In episode 59 of Hooked on Creek, I explore the key factors that have contributed to Max Creek’s remarkable 54-year longevity.
Why has Max Creek lasted so long? What is it about this band that has kept it together since 1971? This topic fascinates me. In this episode, I offer my insight into the reasons why Max Creek has remained together for over five decades, including the deep sense of community that surrounds the band, the improvisational spirit that keeps their music fresh and the genuine love for making music together that fuels their longevity.
This episode features the following songs performed live by Max Creek:
- Road of Dreams performed at The Old Well Tavern in Simsbury, Connecticut, on March 31, 2012
- Diamonds on the Soles of Her Shoes performed at The Met in Pawtucket, Rhode Island, on January 25, 2025
Transcript of episode 59
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 59.
Welcome back to Hooked on Creek. Today, I am diving into a topic that has always fascinated me: why has Max Creek lasted so long? What is it about this band that has kept it together since 1971? While there may be many answers to this question, in this episode I am going to focus on a few key things that I think have helped Max Creek exist for nearly 54 years.
But first, I want to let you I’m still buzzing from the incredible Max Creek shows at The Met in January! I’m overwhelmed with gratitude for the band and every single one of you who made me feel so welcome in Rhode Island. A massive shoutout to my partner-in-Creek, Nate, for making the journey with me. As you might know, before The Met, my in-person Max Creek experience was limited to the two Camp Creeks that Nate and I attended. So, stepping into that packed club was like entering a whole new dimension of Max Creek.
I was warmed by the heat of the audience and the sizzling performances from the band. I was intoxicated by the swaying of the crowd and uninhibited dancing on the floor that mirrored the movements of the music. And I was enchanted by the pulsating beats that reverberated through the club. It was a sensory explosion. I was there, with you, the band and the music, and I will never forget it.
Mark Mercier: “So, we are happy to have with us tonight Korre Johnson from the Hooked on Creek podcast. I think he is giving out interviews. No. I don’t know.”
So, after returning to Milwaukee, I kept telling myself how amazing it is that a band that started in 1971 is still around to provide that experience to me, nearly 54 years later, in 2025. How is that possible? Well, I am going to unpack that in today’s episode. I have a few thoughts, so let’s get started.
OK. To kick things off, I want to talk about the community that has formed around Max Creek. I mean, everyone that has been to a Max Creek show knows that it’s so much more than a concert. It’s a family gathering, a reunion of friends old and new. It’s a home away from home.
Cultivating and supporting this community is a decision the band made a long time ago and it’s an investment that has paid off, decade over decade — perhaps not in traditional fame or album sales, but certainly in loyalty and longevity for the band. I would even argue that for some, the community that is Max Creek, at times, overshadows the band that is Max Creek, especially as the arrival of new Max Creek albums have diminished and the dates between Max Creek performances have become spread apart. It’s the community of Max Creek that fills the gap.
Because fans of Max Creek are not just customers purchasing tickets to shows, or records, or tapes, or CDs or digital music downloads, they’re active participants in a shared experience. And while this is certainly centered around a love of this band and their music, it is expressed and shaped by listening together, dancing together, traveling together, bonding together and simply being together, for each other, in this experience we call life.
I think this shared experience and sense of belonging that is the community of Max Creek has become the heartbeat of the band Max Creek, carrying the band and its fans through the inevitable twists and turns and highs and lows of life, and the passage of time.
And I think the development of this community over the years isn’t accidental or by chance. It’s why band members in Max Creek engage on such a personal level with their audience — talking with fans at shows, calling out familiar faces from the stage, sharing their spotlight with guest musicians and encouraging fans to record and share their music — doing what they can to close the gap between the band and the audience.
[Mark Mercier sings “Dave Bonan knows exactly what I am talking about” during Max Creek’s performance of Diamonds on the Soles of Her Shoes at The Met on January 25, 2025.]
I mean, there it is, right? It’s just so organic and natural, for example, to hear Mark Mercier alter the lyrics to a song to give a special shout out to one of the biggest Creek Freaks I know, Dave Bonan, at The Met back on January 25th.
And it goes both ways, as the band becomes closer to the audience, the audience becomes closer to the band. This reciprocity in the Max Creek community — this exchange between the band and the fans — has fostered an enduring bond that connects and defines the community. And over the years, this community has cemented a legacy for the band which I think is key to Max Creek’s ultimate longevity.
But that’s not all. I think another cornerstone of Max Creek’s enduring appeal is their commitment to improvisation. Every time they take the stage, they embrace the unknown, crafting a performance that is truly one-of-a-kind.
But this isn’t just about extended solos, type II jams or unpredictable set lists — I think it’s a philosophy that drives their entire creative process. Improvisation keeps the music dynamic and ever-changing. It’s what allows Max Creek to push boundaries and explore new sonic landscapes, even when playing familiar tunes.
What makes this approach so powerful is that it transforms each performance into a living, breathing entity — something that exists only in that moment, never to be exactly replicated. As we know, even a song’s structure can shift, with the band expanding or contracting sections based on where the music naturally wants to go.
