The Kay Brothers preserve and honor the rural music of their ancestors.
by Sara Schafer | sschafer@ruralmissouri.coop
photos by Sara Schafer and Paul Newton
The energy connects everyone in the room. Fast-paced picking, sibling harmonies and homespun storytelling captivates the audience. The show starts with a song you know you’ve heard before — and by the chorus you’re singing along. The setlist shifts from tender gospel tunes sung in church to ones made popular at Saturday night hoedowns. Hands start clapping and feet start stomping.
Welcome to the one-of-a-kind musical experience of The Kay Brothers.
Founded in 2012, the band includes two actual brothers, Pat and Bryan Kay, and their “adopted” brother, Jake Allen. They are young men dedicated to old music. They play a unique blend of bluegrass, old-time fiddle and Americana music — what they call stompgrass.
“We try to take as original of an approach as possible,” Bryan says. “We do a modern take on bluegrass and just try to be as fun and entertaining as possible.”
On a recent Saturday night in January, the band played the historic Finke Theatre in California — Pat and Bryan’s hometown. For more than two hours, the trio played timeless songs in front of a 12-by-20-foot Missouri flag.
“I come from a long line of very proud Missourians,” Pat says. “I’ve seen so many bands flying the Texas flag. I really wanted for people from Missouri to have that same source of pride in their musical heritage.”
Pat sings lead vocals, plays a kick drum with his right foot, a tambourine with left foot and strums either a guitar or banjo. He also adds in the harmonica. Bryan strums the upright bass and sings harmony. Jake, better known as Shakin’ Jake, throws in the percussion with maracas, a washboard, egg shakers and drums.
“I’m the hype man,” Jake says. “My job is to show everyone it’s OK to let loose. I’m a lyrical dancer; I dance what I feel. There are points in songs I let out a big, old high kick. I can’t help it. The crowd thinks, ‘Did I just see a Rockette kick?’ Yes, they did. Please continue to have fun.”
They perform classics such as, “I’ll Fly Away,” “Will the Circle Be Unbroken” and “Cumberland Gap.” They also have an impressive lineup of critter songs — those featuring stories about moles, chickens, cows and dogs.
“Everybody has this kind of music in their blood, whether they know it or not,” Pat says. “Those songs were played before blues was blues and country was country. It’s that flavor that defines Missouri’s musical heritage.”
“It’s always interesting to see which part of the crowd light up for which songs,” Bryan adds. “We’ll play old-timey stuff, and the older folks will get excited. Then we’ll play John Denver, and different people will light up. There’s something for everybody.”
All the band members are self-taught musicians. Pat and Bryan grew up with their parents singing in the choir at the California United Methodist Church. They always had a piano in the living room and Pat remembers watching his mom play. “After the movie ‘Beaches’ came out, she bought the songbook for the soundtrack,” he says. “I remember sitting next to her on the bench while she played ‘Wind Beneath My Wings.’ I was mesmerized by it.”
Similarly, Bryan remembers finding an acoustic guitar in their home around age 10. It was a gift his dad gave to his mom when they were dating in college. “We discovered it when we were starting to get into music,” he says. “That guitar was the origination point for me getting into music.”
They Kays fell in love with live music attending the Lupus Chili Fest as teenagers. The event, which ran for more than three decades, drew thousands of people to the Moniteau County town of about 30 people. “That was the cultural epicenter of music as I knew it,” Pat recalls. “Bryan and I both loved it. It was as big of an event on our calendar as Christmas.”
Jake was always around music as a child, particularly at family hog roasts in central Illinois. He moved to central Missouri, near Fulton, in the late 1990s and started playing the drums in his early 20s. It was at that time he met Pat, who was attending Westminster College. The two joined several other college-age musicians in a band called the Hipnecks. That band evolved and transitioned as members left the area or started nonmusic careers. It also created the connection between Pat, Bryan and Jake that would grow into The Kay Brothers.
For Bryan and Jake, The Kay Brothers are the ultimate creative outlet. Bryan works as a loan coordinator for Veterans United in Columbia. He and his girlfriend, Cindy Walker, and her two daughters, Eva and Everly, live in Fulton. Beyond The Kay Brothers, Bryan also plays gigs with a few other bands. “I can’t imagine a life without playing music,” he says.
Jake spent 25 years doing construction in mid-Missouri before joining the team at Bell Bros Farm in Auxvasse five years ago. “I play with the Kay brothers, and I farm for the Bell brothers,” he says. Jake, a member of Callaway Electric Cooperative, and his wife, Gretchen, have two young daughters, Sunny and Lucy, and live near Hatton.
After college, Pat spent 15 years as a talent buyer for The Blue Note, a music venue in Columbia. Now he is a full-time musician, playing 100 to 120 shows a year. Beyond The Kay Brothers, he does solo shows and performs in a duo called The Spooklights, which specializes in a genre he describes as hillbilly techno.
“I’ve been on this journey for over 20 years now, and I still learn a valuable lesson every day,” Pat says. “In the beginning I had a misconception the music industry was feast or famine. One of the most eye-opening revelations was finding a hardworking middle class, and realizing I was in it. I get up every morning charged with enough dedication to support my family with music. I want my children to grow up knowing goalposts lean toward those willing to swing a hammer.” He lives in Columbia with his wife, Lois, son, Willie, and daughter, Birdie.
The Kay Brothers play around 20 shows a year. They perform at festivals such as Morels & Microbrews in Fulton or in historic venues, such as the Finke Theatre or the 4th Street Theatre in Moberly. Fans also book them for private events and barn parties.
“We love playing in old barns,” Pat says. “We’d rather do those than big clubs or festivals. For years, our tour schedule was littered with barn parties. Many had never had bands in their barns before us. There’s no more authentic way to hear a band than in a barn.”
At every performance, The Kay Brothers give their all. In between songs, Pat tells stories that connect the songs to the audience and band. The three have a chemistry you can only achieve after years of sharing a stage and deep friendship. “I stand there in awe of Pat and how he and Bryan communicate through music,” Jake says. “Pat does such a good job with the arrangement of the setlist. The songs are fast-paced, and then we slow it down. Once the show is done, you think, ‘I just went for a ride.’ ”
The Kay Brothers will play their annual St. Patrick’s Day show at Rose Music Hall in Columbia on March 17. To find tour dates, visit stompgrass.com or follow them on Facebook and Instagram. Listen to their music on Spotify or Amazon by searching for The Kay Brothers or Pat Kay.