Whether on archaeological digs or translating medieval poetry, the past has always served as a north star for banjo player, songwriter, and author Max Wareham. When it came time for Wareham to record his debut album of banjo-forward tunes, his commitment to the early innovators of the instrument took center stage. Due out on February 21, 2025, Wareham’s new LP, DAGGOMIT!, features not only a tracklist of soulful original songs but also a cast of Nashville’s preeminent bluegrass pickers, steeped in the same musical traditions Wareham holds so dear. Fans can stream or purchase “Hard Times Are Far Behind” today via this link, watch the band performing “Hard Times” in the studio here, and pre-order or pre-save DAGGOMIT! ahead of its February release here.
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. Tour dates for Max Wareham & the National Bluegrass Team, as well as Wareham’s appearances with the Peter Rowan Bluegrass Band, can be found at maxwareham.com.
DAGGOMIT! Tracklist:
Walking in Jerusalem
Lonesome Blues, I’m Coming Home
The Black & Gold
That’s Just Part of It
Heartaches
Rexford Falls
Gone, Baby, Gone
I Remember
Hard Times Are Far Behind
Cattails
Bar Blues
Drifting Too Far From the Shore
Miles
About Max Wareham:
Whether on archaeological digs or translating medieval poetry, the past has always served as a guiding star for banjo player, songwriter, and author Max Wareham. His dedication to the 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. Wareham tours nationally with the Peter Rowan Bluegrass Band, bringing his creativity to events like the Telluride Bluegrass Festival, Ryman Auditorium, MerleFest, Green Mountain Bluegrass Festival, IBMA Bluegrass Music Awards, and many more. He also performs with his own band, Max Wareham & the National Bluegrass Team.
Produced by legendary grasser Peter Rowan—Wareham has spent the last two years touring in Rowan’s band—and recorded by multi-Grammy-winning engineer Sean Sullivan, DAGGOMIT! features Chris Eldridge and David Grier on guitar, Laura Orshaw on fiddle, Chris Henry on mandolin, Mike Bub on bass, and Larry Atamanuik on snare drum. This stellar group of musicians makes the initial listen of the album worth the price of admission alone. But fans will undoubtedly stay for the stories Wareham tells throughout the 13-song collection—stories from a lifetime of experiences and feelings that together reveal what makes Max, Max.
Today, Wareham shared the first single from DAGGOMIT!, the longing “Hard Times Are Far Behind.” Co-written with Rowan, this mid-tempo number places the narrator far from home, looking forward to returning to a familiar place: “Where the river flows in the laurel groves.” Accented by solos from Eldridge and Orshaw and driven by Atamanuik’s snare and Henry’s mandolin chop, “Hard Times Are Far Behind” offers just a glimpse into the world Wareham has created for his anticipated debut.
