- Hidden deep beneath the Cumberland Mountains in Grundy County, Tennessee lies one of the world's most magical, musical adventures, "The Caverns Sessions."

Three million years in the making, pure acoustics offer music from the heart of the American experience, center stage, and deep inside the mountains.

This time welcoming American Aquarium.

♪ By every now and then, I mean most of the time ♪ - It's deep down sound in the caverns.

Coming up next!

(cheering and applause) (gentle folk music) ♪ Me and mine have worked this land ♪ ♪ As long as my grandfather can remember ♪ ♪ From plowing soil to digging holes ♪ ♪ Hauling coal, to stripping down the timber ♪ ♪ Then they showed up, and they shut us down ♪ ♪ The same old story, the same old town ♪ ♪ It's like we don't matter, Mama said ♪ ♪ Or at least that's how it seems ♪ ♪ That's the day I woke up from the American dream ♪ (gentle folk music) ♪ What are you supposed to do ♪ ♪ When the God you praying to up and goes missing ♪ ♪ Leaves a trail of unpaid bills ♪ ♪ Broken homes and opioid addiction ♪ (gentle folk music) ♪ And then a politician shows up ♪ ♪ Promising that he'll return the jobs ♪ ♪ That God himself could not bring back ♪ (gentle folk music) ♪ Fool me once, shame on you ♪ ♪ Fool me twice, shame on me ♪ (gentle folk music) ♪ Yeah, that's the day I gave up the American dream ♪ (gentle folk music) ♪ These lamentations ♪ ♪ Getting too damn hard to sing ♪ ♪ These lamentations ♪ ♪ Are gonna be the death of me ♪ (gentle folk music) ♪ You see, me and mine, we ain't the kind ♪ ♪ To sit around idle and complain ♪ (gentle folk music) ♪ We're tough as nails, mean as hell ♪ ♪ Without an ounce of quit in our veins ♪ (gentle folk music) ♪ But the harder we work, the more they take ♪ ♪ 'Til all the good is gone, for goodness sake ♪ ♪ Neither the left or the right ♪ ♪ Are gonna fight for folks stuck in between ♪ (gentle folk music) ♪ The way things really are and the American dream ♪ (gentle folk music) ♪ These lamentations ♪ ♪ Are getting too damn hard to sing ♪ ♪ These lamentations ♪ ♪ Gonna be the death of me ♪ (gentle folk music) ♪ These lamentations ♪ ♪ Getting too damn hard to sing ♪ ♪ These lamentations ♪ ♪ Gonna be the death of me ♪ (audience cheering) (gentle rock music) - How you doing, Pelham, Tennessee?

(audience cheering) - We are American Aquarium, all the way from Raleigh, North Carolina.

(audience cheering) - It's good to be here for "The Caverns Sessions," thank y'all for showing up.

