Bluegrass Underground

PBS’s Bluegrass Underground, first broadcast in 2011, is an alluring television and radio series that is one-part performance venue, one-part natural wonder, and all parts entertaining to bluegrass and roots music enthusiasts. Tucked away deep within the bowels of the Cumberland Plateau in Tennessee, the audience finds themselves in a limestone cave, known as The Caverns, 333 feet below ground. The dedication to such a unique and acoustically gifted venue underpins the quality, authenticity, and individuality that Bluegrass Underground brings to television viewers and the world of American music.

The show offloads a captivating showcase pivoting around passionate performances by an array of accomplished artists who span the genres of bluegrass, country, folk, and even a touch of blues and rock. Emerging artists and established names share the stage in equal measure, creating a vibrant and multi-faceted presentation of music. Its nature-inspired setting, with the cave's natural acoustics, offers an aural experience that is tranquil, soothing, yet powerfully exhilarating. For musicians, it’s an intimate environment that allows for soul-stirring performances, and for the audience, it is an equally intimate encounter with the rawness and intensity of music.

Symbolizing the rich legacy of American roots music, Bluegrass Underground fills homes with the melodious strumming of banjos, fiddles, mandolins, and dulcimers, along with the soul-deep lyrics that often narrate the quintessential American landscape and experience. Audiences are treated to captivating performances from musicians who excel in their craft, thus offering a stage for a genre of music that is often seen as one of the most indelible imprints of the American cultural fabric. The series offers more than a mere witnessing of live performances. It provides an immersive musical journey that crisscrosses through the varied and colorful terrains of bluegrass, country, and folk music.

With a keen eye towards musicianship and authenticity, Bluegrass Underground goes beyond entertainment and dives into the rich waters of musical education. It serves as a stunning platform for musicians to not only share their music but also engage in a dialogue about their process, inspirations, and the rich history and evolution of bluegrass and roots music, proving to be a rich resource for music aficionados.

The natural, dimly-illuminated Cave provides a distinctive locale for conducting interviews and has galvanized Bluegrass Underground’s reputation as a program that is as visually striking as it is musically. The Cave's stunning natural luminescence, coupled with strategically curated lighting, adds depth and an ethereal touch to each performance, making each episode visually arresting. The extraordinary location and simple yet sophisticated lighting design create pure, unobstructed focus on the music and musicians, connecting the viewer more intimately with the cave's haunting acoustics and the music’s deeply-woven narratives.

Bluegrass Underground achieves a delicate balance between preserving the purity and tradition of American folk music while pushing the boundaries to allow a measure of progression within the genre. The result is music that is harmoniously stuck between past and present, something that is classic yet refreshingly contemporary.

Underground offers viewers a unique blend of casualness and elegance. The audience is seated on folding chairs, donned in protective helmets, adding an earthy, rustic touch to the experience, only to be gently offset by the cave’s grandeur and majesty as well as the sheer finesse and eloquence of the musicians who take the stage.

PBS’s Bluegrass Underground combines a cornucopia of elements that define unique entertainment. A visual and acoustic vibrancy, melded with a diverse range of music genres, underscored by captivating artist interviews, wrapped into one unrepeatable and immersive experience. It’s music’s romance with nature, where organic acoustics, creative lighting, and artists who breathe life into their instruments come together but remain beautifully understated, drawing attention back to the music.

In essence, Bluegrass Underground from PBS builds on simplicity and elevates it to an almost iconic representation of musical authenticity. An enchanting blend of tradition, innovation, and conservation, the show navigates the links between music and the American experience, offering audiences a harmonious plunge into the heart of timeless music, nestled within a subterranean wonder.