Real, Deep Music - Cumberland Caverns

[Larry E. Matthews]

Today's Nashville Tennessean newspaper (August 19, 2010) has a great 2-page article on the live Bluegrass Concerts that are held underground in the Volcano Room every month at Cumberland Caverns. The article starts on page 1-D, with a nice color photo of a concert, a photo of a singer performing, and another of the audience.

Page 6-D continues with the very lengthy article and has three (3) more nice color photos. These underground concerts began on August 16, 2008, and have been held every month since then. They are recorded, then broadcast later on WSM radio, the radio that broadcasts the Grand Old Opry nationwide. There is talk of turning the shows into a PBS series. Cool !!!

The shows begin at 1:00 on Saturdays, but the audience is asked to arrive one hour early, to be seated, so that the show can start on time without noise or interruptions.

It is really nice in person. My wife, Betty, and I went to a show last year and plan to go again. Tickets are $20 each. Not bad by today's standards.

Larry E. Matthews
NSS #6792-F

[bronzzhorse]

Ive seen and heard about this,,,,,,,,,, it is 100% on my "bucket list"...... i am a Professional Working Musician, and SERIOUS caver, so to have the opportunity to mix the two......... WOW~~

[graveleye]

hey cool. I am also a professional musician. Except I haven't been paid in years, so I had to get a day job.

The wife and I recorded a little bit in the Kingston Saltpeter Cave in the Ballroom. The acoustics are wicked in there. Back when the cave was being used as a dance hall, they used to have live music in there too. It was kind of cool to think that was the first time that live music was played in the cave in 60+ years.

[Phil Winkler]

I never knew that about KSC. Shelta also had a dance floor and live music at one time. According to a town history the first electric lights in town were installed in Shelta Cave. I think parts of the dance floor are still visible in the Big Room.

[graveleye]

Indeed, the KSC was commercially operated back in the 30s. They built a wooden dance-floor in the ballroom, and had a huge wooden staircase that went the whole 180' down the entrance slope (sometimes I wish it was still there!)
They ran electric lights down into the place too, and I still find bits of old wire down there, along with some very old nails which were probably from the decking and staircase.

[Phil Winkler]

Yep. The 30s was the Depression and people were trying anyway they could to make money. This was the period when the KY cave wars took place, too. Cave owners would move other cave owners' signs, reset direction arrows, etc. Visitors often didn't know what cave they were in until after the fact.

I don't know when Shelta was first a party place, but it's rumored that Bill Torode still goes into it on Friday night and dances! That's why he bought the house across the street.

[graveleye]

I would pay money to see that!!

[trogman]

I don't know when Shelta was first a party place, but it's rumored that Bill Torode still goes into it on Friday night and dances! That's why he bought the house across the street.

The toad dancing-now that would be a sight!

Apparently the whole in-cave dance hall thing was quite common back in "the day." Our local cave here in NE AL is Weaver/Lady's Cave, and the big room in it used to be a dance hall also. There was electric power ran down there, and prior to our recent cleanup, a lot of trash from yesteryear.

The acoustics in many cave rooms are really awesome, and that may be why people like to stage live music in these places. I recall going to Tumbling Rock recently, and Nathan Williams had brought a boom box to the Topless Dome. In addition to the music (it sounded like something from Lord of the Rings), he had also brought a multi-million candlepower light that actually illuminated the top of the dome! That was quite a memorable experience.

Trogman

[graveleye]

Nathan did a show like that for us a couple of years ago. It was really fun!

Also in the dance hall cave list would be Deaton's Cave down in Georgia. They actually poured a concrete floor and made a concrete bench against a wall in the first room. It's still there from what i understand although I haven't been in there in nearly 20 years.