/Lost River Cavemen is(from left to right) Mike McMillan, Josh Riddle, Kerry Pruitt and Kelly Wilson.

Named after the deep dark cave of Bowling Green, the Lost River Cavemen have created a new sound for the town of Bowling Green. With southern rock leanings, these boys make you dance and long for home at the same time. The Cavemen make songs easy on the ear by combing a guitar, fiddle, stand up bass, and drums. The combination of the fiddle and stand up bass make one reminiscent for outside and porches. With cohesive crooning of the strings, the drums come along to add the rock element that distinguishes the Lost River Cavemen from just any roots music band. However, it is the vocals of Mr. Mike that merge the two worlds of old time string and rock’n’roll together.

Wilson and Pruitt

The band consists of Mike McMillan on vocals, Josh Riddle on percussion, Kelly Wilson on stand up bass, and Kerry Pruitt on fiddle. It all started when McMillan and Pruitt got together in high school back at home in Barren County, Kentucky. After flirting around with different bands and skipping from one to another, McMillan and Pruitt met with Riddle and Wilson and decided to go acoustic. The Cavemen have been together and playing for three years.

Although the Lost River Cavemen claim to be genre-less, they have their own distinctive Southern Rock with a dash of Americano sound. The Cavemen claim they can sound like anything between Slayer and Bill Monroe. With such a range of music, what each of the Cavemen listens to differs. When asked about their favorite guilty pleasure songs the answers ranged decades and genres. “It’s My Name,” by the Ting Tings is Mike’s choice. Kelly’s guilty picks “Motoring,” by Sister Christian, Josh’s is “Rocket,” by Def Leopard, and Kerry’s is George Michael’s rendition of “Papa was a Rolling Stone.”

Riddle and McMillan

These boys just got back from a tour that hit five cities this summer—-Knoxville, Asheville, Myrtle Beach, and Charleston. The Cavemen claim that the tour was nothing short of awesome. One of the stories of the tour involves partying with the owner of the historic St. Oliver Hotel in Knoxville, Tennessee. When not touring, the Lost River Cavemen have been playing the Starry Night festival here in Bowling Green, Kentucky for the past two years.

Most anyone who knows about the band wants to know why Kelly puts flowers on his stand up bass. When asked he said, “Because it is beautiful and makes it stand out.” The Lost River Cavemen do not need any help standing out. With a unique sound and beautiful, narrating lyrics, the Cavemen can make anyone want to take a trip down that long, lost river.