Music

30 YEAR FLOOD

Veterans Max Creek return to Colorado,
and pray for no snow

We enjoy playing together we really do," said Mark Mercier of the New Englandbased jam band Max Creek. "In a band, unless you sign a contract you never know if you are going to be together six months from now. You get used to existing like that. It really is like a fiveway marriage. You really have to occasionally bare your soul and occasionally bite the bullet. It is not a commitment to stay together, it's how much do you really value what comes out when you all sit down to play. We really love playing with each other. We really do. It has its good times. It has its bad moments of course. There are times when nobody practices and everyone climbs on stage and it all falls apart. [You say], 'I'm never doing this again. ' But there are other times when things just magically happen and it is like watching a couple that have been together for a good many years. How they interrelate and how they know each other so well. That sometimes you don't even have to speak to each other to know what's going to happen next. It is wonderful magical stuff and it never ceases to amaze me how it just seems to happen by itself."

Mercier speaks from experience about longevity, commitment and an undying love of the music they create. As a member of Max Creek, he's been around a while and has lived the ups and downs associated with the career of a professional musician. Max Creek will be celebrating its 30th anniversary this year, and in celebration the band will be releasing a CD of archived material, and they have a lot of it. The anticipated release date is at its annual Camp Creek event, which is traditionally the last weekend in July. "At this point it is outside of Albany, New York. Occasionally we are forced to, well, we are chased out of town with torches and pitch forks and we go to a different venue. Where we do it now is a place where they hold a biker rendezvous every year, and so ours seems tame by comparison. And that is a lovely situation to be in," Mercier said.

Over the years, the members of Max Creek-- John Rider (bass/vocals), Scott Murawski (guitar/vocals), Mark Mercier (keyboard/vocals), Rob Fried (percussion) and Scott Allshouse (drums)-- have had the opportunity individually and collectively to jam with the likes of Phish and Vassar Clements among others. "Last year we had David Crosby [at Camp Creek] and that was great. I actually enjoyed it and you know it wasn't your normal runofthemill hippie festival with moe. and String Cheese and Leftover Salmon. It was a little different because David Crosby, you know, is not into the hippy scene per se. He doesn't go play the Gathering of the Vibes and all of that business. But he is wicked good and it just turned out very well. That is the kind of stuff we enjoy; we are a little off the beaten path," Mercier said.

Max Creek has several other exciting events planned in celebration of its anniversary, some they will talk about and some ...not yet. One includes a returning visit to Colorado this spring and possibly again in the fall. Mercier took a moment to explain their aversion to Colorado in the winter months.

"One of the moments that sticks out in my mind is being stuck overnight in the Denver airport. Three years ago we played Denver twice. The first time was the biggest blizzard Denver had seen in a long time. They had just finished the damn airport and no one had discussed who was actually going to plow that tenmile road that goes out to the airport. The town thought the airport was going to plow it and the airport thought the town damn well should plow it, and in the meantime there was one poor plow who is doing his best to keep things open and he wound up getting stuck. We wound up abandoning the car on the road and trying to make it to the airport. Nobody flew out except the Broncos. We were supposed to play a huge show at Maritime in San Francisco and we could not get out. All we could do was wait a couple days and make our way home. The second time we went to Colorado that same year they wound up getting a huge amount of snow and we got snowed out in Nederland. We played the show anyway-- probably about 25 to 30 people showed up. There was so much snow that you couldn't open your car door. It was up to my thighs and I am 6foot4. More snow than I have seen in a long time, so let's hope that when we come in April we don't bring snow, because that is what we are known for."

--Jessica Vogelgesang

Max Creek will be playing an 18-and-over show at the Gothic Theater April 5 with Umphree's McGee, and a 21andover show at the Fox Theater in Boulder on April 7. They will also be playing an allages show at the Starlight in Fort Collins on April 6 with Running With Sally. For more information on Max Creek and their upcoming anniversary events, visit www.maxcreek.com.
Check out the Max Creek CDs available on Amazon.com.

BEAT DIET

On January 12, a federal grand jury indicted Robert J. Brunet, his brother Brian Brunet, and James D. Estopinal (a.k.a. Disco Donnie). The charges levied against the venue managers and promoter are an unprecedented application of a 1986 "crackhouse law."

Beginning around January 2000, the DEA partnered with the New Orleans Police Department, initiating "Operation Rave Review." In August 2000, the DEA and N.O.P.D. raided the State Palace Theater in New Orleans, believing they would find evidence of drug possession with intent to sell among either staff of the promoter or venue management. Nothing was found that night; in fact, throughout the course of an intense 12 to 16 month investigation, no evidence was found linking either the Brunet brothers, Donnie, or any member of their staffs to drug possession, sales distribution or manufacturing.

The Electronic Music Defense and Education Fund (em:def) was created to raise and provide funds for legal assistance to innocent professionals in the electronic music business who are targeted by law enforcement in the expanding campaign against "club drugs."

