Max Wareham
Bio
Whether on archaeological digs or translating medieval poetry, the past has always been a north star for banjo player, songwriter, and author Max Wareham. Max, who learned his trade from banjo masters Bill Keith and Tony Trischka, and is a member of the Peter Rowan Bluegrass Band and was featured on the Grammy-nominated album “Calling You From My Mountain.”
After two years of touring nationally with Peter, Max recorded his debut album, DAGGOMIT!. The album features Chris Eldridge and David Grier on guitar, Laura Orshaw on fiddle, Chris Henry on mandolin, Mike Bub on bass, Larry Atamanuik on snare drum, and guest singer and producer Peter Rowan. Recorded by multi-Grammy winning engineer Sean Sullivan, Wareham’s commitment to early innovators of the instrument shines on this forthcoming record of soulful original songs, highlighted by the hard-driving chemistry of Nashville’s preeminent bluegrass stars.
Wareham’s interest in history extends also to his writing. His first book, “Rudy Lyle: The Unsung Hero of the Five String Banjo” chronicles the life and music of early bluegrass banjo master Rudy Lyle by presenting exhaustive and largely never-before-published transcriptions and analyses of every break Lyle recorded with “the father of bluegrass,” Bill Monroe. He is currently working on a book about the history of bluegrass in collaboration with banjo legend Butch Robins, longtime member of Bill Monroe and the Blue Grass Boys.
Wareham is currently touring with Max Wareham & the National Bluegrass Team, featuring international mandolin prodigy Jean Baptiste Cardineau, singer and guitarist Walker Russell, and Boston bass stalwart Emma Turoff.
In addition to his work as a banjo player, he has studied jazz guitar performance at the New School for Jazz and Contemporary Music in NYC, written songs for and co-produced the album “Cousin Moon,” played electric bass with psych-pop outfit Sun Parade, and produced and recorded songs of his own under the alias “Sir Orfeo.”
