When a group plays for 25 years, it either means that they’ve been mediocre for a long time and just don’t get it, or they’ve been doing some good and interesting things that keep them playing. The latter is the case for the Hays Brothers, a bluegrass band that keeps going because it has something good and interesting to offer the listener, and the group appears to have a lot of consideration and love for what it does.

What this Warren County based group does is play bluegrass and older country music with a traditional feel and its own sense of direction. The band is edging up on its 25th anniversary, with a lot of miles clicked on their odometer performing in Kentucky and Tennessee. The lower profile of a bluegrass outfit that has “opted to be a hometown band,” as Jeff Hays put it, has not kept a buzz from forming about the Hays Brothers.

The core of the Hays Brothers for several years has been Gary Hays (guitar, vocals), Jeff Hays (banjo, guitar, vocals), and Lisa Hays (guitar, vocals). The group is quite the family affair; Jeff and Lisa are married, and Greta Hays, who runs sound for the band, is Gary’s wife. Lately the Hays Brothers lineup has been rounded out by ex-New Grass Revival member Curtis Burch (dobro, guitar) and two rotating bassists. Kelly Caldwell was on the bass the day this reporter caught the Hays Brothers performing at Barnes and Noble on August 29.

The sound of the Hays Brothers shows a more song oriented approach and primarily features Jeff’s banjo, Curtis’ dobro, and a tight, versatile three-part harmony that tips its hat to the traditions of bluegrass and pre-1960s country without being overly nasal. There’s hardly any showboating in the musicianship, but the listener is rewarded with occasional flourishes, tasty playing, and a helping of a sense of fun.

The beginnings of the musical journey of Gary and Jeff Hays can be traced to their father Houston. When the brothers were five and six, Houston bought them their first instruments and started supporting an interest in music. The brothers emphasize that they were encouraged, not pushed, by their father to learn and pursue music. Houston still goes to all the Hays Brothers shows, including the Rosine Association Festival on August 28 in Rosine, the home and final resting place of Bill Monroe.

Jeff and Gary started playing professionally over 30 years ago, starting off with a trio. By then, Jeff had taken up the banjo, which he’s played now for 32 years. 1975 was the year when the first Hays Brothers band was formed.

Jeff became a married man when he and Lisa tied the knot in 1985. Apparently Lisa was not the stay-at-home musician’s spouse, for in 1988 she joined the Hays Brothers as a member. Judging from the solid fit Lisa’s vocals make with those of Gary and Jeff, it would have been a shame for her to hide her talent under the proverbial basket.

Speaking of talent, Jeff has won several honors with his banjo playing, so many that he only mentioned the most recent when asked: the 1997 Tennessee State Banjo Championship and the 1998 Kentucky State Banjo Championship (which was won at Rough River Dam State Park, by the way). Jeff is at ease with his banjo work — going along carrying the mail for awhile, then showing a smooth maneuver or an unexpected flourish without so much as a drop of sweat.

Gary handles the largest share of lead vocals, followed in order of frequency by Lisa and then Jeff. If Jeff’s role emphasizes instrumentality, Gary’s role brings a song emphasis to the group. He says the band likes to perform traditional bluegrass and older country, “anything that sounds good” for them. These same preferences are also displayed on his solo CD/tape An Old Log Cabin For Sale, where the focus is on the songs more than the picking. Gary also assumes the role of spokesman for the band onstage —although there are frequent episodes of full-scale banter and good-natured ribbing among the members.

The Hays Brothers live show includes songs from classic bluegrass groups like Flatt and Scruggs, the Dillards, and the Osborne Brothers; some bluegrass and traditional country standards; and songs from contemporary bluegrass artists like the Cox Family and Alison Krauss & Union Station.

With the mix of midtempo songs (“Blue Kentucky Girl”), stately balladry (the Osborne Brothers’ “Kentucky”), mournful songs (“I Haven’t Seen Mary in Years”), and quick, driving numbers (“Poor Ellen Smith” or the Browns’ “I Heard The Bluebirds Sing”), the Hays Brothers solidly cover a variety of vocal harmony types, from lower-middle range to high. On the Flatt & Scruggs number “Sarah Jane,” they satisfyingly shift from an energetic three-part to a lilting, muted harmony on the verses. When asked about their versatility, Jeff said they were influenced by the Osborne Brothers in their vocal harmonies.

Now and again, Jeff and Curtis will throw something in that broaden one’s smile. They’ll trade licks on “Fireball Mail” or the instrumental “Turkey Shuffle” that show each’s command of and voice on his instrument. Each is capable of tasty fills during verses. Jeff takes high lead vocal and plays clawhammer style banjo on both “Poor Ellen Smith” and “Shady Grove,” showing yet another personality of the band. Curtis counters Jeff’s Grandpa Jones banjo sound on “Shady Grove” with muted, warm dobro that complements Jeff just right.

Kelly Caldwell has just started her tenure with the Hays Brothers, but you couldn’t tell it from her contributions. Originally from Hyden in eastern Kentucky, Kelly uses her electric bass more like an upright bass fiddle, restrained yet solid and supportive of the overall sound. This keeps with what Gary says is the band’s approach — like Flatt & Scruggs’ Foggy Mountain Boys, “everyone boosts and complements everyone else.” At the Barnes and Noble show, Kelly also showed her clear, strong voice on Alison Krauss’ beautiful “Gentle River.” Kelly, Lisa, and Jeff were exceptionally tight on the harmonies.

Jeff and Gary have played with other bands on the road off and on. As recently as 1995, they played with Louisville’s Gary Brewer and the Kentucky Ramblers, performing on the Grand Ole Opry. But they prefer to stay in a local band and not play much beyond a 200-mile radius of Bowling Green. Nearly 25 years after their inception, one has to say that something about the entity called the Hays Brothers must be working well.

The collective discography of the Hays Brothers includes three releases. The Hays Brothers was recorded in 1993 at Glasgow’s Stockyard Studio; the lineup included Gary, Jeff, Lisa, Curtis, Arthur Hatfield (mandolin, fiddle), and Johnny Day (bass). Jeff Hays’ solo release Shaman’s Vision (1996) is an instrumental cassette featuring several originals penned by Jeff, some co- written by Lisa. Shaman’s Vision hit #1 on the Society for the Preservation of Bluegrass Music in America charts and stayed there for six weeks. Gary Hays’ An Old Log Cabin for Sale (date unknown) is very song-oriented; although mostly members of the Hays Brothers play on these sessions, the song is the thing here, and fans of traditional country as well as bluegrass would enjoy this outing.

The Hays Brothers will be performing September 11 at Higgs Cafe in Brownsville; then they will appear as part of the Karstland Music Series at Mammoth Cave National Park on September 18 and at the Southern Kentucky Guild of Artists and Craftsmen’s Show and Sale in Fountain Square in Bowling Green on September 19. The various band and solo CDs and tapes are available at band performances. For more information, contact the Hays Brothers, P. O. Box 183, Bowling Green, KY 42102.

Don Thomason is a writer and musician living in Dunbar. Visit him at www.myspace.com/donthomasonmusic