Still jammin' after 52 years: Max Creek returns to Soundcheck Studios in Pembroke

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If you're a Grateful Dead fan in New England, or a fan of jambands in general, you've most likely heard of Max Creek and very likely attended one of their concerts. Embarking on their 52nd year after being initially inspired by the Dead, Max Creek has created its own legacy of original music, stellar musicianship, wildly inventive jams, and legions of fans who follow them around – many taping every show.

Max Creek appears at Soundcheck Studios in Pembroke on Saturday, Feb. 25, as part of a modest tour that also brings them to The Met Cafe in Pawtucket on March 25 and to the Colonial Theater in Pittsfield on April 7.

Multigenerational rock band Max Creek will perform Saturday night at Soundcheck Studios in Pembroke.
Multigenerational rock band Max Creek will perform Saturday night at Soundcheck Studios in Pembroke.

Max Creek performed 282 shows in one year

Since their 1980s-early 1990s heyday, when their schedule had them onstage nearly every night, Max Creek has downshifted, which only makes their concerts more precious to the devoted.

"In the 1980s, when we all went fulltime as musicians, we were usually playing at least five times a week," said guitarist Scott Murawski from his Worcester home. "I think the record was 1982, when we played 282 shows. We had incorporated, so we were all drawing salaries, which tended to keep us playing a lot. It's not an exaggeration to say we put 10,000 hours of experience into what we do."

Murawski is not exactly an original member, but he's as close as you can get, joining about a year into the band's existence. Murawski's high school had a program where student musicians mentored junior high kids. Murawski was a trumpeter, but his mentor Dave Reed shared a love of the guitar with him. By the time he was a sophomore, Murawski was joining Reed's new band, Max Creek, on stage. As their models, the Grateful Dead, moved into more electric, rock 'n' roll tunes, so did Max Creek. Reed preferred acoustic music, so when he left the band to pursue that, Murawski easily transitioned into the lead guitar role.

Multigenerational rock band Max Creek will perform Saturday night at Soundcheck Studios in Pembroke.
Multigenerational rock band Max Creek will perform Saturday night at Soundcheck Studios in Pembroke.

The current lineup does feature an original member in bassist John Rider, along with Mark Mercier on keyboards; Murawski; Bill Carbone on drums; and Janemurrel Stanley on drums and percussion. But when the group stepped back a bit from the constant demands of the road in the mid-90s, most of them also went back to day jobs. Murawski has become a programmer for medical software at Meditech.

"We all got to the point where we wanted to spend more time with our families," said Murawski. "We've been 'weekend warriors' since then."

Despite all that grassroots popularity, Max Creek didn't make a lot of records. Most puzzlingly, major labels didn't come calling.

"Nobody ever approached us from any labels," Murawski said. "We did record and release some studio albums on our own. I know every time our management talked to people about recording us, we wanted to keep creative control and not have some marketing department determine our direction. Word probably got around about that. But our front line of three guys, me, John, and Mark, have been together since the mid-70s, and the communication we've developed is uncanny. We all have a desire to get back into the studio, although it is harder to do now with everyone's work schedule."

Max Creek has released two albums fairly recently: "45 and Alive" in 2019 and "Live at the Stafford Palace Theater," an acoustic set from 2020. But online fans know there are countless "bootleg" tapes of Creek concerts, and the band still has no qualms about allowing recordings.

"If you go to Archive.org, you'll find every show we do is posted there almost immediately," Murawski pointed out.

Multigenerational rock band Max Creek will perform Saturday night at Soundcheck Studios in Pembroke.
Multigenerational rock band Max Creek will perform Saturday night at Soundcheck Studios in Pembroke.

Jamming with Mike Gordon, Gregg Allman, Bill Kreutzmann

Murawski also has many side projects. Mike Gordon of Phish cites Max Creek as a prime influence, so he's recruited Murawski to play with his solo projects. Then, in what has to be viewed as a full-circle moment, Grateful Dead drummer Bill Kreutzmann invited Murawski to be part of his BK3 trio, along with Bonnie Raitt's bassist Hutch Hutchinson.

"Both those projects are super fun and super challenging," Murawski said with a laugh. "The Mike Gordon project is interesting, since it began in 2008, and by the next year we were writing music together. We might go away for a weekend and write together, but more recently it's been over Zoom. The BK3 was never a full-time touring thing, but more like two weeks at a time, but it was very cool to share the stage with musicians of that caliber. I have also been able to sit in with the Allman Brothers Band a few times, and when you finish a solo and look over to see Gregg Allman give you an approving smile – Wow! I still find it unbelievable that this kind of stuff has happened to me."

