Jim Lauderdale at CaveFest 2025 – photo © Alisa B Cherry
There are festivals and then there are festivals, each allowing for an experience based on populist precepts — a gathering of the tribes if you will. The era of peace and love may be in the rearview mirror, but when these gatherings come around, it’s as if a time warp opens up and the era of tie-dye, good vibes, and yes, memories of The Grateful Dead, are suddenly thrust into the present.
Bluegrass festivals illuminate that aura as much or more than many. And of those, CaveFest is one of the newest gatherings within that genre — and already — one of the best. After only four years, it’s managed to attract some of the most storied artists within those realms while gaining their own storied reputation as a great assembly point for those who want to party like its 1969 (as in Woodstock — all apologies to Prince!)
This year’s event, which was held the weekend of October 11 and 12, proved no exception. Over the course of those two days, it attracted such notable artists and ensembles as the Tim O’Brien Band, the Sam Bush Band, Leftover Salmon, Shadowgrass, the Dan Tyminski Band, Sam Lewis and Scott Miller, among various others. The locale, a forested tract in Middle Tennessee, offered two venues in particular — a natural amphitheater with a full stage set-up and the Cavern, a natural subterranean environment with an ambiance all its own. The lighting on the trails leading to and from the campgrounds provided a spectacular visual experience, an enticement that rivals Red Rocks as far as pure sensory appeal.
Given its intimate environs, comparisons to MerleFest and Telluride also come to mind, but in truth, CaveFest has a different and distinctive ambiance, one reason it attracts attendees from throughout the US.
“We welcomed guests from California, Texas, Minnesota, Florida, New Hampshire — truly from every corner of the country—and it was such a joy for our hardworking team to host them and share Tennessee’s finest fall weather,” Jeff Meltesen, Caverns Marketing Director, told Bluegrass Today. “Everywhere I looked, there were smiling faces enjoying the music, both above and below ground. We’re so grateful to our fans, vendors, partners, artists, and their teams, whose energy and dedication make CaveFest possible!”
Meltesen’s enthusiasm is well warranted. The music was nothing short of spectacular. On Saturday, Tim O’Brien and company kicked things into high gear with a band that featured his wife, Jan Fabricius, on vocals and mandolin, the always amiable Mike Bub on bass, and Shad Cobb on fiddle and vocals — the same combo that contributed to O’Brien and Fabricius’ recent album, Paper Flowers.
There were some stunning new stars on the proverbial horizon as well. Arlo McKinley offered a gentle solo acoustic set early in the afternoon, while New Dangerfield epitomized the sound of progressive newgrass as they entertained and enticed the cave-dwellers. Lindsay Lou, little more than a last minute stand-in a couple of years ago, is now known as “the queen of Cavefest,” and her trio courted the crowd with their tight instrumental interplay and playful personalities. One couldn’t help but think of the band, I’m With Her, given the solace and charm echoing through their tender harmonies. A take on the traditional standard, Fair and Tender Ladies, made those points precisely.
Sam Bush capped Saturday evening with a robust and rollicking performance that had the crowd on its feet and moving with ecstasy and abandon. The hippie-vibe was in full display, little wonder considering the fact that Sam’s songs evoke an array of emotions, most of which are spawned with pure, unbridled abandon. Indeed, songs such as Born To Run, Same Old River, Circles Around Me, and covers of tunes by Peter Rowan, John Hartford, and The Box Tops (!) reinforced that giddy sensibility while intensifying the energy all at the same time. Bush may be the King of Telluride, but it’s clear he’s easily able to reign over the many other kingdoms where he appears. So too, when he encouraged the crowd to howl at the moon, his command was freely obeyed.
Sunday got off to a mellow start, as well it should have. Acoustic sets by Scott Miller and Sam Lewis allowed for an easy entry into what would be a busy day. Miller’s self-effacing attitude and easy, unassuming persona was evident in songs such as Ciderville Saturday Night, How Am I Gonna Be Me, Angels Dwell, Made A Mess Of This Town, and Is There Room On the Cross For Me (the latter especially appropriate for a Sunday morning). For his part, Lewis’ set showed why his regular hops between Nashville and Knoxville have made him a regional favorite. He’s an able songwriter in the style of the early James Taylor, as the sensitivity that pervaded such offerings as Virginia Avenue and In My Dreams tend to prove, and they certainly indicate an amiable attitude as well.
The sound of bluegrass kicked into high gear with a performance by Shadowgrass, an adventurous ensemble that pushes the parameters while still staying true to their early influences.
The band had its beginnings just over a decade ago when core members Clay Russell (banjo), Luke Morris (mandolin) and Kyser George (guitar) met during a jam at the Grayson County Fiddlers’ Convention in Elk Creek, Virginia. They’ve become a cult favorite in the years since, and it was with great anticipation that the Sunday audience greeted their imminent arrival. Suffice it to say, the wait was worth it.
While Lyndsay Lou held court with her “Album Hour” in the cavern, Jim Lauderdale & The Game Changers entertained outside in the amphitheater. Lauderdale is a constant presence at these gatherings, and last year he and his band continued to perform even after the sound system failed, and they even ventured into the crowd in order to do so. Fortunately, there was no need to follow suit this year as the s sound was fully functional. Lauderdale is another humble, self-effacing entertainer, and songs such as It Blows My Mind, Hole In My Head, Friends Again, Lucky Loser, Headed For the Hills, and You’re Hoggin’ My Mind testify to his easy-going attitude. So too, when he sings with mournful emotion on a song such as The King of Broken Hearts, a song he co-wrote as a tribute to his early idols George Jones and Gram Parsons, his deeper emotions surface through an effortless embrace.
The Dan Tyminski Band brought traditional trappings to the fore, while also putting the emphasis on extended jams that reinforced its leader’s remarkable resume, one that includes several Grammys and a tenure with Alison Krauss & Union Station. “I see you’re a bluegrass audience,” Tyminski declared. “So we’ve come to play some bluegrass.” That they did, sharing classic covers in the process. “What if we lived in a world where we could follow Ralph Stanley with Bill Monroe?,” he mused, and again they did just that. “This is real bluegrass, not AI,” Tyminski insisted, and given the band’s powerful performance, it left little doubt as to the fact that memorable music such as their’s could only come courtesy of a human with both heart and soul.
Finally, it was left to Leftover Salmon to end the evening on the main stage courtesy of a series of extended instrumentals that suggested something akin to a Grateful Dead concert, not unlike a moveable feast of sorts. A jam with Jim Lauderdale upped the energy level even further, while a track titled Eliza, a reggae-style rocker affirmed the band’s proven proficiency for bending boundaries. They played well into the evening, but after they concluded, the music continued with the Airshow jam in the cave.
There’s cause for feeling sleep-deprived at CaveFest, given that the sounds from the cavern drifted into the campgrounds well into the wee hours. Then again, that’s what defines a true festival frenzy, and CaveFest is no exception.
