File this one under ‘too cool not to share’ (and I promise we’ll return to Singapore next week), but this is just too cool not to share! 🙂 Our friend Dallas had posted a while back that he had attended a bluegrass concert… in a CAVE… and so Holly and I decided we had to see this for ourselves. I mean… it’s a concert in a cave for crying out loud! Anyway, Holly and I and our niece Holly (formerly known as little Holly… she’s not little anymore) ended up going yesterday, and it was extremely cool! And yes, that’s a chandelier… in a cave.
Here’s the skippy. The concerts are held in Cumberland Caverns as part of their Bluegrass Underground series. The caverns themselves are located just outside of McMinnville, TN, which is right around 2.5 hours away from Maryville / Knoxville. The bluegrass bands that play are varied, and some sell out rather quickly (buy tickets here), and you can even attend the concerts that are filmed for the PBS TV series by the same name (check out some songs from different episodes here)! Pretty cool stuff!
The bands that were there when we went were Michael Cleveland and Flamekeeper with Billy Strings as the opening group. Both groups were exceptional, but whew man, Michael Cleveland can sure play the fiddle! He’s the International Bluegrass Music Association’s ‘Fiddle Performer of the Year’ winner, 10 times over (he’s nicknamed ‘the man who was born to fiddle’, as he’s been playing since he was 4 years old… oh, and he’s blind! Incredible!), and the group themselves have won the International Bluegrass Association’s ‘Instrumental Group of the Year’ 4 times. Pretty impressive! Check out some of their music here on YouTube.
–Dan Thompson
Cumberland Caverns
Fellow Photographers!
If you’re like me, the Great Smoky Mountains National Park has been the central focal point, or the backdrop for, some amazing photos and memories over the years. Due to the recent wildfires, lots of people that live in the communities surrounding the park have lost everything. This is OUR opportunity to give back to an area that has blessed us so richly. Steve Zigler, Bill Lea, and I have partnered with The Great Smoky Mountains Association (GSMA) to establish a fund specifically for the photography community to donate to wildfire relief. This money goes directly to the GSMA, which will disperse it to families in need there.