"The Elk Creek Family Band was especially well received at our festival. Their clogging and music was fantastic and enjoyed by all. We won't hesitate to have them back.

Liston Pepper
Big Pond Bluegrass Festival, East Smithfield, PA

ABOUT THE BAND...

Old-Time Music is the kind of music you might have heard on the back porch, or in the general store after hours, before the time of radio. We play a blend of old-time and original music, with roots in the mountains and hills of the mid-atlantic Appalachian region.

	Jo Ellen grew up on a dairy farm in West Virginia (where we now live). She plays the clawhammer banjo, sings harmony, and demonstrates Appalachian style clog dancing during most Elk Creek Family Band performances.
	Jim has been playing guitar and writing songs for over 20 years. His roots are in rural Pennsylvania, where his grandparents were farmers. His great-grandfather, Clyde Marstellar, was a fiddle player and a traveling peddler who created medicines from herbs and roots. The album "Homegrown Pharmacy" is a tribute to Clyde's inventiveness.
	Ben joins the band from time to time on the mandolin and the resonator guitar. When he is not pulling off hot licks onstage, Ben can usually be found tearing into old engines out in the shop, breathing life into old forgotten machines that nobody thought could ever be fixed.
	Will keeps the time with his superb playing on the upright bass. He started on the washtub, but graduated to a real bass when we found one that was just his size. In addition to the bass Will plays a mean pennywhistle and just about any other instrument he picks up. He plays a smokin' mandolin.
	Ellie is quickly becoming our lead singer, since her brother's voices have dropped two or three octaves. She also plays fiddle and tambourine on several songs. In addition to performing with the band she enjoys acting, writing, cooking, and helping keep the house from becoming a total wreck.
	Rosalie and Clara Jo round out the band. (This illustration is actually a few years old). Both girls are learning most of the choruses to the songs and Rosie takes a lead from time to time. Clara Jo clogs around the living room during practice, and sometimes dances with mom on stage.