MILWUAKEE JOURNAL SENTINEL: Katy Mae inhabit that world of music where bands like the Damnwells, The Bottlerockets and Wilco blur the line between guitar drenched alt-country and rockin' indie rock n roll. I like this world. I'd like to live in this world 24/7.


Year End Top 12 Billings Gazette 11. Katy Mae, "The Lightning and the Sun" This little band from Brooklyn tossed out a six-song EP that blows the dust off the history of rock and roll. Sounding something like Counting Crows weds R.E.M., the trio plays smart music for smart people. Their "Whirlwind" is the best song since Mark Olson left The Jayhawks.


SPLENDIDEZINE Successful bands form their sound by forming their influences into their own sharp weapon. Popular bands have rough people behind them who stick the weapon in the right people's guts. Katy Mae has a friggin' chainsaw. They started off on the right foot by going to Peter Katis, the producer behind Interpol and The Get Up Kids, for their EP. As a result, the band sound like veterans -- everything about them suggests impeccable quality. Katy Mae's distinctive alt-country sound blends Wilco with Social Distortion at their most rock-abilly. Case in point: "The Brightest Star" opens with a rolling guitar sequence, which is kept in rhythmic line by a clanky cowbell. The chorus's melody is starchy, thick and graceful; Phil Doucet sounds like he's right there in the room with you, taking a shot of whiskey and hollering his lyrics. Mark Levy's percussion manipulates the elements and builds a visual story, sending us through cloud-shrouded streets beneath an expansive night sky. In "Six Ways Down the Line", we see a softer, more reflective Katy Mae, with delicate percussion and dry guitar that intertwines with Doucet's languishing vocal. The Lightning and the Sun, the big chainsaw, needs to find an audience with the same balls that Katy Mae's music has. Once it's in the right hands, the possibilities are endless.-Ryan Humm


AMPMagazine Now this is the shit! A great little ep of six songs from this new band who plays Americana or roots rock. Picture Michael Stipe hanging out with THE BYRDS and you’ll get a good idea of what their sound is. Recommended to all those who are into the new wave of alt country (LD)


PUNK PLANET Recorded by Interpol comrade Peter Katis, this crisp EP proves Katy Mae has traveled across the Roots Rock Belt and found souvenirs-Georgia jangle and Midwest earnestness-along the way. Vocalist Phil Doucet borrows Michael Stipe’s vulnerable warble, and the band loves its Uncle Tupelo. Images of headlights, trains, and rust trudge through the lyrics. Doesn’t becomes don’t. Katy Mae don’t rebuild that old alt-country pickup out front, but it does wax it until it shines. (JM)


Mundanesounds.com Very rare is it that I will compare a band to REM, and when I do, it's often not a favorable comparison. But after listening to The Lightning and the Sun, the debut EP by New York's Katy Mae, I have to rethink that policy. It's safe to say that the three fellows of Katy Mae have a soft spot for the rootsy music of the mid to late 1980s, most specifically REM and Uncle Tupelo. Katy Mae's music is so contemporary with that era, they sound as if theyjust mysteriously appeared out of 1985. Though The Lightning and the Sun is quite brief, it's not devoid of strength. Lead singer Phil Doucet sings with a pained yelp that instantly reminds of vintage Michael Stipe, and drummer Mark Levy and bassist Brad Hill provide a powerful crunch to his pop stylings. Whether it's the country-rock ramblings of "The Brightest Star" or the jangling guitars on "Whirlwind," or the rolling bass on "I Could Crush You With The Weight of My Heart," the band's power is quite obvious, and it's damn near impossible not to fall hard for this little band. Don't believe me? Well, if you still have your doubts, then don't listen to the powerful "Safe and Sound." Katy Mae's a great young band with a great sound, and The Lightning and the Sun is a wonderful (but too damn brief) EP. Bring on that full length, boys! --Joseph Kyle


