Earlier this summer, I was invited to perform at a summer camp near my home in Tennessee. Camp Caverns, a brainchild of the iconic bluegrass venue, The Caverns, hosted its first summer camps this year. You may recognize the venue from the former PBS musical series, Bluegrass Underground. The camp director, Jennifer Sachs-Mayo, was looking for a Tennessee-based youth bluegrass band for the camper’s entertainment. Being a young mandolin player and bluegrass fanatic, the gig was a dream come true for me. There was one small obstacle to overcome; I didn’t have a band. Up to that point, although I had performed on stage with some of the best in bluegrass, I had never participated in a formal band setting of my own. Being invited to the legendary Caverns stage was something I had dreamed about so I decided I would step up to the challenge. 

I reached out to a few friends that I had met through jamming at camps and festivals over the last year. My bluegrass friends were just as excited as I was for this epic opportunity. After some planning, it worked out that fifteen-year-old Ian Lane of Vero Beach, FL would play fiddle, sixteen-year-old Nathan Beaumont of Fort Lonesome, FL, would play banjo, twelve-year-old Sammy Mougin of Nashville, TN, would play bass, and eighteen-year-old Joe Henson of Marietta, GA, would join me on guitar for the duo of shows. I also invited thirteen-year-old Tennessee fiddler, Whysper Stephenson to make a guest appearance on both of my summer camp shows.

As we told the campers, we aren’t really an official band, but a group of friends who met each other through bluegrass music—Wyatt Ellis and Friends! Although we had never performed together before, we each came with our own skill set. My most treasured friends are those I’ve met through bluegrass. I was so excited to invite them to join me for this once-in-a-lifetime experience. We held only one rehearsal prior to each of the performances during the two-week camp. I love the Johnson Mountain Boys, how they launched their sets with a high energy instrumental followed by a vocal number. So naturally, that’s what we did! I also chose Monroe instrumentals, gospel harmonies, and put spotlights on each of my band members. I’d have never met these guys without bluegrass music and it was a blast to pull off a real show with them by my side. I am looking forward to making music with my friends again next year at Camp Caverns. 

A few weeks later, I was overjoyed to receive an email from The Caverns inviting me back to play at their inaugural festival, Cave Fest, in October! I wasn’t sure if my out of state friends would be able to come back to Tennessee. Thankfully, they have parents who are able to support their dreams and made arrangements to return for the gig. While we were all anxiously awaiting the October 8th show date, Stephen Mougin of Dark Shadow Recording reached out and invited me and my pals to perform for an IBMA Showcase supported by his label. We had a blast picking and singing in the Dark Shadow Recording-Bluegrass Ambassadors Suite. For the IBMA set, 15 year old Nikolai Margulis joined us on banjo while Nathan Beamont switched to guitar. It was a fun set and an honor to be counted among the other great performers who are part of the Dark Shadow family.

Last Saturday, the day had come. I could hardly believe I was going to be performing my first official festival gig, and that the festival was being headlined by two of my biggest #mandoheroes Sam Bush and Sierra Hull. We arrived to the venue and were welcomed as real artists! We rode golf carts straight to the mouth of the cave. I still couldn’t believe what was happening. When we were sound checking, the crowd had thinned and I wasn’t sure a lot of folks would end up seeing us as my hero Sierra Hull was playing on the outdoor stage nearby. A few songs into our set and the cavern was full! Wow. What a feeling. We played a set similar to what I described from earlier in the summer, but this time the ending was very different. The band had learned one of my original tunes, “Blue Smoke” (Shacongoge). It was amazing to have an entire cavern full of music lovers going crazy for my very own music. It felt unreal. After my tune was finished, I honored my hero Peter Rowan with a rendition of his iconic song “Walls of Time” sang with my friend Nathan Beaumont on tenor. The final song of the set was one of my favorite Christopher Henry instrumentals “West Dakota Rose.” When we finished our set, I got the signal that something very special was about to happen. Sierra Hull and I had talked earlier in the day about the possibility of her sitting in, but we weren’t sure if she could finish her set and make it down to the cave in time. When I found out she was there and announced it to the crowd, they went crazy. Sierra joined me on stage for an encore of “Rawhide!” I knew playing my very first festival gig at Cave Fest would be special, and I was right about that.

