By Nathan Gardner–

On an unseasonably warm March night, students on Greek row gathered on porches and filtered in and out of the Fraternity and Sorority houses, but on this particular Thursday, the song of bluegrass pickin’ rang down Third Street.

The Kentucky Kai Five is a bluegrass band comprised of five University of Louisville students. The two brothers, Zach and Andrew Barger had the bluegrass spirit instilled in them from their father at a young age. Zach is an education major that plays mandolin and Andrew is a civil engineering major playing banjo. Chris Millet, a music therapy major, strums the guitar and sings lead vocals, as well as working as an RA on campus. Music education major Kate Tyree plays fiddle and gives music lessons at the School of Music. Chemical engineering major Daniel Duda plays bass guitar and is an apparent racquetball and ping pong star.. Unfortunately for this particular jam session Andrew was busy tutoring and I missed on what the other band members describe as an amazing banjo picker.

Most people don’t think of college students and bluegrass music going hand in hand, but the Kentucky Kai Five have taken their bluegrass roots and blended in a youthful style to make their music both fun and relevant to college students. Imagine Jimmy Buffet singing lead for the Foggy Mountain Boys. They take a traditional bluegrass style and insert laid back lyrics about college experiences.

Kate Tyree plays the fiddle on the porch of the Beta Theta Ri house as the Kentucky Kai Five fill the air with bluegrass sounds.

In the song “Father Time,” the band sings of a weekend at the beach that may never come again. It’s a nostalgic song that makes one wish the good times would never end. The band uses the beautiful vocal harmonies synonymous with bluegrass music to open up the song then breaks into the boom-chicka-boom sound of the guitar and the gentle flow of the fiddle. The song tells a story of a weekend filled with sunburn and empty glasses on the beach. The finger lickin’ pickin’ of the mandolin takes the spotlight halfway through the song to make you swear you’re in the middle of Appalachia.

Junior education majoy Zach Barger traces his roots to his father's bluegrass background.

The band has written over 20 original songs, but also plays a variety of well-known cover songs from “Folsom Prison Blues” to “Breaking the Law.”

Currently the band is focusing on writing new material and brushing up on the old stuff. They have a show this week at the ACPA Conference on March 24, and are looking to get hired for more gigs this summer.
Be sure to check out The Kentucky Kai Five on Facebook by searching for: The Kentucky Kai Five or scanning the barcode below with your smartphone.

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Photo: Michael Baldwin/The Louisville Cardinal