Independentsonly.com I remember when I got my first taste of "alternative music" back in the late eighties. Turned onto tapes by R.E.M., The Pixies and Hoodoo Gurus. I loved the feeling of something completely different. That feeling returned when I received "The Lightning & The Sun" by Brooklyn's Katy Mae. Honest and hard working with songwriting from a place deep within the heart. Each track barrels through a whirlwind of rhythms and a wall of guitar that may just open a few minds to a new experience in this sometimes-uneventful world of music. Often with a western feel, Katy Mae may very well be your new favorite band! R.I.Y.L.: old R.E.M., Hoodoo Gurus, Pavement- Monk


BILLINGS GAZETTE There are so many bands crowding the alt-country corral these days that about half of them sound just the same. And, the other half is trying to sound like Son Volt. A great band needs a hook, a fresh, distinctive voice, some songs that stick, a transcendent energy. Katy Mae shows off all of those things on this short but sensational 6-song debut EP. Sounding something like Counting Crows gone to Whiskytown College, this New York-based trio plays smart music for smart people, as well as drunk people and the newly broken hearted. From the head-whipping opener, "The Brightest Star," to the twangy melancholy of "Six Ways Down," Katy Mae covers the history of rock 'n' roll. Then comes the Jayhawks-esque "Whirlwind" and "I Could Crush You With the Weight of My Heart." Then, just when you think you've got them figured comes the sweetly tortured "Foghorn." - Chris Jorgensen


HARP MAGAZINE Harkening back a few years to the alt. country era when the Bottle Rockets and 6-String Drag reigned supreme, Katy Mae make electric-twanging bar rock for failed lovers. The Brooklyn, NY trio rip through opening tracks "The Brightest Star" and "Whirlwind" with the blue-collar fury of West Coast rootsters Radio Nationals while "Safe and Sound" employs some Still Feel Gone-style rhythm changes and "Foghorn" borrows early REM strumming. Every song equal parts beer-guzzler and tear-jerker. BRIAN J. BARR


PLAYGIRL MAGAZINE: Dubbed the “New American Traditionalists”, Katy Mae is true rock and roll. Their EP The Lightning and the Sun is lovelorn and wistful in “Whirlwind” and “Foghorn” and pure energetic rock heard in “Safe and Sound” and “The Brightest Star”. Their always powerful sound showcases their immense song crafting talents in the alt-country genre. Toe Tapping, sing-out loud songs.- Michele Zipp


CHARTATTACK : Sometimes you can judge a band by their name and their cover. New York's Katy Mae buck the trend, though, delivering not southern redneck rock, but instead a handful of roots-infused songs with contemporary touches. Dubbing themselves "new American traditionalists," lead singer Phil Doucet's voice bears more than a striking resemblance to Counting Crows' Adam Duritz. However, Katy Mae's trump card is their underlying modern edge, which was aided by Interpol producer Peter Katis. It's this edge that infuses the rolling bass in "I Could Crush You With The Weight Of My Heart" and the runaway-train feel of "Safe And Sound." Keep an eye on these fellas. Shannon Whibbs


SKRATCHMAGAZINE: One part country, one part alternative, and two parts rock. What do you get? A great-sounding band from New York City called Katy Mae. If you listen to bands like Counting Crows or Gin Blossoms, then Katy Mae will be a group you'll fall in love with. Great musicianship, talented vocals, and catchy song structures make this one of the most listener-friendly records I've heard in a while. Go check 'em out!-ADF


EARCANDY: Busting out of Brooklyn with an alternative country twang, Katy Mae call their brand of no-frills rock 'n' roll jangle the sounds of New American Traditionalists, and the description is quite fitting. With nods to Wilco, Jayhawks, and The Who, this trio pull no punches and hit harder than they have to, sounding as if they drink and party twice as hard. If that's not a recipe for a down-home rockin' time, then what is? Combining a Texas two-step with a hard-rock crunch, Katy Mae is a band poised to bring the sounds of smalltown heartache to the big city.- Mike SOS


READ MAG: Alt-Country, not my most favorite genre, is made interesting by Katy Mae with rockabilly speed, pop songwriting and tight musicianship. And they’ve got a cowbell.