The Road to The Caverns

I was having a discussion with friends a while ago about my photography career. One of them suggested I include a fun photo story in my bio. I couldn’t think of a single story that was worth telling. I’m in no way saying that my life is boring or that nothing interesting ever happens. My journey to photography was not an easy one and there is plenty to tell. But what story is worth mentioning in my bio? The universe was listening.

I am a woman, born and raised in Glendale, just outside of Downtown LA. I’ve lived a semi-sheltered life. Not saying I’ve never traveled before. I have. Just to the same old places every year with my family. Chicago was the farthest I’ve traveled on the east coast before this year and I have never traveled to the south in my entire life. Until now. I find myself spending an entire month in Nashville supporting my friend Alicia who’s working on her album. All the while, doing what I do best, documenting the process.

I got a text one day from my friend, BRoss, letting me know that he has a photo gig for me at The Caverns for a Thievery Corporation show even further south than Nashville. A city called Pelham, at the border of Tennessee and Alabama. Of course, I wanted to take the gig! The only issue is that I didn’t have a car to take me there. I scrambled through all the car rental sites only to realize there isn’t a single rental available near me. Now what? My luck turned quickly and I found a car. A couple of minutes go by, just as I’m about to purchase the rental, someone beat me to the punch. I start feeling discouraged. There was literally only one car left near me. About a 30 minute drive. The only catch? It’s solely an electric-powered car. A little Nissan Leaf with about 60 miles per charge. The smallest electrical vehicle in the market. Let me make this super clear. I have never driven an electric car. Never. And I have never been further south than Nashville. So I had no idea what I was getting myself into. I needed to get to this show no matter what. So this LA woman purchased this rental and proceeded to plan out this trip. If I left early enough I can stop at charging stations along the way. It shouldn’t be a problem, right?

I picked up my rental and made my way to the studio in Franklin. Upon arrival, I found a power station nearby. I get there and the machine is broken. Now, remember this part of the story. It sets the tone for the rest of my journey.

I found another station at the local library in Bellevue. Thankfully this machine worked. However, it apparently only gave 11 miles of charge per hour. So I parked the car, plugged it in, and decided to take a Lyft to the studio. The show didn’t start until 9:45 pm so if I left my 4 pm that should be plenty of time. It all seemed to go as planned.

I arrived at a mall in Murfreesboro where there were plenty of charging stations. I plugged in the car and waited. I soon realized I might not make it there on time. A couple of hours went by and BRoss checked in. We started to formulate some alternative plans to get me there. He makes some arrangements for me and the car at the venue. All I have to do now is get there. The pressure is on. My thoughts start spiraling.“What did I get myself into”, “Why didn’t I leave sooner”, “I hate electric cars”, “Where the Fuck am I”, “You’re in over your head Tammie”. With a car half-charged, I said screw it, let’s get to Manchester. I get on that freeway and it drastically starts draining the car battery. I was beyond anxious and worried. I kept looking at the clock and looking at the charge. 10 miles to the station and only 5 miles left of charge. My heart starts racing. I start pleading to any god that would listen to me out there, “Please get me to this station. Please get me to this gig. I will do anything but please don’t let me get stranded!” Repeating this in my head over and over again.

Whoever it was that heard my pleas, thank you. I get to the station. I got out of the car and let out a huge sigh of relief and jumped for joy. “Thank you, thank you, thank you!” I said as I looked up at the sky. I plugged in the car and waited.

The road to the venue was thin and pitch dark with only a few residential homes around. There were hardly any cars on the road with me. I wasn’t sure whether I should be scared or excited. I felt like I was the character in a horror movie driving down a dark road, with a car that’s about to break down, and end up at the killer's house at the end of the road while the audience is screaming, “Go back! Don’t go there!”. What awaited me at the end of the road was not a killer's house, but one of the most beautiful venues I’ve ever seen.

I arrived at the gate. The security guards were already informed of my arrival, called it in, and led me to my parking spot. It was now 9:40 pm. I made it just in time. Thievery Corporation made their way off their tour bus while I frantically got my gear ready and coordinated with this kind old man who was helping me set up the car to charge. I didn’t have a chance to get his name, but he was one of the kindest souls I met that night. He offered me water before I headed backstage with the band as if he felt how frantic I was.

We made our way down to the venue and I just took a minute to look around. It felt like we just entered another planet. The venue was literally inside a cave. It was lit up in different colors. The air was humid so I felt the water dripping from the top of the caverns onto my face and shoulders. At that moment I just thought to myself, “Wow! I am here!”.

Quickly made my last adjustments backstage with my gear and then we were off. I asked security where I could shoot and what my limitations were. I was just fascinated by the kindness from all the workers there. He told me I could go anywhere I want as long as I don’t get in the way of the band and to let them know if I need any help. He proceeded to lead me through a pathway to the very front of the stage.

And just like that, a little more than an hour or so later, the show was over. I put my gear away and looked around as the crowd started dispersing. My heart and soul were at such a high at that moment. “I love my job” was on repeat in my head.

I made my way backstage. Stopped for a couple of minutes to thank Kamal, the tour manager, for making these last-minute accommodations for me and my car situation. Looked at the time and was suddenly struck back to reality. I still needed to get home in this car. I threw my gear in the backseat and made my way out. I barely had enough charge in the car to get me to the station. Once again, anxiety struck. I pleaded one last time, “Okay, thank you god for getting me here, but I just need you one last time to get me home. Just please don’t let me get stranded!”.

I barely made it to the station in Manchester. Now, let me give you some context. The station was located behind a Family Mart store at an empty parking lot. It is now 1-1:30 am and I am completely alone with not a single store open nearby. There were two cars nearby with their lights on and fogged up windows. To say that I was slightly scared, would be justified. I stayed in the car for the duration with the doors locked. BRoss checked on me and texted me for a little while, while I waited, which gave me some comfort. As I was waiting I realized my pants and boots were completely covered in what looked like white paint, what turned out to be some sort of white residue from the cavern rocks. I laughed and told myself that it’s definitely a good gig if you come home with dirty pants and shoes.

As soon as the car was charged, I bolted out of there. I planned to stop in South Nashville at the next station. However, the battery couldn’t hold out until then. I made another stop at a Days Inn parking lot in Murfreesboro. At this point, it was about 3 am and I was burnt out so I closed my eyes for a little while. I made it to Nashville but all the charging stations were either broken or inaccessible. At this point, I had settled with the reality that I might not make it back home. I was beyond exhausted, too exhausted to even feel upset. I had accepted my fate. The car was about to die. My luck turned and I found a working station in East Nashville at Frederick Douglass Park. I plugged in the car, adjusted the seat, pulled my jacket over me, texted Alicia to let her know I’m okay, and slept in that car.

I woke up at some point and realized it was sunrise. I took a couple of minutes and soaked in the scene. It was one of the most beautiful sunrises I’ve seen. I smiled and thought to myself, “Well this isn’t so bad after all”. And fell back asleep.

I didn’t get home until 9 am. Needless to say, I slept the rest of the day and it took me until the next day to fully recover and process the experience. Overall, I had so much fun. After this experience, it occurred to me how dedicated I am to my craft. I asked the universe to give me adventure and more stories to tell. And the universe surely delivered. I think this is one worth adding to my bio, don’t you think?

Check out the link below for the results of my endeavor!