(upbeat rock music) (upbeat rock music) (cheering and applause) ♪ The harder you work, the luckier you get ♪ ♪ The more you get done, boy, the less you'll regret ♪ ♪ Write it down so you never forget ♪ ♪ The harder you work the luckier you get ♪ (gentle rock music) (gentle rock music) ♪ When I turned thirteen my old man sat me down ♪ ♪ Said, boy, there's only two ways out of this town ♪ ♪ That Greyhound bus that's boot camp bound ♪ ♪ Or put your nose in a book and keep your ear to the ground ♪ (gentle rock music) ♪ So I set off for college, but it weren't for me ♪ ♪ And I got a guitar, and started playing for free ♪ ♪ Wrote a couple hundred bad ones, 'til I had two or three ♪ ♪ That I thought were good enough ♪ ♪ Folks might pay me to sing ♪ ♪ The harder you work, the luckier you get ♪ ♪ The more you done, boy, the less you'll regret ♪ ♪ Write it down so you never forget ♪ ♪ The harder you work, the luckier you get ♪ (gentle rock music) ♪ I've heard far less yeses than I have nos ♪ ♪ Seen far less highs than I have lows ♪ ♪ Rather get to the top, steady and slow ♪ ♪ Than get there too fast with nowhere to go ♪ ♪ The harder you work, the luckier you get ♪ ♪ The more you get done, boy, the less you'll regret ♪ ♪ Write it down so you never forget ♪ ♪ The harder you work, the luckier you get ♪ ♪ The harder you work, the luckier you get ♪ ♪ The more you get done, boy, the less you'll regret ♪ ♪ Write it down so you never forget ♪ ♪ The harder you work, the luckier you get ♪ (upbeat rock music) (upbeat rock music) (cheering and applause) (upbeat rock music) ♪ I was messy as a magnolia ♪ ♪ Blooming in the month of May ♪ ♪ I'd set a match to a second chance ♪ ♪ So fast it take your breath away ♪ ♪ She ran into a house on fire ♪ ♪ To offer up some help ♪ ♪ Saw something inside of me ♪ ♪ I still can't see in myself ♪ ♪ Singing, honey, take my hand ♪ ♪ What part of I ain't leaving don't you understand ♪ ♪ I meant every word I said when I gave you that ring ♪ (upbeat rock music) ♪ Honey, I'm gonna love you ♪ ♪ 'Til the wheels fall off of this thing ♪ (upbeat rock music) ♪ There's a darkness deep down in my bones ♪ ♪ A sickness I can't shake ♪ ♪ It's been there since I can remember ♪ ♪ I got it honest as my last name ♪ ♪ But you saw something worth saving ♪ ♪ Helped me sweat the fever out ♪ ♪ Behind every good man is a better somebody ♪ ♪ Who should've never stuck around ♪ ♪ Singing, honey, take my hand ♪ ♪ What part of I ain't leaving don't you understand ♪ ♪ I ain't the kind to quit when the going gets tough ♪ ♪ I never ran from a fight ♪ ♪ I'll sit right here if it takes all night ♪ ♪ I meant every word I said when I gave you that ring ♪ ♪ Honey, I'm gonna love you ♪ ♪ 'Til the wheels fall off of this thing ♪ (upbeat rock music) ♪ Sometime good people do horrible things ♪ ♪ Sometime those people need a reason to change... ♪ (upbeat rock music) ♪ So, honey, take my hand ♪ ♪ What part of I ain't leaving don't you understand ♪ ♪ I ain't the kind to quit when the going gets rough ♪ ♪ I never ran from a fight ♪ ♪ I'll sit right here if it takes all night ♪ ♪ I meant every word I said when I gave you that ring ♪ ♪ Honey, I'm gonna love you ♪ ♪ Honey, I'm gonna love you ♪ ♪ 'Til the wheels fall off of this thing ♪ (upbeat rock music) (upbeat rock music) (cheering and applause) (dramatic rock music) (dramatic rock music) ♪ The first thing we do when we're born ♪ ♪ So quickly from our weary mothers arms we are torn ♪ ♪ Trying to make sense of a world overwhelming ♪ ♪ The pressure in our ears ♪ ♪ Makes a whisper sound like yelling ♪ ♪ First thing we do when we're born ♪ (upbeat rock music) ♪ The first thing we do when we fall ♪ ♪ Is learn eventually that gravity will get us all ♪ ♪ Skin off your knees feels like hell for just a minute ♪ ♪ Daddy comes bellowing just rubs some dirt in it ♪ ♪ First thing we do when we fall ♪ ♪ The sermon of your tears merely preaching to the choir ♪ ♪ Life is pals with pain and it's okay to be a crier ♪ ♪ To be a crier ♪ ♪ The first thing we do when our hearts break ♪ ♪ Is learn that there's only so much hurt one heart can take ♪ ♪ Rejection rears its ugly face ♪ ♪ How the hell did this happen ♪ ♪ Tried to dam the river but the damn thing kept collapsing ♪ ♪ The first thing thing we do when our hearts break ♪ ♪ The sermon of your tears are merely preaching to the choir ♪ ♪ Life is pals with pain, and it's okay to be a crier ♪ ♪ If you say you never have a hell, you would be a liar ♪ ♪ If you are here then you've been hurt ♪ ♪ And you deserve to be a crier ♪ ♪ To be a crier ♪ (dramatic rock music) (dramatic rock music) ♪ Dealing with our feelings is essential to survival ♪ ♪ Hell, it's right there in the shortest verse in the Bible ♪ ♪ Be a crier ♪ ♪ Be a crier ♪ ♪ Be a crier ♪ ♪ Be a crier ♪ (cheering and applause) (upbeat rock music) ♪ Dollar bill prescriptions in the bathroom stall ♪ ♪ Red-headed women and alcohol ♪ ♪ Say it ain't so, say it ain't last call ♪ ♪ Double whiskey on the rocks and Adderall ♪ ♪ Double whiskey on the rocks and Adderall ♪ ♪ We're no different than neon lights ♪ ♪ When you turn us on we stay up all night ♪ ♪ We do what we can, we put up a fight ♪ (upbeat rock music) ♪ Then we burn too long, we flicker and die ♪ ♪ It's nights like these that the drugs don't work ♪ ♪ Now they just get in the way instead of pickin' me up ♪ (upbeat rock music) ♪ And I wish my addictions didn't mean so much ♪ ♪ But we all can't be born with that kind of luck ♪ (upbeat rock music) ♪ You can try but you won't fix what's wrong with me ♪ (upbeat rock music) ♪ Every night I'm my own worst enemy ♪ ♪ And I'll find a way to quit when they bury me ♪ ♪ 'Cause I can't turn down the drinks when they're free ♪ ♪ And I can't turn down the drinks when they're free ♪ ♪ We're no different than neon lights ♪ (upbeat rock music) ♪ When you turn us on we stay up all night ♪ ♪ We do what we can, we put up a fight ♪ ♪ We burn too long, we flicker and die ♪ ♪ Hey ♪ (upbeat rock music) (upbeat rock music) - Did y'all a good time tonight?

