Kelcy Mae

Genre: Americana
Secondary Genre: Rock New Orleans, Louisiana USA Contact

Kelcy Mae is an alt-rock/americana act from New Orleans whose talent has landed her opening performances for acts such as Emmylou Harris, Sean Hayes, & The Watson Twins. Alt-rock with dixie-infused flare, her style resembles a mix of Natalie Merchant, Aimee Mann, Lucinda Williams and Gillian Welch.

Artist Information

Biography

Combining traditional southern bluegrass and country instrumentation with an independent rock sound, Kelcy Mae hits a pitch perfect balance of alt-rock/alt-country that follows in the tradition of musical greats like Natalie Merchant or Casey Chambers. Her band instrumentation typically includes electric guitar, banjo, mandolin, violin, bass & drums.

Kelcy Mae's 3rd recording project is currently underway, slated for release in early Spring 2013. In 2011, Kelcy Mae released her 2nd album, Pennies in Hand, and followed the release with US tours in the Southeast, Midwest and Southwest. Pennies in Hand was named one of the Top 10 New Orleans Albums of the Year by the New Orleans Times Picayune, and Kelcy was nominated for Best Singer/Songwriter by Offbeat Magazine. Pennies in Hand is available through all major online retailers and is available for streaming via Spotify and Pandora radio.

Kelcy doesn’t shy away from tackling difficult subject matter or from challenging herself (and thus her listeners) to go deeper lyrically and poetically than many artists do. One of her great strengths as an artist lies in her subtlety -- beautifully-nuanced lyrics and arrangements which reflect that very notion of human emotions. She leaves simplistic odes to love or lust or heartbreak to other artists and instead dwells in the fascinating space of sudden realizations and complicated reactions.

Kelcy Mae was born on St. Patrick's Day in Shreveport, LA. She currently lives and performs in New Orleans where she earned an MFA in Creative Writing from the University of New Orleans. She is also a published essayist and poet. She is currently touring in support of her new album, Pennies in Hand (2011).

RECENT ACCOLADES:
Named one of the Top 10 Local Albums of 2011 by the New Orleans Times Picayune
Nominated for "Best Singer/Songwriter" in Offbeat Magazine's 2011 Best of the Beat Awards
See "Press" for more

RECENT FESTIVALS:
2012 Unofficial SXSW - Sweet Tea Pumpkin Pie Showcase & others
2012 French Quarter Festival
2012 New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival
Bayou Boogaloo 2012
Mudbug Madness (Upcoming 2013)

MUSIC VIDEO: http://youtu.be/WEAQdGK0lz8

Instrumentation

Kelcy Mae - Vocals, Guitar, Piano, Ukelele
Lucy Cordts - Banjo, mandolin, background vocals
Tom Marron / Eric Rodriguez - Violin
Kyle Sharamitaro / Pat Fee - Drums
Owen Romero / Dave Pomerleau - Bass Guitar

Discography

TBA
(Kelcy's 3rd Project is underway, slated for release in early Spring 2013)

Pennies in Hand
(2011, Full-length LP recorded at Blue Velvet Studio in New Orleans. International radio airplay on local and syndicated programs as well as online via Pandora & Spotify. Available on iTunes, Amazon, etc.)

The Times Compiled
(2007, Full-length LP recorded at Piety Street Recording in New Orleans. Receiving radio play regionally and online via Spotify. Available on iTunes, Amazon, etc.)


Select tracks from full-length albums available at www.kelcymae.com, www.reverbnation.com/kelcymae, Facebook.com/kelcymae and www.myspace.com/kelcymae.

Official Website

http://www.kelcymae.com

Links

Audio

Video

Photo Gallery

  • Photo by Jackson Beals

    Download print quality (high-res) version (Right Click -> Save As)
  • Photo by Jackson Beals

  • Photo by Jackson Beals

  • Photo by Jackson Beals

  • Photo by Sunday Angleton

  • Pennies in Hand (2011)

Press

  • Top 10 Local Releases of 2011 [+ Show ]

    Mae grew up in Shreveport; she moved to New Orleans in 2001 to major in English and minor in music b...

  • Kelcy Mae revs up the early crowd at the New Orleans Jazz Festival [+ Show ]

    It can't be easy to open the New Orleans Jazz Fest. Thursday at the Lagniappe stage, hidden in the G...

  • Wilburn’s lilting vocals set against soulful – sometimes mournful – instrumentation, replete with jaunty banjo and ukulele, synthesize a charming aural canvas, blending components of bluegrass, back-country ballads and modern rock. [+ Show ]

    Kelcy Mae (real name Kelcy D. Wilburn) has just released her second full-length album, Pennies in Ha...

  • “Pennies in Hand sparkles with nuanced vocals, smart wordplay and a bright, warm production that casts arrangements in a flattering light.” [+ Show ]

    Some poems simply make better songs. As part of her Master of Fine Arts curriculum at the University...

  • “...solid ground for Kelcy Wilburn, whose voice is warm and distinctive, and whose lyrics are intelligent...a reason to keep paying attention to Kelcy Mae.” [+ Show ]

    The sound of Pennies in Hand is familiar enough. Kelcy Mae and the album exist in Lilith Fair’s long...

