story. So, we’ll call this the story the Unknown Impact of Creekdom.
So anyway, there was this guy back in the early 1970s. His name was Paul LeMay. And he had this idea that he wanted to do a fiddle festival. And so, I heard this story from Paul many, many years after the fiddle fest had actually started and stopped, meaning it became defunct and then started again in like 1999 or something. And then I became friends with Paul, and he told me this story. So, I was like, “What?”
So, when Paul was like homeless and had this vision to do this New England fiddle contest in Hartford. He said he was hitchhiking and he got picked up in a van. And that van was full of Max Creek. And Paul started to tell his vision of what he wanted to do. And he said that they were so encouraging for him to follow through with his vision, that he never forgot that moment and shared the story with me. Because the fiddle contest, it went on from like 1974 to like 1984, and anybody could participate, cash prizes. And the park was filled with beautiful people enjoying the day back when you used to be able to bring kegs and party in the park.
So, I was in my high school days going to this fiddle festival. And years later, find that out. And I thought, “Look what the Creeks did.” They put the good vibe in the sky. And he created this whole beautiful New England fiddle contest that went on for over a decade.
Korre: I often wonder what is the impact of a band like Max Creek in New England. I mean, because I’m in Milwaukee. We don’t have a music scene like I think there is in the New England area. And I just wonder because I’ve heard a lot of connections back from various other bands to Max Creek, and it’s just interesting to me.
Willy: Yeah. Well, I’ll tell you another quick story. Here’s one: Jerry Garcia dies, August 9, 1995. So, Creek rises to the occasion. The day after Jerry dies, everybody’s kind of shattered. And so, Creek played, actually in my backyard, in New Britain, Connecticut, at Walnut Hill Park. And they played a set and 1,500 or 2,000 people showed up. Everybody had a good time. And of course, Mercier said the nice words and made it a memorial to Jerry.
And one funny thing that I remember was that he’s like, “Jerry’s gone. It doesn’t mean things are coming to an end. It’s just that we got to carry on that spirit.” And he’s like, “Here’s to 25 years of Max Creek and 25 more.” And then I’m at the 50th anniversary and I’m thinking, “Holy shit.”
Korre: So yeah, It’s amazing. Hey, Willy, you created a group on Facebook called Creek Freaks Who’ve Crossed Over. Can you tell me about that?
Willy: Well, it came to me. I was thinking about it, and then it was just like, “Oh, yeah, well, that makes sense,” because the band’s been around 50 years. Of course, everybody knows someone who’s passed away. So, I just thought a little way to bring the family together. We can share birthdays or stories or anniversaries of their passing or just to try to keep their memory alive kind of thing.
Korre: It seems like such a special place, like you said, for people to keep memories alive and to share stories. And for somebody like me who doesn’t really know almost anybody who’s been acknowledged in that group, it opens up to me just more dimensions of the band and different people’s relationships to the music that is special too.
Willy: Yeah, I’ll tell you a story. Any Creekers out there who haven’t gone — if you’re on Facebook at all, Creek Freaks Who’ve Crossed Over. Anyway, a good brother, Paul Murray, passed away not too long ago. And one of my friends calls me up and she’s like, “I had a dream about Paul, and it was positive.” And I got permission, “Hey, can I share that with people?” And everybody’s like texting me and I’m sharing that. And people are just loving it. And it’s kind of bringing a little bit of peace to them just by that interaction. So, it makes me feel good that that kind of stuff goes on.
Korre: Hey Willy, when you’re at a Max Creek show, tell me what you look forward to. Maybe when you’re getting ready to show up — and I’ll acknowledge I’ve seen you at the last couple Camp Creeks and I can say that for meeting you at these shows, you are a presence. You take it on, right? You’re there.
Willy: Well, for a good 20-plus years, I’ve found great satisfaction in painting a pot leaf on my face and wearing clown shoes. Just trying to bring the freak to the Creek show. So, what do I look forward to when I go to a Max Creek show? Well, one of my favorite things I love about Creek, because I’ve been going for so long, is just walking in the damn room where all these Creek freaks are, or getting to a parking lot early and hanging out with people and bullshitting and partying.
