In episode 7 of Hooked on Creek, I review Max Creek’s performance on September 5, 2015, at Hygienic Art Park in New London, Connecticut.
A live recording of this entire Max Creek performance is available to stream or download here.
Episode 7 transcription
You’re listening to Hooked on Creek, a podcast celebrating the music of Max Creek. I am your host, Korre Johnson, and you are listening to episode 7.
Hey everyone thanks so much for joining me on episode 7 of Hooked on Creek. In this episode, I am going to discuss Max Creek’s performance on September 5, 2015, at Hygienic Art Park in New London, Connecticut. You can find a direct link to stream or download the entire Max Creek show I am reviewing in the episode show notes, or simply head over to hookedoncreek.com. And while you are there, click the contact link and let me know what you think. I am always looking for recommendations on topics to cover or Max Creek shows to feature in this podcast. Alright, now let’s get started.
The show at Hygienic Art Park in New London, Connecticut, on September 5, 2015, starts with a piping-hot and jam-heavy version of Louisiana Sun that lasts nearly 16 minutes. Throughout this song, Scott’s slide guitar is smooth and adventurous. His guitar solo around six minutes in builds and builds, and eventually wraps around you like a coiling snake, suffocating you with intensity. About eight minutes in, John begins to reframe the song with a bass solo that allows Mark and Scott new entry points into the jam. Together, they expose a totally new groove that is first carried by Mark’s keys, which takes us a on trippy and sometimes funky ride. Then about 12 minutes in, Scott takes over the lead, building new textures and a sonic landscape that will leave you hanging on the edge of your seat. I love this version of Louisiana Sun. At times it makes you feel weightless, and at other times, breathless.
As this extended jam approaches its conclusion, it drifts into a somewhat dreamy space. And from here, Mark wakes us up with the opening notes of Ophelia, a song written by Robbie Robertson from The Band, first released on The Band’s 1975 album Northern Lights – Southern Cross. Here, Mark does a great job singing and interpreting this song, and your can hear he lays it all down on the keys!
Next, John leads the band through a bouncing version of I Want You To Know, which is followed by an incredibly sincere version of Bob Dylan’s song Tonight I’ll Be Staying Here With You, sang beautifully by Bill from behind the drums. And if you’re curious, the song Tonight I’ll Be Staying Here With You first appeared on Bob Dylan’s 1969 album Nashville Skyline.
Then, the crowd at Hygienic Art Park in New London, Connecticut, is gifted what I think is a rare cover of a song called Pollyanna, which you heard during the introduction to this episode. Now, I am not totally clear on the history of this song, including who originally wrote it, but I did learn the band BK3 was playing it back in 2008.
Who is BK3? Well, back in 2008, Scott Murawski joined Bill Kreutzmann of the Grateful Dead and Mike Gordon of Phish to perform together as a trio at a benefit concert that year. Following that show, Bill and Scott decided to form a permanent trio, but Mike was unable to commit to due to other projects. So then, Oteil Burbridge from the Allman Brothers Band was invited to join the group. That trio toured in the summer of 2008 and they were usually referred to as either the Kreutzmann, Burbridge, Murawski Trio or the Bill Kreutzmann Trio, though the name was sometimes shortened to KBM. But in 2009 they adopted the name BK3. And also that year, James Hutchinson replaced Oteil for some of the shows. James Hutchinson is a session bassist best known for his work with Bonnie Raitt.
OK, so from what I can tell, Max Creek has played the song Pollyanna a handful of times — including, most notably, at their Jan. 22, 2011, Jungle Jam show down in Costa Rica when Bill Kreutzmann sat in with the band for a few songs. Given that, I assume this song was introduced to Scott, and ultimately Max Creek, via Bill Kreutzmann — or maybe not. But perhaps you, listening to this podcast right now, know something about the history of this song. If so, please reach out to me. I would love your help!
OK, so after Pollyanna, Mark leads the band through a cover of Peace Train, a song by Cat Stevens that appears on his 1971 album Teaser and the Firecat. At that time, the song made it to number 7 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart, becoming Cat Stevens’ first top 10 hit in the U.S. And in this version, I think you are really going to love how Mark pulls everything together, showcasing his deep talents as both a singer and keyboard player.
Then, we get a standout version of July, You’re a Woman — a 1974 song written by John Stewart, who is recognized as one of the originators of the singer-songwriter movement and is known for his contributions to the American folk music movement of the 1960s while with the Kingston Trio (from 1961–1967), but also carried on with a solo career spanning 40 years. And can I tell you a secret? I am in love with this song. It appears Max Creek has been covering July, You’re a Woman since at least 1977, from what I can tell on archive.org. It really is one my favorite cover songs the band performs and it’s certainly a highlight of the the first set.
