M. Ward might be tagged a folk troubadour but he has more in common with the forebears of rock than one might think. To that end, Ward covered Buddy Holly's 'Rave On' (which appears on his new album, 'Hold Time') and Chuck Berry's 'Roll Over Beethoven' Thursday night at Washington D.C.'s 9:30 Club.

The Portland, Ore.-based songwriter has been adding both songs to the set list on his most recent tour, displaying Ward's masterful guitar style, which switched from effortless picks to octave jumping slides.

Ward has said in the past that performing live is his least favorite part of the job, so unsurprisingly, he only minimally engaged with the crowd, choosing instead to focus on the music. Still, whether Ward was standing solo with his acoustic guitar, or rocking with his backing band, one couldn't help but think Holly and Berry would've tipped their hat.