Hog-eyed Man is an Athens-based acoustic band comprised of fiddler Jason Cade and multi-instrumentalist Rob McMaken. Drawing primarily on the archaic tunes and pre-radio aesthetics of Southern Appalachian fiddling traditions, Jason and Rob have forged a compelling and authentic style of oldtime music, both reflecting deep respect for the past masters and carrying the musical conversation forward to the present era. Their live performances, though rare, have garnered loyal friends and fans at venues and festivals throughout the United States, and they have released six official albums charting their unique path in American traditional music.

As a youngster, Jason Cade began learning rare tunes and an older style of playing from master fiddler and tune-catcher Bruce Greene, his neighbor growing up in the South Toe Valley of Yancey County, NC. Jason’s oldtime music is also heavily influenced by his mother’s fiddle teacher, the late Byard Ray of Madison County, NC, and the field recordings of the tremendous musicians who once lived in the Blue Ridge Mountain region of western NC, eastern TN, and north Georgia. In 2016, Jason won the fiddle contest at the Appalachian String Band Festival in Clifftop, WV, and his playing in the band Hog-eyed Man has been described as “a seamless fusion of rhythm and melody, with the power to reach deep inside and inspire strong emotional responses” (Bluegrass Unlimited), “pure fiddle joy” (Fiddler Magazine), and “as honest and direct a representation of music sourced from past generations of North Carolina fiddlers as one could wish for” (fRoots).

Georgia native Rob McMaken cut his teeth busking in New Orleans and toured the US and Europe playing an eclectic mix of global folk music with the band Dromedary. After moving to Athens GA in the 1990s, he recorded and performed with Americana artists like Jonathan Byrd and Jim White. Once Rob met fiddler Jason Cade, he began his deep dive into Southern Appalachian oldtime music. He has since developed a distinctive accompaniment style on lap dulcimer, mandolin, guitar, and banjo-uke—seamlessly weaving between melody, harmonic counterpoint, and rhythmic drones that echo Old World aesthetics. Rob’s approach has been praised as “both emotional and expressive, transcending any particular age” (FolkWorld), “deftly complementing the fiddle melodically and harmonically,” (Musical Traditions), and “glorious” (The Living Tradition).