An Interview With Kimmi Bitter, An Upcoming Country Star With A Love For Patsy Cline, The1960s, And The Genre's Classic Sounds

Kimmi Bitter with bass player Ben Neal and guitarist Willis Farnsworth

There is an old saying that says "If you remember the '60s you weren't there," but it isn't always true. Californian Kimmi Bitter is way too young to have been there yet she remembers it all quite well.

Bitter favors the sounds and fashion of that famously tumultuous and historically important decade that is both loathed and revered. The singer-songwriter's outstanding new CD of classic country music connects with more than a few people. The music of that era is so important to Bitter that she named her debut album Old School. You can find my review of it here.

Below are a dozen questions that Bitter generously answered for Bloggerhythms. Keep reading to discover what this talented star is all about and how she came to love the music of a bygone era; her idols that include Patsy Cline and 60s style icon, singer Nancy Sinatra; and her views on composing, recording and playing live.

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CR: I noticed that most of your songs are composed with alt-rocker Michael Gurley. Are the songs basically yours with input from him or do you work in tandem with each other?

KB: The songs with Michael Gurley are a mixture of songs I wrote completely, songs he wrote completely, and then songs we co-wrote together. When we were in the writing phase of the Old School album we brought so many songs to the table. Maybe like 30ish? Then we picked the ones we felt were the strongest and most in line with the vision of the record. 

CR: How did you hook up with Mr. Gurley? I remember him from his 90s rock band, Dada.

KB: I've known Mike for a long time. My dad went to high school with him and is a fan of Dada. Actually, my first concert was a Dada concert in third grade. He has intermittently come in and out of my journey as a musician as a low key mentor. But a couple of years ago my band and I backed him on a casual show he did in San Diego. I opened up for him with my country music and after the show we talked about co-writing some country songs together. Though he is most known for being in the alternative 90s rock band Dada, he is a big fan of classic country and I was making that kind of music. So we got together and co-wrote "My Grass is Blue" and it was the start of a really cool partnership that just totally worked and people started resonating with it. That song got nominated by a popular music publication called Saving Country Music alongside some big-name Americana artists which gave me an underground wave of traction. It also later got nominated for Song of the Year in my hometown for the San Diego Music Awards. After that, Mike and I were like....maybe we should do a whole album together.

CR: How do you write a song? What comes first, the music or the lyrics?

KB: It varies and can come in either form. You never know when or how a song will strike. However, typically the process for me starts with a song I'm deeply inspired by. Almost always a song from the '60s. For example, Patti Page's Old Cape Cod and Elvis' Ku-U-I-Po (off Blue Hawaii) are what inspired me to write "Aquamarine." I get so obsessed with the sounds and how that music makes me feel that I have to recreate it my own way in modern times. So I will come up with a song title that captures the vibe I'm hoping to achieve and then I work on the chords and lyrics simultaneously. I usually work from the top down. I know what I want to achieve and how I want it to make people feel and then I make the music. I usually start with a very specific intention.

CR: Where do you find inspiration for your songs?

KB: It's old songs and sounds that get me all riled up. I almost primarily listen to music from 1977 and earlier. I say 1977 because Rumours was made that year, but most of the music is from the 50s-60s. My inspiration comes from the sounds, tones, and overall vibes of a song that I'm really digging and want to recreate. Sometimes, I just really like a guitar tone and I want to make a song that incorporates it. Dirty fuzz guitar, I love it. We put it all over our track "Get Those Hands Where I Can See 'Em" even though it's a country song. Or sometimes I'm obsessing over the notes and harmony production from a Patsy Cline with the Jordanaires track, and want to challenge myself to capture something along those lines. I wish that was what's currently playing on the radio - but it's not - so I'm inspired to bring back those kinds of song styles.

CR: Do you prefer composing, recording or playing live?

  

KB: I love it all, but definitely would pick playing live.

CR: Most people your age never discover the music from the 60s. How did Patsy Cline, Loretta Lynn and other obvious influences cross your path?

