The Pirate Files; Camp Creek! 

“So this is a sharing place?”

…asked 4 year old Tessa as she reached to hold my hand looking at the inflatables strewn about the shore unattended. I had just met and befriended Tessa earlier that morning as she expressed a shared affinity for my bright turquoise Moon Boots.

“Why Yes!” I said nodding, surveying the giant unicorn, pizza slices and pirate duckies bobbing all around, inviting anyone who wanted a ride. “That’s a very good way of putting it.” Bemused, it occurred to me that she had articulated quite well and simply, EXACTLY why Camp Creek, held at Connecticut’s Odetah Camping Resort this year, stood out as being such a memorable and special event for my Wolf Children and I this summer. Indeed it was a sharing place. 

There were SO many floats that people brought to share, that even Max Creek drummer Bill Carbone jested as he and his whole family indulged in a family swim, “I bet this has got to be the record for the most inflatables at a festival!”

In fact I spotted most all the members of Max Creek, Creamery Station, and some from the Kings that were swimming with their families right along with everyone in attendance. This stood out to me because there didn’t seem to be any kind of the usual hierarchy or division between “fans” and the bands playing that you get at most festivals. There was only Family. And this seemed to be the driving theme throughout the entire weekend.

(These types of events are the kind that shake the business-as-usual paradigms and the only ones worth writing about in terms of Pirate Journalism, in my opinion.)

Sally Rider, wife of Creek’s bass player John Rider, and owner of “Rider Productions LLC” was one of the main coordinators for the event. She was found all weekend long reminding those in attendance, “We are ALL in this together!” And kept reiterating phrases like “Respect” and “Unity.” 

This was a much needed message especially since some year-round residents of the campground resort were most certainly mixed in with all us “eccentric” Creekers. Yes, the Creek crowd is comprised of plenty of rough and tumble teddy-bear Popeyes and Strong sassy goddesses that take no shit! It’s a pirate type crew alright, but one that gets it. 

“This is the perfect venue for our vision, and it took about 2 years to find. So I was proud at how much this message resonated. The seasonal campers at Odetah felt this level of respect, and had a blast with all of us. We made sure to leave the venue cleaner than how we found it, and they are very much looking forward to having us back.” Captain Sally boasted like a proud mama bear, in an interview between her and I.

When I first rolled in to this festival it was about 1 am with my Wolf Children Life, bright blue Banjo-The-School-bus along with two sound-asleep little wolflings and with one, Jeff King, of the Kings, who would be performing later that weekend. We walked around to see who was awake, once comrade Keepher Pez settled and secured us into our spot. It wasn’t long before we heard some familiar voices of merriment and tom-foolery happening near-by …and stumbled upon creeker for life, Monique Poulin’s rowdy camp! The excitement was palpable as it had been some years since a Camp Creek… After some hearty belly laughter and the indulging of some shenanigans Sally Rider herself came sauntering over to tell everyone to STFU in those wee hours! However, and this is what garnered my genuine respect for her even more, it was done in the most hilarious loving mama bears of ways, with style for miles! Everyone indeed Shutted the F up and it wasn’t long before I was sound asleep myself nestled between my slumbering wolfie-kiddos in our bus.

Self-governing when we all take responsibility for ourselves and others appears to be the pirate way of Joy, True Freedom… and awakening. And this was made even more apparent by how little you felt any sort of official “security” presence regulating us merry-makers, as we took care of each other.

Yes! Waking up there, especially for my two kiddos was a thing of sheer magic! The grounds were beautiful to say the least. Luxury and soul. Camp Odetah was our playground and home for the weekend complete with a sprinkle park, jacuzzi tub, swimming pool, playground, a mini golf, and a beautiful stage set RIGHT in the sand on the shore of a pristine lake! We couldn’t have been more ecstatic! We thought we were in paradise. My kids rubbed their eyes in disbelief. 

“Are we in Mexico mama?” My little world-festival-travellers seriously asked of me! (They are used to waking up in amazing places since we built our dream-bus/pirate ship “Banjo” last year… and have indeed woken up everywhere from Yellowstone… to The High Sierras in California and beyond for music, nature, and merriment.)

“No, but it sure feels that way doesn’t it?!” I said to them… This was some kind of Creek Magic. 

Later in the lake with about 100 other friends, I said to Mark Mercier, Keyboard player of Max Creek, who was splashing around with us and his wife Lori, “Mark, it feels like you guys opened a portal and took us all to the Riviera Maya! And all this for only $150 instead of thousands and thousands of dollars!” 

“And then opened a portal back again and you all only have to drive about 20 minutes away or so to get back home!” He added with that huge sweet smile of his, displaying how pleased he was that so many were reveling in this tremendous happiness, all together. 

It felt as if the jesters were given the keys to some magnificent palace!

And we truly were all in this family affair together! Gratton Rider, one of Sally and John’s sons was one of the sound techs, while Tristan Rider helped with lights, and Calyton Rider shared his gifts in playing lead guitar and singing in his band “Decisions” that weekend!

So many children I didn’t even know, along with my own were all being watched by each other’s parents with so much love and care. Moments both splashing in the lake, jumping from float to float, dancing hard to the wonderfully curated music right in the sand had me feeling like we were in Daytona! You’d be VERY hard pressed to find any music festival in the Northeast with a stage right on the beach in the sand!

