- 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 mountain.

This time welcoming Della Mae.

♪ A bourbon hound... ♪ ♪ Why don't you swing it on back ♪ - It's deep down musical diversity at "The Caverns Sessions," Coming up next!

(applause and cheering) - All right, Caverns, let's do it, come on, baby.

(audience cheering) (upbeat music) Two, three, four!

(up tempo country music) ♪ I miss long lines at the airport ♪ ♪ And waiting at a bus station for transport ♪ ♪ To carry me to my destination ♪ ♪ Middle seat in economy ♪ ♪ This lifestyle's a part of me ♪ ♪ I like turning the covers down ♪ ♪ From town to town ♪ Oh, is it all over Now... ♪ ♪ I'm just wondering How long ...♪ ♪ Will there be no one to sing these songs ♪ ♪ On the St Regis River ♪ ♪ There's a bar lined with silvers ♪ ♪ We always pull over for a shot and a beer ♪ ♪ And off the coast of Oregon ♪ ♪ Where the sea swallows the sun ♪ ♪ As we walk the beach talking ♪ ♪ About what is yet to come ♪ ♪ Oh, is it all over Now... ♪ ♪ I'm just wonderin' How long... ♪ ♪ Will there be no one to sing these songs ♪ (up tempo country music) (up tempo country music) ♪ There's the pirate of St Augustine ♪ ♪ Oh, the long lines at Jesus's feet ♪ ♪ Getting hustled in the streets of Ho Chi Minh ♪ ♪ I'd lay on all the airport floors ♪ ♪ To know that I could come back for more ♪ ♪ Let me ride into the distance with my guitar ♪ (up tempo country music) (up tempo country music) ♪ I never thought I'd miss long lines at the airport ♪ ♪ Waiting at a bus station for transport ♪ ♪ Driving through the night to my destination ♪ ♪ Oh, and drinking too much coffee ♪ ♪ This lifestyle's a part of me ♪ ♪ I like turning the covers down ♪ ♪ From town to town ♪ ♪ Oh, is it all over Now... ♪ ♪ I'm just wondering How long... ♪ ♪ Oh, is it all over Now... ♪ ♪ I'm just wondering how, whoo ♪ (up tempo country music) (applause and cheering) - We are so excited to be playing a show here.

It's just truly epic.

Look at us.

Look at us all, all of us in this beautiful place.

(audience applauding) (gentle upbeat music) ♪ Well, the road was hot and flat as a ruler ♪ ♪ Good 100 miles between me and Missoula ♪ ♪ The vinyl top wasn't gettin' no cooler ♪ ♪ So I stopped at a quickie sack ♪ ♪ Yeah, so I figured I'd need about a six of Miller ♪ ♪ And one of those things so I wouldn't spill 'er ♪ ♪ And I asked the girl if the beer was in the back ♪ ♪ She said, it's a dry town ♪ ♪ No beer, no liquor for miles around ♪ ♪ I'd give a nickel for a sip or two ♪ ♪ To wash me down ♪ ♪ Outta this dry town ♪ (gentle upbeat music) ♪ So I turned right around, no hesitation ♪ ♪ Cursed the law for ruinin' the nation ♪ ♪ Waved goodbye to the boy at the station ♪ ♪ But she wouldn't go into gear ♪ ♪ He said it sounds like your transmission ♪ ♪ You need Barb, but she's gone fishin' ♪ ♪ Her day off, she gets a long way from here ♪ ♪ 'Cause it's dry town ♪ ♪ No beer, no liquor for miles around ♪ ♪ I'd give a nickel for a sip or two ♪ ♪ To wash me down ♪ ♪ And outta this dry town ♪ (gentle upbeat music) (gentle upbeat music) - (laughing) Yeah!

♪ Well, back home friends you can get a dose ♪ ♪ Of something strong from your local grocer ♪ ♪ So I walked down 'til I came a little closer ♪ ♪ To a place called Happy John's ♪ ♪ He said, I keep something here for colds and fevers ♪ ♪ Down underneath where I usually leave her ♪ ♪ But just last night I felt a cold comin' on ♪ ♪ 'Cause it's a dry town ♪ ♪ No beer, no liquor for miles around ♪ ♪ I'd give a nickel for a sip or two ♪ ♪ To wash me down ♪ ♪ Outta this dry town ♪ ♪ I'd need a sip or two ♪ ♪ To wash me down ♪ ♪ Outta this dry town ♪ (gentle upbeat music) (applause and cheering) (solemn music) - One, two, three.

