Ellington

In support of her Kickstarter-funded five-song EP "The Fire," New Orleans' soulful singer-songwriter Kelcy Mae is on a nine-day, eight-show tour, including a stop at Jackson's Hal & Mal's. In her most recent digital release, the alt-country crooner combines a love of folk and Americana, steeped in smooth, bluesy melodies, to create an unapologetically southern sound that wears its influences on its sleeves.

"I would describe (my last album, "Pennies in Hand,") as more mellow and acoustic-driven. I plugged in a lot more," Mae says of the new EP. "It has a lot more energy. The writing on ("Pennies on Hand") was definitely more introspective. While there is still some of that throughout this EP, I'm writing more about things outside of myself."

One example is Mae's rockabilly-esque "King of Tennessee," a song that incorporates the influence of her father's Elvis Presley fandom.

For "The Fire," Mae chose to bring in some of the country's best up-and-coming musicians, such as Alex McMurray of The Tin Men, Alexis Marceaux of Alexis & the Samurai, and Andrew Campanelli of The Revivalists. She enlisted the production skills of Rick Nelson (Polyphonic Spree, The Afghan Whigs) and Jason Rhein (Rotary Downs). Of course, that level of involvement requires a hefty sum of money, for which she turned to the fans and the Internet.

"Kickstarter is very helpful, but it's also very bad," Mae says, jokingly. She used the project-funding tool once before when recording "Pennies in Hand." "It takes such an emotional toll on you. In that month, you're constantly feeling worried, and then, of course, people will all pitch in right at the last minute so, thankfully, it works out."

"You can't rely on record companies to come fund it," Mae says. "It never feels good asking people for money. But fans are fans, and they actually want to help and want to be supportive so we're grateful."

Having successfully accomplished her $10,000 donation goal, which financed "The Fire" and its upcoming companion EP, Mae and her troupe of musicians decided to hit the road to spread the word about "The Fire" with an eight-show sprint.

"We wanted play places within our reach," Mae says. "We wouldn't head out to the Pacific Northwest, obviously, because time-wise and financially, you can't build up a fan base like that. So we tried to choose places that we could continually return to and grow relationships."

Kelcy Mae and local musician Zach Lovett perform tonight, Aug. 6, at Hal & Mal's (200 S. Commerce St., 601-948-0888). Tickets are $5 in advance on ardenland.net and $8 at the door. Doors open at 6:30 p.m. Visit kelcymae.com for more information.