(cheering and applause) - So did we.

(audience cheering) - Thanks to each and every one of y'all for coming out on a Friday night, and letting us play some songs for you.

Leave knowing that I'm glad you're here, and I truly, truly appreciate from the bottom of my heart you supporting live, original, independent music here in the great state of Tennessee.

(audience cheering) ♪ Every girl in that bar looked like 1965 ♪ ♪ With her sailor tattoos and her drawn-out eyes ♪ ♪ And every now then she still crosses my mind ♪ ♪ And by every now and then I mean most of the time ♪ ♪ By every now and then I mean all of the time ♪ ♪ We're no different than neon lights ♪ ♪ When you turn us on we stay up all night ♪ (upbeat rock music) ♪ We do what we can, we put up a fight ♪ ♪ Then we burn too long, we flicker and die ♪ ♪ And we're no different than neon lights ♪ ♪ When you turn us on we stay up all night ♪ (upbeat rock music) ♪ We do what we can, we put up a fight ♪ ♪ We burn too long, we flicker and die ♪ (upbeat rock music) ♪ And we burn too long, we flicker and die ♪ (upbeat rock music) ♪ And we burn too long, we flicker and die ♪ ♪ We burn too long, we flicker and die ♪ ♪ We burn too long, flicker and die ♪ ♪ We burn too long, flicker and die ♪ ♪ We burn too long, flicker and die ♪ ♪ We burn too long, we flicker and die ♪ ♪ We burn too long, we flicker and die ♪ ♪ We burn too long, we flicker and die ♪ ♪ We burn too long... ♪ ♪ We flicker and die... ♪ ♪ We burn too long ♪ ♪ We flicker and we die... ♪ Thank you so much, Caverns.

(cheering and applause) (cheering and applause) ♪ ♪