(gentle upbeat music) ♪ What are the odds of getting even ♪ ♪ What is the cost of dreaming ♪ ♪ I've carried the cross of believing ♪ ♪ Asking God for a reason ♪ ♪ Counted the days I waited ♪ ♪ Shuffling cards, cleaning tables ♪ ♪ If I got a heart, I gotta play it ♪ ♪ You only feel it when it's racing ♪ ♪ Come the morning I'll be leaving ♪ ♪ It's too late in the evening ♪ ♪ To play the odds ♪ ♪ Of gettin' even ♪ (gentle country music) ♪ There is a field, I gotta find it ♪ ♪ There is this horse runnin' wild ♪ ♪ And every night I run beside it ♪ ♪ And someday I'm gonna ride it ♪ ♪ Out in the air, out in the moonlight ♪ ♪ You'll be a flash in the back of my mind ♪ ♪ Placing your bets, watchin' the mud fly ♪ ♪ Rolling your dice back on the sidelines ♪ ♪ Come the morning I'll be leaving ♪ ♪ It's too late in the evening ♪ ♪ To play the odds ♪ ♪ Of gettin' even ♪ (gentle upbeat music) (gentle upbeat music) (audience cheering) (gentle upbeat music) ♪ You can hold it without showing ♪ ♪ But the cracks will keep on growing ♪ ♪ And then I hear they don't let no one ♪ ♪ Carry a grudge where I'm going ♪ ♪ I don't have time for crying ♪ ♪ I might be falling or flying ♪ ♪ I might be water or lightning ♪ ♪ When I watch the gold sun rising ♪ (gentle upbeat music) ♪ Come the morning I'll be leaving ♪ ♪ It's too late in the evening ♪ ♪ To play the odds ♪ ♪ Of gettin' even ♪ (gentle upbeat music) ♪ Can't you feel the ground turning ♪ ♪ Can't you feel the hours burning ♪ ♪ Oh, the odds of gettin' even ♪ ♪ Will no longer be my burden ♪ ♪ Will no longer be my burden ♪ ♪ Will no longer be my... ♪ (applause and cheering) - Thank you.

(applause and cheering) - I wrote this when I was sittin' at home and I had no idea what to write about.

And I looked up and there was the liquor cabinet, and I was like, "Oh, I could try to write a song and name all of the types of bourbon in my cabinet."

(audience chuckles) This is called, "Bourbon Hound."

(upbeat country music) ♪ Why don't you swing it on back ♪ ♪ Make another Old Fashioned ♪ ♪ Stir it up right for all that dancing ♪ ♪ Baby, won't you whirl me around ♪ ♪ You know that you're my bourbon hound ♪ ♪ Yeah, Jefferson will set you up right ♪ ♪ Booker takes you home for the night ♪ ♪ A little Buffalo Trace and my feet are off the ground ♪ ♪ And now I'm dancing with a bourbon hound ♪ ♪ Why don't you swing it on back ♪ ♪ Make another Old Fashioned ♪ ♪ Stir it up right for all that dancing ♪ ♪ Baby, won't you whirl me around ♪ ♪ You know that you're my bourbon hound ♪ (upbeat country music) (upbeat country music) - Yeah!