  • “...a bold statement against the stereotypes associated with singer/songwriters. These are songs with guts, with purpose, and with legs...” [+ Show ]

    Kelcy Mae's album Pennies in Hand is a bold statement against the stereotypes associated with singer...

  • "...a specialist in fresh-faced yet soulful alt-country reminiscent of Natalie Merchant." [+ Show ]

    Kelcy Mae Wilburn is a regular on Frenchmen Street and a specialist in fresh-faced yet soulful alt-c...

  • "Kelcy Mae has a nice rootsy sound and a cool way with her own songs. 'Moonshiner' gets a powerful reading that she really nails...A wonderful album." [+ Show ]

    Kelcy Mae has a nice rootsy sound and a cool way with her own songs. The traditional "Moonshiner" ge...

  • “In a world where singer/songwriters are a dime a dozen, the ability to stand out of the crowd is definitely worth mentioning...Pennies packs a vocal punch of southern-styled lullabies with a hint of sarcasm and sass...” - The Shreveport Times [+ Show ]

    In a world where singer/songwriters are a dime a dozen, the ability to stand out of the crowd is def...

  • Kelcy Mae Weaves Rich Instrumentation, Thoughtful Lyrics Into Album [+ Show ]

    Kelcy, the poetry student, enrolled in the Master of Fine Arts program at UNO in 2007 as Kelcy Wilbu...

  • French Quarter Fest Preview - Kelcy Mae [+ Show ]

    Are you a fan of traditional folk or indie-rock music? Give Kelcy Mae a shot, she won’t disappoint, ...

  • "Filled with peaceful yet compelling vocal melodies and relaxing, well arranged instrumentals, this record is the ideal companion to a glass of lemonade and a rocking chair on a southern porch." [+ Show ]

    Kelcy Wilburn’s latest recording Pennies in Hand is the perfect record to listen to on a lazy weeken...

  • "...an impressive debut, well-crafted and professional." [+ Show ]

    by Rob Fontenot, Jr. One look at this native's MySpace page will confirm what you can hear in her...

  • "...well-produced, solid first album." [+ Show ]

    Singer/songwriter Kelcy Mae makes an unforgettable entrance with her debut album, The Times Compiled...

  • "...perfect pastoral pop music." [+ Show ]

    “Kelcy makes perfect pastoral pop music. Her music is resonant in the way Sandy Denny and early 10,0...

  • "...smooth poeticism and beguiling charm." [+ Show ]

    An intelligent combination of insightful lyrical angst and catchy melodies, singer/songwriter Kelcy ...

  • "...strong example of local female talent." [+ Show ]

    “It’s the nuclear family that never was okay, it’s the sick dissection of each goddamn religion.” La...

  • "Mae woos the Revel audience..." [+ Show ]

    As a child growing up in Shreveport, the Red River Revel was big in Kelcy Mae’s eyes. Crowds of peop...

  • "A Shreveport favorite!" [+ Show ]

    Kelcy Mae, the New Orleans-based alternative/indie folk artist is a Shreveport favorite having lived...

  • Top Pick! [+ Show ]

    Kelcy Mae was featured as a Top Pick in the Times Picayune in New Orleans on January 13, 2006, May 1...

  • Radio Performances [+ Show ]

    11/20/04 - WWOZ 90.7FM - Saturday Night Jam Session 03/12/05 - WWOZ 90.7FM - Fund Drive Performanc...

Setlist

Typical set lists for Kelcy Mae run from one to one and a half hours, though Kelcy Mae can play half hour to three hour sets.

Original songs:

Revival
Would Love
End from End
Oh How the Whiskey
The Fire
Get Back Home
King of Tennessee
Bright Eyes
Take Your Time
Let's Walk the Tightrope
Enough for Two
Under Those Trees
Too Late
Your Two Faces
Pennies in Hand
Down to the River
The Youngest Ones
Mr. Leopold
How Long Before You've Rounded the World?
This Town
It's the Way...
Lullaby-Bye
Swingin' Low Without a Chariot
February
In the Underlining (the Times Compiled)
Throwing Pennies
June or July
Dear Baton Rouge (the River Jordan)
Russian Reader
A Select Few
Strange Confidence
Carnivale
Freight Train

Covers:

"Long Black Veil" by Johnny Cash
"When I Drink" by Avett Brothers
"Landlocked Blues" by Bright Eyes
"The Littlest Birds" by The Be Good Tanyas
"Forgiveness" by Patty Griffin
"Let Your Loss Be Your Lesson" as performed by Alison Krauss & Robert Plant
"Skinny Love" by Bon Iver
"Moonshiner" by Uncle Tupelo
"Don't Let It Bring You Down" by Neil Young
"You Can't Always Get What You Want" by Rolling Stones
"Blackbird" by The Beatles
"I've Just Seen a Face" by The Beatles
"Creep" by Radiohead
"Fake Plastic Trees" by Radiohead
"Wagon Wheel" by Old Crow Medicine Show
"Round Here" by Counting Crows
"Porch Songs" by Chris Pureka

Basic Requirements


Calendar

DateTimeVenueCity
May 25, 2013 Saturday 1:00 PM Mudbug Madness Festival Shreveport, LA, US