KB: I didn't discover music from the 60s until my late teens. Once I did, I never looked back. It started with Led Zeppelin and then I worked backward to all the original blues artists like Leadbelly and Blind Willie Johnson. I used to want to be a gritty blues singer, but I found that was not the strength of my voice after a couple of years of trying to front a blues-rock band. Then I continued down the rabbit hole and got re-obsessed with country. I grew up singing female country artists of the nineties. When I came back to it in my late 20s and dived into the greats from the 60s, that is when everything "clicked" for me. Patsy is a great influence. She is a voice that I can just get lost in. Her phrasing, range, and the style of the songs that were written for her are similar to where my voice wants to naturally sit. However, I love music across all the genres of the 50s - 60s and I am not glued solely to country. Singers like Connie Francis, Brenda Lee, Nancy Sinatra, and Patti Page are all voices in my wheelhouse. My voice is meant for a different time. If I was to try to do modern pop or pop-country music it just wouldn't work.

CR: What do you believe sets the music of your favorite era apart from the music of today?

 

KB: I have thought about this a lot. I think it is an accumulation of things. I think the technology back then didn't allow you to "cheat" your sound. You had to truly be excellent, work hard, and be a master at your craft. There was no cut-and-paste in the recording. No Auto-Tune. Also, to me, the technology was at its peak. Though it may have been less convenient than how we record now, analog tape captures sound differently. The actual waveforms are different than digital waveforms. Equipment was manufactured in America and there was integrity in it. Consoles and tape machines from the 50s and 60s still work if you keep up with the maintenance, but a Mac computer needs to be replaced every couple of years. They used real reverbs and echo chambers, not plugins. It seems to me, old-school mainstream music was allowed to be more creative and take chances. Pop songs of today's commercial radio usually fall into a similar song formula and predictable sound. Music of the '60s had its formulas too, but it was also weird. Just dive into The Beatles, the biggest pop artists of the 60s, and all the different arrangements they made. I could go on this tangent for hours.

CR: What current artists, country or otherwise, do you listen to?

KB: I'm currently listening to a lot of Connie Francis, Nancy Sinatra, Wanda Jackson, The Ventures, and Linda Martell. As far as artists of current times, I really like Theo Lawrence, The Cactus Blossoms, Natalie Bergman, Francis Blume, and Je'Texas.

CR: Can you tell us about your band? Do you use the same musicians for your records and concerts?

KB: My core band is Willis Farnsworth (guitar) and Ben Neal (bass). I've played with these guys in every single band variation I've been in for the past 10 years. They tour with me and they play on the albums. The other players on my recordings I don't play with live and were hired out for the album. On the album I have Phil Pardel on drums, Chris Lawrence on pedal steel, Jody Bagley on keys, Adam Kessler on banjo and mando, and of course a lot of Michael Gurley on the backup harmonies, guitar, and some keys. As far as live performances go, I'm not big on having "hired guns" and prefer a consistent bandmate. For a long while it's just been Willis, Ben, and I for the live shows and the last few years of touring. However, we've recently added Justin De La Vega on drums and he is an absolute joy. He is now our live show drummer and will also be joining us on tour this year making it a full band on the road for the first time. We are pumped.

CR: Now that I've heard Old School I went back to iTunes to purchase your EPs but they appear to be gone. Just a few singles are left. Where else can people buy your music?

KB: The old EPs are no longer available, but Old School will be available March 29th on iTunes, Apple Music, Spotify, Youtube and all the places you can consume music. It is also available on kimmibitter.com for physical vinyl or CD.

CR: Are any country radio stations playing your music or is it considered too country for modern country radio?

KB: As far as I’m aware it’s primarily Americana/country radio stations playing my tracks. I don’t believe any major commercial country radio stations are at the moment. There’s 41 reporting radio stations and quite a handful of other radio stations that have picked it up internationally too. 

CR: What are your favorite ways of listening to music? Are you a streamer or do you play CDs or LPs? 

KB: Since I spend over half the year on the road touring, I primarily stream since that’s how people consume music in the car these days. I’m a fan of streaming because you have access to so many artists and are not limited to what the radio deems is worthy to play. I do love spinning records and that’s the ultimate listening experience, but I’m limited to only being able to do that when we’re off the road. So I partake in both!