Max Allard and Otto Allard

Description

When Max and Otto Allard aren't bickering like brothers, they make some really amazing music together. They play a mix of original tunes and bluegrass/newgrass, jazz/swing, and video game covers. Both Max and Otto are currently at Oberlin Conservatory: Max is in his second year studying composition and Otto is in his first year in the jazz performance program.

Béla Fleck described Max this way: "A new mature and poetic voice on the 5 string banjo. Beautiful compositions and a very nice touch."

Max and Otto had the thrill of opening for Sam Bush at the Old Town School of Folk Music in February 2020. They have played the White Oak Folk Festival in Wisconsin, the Banjo After Dark series at Borelli's, Bluegrass Brunch at Hey Nonny, and the Square Roots Festival in Lincoln Square. Other venues include Uncommon Ground, The Grafton, Schubas, Experimental Sound Studio and Wishbone

Work Sample

This is Max's original tune Deco from his debut solo album Odes / Codes from 2022. Deco is the only duet on the album, written and recorded with producer Jayme Stone. Normally a banjo duet, Max's brother Otto learned the second banjo part on mandolin, and this recording is from the live performance at Old Town School of Folk Music in Chicago, the album release show in June 2022. This piece runs just over 4 minutes.

This is a cover of a Krüger Brothers tune that Max and Otto often perform live. This video was recorded in May 2021 and the performance is just under 4 minutes. Max and Otto have long been inspired by the Krüger Brothers, a trio made up of German/Swiss brothers Jens & Uwe Krüger and American bassist Joel Landsberg. Jens and Uwe spent their youth homeless living on the train playing music all around Europe for money, and they made a living with it. Max had the honor and thrill of styling with Jens, and he has always been an inspiration.

This is Day 3 from Max's 2023 album March Maxness, in which he wrote, recorded and released a tune every day in the month of March 2021 (during the pandemic). A total of 31 original tunes. This tune features Otto on mandolin, and Max on the rest of the instruments: banjo, harmonium, guitar, and electric bass. Running time for Day 3 is 3:36. The entire album March Maxness is 86 minutes of original works and can be found here: http://bit.ly/maxness

They play such a wide variety of styles and tunes that it's hard to capture it all, but I have supplied a sampling of some of the different things they do. Max writes a lot of solo contemplative banjo work, and Max and Otto play that together (Otto doing harmonies on mandolin), but they also play jazz/swing standards, folk tunes, bluegrass covers and a bunch of original tunes together that don't fit neatly into any genre.

History

Max and Otto Allard were born and raised in Logan Square in Chicago. Max began asking for a piano as soon as he could talk, but it was in 2012 that he started playing the banjo (he was 11 at the time) and found the instrument that he was made to play. He took to it immediately, and shortly after, Otto joined in on the string band music by learning the mandolin. Both consider the Old Town School of Folk Music their second home and began performing there from a young age. They formed a band and then played all over Chicago with their mix of original tunes and bluegrass/newgrass, jazz/swing, and video game covers. Both Max and Otto are currently at Oberlin Conservatory: Max is in his second year studying composition and Otto is in his first year in the jazz performance program.
Max and Otto had the thrill of opening for Sam Bush at the Old Town School of Folk Music in February 2020. They have played the White Oak Folk Festival in Wisconsin, the Banjo After Dark series at Borelli's, Bluegrass Brunch at Hey Nonny, and the Square Roots Festival in Lincoln Square. Other venues include Uncommon Ground, The Grafton, Schubas, Experimental Sound Studio, Wishbone.

Béla Fleck had this to say about Max:
"A new mature and poetic voice on the 5 string banjo. Beautiful compositions and a very nice touch."

Artistic Vision

Max and Otto love the bluegrass instrumentation and learned string band and folk music on their instruments, but they love to combine it with more modern influences, such as video game music, or modern piano works or German techno or Japanese synth pop from the 80s. They are bringing a new fresh sound to the bluegrass world.

Programs for Specific Audience(s) Expertise

Max and Otto can tailor any show for any audience but don't really have anything specific. They've played shows at memory care facilities and a home for the blind and love the opportunity to play at such places and connect with the people there.