We are so pleased and excited to announce an addition to the lineup of our August 15 CD release concert at the Gillioz Theatre: Melinda Mullins, along with her musical cohort Bo Brown, will be opening the show with a set of songs written by Melinda's father, legendary Springfield songwriter Johnny Mullins. Our album includes a song that we learned from a recording of Mr. Mullins, a recording that is part of the Max Hunter collection, from which we gathered songs for the album. Not to mention that Melinda and Bo do such a great job whenever they perform.

Get your tickets at www.gillioz.org , by calling the box office at (417) 863-9491, or drop by and see the good people at The Acoustic Shoppe – they have a batch of prime orchestra-level seats they are ready to sell you.

Welcome to the party, Melinda and Bo!

August 4, 2015

Departika

Wolf Hunter tribute video

August 4, 2015

Departika

This album draws on the collections of John Quincy Wolf and Max Hunter. Working separately from the 1950s to the 1970s, the two captured thousands of songs that otherwise would have been lost for all time. In some cases, folk musicians were recorded on their deathbeds. Some of the songs exist nowhere else.

Click here to check out this wonderful video put together by Jim McCarty, which outlines the history recorded and remembered through song and handed down generation to generation.

August 4, 2015

Departika

Wolf Hunter release @ The Gillioz Theater

August 4, 2015

Departika

The Route 66 Festival continues to grow with a second musical event featuring Cindy Woolf and Mark Bilyeu on Saturday, August 15, 2015 at the historic Gillioz Theatre.The evening will mark the release of Woolf & Bilyeu’s debut CD Wolf Hunter, and is a welcome addition to the Route 66 Festival schedule of activities.

MORE INFO: http://gillioz.org/wolfhunter/

BUY TICKETS: http://bit.ly/1HbXLNe

Geoff Steele, Executive Director of the Gillioz said, “The Friday night concert featuring the Nitty Gritty Dirt Band and Pure Prairie League has long since sold out. The appetite for live entertainment indicated we needed to grow. It became clear to us very quickly that we should celebrate the regional musical offerings for this second night of Route 66. Cindy Woolf and Mark Bilyeu are Ozark treasures, and the historic Gillioz Theatre is proud to debut their new project on this festive occasion”.

Wolf Hunter is a collection of traditional Ozarks folk songs, newly interpreted and arranged by Woolf and Bilyeu. The songs were chosen from collections of two notable folklorists; that of John Quincy Wolf of Batesville, Arkansas, where Cindy grew up; and Max Hunter of Springfield, Missouri, Mark’s hometown.

Wolf Hunter was recorded at The Studio in downtown Springfield, a facility founded in 1994 by roots-rock legend Lou Whitney, bassist for The Morells and The Skeletons. Whitney passed away in October 2014 after a brief battle with cancer, but The Studio remained open under the watch of Eric Schuchmann, Whitney’s right-hand man of eleven years.

The concert at the Gillioz on August 15 won’t be limited to the music on Wolf Hunter, however. While the first set will be dedicated to songs from the album, the second set will incorporate songs from Woolf and Bilyeu’s original repertoire and feature an expanded lineup, including the Chapman’s bluegrass band; guest appearances by Jody Bilyeu and Jay Williamson of Big Smith fame; Joy Bilyeu, Mark’s first cousin who for 18 years sang on The Baldknobbers show in Branson and now is part of the Hosea Bilyeu Family gospel group; plus a few surprise guests.

There will be a visual element to the evening as well. “We want to make the show more than just a handful of musicians playing their instruments for two hours. The trick is to add some visual interest that will be respectful of the material, that will enhance, rather than distract from the music,” Bilyeu says. For that they’ve enlisted Mikal Shapiro, a songwriter friend from Kansas City who also works in visual mediums. “We’ll save some surprises for the show, we don’t want to tip our hand too much. We also have some ideas for the lobby, as people first arrive. We want the audience to be immersed in the Ozarks from start to finish.” The concert is presented by Dwight Glenn productions.

Tickets for Cindy Woolf & Mark Bilyeu and this Saturday night Route 66 Festival concert event go on sale at noon on Friday, July 17, 2015. Tickets range from $20-25 and will be available by calling the Gillioz box office at 417.863.7483 or online at www.gillioztheatre.com.