Saturdays in the Square – Kimmi Bitter and the Westside Twang and Matthew Wilburn Skinner

Kimmi Bitter and The Westside Twang
Matthew Wilburn Skinner
Presented by Bloedorn Lumber with drinks by Bonds Brewing Company
FREE and open to the public

Kimmi Bitter: Centered around the vein of old-school country with a cosmic west coast twist, Kimmi Bitter and the Westside Twang are here to transport you on a retro journey into the year 1962 through their nostalgic original songs. “A disciple of previous decades of music, Bitter’s style fuses traditional country and Americana vibes that hearken to eras gone by,” says Maddie Fry of Nashville’s music publication Music Mecca.

In the recent year, collaboration with Los Angeles producer Michael Gurley on singles “My Grass is Blue” and “I Dream of You” are harmony-stricken ballads that have grown comparisons reminiscence of a time when Patsy Cline with the Jordanaires would overtake radio airwaves. “Immediately riveting classic country fans and stimulating chill bumps from the eerie similarities to Patsy Cline, ‘My Grass Is Blue’ is solid country gold,” says Saving Country Music who nominated the song for 2022 Single of the Year alongside fellow nominees Charley Crockett, Sierra Ferrell, and Zach Bryan. Bitter also found recognition in her hometown being nominated for Best Country/Americana Artist and “My Grass is Blue” was nominated for Song of the Year by San Diego Music Awards 2023.

Matthew Wilburn Skinner: Raised by wolves, taught by squirrels, friend of the owl- Matthew Wilburn Skinner sings songs of happiness and sorrow. As one-third of the band Tallgrass, he did his part to expand the possibilities of the banjo beyond a bluegrass instrument. “I used to just try and play really fast,” he admits. “Which was a challenge, but then I realized you can’t move the soul with that many notes, heh. Just the feet.” He still plays fast sometimes, “I can’t help it, haha, it’s fun,” but it seems to have moved beyond a sport for him. His Delta blues/jazz fingerstyle on the acoustic guitar is also crazy unique, with flourishes of virtuosity in between vocals that will break your heart before lovingly putting it back together again. Starting out in Iowa City more than 15 years ago, he honed his craft as a player and a sound engineer before moving to Fort Collins, Colorado in 2013.