But really, I mean, the energy that I feel when I’m walking into a Creek show is pretty intense. And like I said, 30 years deep in Creek family. I just walk in there and all my heart and all that I’ve invested into the Creek family — to me, it shows. It’s just so exciting because you never know what catalog of songs you’re going to get. And you can always be hopeful. And you never know who’s going to be there, because Creek family comes and goes and sometimes people pop in and you just get to see more than all the lovely Creekers who were there as the core.
You’re asking me what I look forward to going to a Creek show? I really look forward to hugging on a bunch of people because I’m like master hugger. One of the things I did when I hosted the Marks Brothers, when I collected money at the door, I’d give everybody a smiley face, and everybody would get a hug. And I just carried on that tradition. Everybody got to know me. I still hand out smiley faces at all the shows, and I hug everybody and just try to bring the love to the show.
Korre: I think a lot of people appreciate your presence at a Max Creek show. At least I assume so. Like I said, I’ve only been to a couple. But you made an impression on me, and you’re incredibly forward in your love for the band. And you’re passionate and you’re just so outgoing and welcoming and positive. So, it’s just incredible to see you at a show.
Willy: Well, I appreciate it. I do. And as my good friend Jon the Baker put it, and he sent me a birthday wish this year, he said, “Willy, you’re a pillar in the community and you’re always bringing the love.” And coming from Jon the Baker, I love that because I love that man as a teacher and a brother. We’ve been doing it together a long time and seeing each other through a lot and encouraging each other.
Korre: I wonder, Willy, over 30 years now, do you have some Max Creek songs that you would consider your favorite?
Willy: Oh, that’s easy but it’s hard, because when you say one you leave out another. I mean, I could say my favorite is Same Things. I don’t know why, but when that shit goes down, man, it just owns me. Seriously. But I mean, there’s tons of other songs Outside of Home, The Field, Leaves, Rainbow, Always See Your Face, Jones — who doesn’t love a 17-minute Jones — or hear Katie Mae or even Peaceful Warrior or Emerald Eyes. The list goes on, right? Double Dare. Heartbeat — that’s one of my favorites, Heartbeat. In Harmony. And they do a lot of good covers. But one of my favorites is just Eminence Front. When they do that, it’s just like, “Whew.”
Korre: What about favorite locations or venues to see the band?
Willy: See, that’s a really good question. Now of course that evolves over time. And again, that’s another thing I like about Creek is that by following them for so many years they’ve taken me to so many destinations. Whether it be festivals or out of state or going to Colorado or all these different festivals I’ve gone to.
But I think most Max Creekers would agree with me when I say this: Like I would say from like 2004 to 2008, there was a place where Max Creek did a Creek weekend called Eastover, and that’s in Lenox, Massachusetts. And it used to be like a ski resort years and years ago. And then it just evolved into where Max Creek would show up, and we can have the best time of our lives. Because everybody would get a room, and they had all these different cabins laid out, and everyone would have a community dinner. Everybody, the band — everybody’s sitting down having dinner together. Always had good food there.
And then Creek would do two sets down in this room called the Carriage Room. And this place was like, I don’t know, 400 acres, had its own bison on it. All kinds of crazy stuff. And in those years of seeing Creek there, there was just the sense of community, of everyone just being there together in two days in this little, small area, eating together. And then late at night, they had this room underneath the original hotel building that was on the property — big old building. And it was in the basement. And all the walls were just like blood red. And it was just really weird walking down these hallways, tripping or drunk or whatever, and going to see Shortness or whatever bands were playing late night. And Scotty would show up. But the Eastover experience was just phenomenal, and I’m so glad that I got to participate in that. I think it went on for four years. It could have been more.
But when I first started seeing Creek, they had this place called The Sting in New Britain, Connecticut, which again is in my backyard. And these guys, the Newman brothers, they owned this. And they had The Sting, a really nice place to see a show because the stage is up high and there’s girls walking around with shopping carts selling beers. But during set break, there’s a back door that goes — you don’t even have to leave the building — and you go into this other room building, and it’s called Molly Malone’s, a strip joint.
