Bluegrass and hockey: two words not often used together. But banjo player, songwriter, and author Max Wareham thinks sports and art have more in common than people may believe, citing Hemingway’s bullfighting muse and Bill Monroe’s obsession with baseball, to name a few.

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.