Traditional and old-time country music is enjoying a revival in recent years despite being ignored by the industry trailblazers who consider acts like Morgan Wallen, Luke Combs, Zack Bryan, and, more recently, Beyoncé to represent country music. Ignoring the trends, mavericks such as Charley Crockett, Sierra Ferrell, and Tyler Childers enjoy increased popularity on their own terms, which is an endorsement that quality music away from the mainstream will be supported if it gets the required exposure. San Diego-born Kimmi Bitter is also making strides in that direction and taking things a step further with her particular brand of traditional country music by recreating the classic sounds of the early '60s. Her debut full-length album, OLD SCHOOL, due for release at the end of March, totally evokes the signature vocals of Patsy Cline together with prime harmonies and killer instrumentation. It has not been overnight success for Kimmi, but the album's release and the expanding exposure it's likely to generate should endorse her dedication and commitment to her art and open many more doors for her.
When did your love of old-time and traditional country music come about?
I was a late bloomer discovering older country music. I learned to sing by imitating country singers of the 90s at that time. Country music was always natural in my voice, and in my late twenties I started diving deeper into more traditional country, Dolly Parton, Patsy Cline, Loretta Lynn and Jessi Colter. I knew of those artists but did a deep dive into their music through Spotify because my voice was best suited to traditional country. The more I dug in, the more I knew that this music suited my voice. I'm also obsessed with the '60s; I think music really peaked then, and I'm always chasing those '60s sounds, whether that be Patsy Cline with The Jordanaires and their really cool harmonies, also the twangy and psychedelic guitars of that time; I love everything from that decade.
Your vocal is ideally suited to the style of that decade. Did you receive formal training?
No, it's been a long road; I just taught myself. I worked hard and watched a lot of YouTube videos. I've been performing with my band for almost ten years, and I've honed my skills simply by going out and doing it. I sometimes wish I had some formal training to have a better technique, but who knows, it might have changed the tone of my voice.
There appears to be, however slowly, a greater audience and broader age demographic growth for traditional country music. Are you experiencing that in your live shows?
This year, in particular, has definitely seen a lot of momentum; I'm starting to notice the growth in the fan base. It has been a slow burn for many years, but this year has seen a lot of change. I'm from California and have a strong fan base there, but we do a lot of touring across different States, and I'm starting to notice an expansion of the fan base nationwide. That's undoubtedly new, so I'm excited to get my new album out because we've been touring without an album; it has really been grassroots so far. I do look at my stats on Spotify and YouTube, and I have a strong male fan base, which surprises me because my music isn't rowdy, and my pre-order sales are eighty per cent male. As far as age demographic, it is definitely my peers and older, which makes sense as my music is old-timey, though there is an increasing number of younger people coming out, which is good.
Acts like Tyler Childers, Sierra Ferrell and Charley Crockett have forced the industry to take notice of that growing trend?
Yes, it started as an underground movement, and now it's blown up with some of the people you mentioned. It's really like an 'F-you' to the mainstream country industry, whose music is so watered down. I love that these underdog artists are coming along and playing different music, not what the labels tell them to do. It's also working on a more international level and gaining a lot of mainstream attention, which is cool.
Apart from the music of the 60s, you also pay particular attention to the fashion of that time. Do you feel that that ticks another box profile-wise for you?
Absolutely, I love branding, and it's so much fun. As I mentioned earlier, I'm really obsessed with the 60s, not just the music but art in general. Also, cool cars and appliances that lasted forever. I love the fashion and the style from the 60s and spend a lot of time researching the dress styles back then, and with my stage image, I bouffant my hair, wear 'go go' boots and a mod dress. Nanci Sinatra would be a real style icon for me. It's something that I'm really conscious about, and I enjoy playing a character that I want to play on stage. I want to transport people to a little snapshot back in time.
You have patiently worked on and developed your individual style over the best part of a decade. I get the impression of you as a very structured person.
Yes, I have everything planned and organised; that's how my mind works. I do pretty much everything one hundred per cent myself, I've started to work with a radio promoter but aside from that I book all our shows, do my graphic design, manage my website as well as writing a lot of music.
That's a full workload. Where in particular would you like to get assistance in the future?
I would love help for sure. I work on music 'twenty-four-seven' both on the artistic and business side. I would love help on the booking side, which is very time-consuming; I don't know if and when we will come but, in the meantime, I'm going to continue what I'm doing. I don't have free time but I'm very grateful that it has grown to a place where I'm at now.
Your debut album, OLD SCHOOL, follows the release of several singles. Was this your attention to test the waters with the singles and progress to a full album?
No, I wasn't even thinking of doing an album. I was actually at a point where I wasn't even sure if I would continue doing music because I was working so hard, spending so much time on the road without getting very far and being really tested in the industry. I recorded the song, My Grass is Blue, and it had about fifty streams for the first month or two. Trigger from the publication Saving Country Music found it and showcased it to his demographic, and everything changed after that. My music is such a niche, and for a specific kind of listener, and Saving Country Music nominated it for Single of the Year. That single doing so well inspired me to do a whole album. The guy who co-wrote My Grass Is Blue with me, Michael Gurley, absolutely nailed what I wanted to do and what I wanted to accomplish. So, we worked on this whole album together. We have been working on writing a whole bunch of songs for nearly two years, trying to pick the best ones. We then spent a whole year in and out of the studio mixing the songs to get them right.
Where did you record the album and what players featured?
At a guy named Enoch Jensen's home studio in Los Angeles; he is an amazing engineer. Nothing glamorous about the studio but we had a really glamorous team dedicated to making something of quality and not putting a deadline on it, we were done when the album felt right. It wasn't like I booked ten days in the studio; the album was done when we all gave it the stamp of approval, which took about a year. My co-writing partner, Mike Gurley, played some guitar on it, and then Willis Farnsworth, who has been playing guitar with me for nine years, played guitar on most of it, and my upright bass player, Ben Neal, also played. I had a drummer, Phil, from back home who is an incredible drummer across all genres. Through Mike Gurley's connection, we had an awesome pedal steel player, Christopher Lawerence. Mike also did all of the backing harmonies.
You have a hectic touring schedule. What are the main negatives of life on the road for you?
Lack of sleep is the main thing (laughs). Touring is tiring, and sometimes, I miss being part of my community back home. We love what we're doing and choose to do it. I get to see a lot of the country and make a living in music, and I'm really grateful for that.
How difficult is that financially?
Well, we make it happen financially. I pay my band, and we get by, though I don't personally save any money; I use anything I make to reinvest, particularly in recording, which is a huge expense. We spend six months on the road, so I have to figure out how to make it work, how to negotiate my guarantees and how many shows we have to play to make ends meet. We cook many of our meals on the road and eat at In-N- Out, which is really cheap and of good quality.
Interview by Declan Culliton. Photograph by Willis Farnsworth