MAX & OTTO ALLARD

When Max and Otto Allard aren’t bickering like brothers, they make some 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 final year studying composition, and Otto is in his third year in the jazz performance program. At Oberlin, they are both members of the Performance Improvisation ensemble led by Jamey Haddad, and they also play in the bluegrass ensemble the Yard Sailors.

Max and Otto had the thrill of opening to a sold out house for Sam Bush at the Old Town School of Folk Music in February 2020. They have returned to play other shows there, including opening for Nora Brown and Stephanie Coleman in June 2024. They have played Riverdog Retreat in Wakeman Ohio, the Oberlin Folk Festival in Oberlin, Ohio; the White Oak Folk Festival in Dodeville, Wisconsin, and in Chicago: the Banjo After Dark series at Borelli’s, Bluegrass Brunch at Hey Nonny, and the Square Roots Festival in Lincoln Square. Other Chicagoland venues include Beat Kitchen, Uncommon Ground, The Grafton, Schubas, Wishbone and the Sidebar Supper Club.