Recorded live with no overdubs, this is a record that aims for faithful, no-frills replications of fifteen traditional mountain tunes from Kentucky, North Carolina and Virginia many of which were learned from scratchy field recordings.
The album closes with the tune the duo from Athens Georgia are named after. This is a 19th century sea shanty discovered by Alan Lomax in 1937 which, legend has it, was originally played by one-armed fiddler Charlie Page.
Apparently hog-eyes were men who rowed flat-bottom river or canal boats although 'hog-eye' could also be a euphemism for male or female genitalia!
Jason Cade (fiddle) and Rob McMaken (lap dulcimer and mandolin) perform these instrumental pieces flawlessly yet, while it is reassuring to know there are those who are keeping the old-time traditions alive, this is an album that will appeal more to folk purists and fellow musicians than casual listeners.
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