Concerts & Events

Max Allard

“A new mature and poetic voice on the 5 string banjo. Beautiful compositions and a very nice touch.” —Béla Fleck

Max Allard practically grew up in the classrooms and community of the Old Town School of Folk Music, where he met lifelong friends, mentors and collaborators. His debut solo album Odes / Codes was written in 2020 and reflects the contemplative feeling of that year, capturing moods of melancholy, nostalgia, longing, and hopefulness. Max's pianistic approach to his solo banjo compositions brings a new way of thinking about the banjo and how it fits in non-bluegrass music. His inspirations range from ragtime, jazz and bluegrass to German techno, Icelandic pop and Japanese synthpop. Max won the 2018 RockyGrass Banjo Competition and the 2019 FreshGrass Banjo Award and is currently studying composition at Oberlin Conservatory.

https://maxallard.com

Jonas Friddle & Andrew Wilkins

Jonas Friddle and Andrew Wilkins present a rare set of music on the fretless banjo and upright bass. The two perform often in larger lineups, but fans know that for a decade Jonas and Andrew could be found in the back of the Grafton Pub experimenting with the fretless sounds. Reimagined Old-Time tunes, loop pedals and improvised originals were all fair game as they played just for the fun of it and for the folks having a late night Guiness. Now the two are bringing those sounds to a formal setting for the first time at the Old Town School of Folk Music.

https://jonasfriddle.com