VOA常速英语:地下演出将蓝草音乐推向新高度

The rolling hills of Tennessee’s Cumberland Plateau are home to some of the nation’s most beautiful and productive fields and forests.Underneath those fields is a very different kind of beauty.
在田纳西州的坎伯兰高原上，分布着一群连绵起伏的山丘，那里有着全国最美丽也是最多产的田地和森林。而在这片田野之下，则是一派完全不同的美妙景象。

On most Saturdays, hundreds of music fans from all over the world trek a kilometer into the Cumberland Cavern to enjoy the American music form 110 meters below ground.
在大多数周六的时候，来自全世界的数百名音乐爱好者总会徒步两里地，到坎伯兰高原的山洞中，在地下110米的地方尽享美国专属的音乐形式。

Bluegrass Underground was launched in 2008.The show features artists playing so-called American Roots Music,developed by immigrants from the British Isles who settled in the hills above in the late 18th century.
蓝草地下音乐于2008年推出。该节目邀请艺术家来演奏所谓的美国草根音乐，这种音乐形式其实是由来自不列颠群岛的移民开创的，18世纪末，这些移民定居在山洞上方的山丘上。

The performances are staged in a large cavern called The Volcano Room.The acoustics are nearly perfect.That fact was not lost on Tennessee music promoter, Todd Mayo.
演出的举办地点定于一个名为“火山室”的大洞穴中。洞中的音响效果堪称完美。而田纳西州音乐的倡导者托德.梅奥则十分清楚这个事实。

“Inside the cave we took the tour and you get down into the Volcano Room and there is this giant chandelier.And I looked up and I looked around and I said to the tour guide, ‘Do you all have live music around here?’And she said, ‘No, but that would be a good idea,’ and it just sort of all came to me.”
“我们先在洞穴里面参观了一圈，走到火山室的时候，你会发现里面有个大吊灯。我上下四周打量了一番，然后问导游，‘你们这里会有现场音乐表演吗？’她回答我说，‘这个还真没有，不过这想法相当不错。’就这样，我心里差不多有了这么个主意。”

More than 180,000 guests later, Bluegrass Underground is gathering an international following.
之后，蓝草地下音乐吸引了超过18万的音乐迷，现在它正在聚集来自全世界的追随者。

“We have had people from Ireland and Japan.And they literally said they came to America, the impetus was to come to this cave and see this show.”
“我们还有来自爱尔兰和日本的粉丝。”他们表示，支撑自己到美国来的动力就是亲临这个洞穴，看一场我们的演出。

As the audience filed out of the cave, Bluegrass fan Gwynn Lanaus said the music seemed to fit the setting.
观众们纷纷从洞穴里面走出来，格温.拉纳斯也是蓝草音乐的一名粉丝，他表示，音乐风格跟周围的环境很搭调。

“The Bluegrass that we saw today, it kind of blended.You know, it might not be a venue for all kinds of music, but it was certainly appropriate for the day.”
“我们今天所看到的蓝草音乐，其实是有点混合的味道。可能不是所有的演出都适合在这里举办，但它绝对适合我们今天欣赏到的这场音乐盛宴。”

Austin Thompson, lead singer of The Way Down Wanderers, says the cave setting also match the nature-themed songs his group often performs.He was impressed as well with the cave’s natural acoustics.
奥斯丁.汤普森是The Way Down Wanderers的主唱，因为乐队经常演唱以自然为主题的歌曲，所以他跟大家一样，也觉得洞穴环境特别适合自己团队的风格。同时，对于洞穴中自然的音响效果，他也是叹为观止。

“I thought it was really great.I mean, on both sides of the spectrum, being on stage and as a listener in the audience, you know, it was a really full... a really full sound.
“我觉得那种环境真是棒呆了。我是说，在声谱的两边，置身于舞台上，作为众多观众当中的一员，那种声音效果真是太饱满了。”

Todd Mayo says he hopes to give music fans who attend the show an even fuller experience in the near future.He wants to develop a weekend long Tennessee program that would include visiting some of the state’s many scenic parks and forests.
托德.梅奥称，在不久的将来，他希望能向参加演出的音乐迷们提供更加完美的视听体验。同时也想要制定出一份周末田纳西计划，其中包括到美国一些风景优美的公园和森林进行巡回演出。