52 years of love for Max Creek

What was it that drew a teenage Murawski to this kind of music and has fascinated him for five decades?

"With heavy metal or pop acts, you're basically doing the same songs the same way every night," Murawski said. "In an improv setting like ours, it is different every night. Max Creek pretty much never plays the same song the same way twice in a row. It keeps it interesting for all of us – I know it keeps me coming back for more. And with the level of communication we have developed with each other, it brings the improv to a deeper level. The Max was conceived as a place of acceptance, where any of us could bring whatever they wanted and be accepted. I've always been 'the kid' of the band, listening to current music and pushing them stylistically, but it is also fun to hear the 1960s-70s influences of the other guys. It's that freedom to express yourself that I love about this band."

And it is that freedom – even unpredictability – that keeps bringing Max Creek fans back for five decades and counting.

Boston-bred American Authors returned to the city for a gig at Brighton Music Hall Feb. 19, 2023.
Boston-bred American Authors returned to the city for a gig at Brighton Music Hall Feb. 19, 2023.

Full house for American Authors

A packed all-ages crowd for American Authors Sunday night at Brighton Music Hall. Highlights of the 90-minute set included a rousing, acoustic take on The Killers' "Mr. Brightside," enlivened by banjo, and the rockin' singalong "Bring It On Home." The band's influences from Celtic music were evident in "Pride," and the regular set closer "I'm Born to Run" was a barnburner. Naturally, the last encore was their mega-hit from 2014, "Best Day of My Life," yet another joyous mass singalong.

Neill Byrnes of Draw The Line, an Aerosmith tribute band, has also stepped up to help the C Note. Draw The Line will be performing on Saturday, Nov. 28, from the C Note for a virtual benefit show.
Neill Byrnes of Draw The Line, an Aerosmith tribute band, has also stepped up to help the C Note. Draw The Line will be performing on Saturday, Nov. 28, from the C Note for a virtual benefit show.

Upcoming gigs: Draw the Line's Aerosmith tribute at The C-Note

THURSDAY: Stop by City Winery where Turkish rockers Demir Demirkan and Fatma Turgut perform a benefit for Turkey Earthquake Relief. Boogie wit da Hoodie gets down at MGM Music Hall. GloRilla heats up the Paradise Rock Club. Tinlicker rocks The Sinclair.

FRIDAY: Third Left rocks Soundcheck Studios. Quarters of Change take over Brighton Music Hall. NAV raps at MGM Music Hall. Elle King belts it out at Roadrunner. Marshfield songwriter Kevin Connolly with the all star Mule Variations at Sally O'Brien's. Detroit pianist BLKBK at City Winery.

SATURDAY: Draw the Line's Aerosmith tribute at The C-Note. Guitar ace Cory Wong, with Victor Wooten at the House of Blues.  The Americana of The Wolff Sisters at Boston Harbor Distillery. Folksinger Tracey Grammer at Circle of Friends Coffeehouse. Louisiana roots music purveyor Eric Lindell at The Spire Center. Sunny War – a Nashville roots music songwriter whose new album is called 'Anarchic Gospel" – at the Narrows Center. Bluesman Guy Davis warms up Club Passim. Country dude Adam Doleac at Brighton Music Hall. Theory of a Deadman hard-rocks the Roadrunner. Tall Hi Fi Blues is the show, featuring Manomet's Tall Richard with Peter "Hi Fi" Ward at the South Shore Folk Music Club. Songsmith Will Evans, from the band Barefoot Truth, brings his solo album release to City Winery.

SUNDAY: Catch the 502s at Royale or swing by the Spire Center for the 3 p.m. Indieferm Brewery Funday.

MONDAY: New Zealand rockers the Beths open a two-night stand at The Sinclair, while popster Ayleen Valentine sings at Brighton Music Hall, and Sunny War stops off at Atwood's Tavern.

TUESDAY: Tuesday night's Robert Cray show at the Narrows Center is sold out, but tickets remain for the awesome Margo Price at The Paradise Rock Club.

See Max Creek

When: 8 p.m. Feb. 25

Where: Soundcheck Studios, 150 Corporate Drive, Pembroke

Tickets: $25 and can be bought at the door or eventbrite.com

Info: 781-730-5233 or soundcheck-studios.com

This article originally appeared on The Patriot Ledger: Jamband Max Creek returns to Soundcheck Studios in Pembroke