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Top 5 Bluegrass Underground Moments

Todd Mayo is the creator of Bluegrass Underground and the owner of The Caverns. For over 10 years, he's been bringing music to caves and he's experienced a lot of special underground moments. We asked Todd to share his Top 5 Bluegrass Underground moments, from our first home to our forever home in The Caverns. Here's Todd's Top 5 in his own words.

5. Andrew Bird, "Danse Caribe"

There is something so sublime and magical to Andrew's performance of this song and the transition between "violin-ing" and fiddling is akin to seeing a mountain turn into a cloud. Just watching Tift Merritt watch Andrew Bird while his eyes are closed and he is in the cave zone is worth the watch, by itself.

4. Aaron Lee Tasjan, "The Dangerous Kind"

This Season 8 gem (pun intended) from the underground was as rockin' (pun unintended) a moment as we have had in 9 years of the series and set the stage for so many of the rock shows we have enjoyed since.

3. Kasey Chambers, "Ain't No Little Girl"

Spend a few minutes here if you are the sort who appreciates an artist becoming completely lost in a song and a moment completely outside the hands of time. You might lose sight of yourself for a bit too!

2. Ralph Stanley, "O Death"

Anyone that was there can attest to the fact that they still have chill bumps from this one. Complete darkness that only a cave can provide with one white light on Ralph owning his signature song in a setting that added layers to the experience.

1. (TIE) Brandi Carlile, "The Joke" and The SteelDrivers, "Angel of The Night"

The defining song of 2018 on Earth and a defining moment for The Caverns. The string quartet, Brandi's ownership of the moment, and The Caverns utter lack of a fourth wall puts this right there at the top (of the bottom)

Even if there are an infinite amount of parallel universes, none could ever better replicate the confluence of circumstances that led to the ultimate "Bluegrass Underground" band of all time playing show #1 on August 16, 2008. The Bluegrass Underground Big Bang! Thank God and the multi-verse too that we had a camera there to capture it!