Born into a tribe of semi-nomadic hippies in Eastern Oregon, Kai Welch was forced to integrate into small-town life as a teenager when his parents kicked their off-the-grid lifestyle. Saddened by the endless cycle of earning and spending money, he left home at age 17 on a quest to devour culture, knowledge and alternative life-styles. He developed his songwriting abilities while traveling to places such as Australia and an uninhabited island off the coast of New Zealand before relocating to Nashville, where the rich music scene settled his nomadic tendencies. With the help of Kickstarter, an online funding platform for creative projects, Welch self-released his debut album Send It Down, in 2011.
