Max Wareham: DAGGOMIT!

Max Wareham is a bit of an old soul. From archaeological digs to translating medieval poetry, Max feels most at home with one foot in the past. That includes his commitment to early innovators of the banjo shines on DAGGOMIT!, his debut album of soulful original songs, highlighted by the hard-driving chemistry of Nashville’s preeminent bluegrass stars, each steeped in the same musical tradition Max holds so dear.

For two years, Max has been playing with the Peter Rowan Band. “I have learned a lot,” he says. “And during that time, I have been doing a lot of writing songs of my own. This album is an offshoot of what I had been doing with Peter Rowan’s band.” With a solid collection of songs under his belt, Max was ready to put them into an album Peter Rowan would produce. He called upon some of the best artists in the business to join him. Chris Eldridge and David Grier are on guitar, Laura Orshaw is on fiddle, Chris Henry is on mandolin, Mike Bub is on bass, and Larry Atamanuik is on snare drum.

The thirteen songs on the album tell stories from a lifetime of experiences and feelings. A single from the album, “Hard Times Are Far Behind,” was released before the album’s February release. Co-written with Rowan, the mid-tempo number finds the narrator mid-tale, far from home, and looking forward to returning to a familiar place: “Where the river flows in the laurel groves.” The song is a glimpse into the world Max has created for his anticipated debut.

“I grew up listening to albums,” says Max. “I loved listening to classic albums by The Beatles and the Beach Boys. I liked seeing how they sequenced their songs. To me, sequencing an album is a fun kind of puzzle to solve – it’s part of the process I really enjoy.” One thing Max noticed in some of those old albums was that the last track on the first side always seemed to be something a bit experimental. “I decided to put one of my more adventuresome tracks as the last song on side one of my albums.” The song is “Gone, Baby, Gone,” featuring Peter Rowan on vocals.

As far as the scope of the material, Max reiterates that he is really interested in early bluegrass music. “Those early innovators of style played with a soulfulness that is easy to overlook in contemporary bluegrass. I enjoy exploring different ways to make the music feel alive through the arrangements. We only did a few takes of each song – I think that makes the music feel more alive. We also used some old recording techniques such as using snare drums with brushes and a kind of echo rockabilly slap-back like what Elvis used to do.”

The album was recorded in October 2023 on “the last warm day of the year” at The Tractor Shed in Goodlettsville, Tennessee. “It’s a beautiful place -- the property that once belonged to Grandpa Jones from Hee Haw,” says Max. “Sean Sullivan was our engineer.”

Max tours with his band, Max Wareham and the National Bluegrass Team. The team features international mandolin prodigy Jean Baptiste Cardineau, singer and guitarist Jack Holland, and Emma Turoff on bass.

maxwareham.com