Julian Lage & Chris Eldridge

Guitarist Chris Eldridge has built his career both within and on the fringes of bluegrass and folk music, and is best known for his work with the Infamous Stringdusters and the Punch Brothers. The son of Seldom Scene founder Ben Eldridge, Chris studied guitar at Oberlin Conservatory with bluegrass legend Tony Rice and, after graduation, joined his father’s band for their 2007 LP, Scenechronized, which was nominated for a Grammy Award. That same year, the Infamous Stringdusters made their recorded debut on Sugar Hill Records. Although Eldridge had been a founding member of the band since its early days in Boston, he left the Stringdusters in 2008 to join mandolinist Chris Thile’s new progressive bluegrass outfit, the Punch Brothers. The Punch Brothers’ innovative style netted them widespread acclaim and success over the coming years, with Eldridge emerging as a distinctive guitar ace and strong vocalist. In addition to the albums he has recorded with the group, he has worked with a diverse group of musicians and producers including T-Bone Burnett, Fiona Apple, Elvis Costello, John Paul Jones, and Justin Timberlake, among others. In 2013 he began a musical partnership with fellow singer/guitarist Julian Lage, and the duo released a debut EP, followed a year later by a full-length release, Avalon. They followed it up in 2017 with Mount Royal, a mix of folk-oriented songs and eclectic acoustic guitar duets, on the Free Dirt label. ~ Timothy Monger