Next, the band plays a voracious version of You Let Me Down to close the first set.
After the set break, the band kicks things of with a powerful version of Fire & Brimstone that extends nearly 12 minutes. I really love how Mark helps reframes the jam around 8 minutes in, providing the band with some new space to explore, improvise and deliver their magic. It’s a real treat.
The Fire & Brimstone jam eventually transitions into a gorgeous version of Gypsy Blue. About nine minutes in, Gypsy Blue is let loose. The original structure of the song begins to dissolve and we become passengers on a cosmic and dreamy trip through space and time that extends several minutes, before resolving in a percussive and drumming pattern that introduces our pending awakening, delivered via a booming version of a Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band, a song released by the Beatles in 1967 on an album by the same name, which is often recognized as one of the most important and influential rock-and-roll albums ever recorded.
But our sense of familiarity with this song is quickly abandoned as Max Creek’s introduction to Billy Shears near the song’s conclusion does not lead into With a Little Help from My Friends, but instead into a massive, jam-heavy Love Light. And while I don’t think the sequence of these two songs next to each other, Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band introducing Turn on Your Love Light, has a specific meaning, they seem to make sense performed together.
If you are curious, Turn on Your Love Light is a song originally written by band leader and arranger Joe Scott and recorded by Bobby Bland in 1961. It was one of Bobby Bland’s most popular singles, reaching number 2 on the Billboard R&B chart in 1961, becoming one of his most identifiable songs. But for me, of course, my initial introduction to Turn on Your Love Light came via the Grateful Dead. But here, at Hygienic Art Park in New London, Connecticut, back on September 5, 2015, Max Creek delivers a masterful version of this classic tune that provides opportunities for the entire band to showcase their talents.
About ten and a half minutes into this nearly 20 minute-long song, the groove gets real deep with a bass solo from John that both shifts the jam into another gear and cranks the steering wheel into another direction. In a way, the tone of John’s bass seems to give the jam an almost other-worldly feel. It’s really cool. But then about 16 minutes into the song, the cosmic groove dissolves, leaving space for Bill and Jay to take control and guide the jam through the conclusion of the song, which is reached when Scott starts playing the beginning riff to the song Into the Ocean.
In hindsight it’s almost as if this massive Love Light was pregnant the entire time, holding back the delivery of Into the Ocean, until the beautiful song was ready to be born. Oh, and this version of Into the Ocean is so beautiful. Certainly a highlight of the second set.
After Into the Ocean, the band resets and delivers an impassioned version of Heartbeat that extends for nearly 15 minutes. The soft and gentle guitar solo Scott delivers early in this song is soaked with fragile emotion, which contrasts beautifully with the bold and intense shredding that he delivers later in the song.
After the culmination of this stratospheric jam, the song begins to loosen, setting up a runway for the band to transition into a fun and lively cover of Sugar Magnolia to end the second set. Written by Robert Hunter and Bob Weir, Sugar Magnolia was first released by the Grateful Dead on their 1970 album American Beauty.
And for the encore, Max Creek comes back to play what I imagine was a crowd-pleasing cover of Rag Mama Rag, a song by The Band that was first released on their 1969 self-titled album.
Now looking back over this entire show, Max Creek played one song from their 1980 album Rainbow, and that was Fire & Brimstone, and one song from their 1983 album Drink the Stars, which was Gypsy Blue. They played two songs from their 1990 album, which were Louisiana Sun and Heartbeat. Max Creek played one song from their 1998 album Spring Water, which was You Let Me Down. They played one song from their 2019 album Live at 45, which was into the Ocean, and one original song that was never released on a Max Creek album, which was I Want You To Know.
I think there is a lot to love about this September 5, 2015, Max Creek show, so I highly recommend streaming it or downloading it from archive.org. You can find a direct link in the episode show notes or online at hookedoncreek.com.
Now, let’s hear a few tunes from this show. First up, you are going to hear Louisiana Sun, which will be followed by Into the Ocean. This is Max Creek performing live at Hygienic Art Park in New London, Connecticut, on September 5, 2015
And now, here is Into the Ocean.
And that concludes my review of Max Creek’s performance on September 5, 2015, at Hygienic Art Park in New London, Connecticut. I highly recommend you check it out. You can stream or download this Max Creek show on archive.org. And 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. Thanks for tuning in.