Brotherly bond in Stony Creek Band paves way to successful legacy

A fixture in the upstate music scene is inducted into the Eddies HOF

STONY CREEK—Life in the North Country has an old-fashioned energy. Everybody knows their neighbors. Time moves a little slower. And instead of a dozen big chain restaurants, there are two or three local businesses, like the Stony Creek Inn. For over 40 years, the Stony Creek Band has made that place their musical home.

Throughout the years, the band has evolved from a trio, touring coffee houses, into a seven-piece musical powerhouse in the Stony Creek hamlet, and then into the five-piece configuration they are most known for today. John Strong, folksinger and guitarist; Hank Soto, guitarist and songwriter; Dave Maswick, producer, singer and songwriter; Mike Lomaestro, drummer; and Fred Lantz, bluegrass mandolin virtuoso are being inducted into the Capital Region Thomas Edison Music Hall of Fame 7 p.m. March 24 at Universal Preservation Hall.

“This is the type of band that once you hear it, a lot of people become infected with the sound. It’s kind of like some bands out there. You either like them or you don’t. But we are attracting a lot of the younger crowd now. I mean the mothers and fathers we used to play for, their kids are coming out to see us,” said Lomaestro.

For a time, the seven-piece band along with their sound designers and road crew were the little town’s largest year-round employer. Over the years, the Stony Creek Band has made thousands of concert appearances together. Their most memorable include a live performance on international TV for the closing ceremonies of the Goodwill Winter Games and a February outdoor appearance at the 25th anniversary celebration of the Miracle on Ice. The frigid weather and enormous crowds contribute to those memories.

“It was cold! It was in the middle of the winter, and it was outdoors. And so we’re waiting to play. And what we don’t know and what we can’t see is that in the interim, it has started snowing. So we’re standing there and finally they get done with announcements and our moment comes, that curtains flies open, the lights are on and there’s like 2,000 people covered with snow. And the snow is going horizontal,” Maswick recounted.

“In the car on the way home. Everybody’s saying, ‘We’re never doing that again.’ And then five years later they called and said, ‘You want to play the 25th anniversary of the Miracle on Ice?’” Maswick continued. “That was a celebration of that momentous Olympic occasion outdoors. In February when we took the stage, it was eight above zero. When we got off the stage, it was 12 below zero.”

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The longevity of the band can be attributed to their brother-like bond and their energy on-stage and off, which shows the connection they’ve shared over the years.

“I think you can say we love each other with all our faults,” Soto said.

Lomaestro—who was a late addition to the band—added, in part it comes down to inertia playing together for that many years, but also “…we are very brotherly. I mean in 41 years, I can’t remember an argument that I left the stage over. We’re family.”

Maswick added, “I guess the overarching point is that we have been, for over 50 years, very well supported by our community and now we’re giving back in a very tangible way.”

The Stony Creek Band, especially Strong and Soto, are quite involved with the Southern Adirondack Musicians Fund. It provides emergency financial assistance to musicians in need. The fund began in 2001, inspired by the loss of their band member and dear friend, Chan Goodnow.

The non-profit serves musicians in Saratoga, Washington and Warren counties who are facing serious health issues, injuries and death.

Honoring the legacy of Goodnow, the Stony Creek Band hopes to help and inspire younger musicians in the future.

Celebrate the legacy and talent of the Stony Creek Band at Eddies’ Hall of Fame induction party. Tickets are on sale now for this exceptional showcase of music in the Capital Region, sponsored by MLB Construction Services, LLC and media partner WEXT.  Visit the Box Office at Proctors in-person or via phone at (518) 346-6204 Tuesday-Saturday 12 p.m.-6 p.m. or online by visiting atuph.org.

More information on the Eddies Music Hall of Fame is available at theeddiesawards.com. The Capital Region Thomas Edison Music Awards and Hall of Fame, as well as UPH, are part of Proctors Collaborative.