I was doing radio back in the early 1990s when this was open. And so, I was listening to all the bands coming between New York and Boston. And I was going to all these shows like a madman, just wigging out. So that’s one of my favorite venues. But overall, having seen them there, it’s a pretty famous place to have seen Creek, for sure.
And of course, during the 1990s there was the Webster Theater, and that was in like an old rundown part of Hartford. And in fact, I think before they turned it into a music theater, I think it was a porn theater. But the Creek did two nights there. I think it was 1997, back to back. And that’s where they did the live recording for Spring Water. That’s a beautiful CD. And I’m glad I was able to be at both those nights to enjoy that.
Korre: So, when you were listening to Max Creek over the years, were you also collecting tapes and were you participating in trading to get different shows, or how did you find different recordings?
Willy: Well, back in the day, you could go to a show and people would be handing out CDs. And so, yeah, I got my hands on as much as I could. I had a friend of mine who — I wasn’t too savvy on computers back in the early 1990s — he was a whiz, so he’d download all the Creek and put it on disk for me that I could get. Again, it was like religion. You had to go to the show. So, it was like, back then there was a lot more availability to see shows.
Let me give you a few more favorite places to see Creek, because there’s some really good stories.
Korre: Keep going.
Willy: OK. A few of the other favorite places, of course, Hoops-N-Hops in Simsbury, Connecticut. For years they did their Christmas show. You get an early show, maybe acoustic, starting at 3, Santa Claus would show up. And then you get a late-night show, and they get out the electric set, and the place would be packed to the gills. It’s just a Christmas thing that you didn’t want to miss. And then COVID came along and kind of fucked that up.
But of course, then there’s like Hyland Orchard, where Scott and Mark used to play for years. This little orchard’s got its own brewery. Bring the family, they got animals. Go pick your own apples. And just the sweetest little place where Scott and Mark played great shows.
And of course, then there’s the Boston Harbor where you get a three-hour cruise with Max Creek once a year, right around mid-July. Do not want to miss that. I mean that’s just like supreme. That’s one of those things you look forward to all year.
Korre: I’ve wondered about that boat ride, and I think I saw some video clips maybe of the last one. And it looks just like so much fun. Like so much fun.
Willy: It is just like that. Just like that. And you get there early, everybody’s hanging out, and then everybody goes to dinner afterwards and you just make a full day of it. And it’s just very memorable.
And then other places that I’ve, over time, loved to see Creek was this guy Ken Hayes — after Jerry died, he kind of wanted to — he was a music producer and other things, I’m sure. And he wanted to kind of fill the gap of Jerry’s loss. And so, he started a festival that grew and evolved, called Gathering of the Vibes. Yeah, and that went on for many years. I mean, I think it lasted 20 years, and I don’t think there’s too many of them that I missed. And it ended up being from like 1999 to like 2014, 2015. It ended up in Bridgeport, Connecticut, which was right on the shore and a beautiful little spot.
And the bands that he would bring there were all top-notch. Bob Weir would be there all the time and etc., right on down the line. But he would always have Max Creek there and the stage is just immaculate. And the crowd was everybody just digging it. And in fact, I was just watching a little bit of it earlier today, one of the old Gathering of the Vibes shows on video.
But yeah, there’s so many places like Sterling Stage. That place is just magical. You can feel the energy when you go upstate New York, go to Sterling Stage and see Creek for two nights, just like, “Whew.”
Korre: Willy, what do you think is it about Max Creek that has allowed this band to keep it going for over 50 years, that continuity? I mean, I think of all the ways a band could just not work out over time, but they’ve been able to stick together. Why do you think that is?
Willy: Oh, it’s got to be their brotherhood and their commitment to their experience. Seriously. I mean, what else could it be? I mean, they’ve found something that is like essential for so many people in so many ways. And yeah, I think that’s just it. It’s something that they know is organic and that’s my answer.
Korre: Do you ever worry that the band’s not going to be around forever?
Willy: Well, I am a very prayerful person, by the way. And when I couldn’t make the Christmas shows, you better believe I was praying for everybody. So, I’m a prayerful person, and I go with that, and I’m like, “Get it while you can.” And no, I don’t want to worry about it or think about it, but it’s a reality. But yeah, get it while you can, I guess, is the deal.