In addition to providing funds for legal efforts to protect the industry, the em:def will serve as a spokesagency for the electronic dance music industry-- providing an independent voice on behalf of industry professionals, while allowing professionals to avoid public association which could result in retaliation by law enforcement.

To contribute to the em:def, please send cash, money orders, checks (payable to em:def), or credit card information to: em:def, The Lindesmith Center, Dpt. 4455, Connecticut Avenue NW b500, Washington, DC 20008.

--orange peel moses

For more information on the Electronic Music Defense and Education Fund, visit them in cyberspace at www.emdef.org.

CD Reviews

One bassist/singer with a snatch. One drummer with a snatch. That's all it takes to produce the angriest, smelliest, dirtiest piece of altrock to be recorded in a long time. Laura Ann Beaver and Evie Evil have created a monster, and it bites. Imagine if you shot half The Breeders dead at pointblank range, then asked the remaning members to write songs about it. Scratch that-- imagine if you shot all The Breeders dead then invited their artschool cousins to write songs about it.

Evil Beaver's aggressive rock literally sweats its way out of your speakers. Laura Ann's drumming has an unstoppably hesitant quality to it, a feel that makes you itch all over. Evie's bass skills are mindblowing, easily compared to Les Claypool, and her vocals are so electrically loud they more than mask the fact that only two people are making all this racket.

Dave Trumfio recorded this album for Four Alarm Records, and the expertise shows. Every track feels live ... this isn't a duo that needs studio mastering to pump the volume. Evil Beaver would make a marvelous opener for Rasputina. The would also make marvelous poster children for the antiLilith chick rock phenomenon that used to be called (preLilith) skree rock.

Evil Beaver gives hard music a much needed creative kick to the crotch. It's been an awfully long time since I've listened intently to someone screaming the same phrase over and over. Too long. The album deserves to be purchased. If you don't believe me, check out some of the MP3s at the band's website, www. ridethebeaver. com. At the very least, the closing country track "Burnin' Beaver Blues" makes the sticker price worthwhile. A --Chris J. Magyar

Order Lick It! from Amazon.com.

CD Reviews

With the release of its second album, Bounce Bounce Sound, Denver's Mind Go Flip offers a pleasant concoction of catchy pop tunes and barfriendly crowd pleasers. These four young gentlemen blend a healthy mix of today's Colorado sound with their own unique songwriting. To pinpoint exactly where the Flip's sound comes from, we need to look to a variety of bands of late, from Yo, Flaco! to Phish to Big Head Todd to matchbox twenty. Quite a list....

After educating themselves in the fine but often commerciallydifficult world of classical music at University of Northern Colorado, Bret Anderson (bass, vocals), Mike Benton (drums), Luke Johnson (guitar, vocals) and Doug Scarborough (keyboards, trombone, vocals) formed Flip in March 1999. Bounce Bounce Sound is a worthy local effort from a band that shows humor, musical skill and a strong sense of how to develop good songs and a tight sound.

Most of the CD's tracks are consistent and give the listener a sense of the band's style. The opening track, "La La Lovin'," has a great bass groove and seems to be one of the songs that best illustrates Flip's sound. The same can be said for track 3, "The Flavor." "In the City..." is what I refer to as the "matchbox twenty" sound, with each delicate verse surrounded by a buildup of straight, strong and yearning choruses. The song works, and Flip certainly can't be faulted for sliding into a welloiled formula. Other tracks hold up including a quality nod to Phish on "Smoke Rings" and a gloriously happy "Wonder." The last track, "Good Vibe," is a smoky and lush love song. The addition of keyboards and trombone throughout the album was a great idea.

During its live show, Mind Go Flip strives to bring positive energy and music to the room and create its own little groovy vibe for and within the audience. The material on Bounce also seems designed for that purpose and should sound even better in a live venue. As a second record, Bounce shows that Flip has their act ready for further development and exploration as they hone their style and gain more experience playing throughout the region and on the road. B+
--Judy B.

Bounce along with the fun at Mind Go Flip's CD release party, March 30 at The Soiled Dove. See pictures and antics at www.mindgoflip.com. Sample three tracks from Bounce from Go-Go's Colorado Music Sampler page.

CD Reviews

Breck Alan is practically begging to be played on KBCO. His quirky, humorladen balladry fits right in with a regular diet of "Sweet Virginia" and Ben Harper. This EP features five wellproduced tunes and a bonus, scaleddown version of Alan's best work, "A Man and His Beautiful Wife."

Alan's definitely a pro with his voice, changing texture, range, and flavor more often than the queen changes underwear, and his lyrics manage to walk a nice line between sarcasm and sincerity. There's nothing more endearing to a single chick than a folkpop singer with a wry smile. Or so Alan hopes.

The problem lies in the songwriting, which gets repetitive in every song. While a solid hook can (and should) be repeated ad nauseum, Alan's choruses start out singable then downgrade to annoying after the fifth rerun.

But back to the production values. I can't really say enough about the well-placed squeaks and scratches that elevate this project, giving it a professional sheen Alan so desperately wants to deserve. B--
Chris J. Magyar

Buy Kissing Rock Stars from Amazon.com