Bluegrass Underground

Taped 333-feet below ground within Tennessee's extraordinary Cumberland Caverns, this "musical adventure" showcases highlights from five seasons with both well-established and top emerging artists within the broad spectrum of Bluegrass, Jam Band, Roots-Rock, Neo-Folk and Americana genres. It's a little bit Bluegrass, a little bit Underground!

Self taught, Seattle-based and Grammy nominated for Americana Album of the Year, Brandi Carlile’s style revolves around pop, rock, alt-country and folk. Her songs serve up personal stories of parents and childhood; of divorce, marriage and religion; of love and of loss. Here are stories of forgiveness, reconciliation, of climbing out of bed every morning open to love.

Come along as we take you to the new home of Bluegrass Underground, The Caverns, on a behind-the-scenes tour from when the subterranean amphitheater was first purchased.

The bluegrass band 18 South kicks off the performance series, which is taped in Cumberland Caverns in McMinnville, Tenn.

Ricky Skaggs and Kentucky Thunder perform.

Singer-songwriter Will Hoge performs.

From multiple Grammy wins to The Hunger Games' soundtrack, 2012 is a breakout year for The Civil Wars. Intricately woven phrasing and airtight harmonies mark the minimalist duo's powerfully ballads and astonishingly frank songs on the paradoxical nature of love.

The thirteen time Grammy winner plays the dobro with unprecedented speed and haunting lyricism. Douglas is one of Nashville's most in-demand session players and is a longtime featured member of Alison Krauss & Union Station.

Singer-songwriter Sarah Jarosz performs.

Season 3 kicks off with Old Crow Medicine Show.

The singer/violinist, multi-instrumentalist performs indie-folk rock with guest Tift Merritt.

Infamous Stringdusters perform.

The Season 4 premiere features the successful jamband Widespread Panic who meld southern rock, blues-rock, funk and hard rock in a stellar performance.

Steep Canyon Rangers perform.

Cellist Dave Eggar, singer Amy Lee (of Evanescence) and dance troupe Hammerstep perform.

Leftover Salmon perform in the Season 5 premiere.

Jerry Douglas' Earls of Leicester perform.

Singer-songwriter Amos Lee performs.

Savor the Underground debut of a group that personifies “Americana”: Guitarist-singer-songwriter Rawlings with Gillian Welch, Punch Brothers bassist Paul Kowert, fiddler Brittany Haas and former Old Crow Medicine Show guitarist Willie Watson.

Welcome these relative newcomers, a 10-piece band fresh out of Houston and fronted by the massive-voiced singer Kam Franklin and influenced by classic rock 'n' roll, country, Latin and southern hip-hop as much as Stax/Volt or Muscle Shoals era.

Join monster mandolinist (and chef) Frank Solivan and his band, Dirty Kitchen, whose sturdy matrix of bluegrass veined with jazz, blues, country and jam band delivers on their main rule: “No filler.”

Enjoy the irresistible Cuban groove of the genre-leaping Grammy-winners fronted by the transcendent vocals of Raul Malo. The band has won awards from the Academy of Country Music, the Country Music Association and the Americana Music Association.

Listen to the group variously described as blues-rock, jamband and acid-Americana. Rolling Stone described their sound as “electrifying…boast[ing] a vintage rock vibe that’s at once quirky, trippy, soulful and downright magnetic.”

Hear a Georgia-born, internationally acclaimed band that defines the drive and precision of top shelf bluegrass. Celebrating their 25th anniversary, the group is a top pick on Amazon.com and a favorite of discerning bluegrass fans everywhere.

Reaction to Billy Strings come in two varieties: “Who is this guy?” and “That kid can play!” Strings won IBMA 2016 Momentum Awards Instrumentalist of the Year (for guitar, banjo and mandolin) and was voted #1 in The Bluegrass Situation’s Top 16 of 16. Michigan-raised from a long line of players, Billy Strings is a phenomenon whose articulation and entire approach is totally authentic.

With a distinct "indie folk grit," Berklee-trained Tasjan has always considered himself a songwriter first even as he built creds with glam-rockers New York Dolls, southern rockers Drivin’ N Cryin’, arena rockers Semi Precious Weapons and British rockers Alberta Cross. Imbued with wry wit, a sharp tongue and a lot of heart, his songs harken John Prine, Tom Petty, Guy Clark, and Steve Goodman, solidifying him as one of the most intriguing songwriters to emerge in some time.

Raised on a Kentucky farm, The Father of Newgrass and King of Telluride has long since established himself as roots royalty, soaking up honors such as an Americana Music Association Lifetime Achievement Award, three Grammys, and multiple International Bluegrass Music Association trophies. After a lifetime of channeling energy toward jazz, folk, blues, reggae, country swing, and bluegrass, Bush still strives relentlessly to create something new.

Truly iconic, profoundly influential, and a catalyst for an entire movement in country rock and American roots music, the Nitty Gritty Dirt Band, continues to add to their legendary status. With multi-platinum and gold records, strings of Top 10 hits, multiple Grammy, IBMA, CMA Awards, the band's accolades continue to accumulate.

Singer-songwriter and violinist, road warrior, and recently minted MFA in creative writing, Amanda Shires cuts her own genre blended roots-rock with fierce-sweet violin, soaring vocals and critically acclaimed compositions. Shires was Americana’s 2017 Emerging Artist of the Year and won for Best Americana Album with husband Jason Isbell’s band, The 400 Unit.

Nashville-based singer-songwriting bluesman and four-time Grammy Award winner, Keb’ Mo’ has been described as "a living link to the seminal Delta blues that traveled up the Mississippi River and across the expanse of America." A musical force defying typical genre labels, Mo’s post-modern blues style harkens many eras and genres, including folk, rock, jazz, pop and country.

Featuring Brandi Carlile, Sarah Jarosz, and The Wood Brothers.

Featuring Leon Russell, the Nitty Gritty Dirt Band and Old Crow Medicine Show.

Featuring The Mavericks and Sweet Lizzy Project.