we are super stoked to have our far flung friends Michael Starkey (Edinburgh, Scotland) and Paddy League (Tallahassee, FL) coming to Athens in August to finish up a recording project and do a couple shows with us. although still very much centered in the oldtime music traditions that we try to carry on, this transatlantic collaboration takes us down a little bit of a different path… Paddy’s tasteful greek bouzouki, bodhran, & open-tuned guitar open up new textures, and Starkey’s clean banjo playing is a revelation. we’re loving this cross-atlantic musical conversation and think you will too. here’s just a little teaser from the first time we sat down with Paddy after a gig in Florida last year:
: Georgia Belles :
another audio/video teaser!
We had a nice chat with Pat Mac, in which he got deep into our musical memories, how we came to oldtime music, and our new album “Kicked Up a Devil of a Row.” Features some videos from the new album as well.
Check it out here!
Our new CD, “Kicked Up a Devil of a Row,” is now fully available with almost two dozen tunes. Fifteen of the tracks feature Maxine Gerber (banjo), Brendan Doyle (banjo), and/or David Bragger (guitar). The rest are dulcimer-fiddle duets. There is one fiddle solo. You will like it.
Tiki Parlour Recordings
Bandcamp
Our new album of oldtime music will be released July 14, 2023 but is now available for pre-order! Almost two dozen (mostly) archaic fiddle tunes from the Southern Appalachians. Fifteen of the tracks feature honorary west coast Hog-eyed Man band members Maxine Gerber (banjo), Brendan Doyle (banjo), and/or David Bragger (guitar). You can find it in one of these places now, and we thank you so much for your support!
Tiki Parlour Recordings
Bandcamp
22 deep cuts of Southern Appalachian music, featuring David Bragger (guitar), Max Gerber (banjo), and Brendan Doyle (banjo)!!!
Details and Preorder available very soon.
We had a blast dusting off our Irish jigs and reels (and Irish-influenced oldtime music) for two St. Patrick’s Day gigs. On March 17 we played to a capacity crowd at Hendershot’s as part of the UGA Willson Center’s Humanities Festival. Then on Saturday morning we did a (slightly) more educational version of the show for families at the Athens-Clarke Public Library. Super fun times, and look forward to doing it again! Some clips below, including a little goat on goat fiddle and drum video action at the library.. ;) Pics to be added soon.
Thanks to david bragger for recording and guesting on our version of Salyer’s classic tune Lost Girl!
October 2021. A show like no other. People were hungry for music. We drove to the countryside as the sun was setting. Then this happened. It felt like a dream.
We’re thankful to our pal Tommy Jordan for throwing down an mp3 recorder that evening, resulting in "Live from a Pandemic Speakeasy," which we released April 1.
hogeyedman.bandcamp.com/album/live-from-a-pandemic-speakeasy
Here are the tunes and songs we played on fiddle, banjo, lap dulcimer, mandolin, guitar, & banjo-uke:
Part 2:
Nancy Dawson
Georgia Horseshoe
The Snowstorm
Bill Cheatum
Winder Slide
Bile ‘Em Cabbages Down
Spike Island Gals
Part1:
Green River/Cacklin Hen
Brad Walters
Hello John D
Cumberland Gap
Vance No More /Buck Hoard
Shady Grove
Folks, it's Christmas Eve. We're building up the fire, hanging stockings, and singing carols with our kids. Before we turn off the phones for the next week, we wanted to let you know how much we've appreciated your support of traditional music and our small part in it. If you feel like gifting our music to friends or family, we'd love that. But more importantly: take some time off. Pick up the banjo. May peace be with you and your loved ones.
Recently rediscovered this little batch of casual tunes with Tom Baker and Hawk Proof Rooster (Charlie and Nancy Hartness), recorded with a ribbon microphone late in 2017. It’s mostly Charlie & Jason on fiddle, Nancy on guitar, Tom on banjo, and Rob on dulcimer or mandolin, with some occasional variations on that combo. The track listing is available on the YouTube link. Enjoy!
Back in August we made a short “film” with our phones with some dear friends (Tom Baker, Nancy & Charlie Hartness) for the virtual edition of the 2020 North Georgia Folk Festival. It’s got acting, middle-aged stunts, and a rough storyline. Because of coronavirus, we had to shoot and edit it ourselves, but for a DIY project made in a couple hours, we’re proud of how it turned out. It’s about 10 minutes long, family friendly, and features three live versions of some of our favorite tunes.
YouTube Link
FaceBook Link
Back at the beginning of The Great Pause, Gabrielle Macrae and Barry Southern of the awesome band The Horsenecks started a wonderful Facebook page / project called Quarantine Happy Hour. Each day features live happy hour music from a different person or musical household every day to keep us connected and supported during the quarantine. No need for a FB account or page membership, just tune in to https://www.facebook.com/groups/quarantinehappyhourmusic/ at 830 (East coast) or 530 (West coast) for an hour of livestreamed music. We played one on Aug. 27 and it was so much fun. Check it out any time here: Hog-eyed Man QHH Show
As our friend Adam Hurt said during our show, “Quarantine Happy Hour is just the best, and its video archive stands as an incredible “state of the old-time scene” (as well as other trad and trad-adjacent scenes). What a marvelous thing this is and continues to be!” So well said — if you haven’t been there yet, spend some time catching up on a lot of amazing and relaxed music.
Late in 2019, one of Byard Ray’s old fiddles passed into my hands. Byard was fiddle teacher/inspiration to many in Yancey and Madison Counties, including my mom. Although I was too young to learn much from him directly, I heard him play a number times before he died and he gave me a rattlesnake rattle to put in my little fiddle. Byard had a bunch of cool old tunes and unique versions of standards, many of which he got from his great-uncle Mitch Wallin, JD Harris, Manco Sneed, and other fiddling elders in western NC. For three months I posted a new tune each week from his repertoire, all played on his old fiddle, sometimes joined by Rob McMaken and/or Tom Baker. This playlist on youtube collects the Byard Ray Dozen. It was a really fun project!
—Jason
We had a fantastic trip out to California a couple weeks back, playing with a bunch of our friends and performing and teaching workshops at the Santa Barbara Old-Time Fiddlers Festival, a festival that has really thrived under David Bragger’s excellent stewardship. We also dropped by Bragger’s Old-Time Tiki Parlour studio in LA to throw down 6 or 7 tunes in about thirty minutes. Here’s a video of one tune we played, Green River. It was all really fun, and we look forward to getting back to the West Coast soon!!
It’s a Hog-eyed Christmas! Some of these old carols make great fiddle tunes. Hope you get to make some music yourself over the next few weeks to bring in the New Year. Thanks to our friend Jason Thrasher for capturing the moment! Peace, y’all. [Alternate facebook link!]