Cave Fest: My First Festival Gig with My Heroes and Friends

Earlier this summer, I was invited to perform at a summer camp near my home in Tennessee. Camp Caverns, a brainchild of the iconic bluegrass venue, The Caverns, hosted its first summer camps this year. You may recognize the venue from the former PBS musical series, Bluegrass Underground. The camp director, Jennifer Sachs-Mayo, was looking for a Tennessee-based youth bluegrass band for the camper’s entertainment. Being a young mandolin player and bluegrass fanatic, the gig was a dream come true for me. There was one small obstacle to overcome; I didn’t have a band. Up to that point, although I had performed on stage with some of the best in bluegrass, I had never participated in a formal band setting of my own. Being invited to the legendary Caverns stage was something I had dreamed about so I decided I would step up to the challenge. 

I reached out to a few friends that I had met through jamming at camps and festivals over the last year. My bluegrass friends were just as excited as I was for this epic opportunity. After some planning, it worked out that fifteen-year-old Ian Lane of Vero Beach, FL would play fiddle, sixteen-year-old Nathan Beaumont of Fort Lonesome, FL, would play banjo, twelve-year-old Sammy Mougin of Nashville, TN, would play bass, and eighteen-year-old Joe Henson of Marietta, GA, would join me on guitar for the duo of shows. I also invited thirteen-year-old Tennessee fiddler, Whysper Stephenson to make a guest appearance on both of my summer camp shows.

As we told the campers, we aren’t really an official band, but a group of friends who met each other through bluegrass music—Wyatt Ellis and Friends! Although we had never performed together before, we each came with our own skill set. My most treasured friends are those I’ve met through bluegrass. I was so excited to invite them to join me for this once-in-a-lifetime experience. We held only one rehearsal prior to each of the performances during the two-week camp. I love the Johnson Mountain Boys, how they launched their sets with a high energy instrumental followed by a vocal number. So naturally, that’s what we did! I also chose Monroe instrumentals, gospel harmonies, and put spotlights on each of my band members. I’d have never met these guys without bluegrass music and it was a blast to pull off a real show with them by my side. I am looking forward to making music with my friends again next year at Camp Caverns. 

A few weeks later, I was overjoyed to receive an email from The Caverns inviting me back to play at their inaugural festival, Cave Fest, in October! I wasn’t sure if my out of state friends would be able to come back to Tennessee. Thankfully, they have parents who are able to support their dreams and made arrangements to return for the gig. While we were all anxiously awaiting the October 8th show date, Stephen Mougin of Dark Shadow Recording reached out and invited me and my pals to perform for an IBMA Showcase supported by his label. We had a blast picking and singing in the Dark Shadow Recording-Bluegrass Ambassadors Suite. For the IBMA set, 15 year old Nikolai Margulis joined us on banjo while Nathan Beamont switched to guitar. It was a fun set and an honor to be counted among the other great performers who are part of the Dark Shadow family.

Last Saturday, the day had come. I could hardly believe I was going to be performing my first official festival gig, and that the festival was being headlined by two of my biggest #mandoheroes Sam Bush and Sierra Hull. We arrived to the venue and were welcomed as real artists! We rode golf carts straight to the mouth of the cave. I still couldn’t believe what was happening. When we were sound checking, the crowd had thinned and I wasn’t sure a lot of folks would end up seeing us as my hero Sierra Hull was playing on the outdoor stage nearby. A few songs into our set and the cavern was full! Wow. What a feeling. We played a set similar to what I described from earlier in the summer, but this time the ending was very different. The band had learned one of my original tunes, “Blue Smoke” (Shacongoge). It was amazing to have an entire cavern full of music lovers going crazy for my very own music. It felt unreal. After my tune was finished, I honored my hero Peter Rowan with a rendition of his iconic song “Walls of Time” sang with my friend Nathan Beaumont on tenor. The final song of the set was one of my favorite Christopher Henry instrumentals “West Dakota Rose.” When we finished our set, I got the signal that something very special was about to happen. Sierra Hull and I had talked earlier in the day about the possibility of her sitting in, but we weren’t sure if she could finish her set and make it down to the cave in time. When I found out she was there and announced it to the crowd, they went crazy. Sierra joined me on stage for an encore of “Rawhide!” I knew playing my very first festival gig at Cave Fest would be special, and I was right about that.