By T. S. Chamberland
Staff writer
If you like to rock, really rock, there is a band that
can help you do just that. Wolf Creek, afour-piece hardcore, country/southern rock band, has spent the last six years doing just that.
Playing shows three to four days a week all over the state, Todd Demming (lead vocals and rhythm guitar), Dan
Matthews (bass and vocals), Brian Rancourt (lead and rhythm guitar,
vocals) and newest member Pete Vassil (drums) are a nonstop
machine, churning out solid, rocking tunes.
With band members located from Washington, Maine, to Campton, N.H.,
Demming says being able to meet and practice at Club Texas in Auburn
has been a big help. The relationship they have built with bar
manager Lance Robinson has given them the freedom to spend Sundays
focusing on their music.
“Lance has always been good to us,” said Demming.” He trusts
us and I really appreciate that.”
The relationship is a two-way street. Demming says the band has
played shows at the bar at the last minute when a band was needed, and
they’ve been happy to do it.
The cohesiveness of the band was apparent as I watched them
during a recent sound check before a rehearsal at Club Texas.
Speaking the language all musicians know, they worked to tweak the
sound between the stage monitors and house PA, throwing in jokes and
jabs at one another in between.
Onstage antics during a performance might escape the audiences’ attention, but they
aren’t lost on the band members. Working without set lists, there are
times when song after song is called out where either
Demming is left nearly gasping for air or Matthew’s fingers are
sprouting blisters. And Vassil needs to watch out as the guys have
been known to pick fast tempo songs that challenge their drummer as
well.
“We don’t use set lists, because it all depends on the crowd,”
said Matthews.
“The camaraderie on the stage makes it fun,” said Demming.
Because of repeated requests for CDs from fans and the desire to finally put
their own music on music store shelves, the band entered Hitman
Records recording studio in East Holden nearly a year ago. The
studio process has been lengthy, with a
few detours along the way. Aside from the general problem of finding time to record, band member mishaps have all but halted progress at times. And there were times when the desire to rerecord certain parts were impossible to ignore.
“It’s been a learning process,” said Rancourt, whose broken
fingers delayed recording his parts for three months.
But the effort has been well worth it so far, according to the band.
“The originals are incredible,” said Vassil. “I was looking for a
band that wanted to be more than a bar band, had originals and wanted
to take it out on the road. That’s why I drive two hours to get
here.” 
Demming describes “Boots, Buckles and Butts,” one of their
first original songs, as a true southern rocker.
“It’s cranking,” he said. “It’s like aMolly Hatchet
and (Lynyrd) Skynyrd type deal.”
While being frontman earns him a majority of the credit from fans
and critics, Demming is quick to point out that it’s the whole band
that makes it work, and without each member the band wouldn’t be
what it is today.
Demming says that it’s been a must that everyone in the band can
sing in addition to whatever instrument they play. And for good
reason.
“Vocally it’s a strain when you’re doing five, three-hour shows
in a row,” he said. “It gets tough. You start sharing the
responsibility to sing.”
Matthews says that while some bands might not want to invest the
time to travel long distances to play, for Wolf Creek the willingness
to do just that has led to a large fan base. It’s a way of life for
the band members, and they say they aren’t slowing down anytime soon.
“You really have to have the will to go out and do what you do,”
said Matthews.
????Upcoming shows??wolf Creek performances

wolf Creek performances
May 1 – Memory Lane, Standish, 9 p.m.
May 2 – Black Mountain of Maine Ski Resort, Rumford,  8 p.m.
May 9 – Crazy 8’s, South Paris, 9 p.m.
May 23 – L-A Harley Event Lewiston/Auburn Harley, 1 p.m.
May 23 – Club Texas, Auburn, 9 p.m.
May 29 – Basel’s Bar, Columbia Falls, 9:30 p.m.
May 30 – Basel’s Bar, Columbia Falls, 9:30 p.m.
Visit the band online at www.myspace.com/wolfcreekcouthernrock 
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