Allard has accomplished quite a feat, establishing both his own artistry and a delicacy of design… Allard uses the banjo in a way that combines subtlety with melodic prowess, transforming its traditional role as a propulsive instrument into one better attuned to grace and grandeur.
—Lee Zimmerman, Bluegrass Today
The kind of overwhelming talent that doesn’t need a crew behind him to fill your ears with sound, this master class from this college freshman is more organic than everything at Whole Foods lumped together.
—Chris Spector, Midwest Record
An album showing, once more, just what the banjo can do…these are sounds from a talented musician and composer that you’ll want to hear.
—Jonathan Aird, Americana UK
Odes/Codes soothes as it entertains. I’d like to hear more from this musician.
—Mississippi Chris Sharp, Bluegrass Standard
Max Allard knows his stuff. There's nothing too flash for flash's sake, just marvelous playing.
—Rick Stuart, Roots & Fusion, UK
RELAX YOUR GRID
OCTOBER 2021
Max was delighted to be interviewed by friend and mentor Matt Brown for his podcast Relax Your Grid. They discussed all sorts of things from unusual tunings to Max’s love for 80s synth pop, but mostly they talked about Max’s sole debut album Odes/Codes. Matt even premiered his favorite piece from the album, named for his then newborn, Benton, at the end of the episode.
Deering Live
march 2022
Max was honored to be a guest on Deering Live with David Bandrowski and Jamie Latty, talking about Odes / Codes, his composing style, his time at Oberlin so far, and some thoughts about the fabulous Deering prototype thumbpick. There are a few surprises too, such as where Max gets his floral shirts, and his secret recipe for French Toast. Deering separately posted two of the pieces he played in this interview, Inlet and Alta.