The Creek Rocks

The Creek Rocks are a folk group from the Ozarks led by banjoist Cindy Woolf and guitarist Mark Bilyeu. These longtime musical collaborators worked together on Cindy's three albums of original songs starting in 2005, then established The Creek Rocks in 2015. Mark is also a founding member of Ozarks family band Big Smith.

Their debut release, “Wolf Hunter,” is an album of sixteen folk songs from the Ozarks, arranged by The Creek Rocks and gathered from the collections of folklorists Max Hunter of Springfield, Missouri (Mark’s hometown) and John Quincy Wolf of Batesville, Arkansas (Cindy’s hometown).

"Wolf Hunter" has gathered critical accolades for The Creek Rocks, including the prestige of their photo gracing the cover of the September 2017 issue of Acoustic Guitar Magazine, along with a feature article. Prior to that, a profile of Bilyeu appeared in the March 2014 issue of Flatpicking Guitar Magazine.

November 2019 found them in Nashville recording their second album with producer Ken Coomer (Wilco, Uncle Tupelo). They finished tracking in January of 2020, and the new record, working title “Hickory Horned Devil,” is currently in the mixing/mastering stage. The track listing is evenly split between Ozarks material from the collection of Mary Celestia Parler of Fayetteville, Arkansas and Cindy and Mark’s own original songs.

Cindy and Mark are likely to perform as a duo at recent shows, but can also draw from a host of talented musician friends to back them up, including the rhythm section of Mike and Jay Williamson of Big Smith.

For more information on The Creek Rocks, read this excellent in-depth profile by Kaitlyn McConnell from her blog Ozarks Alive!

https://www.ozarksalive.com/the-creek-rocks-reshape-songs-for-today-and-tomorrow

Some testimonials about The Creek Rocks:

"Congrats you two....on a stellar performance...You made me smile for 45 straight minutes...you left me remembering what's important - voices, songs, authenticity, great playing. - and red pants!" (Mark was wearing red pants.)

~ Bob Walkenhorst, The Rainmakers

"This is the sound of Ozark history, the soundtrack of us getting from there to here. Wolf Hunter is distinct as a concept album in that it is filled with warmth and heart. It never holds you at arm’s length, but brings you in for a bear hug, begging you and little brother to join right in."
~ T.S. Leonard, The New Territory
"Cindy and Mark are among the Ozark Plateau’s most potent songwriters expressing themselves with a humble folk-rock sound and lyrics to touch the heart."
~ Dave Para, Big Muddy Soundings