And it’s not just the band leading the way — the audience is a crucial part of this creative exchange, as well. Max Creek recognizes the energy in the room and lets that energy become a spark of inspiration that can transform a song entirely. This approach means that every show is a fresh conversation between the band members and the audience — a dialogue that evolves in real time.
It’s this fearless embrace of spontaneity that not only keeps the music vibrant but also ensures that the band never falls into a rut. It ensures that even after more than five decades, they’re still discovering new possibilities within their own music.
Beyond the stage, this mindset of improvisation has shaped the band’s longevity in other ways, too. I think it has allowed them to evolve naturally, adjusting to changes in band members, shifting musical trends and the unpredictable nature of the music industry. I don’t think Max Creek has ever been locked into a singular idea of what the band must become, or expectations of what the band must sound like. They’ve always left room for inspiration and evolution.
Because ultimately, improvisation isn’t merely a performance tactic — it’s a mindset that fuels creativity and ensures that every Max Creek show is a one-of-a-kind experience.
I am going to transition now and play a clip of Greg Vasso, former drummer in Max Creek, commenting on the role of improvisation in the band:
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.”
Check out episode 34 of Hooked on Creek if you want to hear my entire conversation with Greg.
But back to today’s episode, as Greg said, improvisation is a conversation that involves both communication and listening. And I think this skill the band has in improvisation is a key reason Max Creek’s music remains fresh, their community stays engaged and their legacy continues to grow.
Max Creek fans don’t just come to hear songs — they come to witness something unique, something that will never happen the same way again. I think that sense of adventure and unpredictability is what keeps people coming back, year after year, generation after generation.
But in addition to community and improvisation, I think there’s one more crucial element behind Max Creek’s longevity and that is their pure and unwavering love for creating music together.
At its core, Max Creek is not a band chasing fame or commercial success. Instead, they have always been driven by something far more enduring — the sheer joy of creating music together, creating art together. When they bring that to the stage, what they are delivering can feel like a celebration of music — and that is powerful. It resonates. It spreads. It evokes a joy that is palpable every time they perform.
Now listen to this clip of Scott Murawski commenting on the chemistry in the band:
Scott: “All these years playing together has developed this thing that you can’t really have with anybody else. You can come close, maybe, where you can have chemistry with other musicians, but there’s something about this longevity and being with these people for this long, develops this relationship of ESP — being able to read each other. And it just keeps going. It just keeps going and getting more intense and better and developing, going into new places. And so I guess I look forward to more of that, more of the exploration.”
Check out episode 33 of Hooked on Creek if you want to hear my entire conversation with Scott.
But as Scott said, there is a chemistry in the band and a relationship between the band members that has developed and grown over time. I think this love for playing together is evident in the way they interact on stage. You see it in the glances they exchange when a jam takes an unexpected turn, in the smiles that break out when a groove locks into place, in the unspoken communication that allows them to explore new musical terrain without hesitation.
They trust each other, they listen to each other, and above all, they enjoy each other. That chemistry is not something that can be manufactured — it’s something that grows naturally over time and strengthens with every performance.
And let’s not forget that over the years, Max Creek has had to navigate change on and off the stage, within the band and within their personal lives. But still, Max Creek found a way to make it work, keep the band alive and the music flowing.
Why? Because at the end of the day, their love of making music together doesn’t just create songs, it creates connection — a connection within the band, with the crew supports the band and with the audience that identifies with the band. And I think it also fosters a connection between the past and the present.
One of the many things I love about Max Creek is finding threads of this band’s incredible history woven within a setlist or a performance or the lyrics of a song. Because for Max Creek, creating music together can be a powerful way to honor their past, to remember their journey as a band and inspire their performances.
It’s a reminder that sometimes for a band, the most important ingredient in longevity isn’t strategy or business acumen — it’s the strength of human connection, the kind that can only come from a group of people who truly love making music together.
So, what does it take for a band to last 54 years? For Max Creek, I think what’s kept them together is the vibrant community that surrounds them, their fearless approach to improvisation and the deep, genuine love they share for making music together. That’s why Max Creek is still here today. And that’s why Max Creek will always be here, in one way or another.
Now, there’s a song in Max Creek’s catalog that I think beautifully captures the essence of today’s episode, and that song is Road of Dreams. When I listen to Road of Dreams, I hear the band speak of a “circle unbroken through all these years,” a chain that binds and strengthens, and a shared journey carried by song.
I think these words resonate deeply with what makes Max Creek so special. This road of dreams, this road of songs, is what has carried Max Creek and its fans through the years. And just like the song says, we’ve sung them all, together.
So now, let’s listen to the song Road of Dreams together. I played part of this song during the introduction to this episode, but now I am going to play it through its entirety. This is Max Creek performing Road of Dreams live at The Old Well Tavern in Simsbury, Connecticut, on March 31, 2012.
And that concludes episode 59 of Hooked on Creek. You can find links to stream or download the music featured in this episode in the show notes or on the Hooked on Creek website at hookedoncreek.com. And while you’re on the website, go ahead and click the contact link and let me know what you think of this episode. I would love to hear from you. Thanks for tuning in!