Second photo by Isa Rose

Playing that weekend along with Max Creek , as far as performances I caught- was a soulful morning set by Creamery Station, (in which the band donated free coffee and of course cream to all who attended!) the liveliest of sand dance party performances by West End Blend, The Alchemistics that had yours truly in peacock feather tutu orbit! And for course…

The Kings. The Kings was the last performance on Saturday and they really blew it out for everybody craving more music after the beach stage was closed out by Max Creek for the night. They provided a cabin late night set that was energetic to say the least. Check out the video I filmed here, which captures the energy of the performance! I’ve always been a fan of Jeff King’s versatile bass playing …whether it’s playing upright on some Jazz or Blues tune at the legendary Theodores’s Blues Club in his home town of Springfield, MA, (where you can catch him hosting an epic open Mic there on most Wednesdays with some of the most talented heavy-weights in that area…) playing in his recent Max Creek cover band project, “Something is Forming,” playing in a Phish cover band, or his own band! …But what really caught me with Jeff is that he shares my same devotee-level love of music. When he pours his love and guts into playing in an elevator at the Rock n’ Roll resort for hours and hours on end …or on the beach at Camp Creek till the sun comes up- like he did this year AFTER he just played a very energetic set in the cabins all night- you can’t help but love that man. He provides such solace in this world to all the long-lost festival wanderers and worshippers. Melissa Carreira is Jeff King’s sister and wow, the pipes on that girl and dance moves! Yes, it was a family affair indeed… and their performance even had Jay Stanley, percussionist for Max Creek and Sally Rider up front and dancing their booties off! In fact I spotted every single member of Creek enjoying the King’s performance in the cabins with all of us that night.

Telefunken was the lead sponsor of the event, Toni Fishman and his family representing, along with one Scott Medeiros and their snazzy TF VW bus parked right up front near the beach! In an interview with Toni, the excitement of being part of this event was evident. He reminisced about feeling like he had found a home so many years ago seeing Max Creek the first time in CT.

Fishman alluded that Max Creek has always been a home to all the Lone Wolfs and Black Sheep out there… all the Creek Freaks… “I haven’t felt this excited and purposeful in my involvement with an event since my involvement with the Gathering of The Vibes.”

Felicia Page who was involved in stage production, is a good friend to the Wolf Children Life revolution, and I was excited to see not only so many strong women involved in the planning and production of this event, but also so much diversity in the line up. Sally confirmed this was not haphazard and also an important shift to her. With so many close friends with HEAVY hands in this event… it truly had me feeling even more like WE were the magic makers…

Speaking of which… Picks in the wrist bands!? Brilliant! What better way to drive the message home that YOU Are the MUSIC makers and Weavers of your own stories than to give every single attendee a guitar pick hidden inside each wristband?! Indeed we WERE the jesters who had been given the secret skeleton keys to the fantastic Pirate palaces of our own design!

One of the absolute highlights of this festival for me and my kids was when Jared Davis, long time Max Creek devotee and staffer, surprised everyone with a very special treat… a glowing pirate ship that made it’s debut on Camp Odetah’s lake at Camp Creek just as Max Creek took the stage to play their set Saturday evening! (A bit of an inside joke, as the sail itself was rumored to be the pirate flag of one of the members of Max Creek, who apparently hadn’t seen it since the likes of a fabled show in ye (Black) Pearl Street one frightful night in North(of)Hampton! Arrgggh! It apparently had made the rounds of being taken again and again a few times before making it’s maiden voyage on Jared’s fine vessel at Creek!

Well it just so happened that Jeff King had given me and the wolf children a few of those extra-long giant sparklers the day before! ...And it just so happened that Mama wolf had just so happened to have brought those giant sparklers down to the docks with us when we saw the thing!

In we hopped into Uncle Jared’s ship along with his mighty maiden, Marla! (These are long time family members to my wolf children and myself!) And ye better believe that when those sparklers were lit off of that pirate ship floating across that water overlooking the stage, the boys in the band all seemed to turn to look our way as it was a sight to behold! It seemed as though the ship was winning some great battle with cannons ablaze, lit up with pride and the joy of Magic and Mischief!! My wolves eyes were aglow and the beaming of their faces told me all I needed to know about what this moment was and meant. A forever memory etched into their hearts of what magic is possible in this world when autonomous beings take initiative in the making of collaborative beauty! Indeed the jesters had taken the keys to the castle and we were all in this together.

For me, that moment epitomized home. It epitomized the spirit of Creek… part playful prankster mischief makers, part magicians, lovers of all things family, autonomous renegades, and all heart and soul. Their set was electrifying and soulful and you can find it HERE.

Some of my first ever shows in high school were Max Creek Connecticut shows! They have played now for nearly 50 years!! (Most marriages don’t last that long!) I am consistently blown away by how skilled and married-to-what-each-moment-requires Creek always is at “taking everyone to the Ocean.” They always become so expansive in their stretching, in how unafraid they are to take risks and explore every river on their way to the “Ocean.” That ocean where we all find freedom, connection, bliss, God even. It’s what keeps this family coming back for more. It is truth, it is love, and it is most certainly “church.” There is no doubt that Max Creek taps into all of this. And the tremendous outpouring of deep LOVE that Creekers have for the music and the band, is what fortifies and makes this so. As someone who is still fairly new to this family I will say that it is 100% true-blue genuine. I only choose to write about that which truly INSPIRES me. And I can Confidently say. This event was FLAWLESS. It was undoubtedly a task to pull off but this SOLID FAMILY made it seem effortless and joyful.

KUDOS Camp Creek, Well Done! You have my DEEPEST of respect. And I don’t say that lightly.

Very much look Forward to Next year!!

To many more!! Xoxoxo Lara Wahl and the Wolf Children. 

For more pictures click here and visit the talented Isa Rose’s Gallery HERE