ALBUM REVIEW: Max Wareham’s Debut Album ‘DAGGOMIT!’ Showcases Banjo and Bluegrass Variety

On his debut album, DAGGOMIT! Banjo player Max Wareham showcases his expertise, and highlights the masters whose work he studied.

Wareham has toured with Peter Rowan Bluegrass Band for the past two years, and Rowan’s influence is apparent throughout the project; Rowan produced the album and co-wrote three of the songs with Wareham, including the plaintive “Gone, Baby, Gone,” for which he sings lead.

Rowan also sings lead on the bluegrass gospel standard “Drifting Too Far from the Shore,” with Wareham, Chris Henry, and Mark Howard rounding out the four-part harmony. In addition to mandolinist Henry (who also tours with Rowan) Wareham assembled some of the hottest musicians in the bluegrass community for the project: Chris Eldridge and David Grier on guitar, Laura Orshaw on fiddle, Mike Bub on bass, and Larry Atamanuik on drums.

Even with the stellar lineup of musicians, Wareham’s banjo remains the consistent feature of the album. Meanwhile, a closer listen to the lyrics uncovers an overarching theme of seeking meaning and acceptance, learning from life’s challenges while hoping for something better.

Orshaw sings lead on “That’s Just Part of It,” which she co-wrote with Josh Rinkel. Despite inevitable troubles, she tells the listener, “You can’t change the wind’s direction / just set your sails, try to enjoy the ride.” Likewise, “Hard Times Are Far Behind,” another Wareham–Rowan co-write, speaks of a time when one can “lay down shackles” and “leave these blues behind.” Wareham’s vocal lead on that track bears the impressions of Rowan’s style.

Wareham’s commitment to the history of banjo players is no secret, as indicated by his biography of the life and music of banjoist Rudy Lyle, who played with Bill Monroe, and a collaboration in progress with banjo legend Butch Robbins on the history of bluegrass. In his liner notes, Wareham acknowledges the inspiration of Lyle and banjo legend Bill Emerson on “The Black and the Gold.” David Grier plays guitar On “Rexford Falls,” Wareham’s musical tribute to Grier’s father Lamar, another member of Bill Monroe and the Bluegrass Boys.

In the notes, Wareham also refers to his arrangement of “Heartaches” as “a tribute to banjo great Allen Shelton.” Since first recorded in 1931 by Guy Lombardo, a number of versions of “Heartaches” have been released, including a doo-wop version and the classic Patsy Cline. The rendition of the tune by Wareham and his band comes across like a conversation between the different instruments.

The variety of instrumental tracks on the album adds to the texture of the project, beginning with “Walking in Jerusalem,” the traditional tune that opens the album. “The Black and the Gold,” Wareham’s most recent single, was inspired by the Boston Bruins’ ‘22–’23 hockey season. The breakneck speed of picking on the track practically calls for a warning label — ‘Don’t try this at home, kids!’ Wareham closes the album not with exclamation but with the gentle tune “Miles,” inspired, he reveals in the liner notes, by his young nephew’s innocent view of the world, heightening his own awareness of the cycles of life that inform the album.

Max Wareham’s DOGGAMIT! is out Feb. 21.