As Hog-eyed Man, Jason and Rob have developed a compelling approach to the archaic fiddle traditions of the Southern Appalachians. Jason, whose fiddling has won the coveted blue ribbon at Clifftop, learned much of his music in western NC from neighbors like Bruce Greene, the legendary fiddler and tune-collector. Rob is a north Georgia native who honed his chops busking with a mandolin in New Orleans and is one of today’s leading mountain dulcimer players.

On "Across the Sea," the duo is joined by friends Paddy League—a master of both Irish and Greek music—and Michael Starkey, a talented clawhammer banjo player living in the northwest highlands of Scotland. Michael’s engaging clawhammer banjo-playing perfectly nails that elusive old-timey balance of melody, rhythm and tone. Paddy effortlessly switches between open-tuned guitar, bouzouki, and bodhran (the irish frame drum), adding colors and grooves not typically found in modern oldtime music but somehow right at home in this unique transatlantic project. Preview it here!