Music scene · Bowling Green

Sam Bush and Cage the Elephant both emerged from Bowling Green, a city where the historic Quonset Auditorium once hosted legends and the Southern Kentucky Performing Arts Center now showcases national acts. Bluegrass and folk ring out at the Capitol Arts Center, while punk and alternative bands pack Molotov Skateshop. The White Squirrel Brewery and Spillway Bar & Grill keep the country, rock, and blues traditions alive in southcentral Kentucky.

Bowling Green's place in music history was secured when the Kentucky General Assembly named the city the Birthplace of Newgrass Music, recognizing Sam Bush and the New Grass Revival's innovation in the 1970s. The legendary Quonset Auditorium hosted artists from Chuck Berry to James Brown, while the Cavern Nite Club at Lost River Cave provided an air-cooled dance floor for touring big bands.

The Southern Kentucky Performing Arts Center showcases national talent downtown, while the Capitol Arts Center hosts bluegrass and folk in a restored 1890s vaudeville house. The Spillway Bar and Grill books local and regional bands, and Van Meter Auditorium on the WKU campus presents classical and contemporary performances.

Bowling Green produced newgrass pioneer Sam Bush and the rock band Cage the Elephant, while the Kentucky Headhunters also have deep ties to the southcentral Kentucky region.

Newcomers should start at the Capitol Arts Center for bluegrass and folk shows, then visit Tidball's for open mic nights. The Log Cabin Jams at Western Kentucky University welcome bluegrass pickers one Sunday each month, and the Kentucky Folklife Program connects musicians with regional traditional music networks.