The world of bluegrass music is abuzz as two of the genre’s most acclaimed fiddlers, Jason Carter and Michael Cleveland, prepare to release their long-awaited collaborative album, Carter & Cleveland, on March 14, 2025, via Fiddle Man Records. Fans can now pre-save the album and enjoy the latest single, a spirited interpretation of John Hartford’s “With a Vamp in the Middle,” available on all streaming platforms and radio.
Carter & Cleveland builds on the duo’s more than 30 years of friendship, a natural culmination of their frequent musical cross-pollinations and collaborations over that time. They first met as teenagers—Cleveland was 13 and Carter was 19—and they were already mutual admirers of the skill, musicality, reverence for tradition, and unique fiddle fire they each heard in the other’s playing.
“When I first heard Michael, I was blown away,” Carter recalls. “He sounded as good as anyone out there, even back then.”
As they each grew and developed as pickers and musicians, they continued to cross paths at many junctures—festivals, co-bills, conferences—in Indiana, Nashville, Kentucky, and beyond. They’d perform together as a special feature with Del McCoury, or Carter would jump on stage with Cleveland’s band, Flamekeeper. Though they rarely had time to rehearse material or build repertoire, the two always had an ease and comfort making music together, even off the cuff, pulling their bows in perfect synchronicity. They speak about their remarkably complementary styles the way family bands talk about singing harmony—there’s something magical and telepathic about their connection.
“Twin fiddle is like really good vocal harmony when it’s right,” Cleveland explains. “When it’s super tight and together, there’s nothing else like it. It’s like our own brother duet.”
Carter & Cleveland is chock-full of this particular brand of brotherly fiddle synergy, built around their one-of-a-kind, effortless blend. Across its 11 tracks, there’s bluegrass, fiddle tune standards, rip-roaring alt-country, and endlessly rich and lush double- and triple-stop harmonies.
Carter’s delicious and honeyed baritone vocals anchor quite a few numbers, including the album’s first single, “Give It Away,” written by Tim O’Brien and Matt Combs, which climbed to the #1 spot on Bluegrass Today’s Top 30 Songs chart. The song was propelled by a show-stopping debut at the Grand Ole Opry that earned two standing ovations and inspired an exclusive mini-documentary produced by the Opry.