Korre: The music will be around forever.
Willy: Right, but the scene is like half the magic. And for me, it’s more than half, because I’ve been so enculturated in the Creek fans for so long. It’s just like it’s true. It’s just like it means a lot.
Some of the other things that I’m grateful for that Creek has brought forth is that they got a goddamn really good cover band: Something is Forming.
Korre: Yeah. John Spignesi and …
Willy: And Jeff King and the clan. I went to see them right after COVID and they had their buddy Bobby Pickett playing with them. He’s a crazy master, good musician. And they were playing and there was hardly anybody there and they just were killing it anyway. And then they rolled into my favorite Max Creek song, Same Things. And Bobby’s playing his electric violin on that, and I was just like, “Holy motherfucking shit. Here’s a Max Creek cover band fucking killing my favorite song!” So, I think when you’re Max Creek and you have a cover band that kicks ass like that, I mean, that says a lot.
And another thing I love about going to a Creek show is that there’s this guy, Dominic Faretra, and his old lady, Patti. They’re very beautiful people. They actually run Bears n Buses, this store out in Southwick, Massachusetts. And they sell hippie gear, and they’re the ones who sell all the Max Creek shirts and koozies and lighters and all that fun stuff. But I mean, that guy Nick, he’s just pure of heart. Just like salt of the earth. I just thought I’d say that because he’s a big part of the scene. And especially if you need a hoodie or a sweatshirt because you’re cold.
I definitely have a story I want to tell.
Korre: Sure.
Willy: The name of the story is called Do It Again, Wilson. All right. My good buddy, Ryan Wilson. One year we were at Camp Creek. We were at Indian Lookout up in Mariaville, New York, and we were chilling on top of the hill. We were at a picnic table. I’m sure we were feeling pretty damn good. And all of a sudden overcomes Jamemurrell and he comes over and I know we’re feeling really good because I said to Jay, I said, “Jay, come here. Come here.” He’s like, “What’s up, Willy?” And I said, “Into the Ocean. Do it right in my ear. Do it.” And I’m like, “Closer, closer.” And he did it. And me and Wilson are sitting there sucking it up. And then when he was over, I said, “Jay, do it again.” And he did.
So, whenever I’m at a Creek show and Jay comes out, starts getting ready to tear it up Into the Ocean, I’m like, “Wilson!” I got to find Wilson, because that’s our song now.
Korre: Yeah. Willy, if you had a time machine and you could go back in time and see the band at any point in time — pick a decade, pick a venue, pick a place — where would you go?
Willy: What comes straight to my mind is go back to Eastover. Seriously. That’s how much fun that place was for me. That if I had to relive the Creek experience, that’s kind of where I’d go.
Korre: All right, Psilly Way-Out Willy, thank you so much for joining me on Hooked on Creek. I had so much fun talking with you.
Willy: Korre, I had a hoot. Loved sharing our stories back and forth. And as we say good night to one another here, I’d just like to finish by saying these fine words from our fearless leader, Mr. John Rider. And he said from one of his very first songs, Crystal Clear: “Peace be within you and peace will be in your friend.”
[interview ends]
All right. That concludes my conversation with Psilly Way-Out Willy. But now stay tuned, because I’m going to wrap up this episode with a killer live version of Heartbeat, one of Willy’s favorite Max Creek songs.
But first, if you are curious, during the introduction to this episode, I played a portion of Same Things, another one of Willy’s favorite Creek tunes. That version of Same Things was recorded live on July 20, 1995, at The Sting in New Britain, Connecticut.
But now this is Max Creek performing Heartbeat live at Sterling Stage on September 5, 1998, in Hannibal, New York.
That concludes episode 44 of Hooked on Creek. Huge thanks to Willy Ackerman for joining me on the podcast. It was a ton of fun talking with Willy about his love of Max Creek and the community of fans that support the band. If you have feedback about this episode, head over to the Hooked On Creek website at hookedoncreek.com and click the contact link to send me a message. I look forward to hearing from you. Thanks for tuning in!