♪ Yeah, Jameson for the morning Joe ♪ ♪ I'm a whiskey girl too, now don't you know ♪ ♪ A little Bulleit for the old pass around ♪ ♪ You know there's nothing like a bourbon hound ♪ ♪ Why don't you swing it on back ♪ ♪ Make another Old Fashioned ♪ ♪ Stir it up right for all that dancing ♪ ♪ Baby, won't you whirl me around ♪ ♪ You know that you're my bourbon hound ♪ (upbeat country music) (upbeat country music) ♪ Yeah, the fox and the hound went out one night ♪ ♪ And got into a great big fight ♪ ♪ Took a draw of the Jack and fell onto the ground ♪ ♪ You know there's nothing like a bourbon hound ♪ ♪ Why don't you swing it on back ♪ ♪ Make another Old Fashioned ♪ ♪ Stir it up right for all that dancing ♪ ♪ Baby, won't you whirl me around ♪ ♪ You know that you're my bourbon hound ♪ (upbeat country music) (upbeat country music) ♪ When you're on your feet and don't want to tire ♪ ♪ It helps to have a little nip of fire ♪ ♪ Ol' Pappy's gonna lift you off of the ground ♪ ♪ You know that you're my bourbon hound ♪ ♪ Why don't you swing it on back ♪ ♪ Make another Old Fashioned ♪ ♪ Stir it up right for all that dancing ♪ ♪ Baby, won't you whirl me around ♪ ♪ You know that you're my bourbon hound ♪ (upbeat country music) (applause and cheering) - Thank you.

(applause and cheering) - So this next tune, this is one I wrote with a good friend of mine, Mark Erelli.

It does make you think a lot about the time before the pandemic, and how certain things might need to be changed a little bit.

How we could become better as a community, as a family of human beings in this amazing country.

And I really hope that you can feel that humanity in these stories.

How much these people are just like you, just like one of your good friends, just like someone you know.

I think that might be how we could get back to being on a level with one another, is recognize our common humanity.

(audience applauding) (upbeat country music) (upbeat country music) ♪ I left my home, I rolled the dice ♪ ♪ Followed the promise of a better life ♪ ♪ Now I work at the factory ♪ ♪ On the third shift while my kids sleep ♪ ♪ They say our job's a necessity ♪ ♪ And turn the lock and hide the key ♪ ♪ They call us heroes on the killing floor ♪ ♪ But a day off is something that I can't afford ♪ ♪ We can't go back to the way it was before ♪ ♪ While some profit off the ones who just endure ♪ ♪ We all know what's broken won't get fixed ♪ ♪ By wishin' and hopin' ♪ ♪ We can't just go back to the way it was before ♪ (upbeat country music) (upbeat country music) ♪ He walked me down the aisle just last July ♪ ♪ And when he gave me away, oh, how he cried ♪ ♪ And in the spring we said we've got big news to share ♪ ♪ He said I'll get some wine along the way somewhere ♪ ♪ You always think it happens in another town ♪ ♪ Till someone pulls a gun and shots ring out ♪ ♪ Now there's a hole in our family ♪ ♪ And a granddaughter on the way he'll never meet ♪ ♪ We can't go back to the way it was before ♪ ♪ Afraid to go to school or to a grocery store ♪ ♪ We all know it needs repair ♪ ♪ It won't get fixed by thoughts and prayers ♪ ♪ We can't just go back to the way it was before ♪ (upbeat country music) (upbeat country music) ♪ And now I'm scrolling though the headlines on my screen ♪ ♪ Another black man crying out that he can't breathe ♪ ♪ Why am I surprised that it's happening again ♪ ♪ Isn't this the way it's always been ♪ ♪ It don't even matter if there was a crime ♪ ♪ The system works exactly how it was designed ♪ ♪ And the indifference is so deeply ingrained ♪ ♪ That means I'm the one that needs to make a change ♪ ♪ We can't go back to the way it was before ♪ ♪ The injustice can no longer be ignored ♪ ♪ Oh, none of us are free, until we all can be... ♪ ♪ We can't just go back to the way it was before ♪ (upbeat country music) (upbeat country music) (applause and cheering) - Thank you so much.

I really do mean it.

And I don't think anyone here on stage takes for granted anymore the gift that it is to be able to share this kind of energy with a group of people and have it reflected back at them.

So I really wanna thank you for supporting live music.

(applause and cheering) It means so much.

(applause and cheering) - We're gonna close our set out with a fiddle tune that I wrote in Florida.

I'm from the Northwest and it was a complete shock about the bugs in the sand in the summer in the night.

(audience laughing) We're Della Mae, thank you so much.

This says the "No See-um" stomp.

(violin plays) (audience applauding) Sorry.

(chuckles) (cheerful bright country music) (cheerful bright country music) - Thank you so much, Caverns!

(cheering and applause) ♪ ♪