Today we’d like to introduce you to Katy Guillen.
Hi Katy, thanks for joining us today. We’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
I started playing piano at age 7 and then acoustic guitar at age 8. I have always loved and been drawn to music. I feel at home and like myself when I’m playing. Music has been a big part of my family- my mom, uncle, and grandpa all played guitar. My mom was my very first guitar teacher. I got an electric guitar a few years later and started taking lessons. Eventually, my dad and I started going to blues jams in Kansas City when I was about 14. I met countless incredible Kansas City musicians during that time and learned so much. I loved going to the jams and oftentimes they would lead us to new places and new people. It always felt like a bit of an adventure. I met my first voice teacher at The Grand Emporium and she pushed me to start singing and to write my own music. Around the same time I fell in love with flamenco guitar and was able to study with Kansas City guitarist Beau Bledsoe. After high school I did some traveling and volunteered with a nonprofit in Paraguay for a summer. I continued playing and writing music through college but got my BA in Sociology with a Spanish minor from University of Missouri-Kansas City. I played in a band with my best friends through and after college called The B’Dinas. A couple of years later I started a guitar-drum duo (Katy & Go-Go) with drummer Go-Go Ray and we put an album out called When I Get Away. Shortly after that album was released I started a new band called Katy Guillen & The Girls with drummer Stephanie Williams and bassist Claire Adams. We were finalists in the International Blues Challenge in Memphis, TN which led to many amazing opportunities. We toured in Sweden, played the International Montreal Jazz Festival, and many more festivals across the country. We released three albums and enjoyed 6 years of creating, recording, and touring. After that band ended in 2018, I wanted to preserve KG & The Girls and keep the music we made unique to the three original members. So Steph and I pivoted, refreshed, rebranded, and started writing a new catalogue of music and a new story for our current project- Katy Guillen & The Drive. We’re now two full length albums, two EPs, and several tours across the country deep. The core of the band is my long time partner in music and now life- Steph and myself. We’ve toured in various formations over the years- from a two, three, and four piece band. We’re fortunate to have some amazing musicians in rotation with us for live performances. We also started a side project for gigging called Womanish Girl, that has evolved into another full blown project. We just recorded our first record for that band and will release it in 2027. We’ve had the opportunity to work with top tier producers and engineers, and recorded in new places on the last few recordings. We love to work with new people and push outside of our comfort zone. These experiences have allowed us to learn and grow beyond what we ever could have imagined. I’m thankful to be a full time musician playing alongside my partner.
I’m sure it wasn’t obstacle-free, but would you say the journey has been fairly smooth so far?
There are many challenges that come with this path. To share your art with the world means to make yourself vulnerable which can be hard. The balance of creating and keeping up with the business piece is a difficult one to strike. There are lots of moving parts always changing in this landscape and you need to be able to adapt- ie social media algorithms, online trends, AI. This path can be an emotional, physical, and mental roller coaster full of inconsistencies. It requires thick skin and perseverance.
As you know, we’re big fans of you and your work. For our readers who might not be as familiar what can you tell them about what you do?
I’m a musician. I manage and create for two full time original and independent projects. I play guitar (sometimes bass), sing, and write songs in my bands Katy Guillen & The Drive and Womanish Girl with my partner Stephanie Williams. I also play guitar in the David Bowie tribute band The Band That Fell To Earth. When the calendar permits I occasionally play guitar with other original artists- I most recently went on tour with Beth Bombara (St. Louis, MO). I’ve been a professional musician for 15 years now and hold many moments as dear and proud. Some of my favorites are playing at the International Montreal Jazz Festival, supporting guitar great Robin Trower multiple times, touring in Sweden, having recorded and released 8 records with 3 different original projects, and criss-crossing the country with my favorite people getting to play music.
What has been the most important lesson you’ve learned along your journey?
Try to stay positive and remember that your greatest asset is your authentic self.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://linktr.ee/KGandTheDrive
- Instagram: @kgandthedrive
- Facebook: https://Facebook.com/kgandthedrive
- Twitter: @kgandthedrive
- Youtube: https://YouTube.com/@KGTheDrive
