Prior to taping our 83rd podcast, we filmed Chris Eldridge of the Punch Brothers performing a few solo tunes. His repertoire of choice? The music of John Hartford.

“John Hartford is the most important to me.” Eldridge explained in the podcast. “Hartford embodied taking part in it all. He was an amazing banjo player, a great fiddle player, a great guitar player… his clogging sounded awesome but he was such a great writer and I love his singing. He was just like a renaissance man in life.”

Watch Eldridge perform Hartford’s “Let Him Go On, Mama” (from Hartford’s Mark Twang) as well as “Living in the Mississippi Valley” (from Hartford’s Annual Waltz) at the Fretboard Journal offices.

Eldridge is playing a Martin-style dreadnought built by Japanese builder Hiroshi Suda. It is his main guitar of choice for all Punch Brothers gigs.

Eldridge and Julian Lage will be appearing at the first-annual Fretboard Summit, November 6-8, 2015. Details here.