Marissa M. Conner 
Katy Guillen and Stephanie Williams have worked together for the better part of a decade. // Photo by Morgan Jones
Katy Guillen has been part of the Kansas City music scene for a decade.
First, she performed with Katy & Go-Go, which released a full album (When I’m leaving) with the tapping of an avenging angel’s foot, country rock atmosphere.
Then she moved on to Katy Guillen & The Girls. These three albums have a bluesy feel, filled with sage advice from Mama (“Angel of the Earth”), well-behaved dunks on a former lover (“Humbucker”), and condemnations for an anonymous person with a lack of emotional regulation (“To shiver”). The group held its farewell show in December 2018 after six years together.
On June 3, 2022, she launched her American tour with Katy Guillen & The Drive in Lee’s Summit, MO. The band is two-thirds made up of KG & The Girls, with Guillen herself on guitar and vocals and Stephanie Williams on drums.
The tour leads to the August 19 release of the band’s first full-length album, another won. It is characterized by the disbanding of Guillen’s last band and a difficult breakup, the kind of rebirth phenomenon often found in power ballads or dull revenge fantasies.
Queer Country describes it as “pop and country with a hint of blues and teeth”, and this album has some bite.
Ever since Katy Guillen & The Drive released their debut EP, Dream Girl, just before the pandemic hit, the band have had plenty of time to refine their sound.
The bones of Guillen’s old bands pierce the flesh of his latest venture, but another won is not an elephant graveyard. It’s a living, breathing testimony to how life continually changes against your own will, whether you’re ready or not.
One thing that hasn’t changed is Guillen’s friendship with Williams. The two live together and have found themselves working on songs almost daily during the pandemic.
“We built a little home studio in our basement just using what we had,” Guillen explains. “We both sat down and worked together on all the demos of all the songs that we ended up recording in LA. We would record a song and listen to it, then re-record it at a different tempo.”
Their road trip to Southwest Los Angeles in the spring of 2021, along with input from producer and engineer Kevin Ratterman at Invisible Creature Studio, had a significant impact on the album’s final sound.
another won has an indie rock desert aesthetic, much like smoking weed at the Grand Canyon (which, by the way, Guillen and Williams visited on their trip).
“I love this drive,” says Guillen. “It’s very long. It’s wonderful. And I love driving through Utah, Colorado and Nevada. The western United States is like a crazy expanse. The desert and the mountains, sometimes we have the feeling of being on another planet.
The duo took the same van on this fateful roadtrip all over the United States this summer, from Wisconsin to Washington, DC. At most of their gigs, Guillen and Williams play along with tunes to reduce the cost of backing additional musicians.
“It’s more of a necessity than anything, just based on the cost of gas,” Guillen says. “There are so many factors that make touring a little more logistical. You have to focus on cutting fat, you know what I mean?”
This approach may entail some extra work, but it’s not something Guillen or Williams fear.
“This time around I was involved in every aspect,” Guillen said. “We are an independent group. Steph I do a lot of the administration and maintenance needed to keep the business side of the group going. There is a list of constant upkeep that needs to happen. That’s usually what a label would handle for most artists, but when you’re independent, you do those things yourself.
Katy Guillen & The Drive back in Kansas City August 26 at Knuckleheads for his album release show.
“We started to get really busy with out-of-town shows, which was great,” Guillen says. “But, honestly, there’s nothing quite like playing at home and playing with your friends, family and people who have followed and supported you for years. I can’t wait to share it with Kansas City because it’s our home. It is the place for which we feel the most love.
another won will be released on August 19. The accompanying singles, “Set in Stone” and “Discoloration”, are available now.
