What is your name?
Kristine Kabbes
What is your genre of music?
Country
Give us a little bio about you.
I grew up roaming the farm land of Aurora, Indiana. Aurora is a small town along the Ohio river that is 30 miles west of Cincinnati, OH. It is known for its rolling hills, its rural culture and the way it hugs the meandering Ohio river. At a very young age, my parents encouraged my love of both music and a country lifestyle. Like many great singers, I got my start singing hymns in the church choir. My success as a young child in the church choir prompted me to explore different artistic expressions, such as local theatre groups, show choir and musical dramaturgy around the Greater Cincinnati Area. By the time I became a teenager, I was the desired performer of the National Anthem at air shows, festivals, and other events in the Tri-State area. I attended Columbia College in Chicago, where I studied Music Business and Vocal Performance. While at Columbia, I commissioned the band Strange on Display as session players for the recording of my solo album. I was so impressed by the raw talent of the band that I invited them to be my exclusive backing band for live performances. In Strange on Display, I found mutual passion and support. I also found my now husband and bass player, Michael Dittmer. When tragedy took the life of my good friend and drummer, the band and I decided to take a short break to grieve and later came together and unified as The Skallywags. The Skallywags quickly became a local favorite. The rising popularity of the band led us to move to Nashville, Tennessee. We fell in love with the town of Nashville and have been based out of the city ever since. In 2020, we rebranded, transforming The Skallywags into the solo artist, Kristine Kabbes. While I am recognized as a solo artist, I still utilizes The Skallywags as my backup band during live performances. Kristine keep busy touring, writing and working on various recording projects. I have shared the stage with many artists including Carly Pearce, The Cadillac Three, Parmalee, Diamond Rio, Casey James, Clint Black, Wynonna Judd, Lorrie Morgan, Collin Raye and Bret Michaels. When I’m is not working, I spend my time outdoors, hiking with my dog, and spending time with family and close friends. You will always find wine in my refrigerator, boots in my closet and music in my heart.
What made you go into music?
My parents helped me get into music. I was always singing as a kid. And they thought I had talent and put me in lessons and church choir.
Who are your influences?
My influences are Linda Ronstadt, Miranda Lambert, Patsy Cline, Michael Jackson, and Josh Groban.
Are you a signed artist?
No, I am not a signed artist – but, I do have my own label, publishing company and sound company called Dittmer Entertainment.
You recently released your new single ‘Beer Bottle Microphone.’ Tell us more about the single and the meaning behind the song.
Dave McAfee (drums) and Dave Smith (guitar) of Toby Keith’s Easy Money Band helped produce and write this song. My husband and bass player, Mike Dittmer came to me with this song idea, “beer bottle microphone,” because we see this all the time at our shows. I thought it was a great idea and sat down with it. I had an idea for the melody and a verse and chorus, but it wasn’t finished. I wasn’t sure how to end the story. So, we brought it to our cowrite with McAfee and Smith and they were what it needed! We finished the story out and completed the song. As we went along with the recording process, we just kept tweaking and fine tuning until we got what you hear now. We are thrilled with the final product.
Describe the track in two words.
Drinkin’ Song
What was the writing and recording process like?
McAfee, Smith, and my husband Mike helped write the song. I love writing with these guys. Writing this song in particular was so fun and easy. It just flowed out of all of us, because we’ve all had experiences as musicians with the type of people this song is about. Recording it was just a great, we laid down the tracks at the Sound kitchen in Franklin, TN.
Who did you work with on the single?
Dave McAfee produced and played Drums, Dave Smith played guitar and engineered and produced. Mike Dittmer sang and played bass guitar. Kevin Adams played keys, and Josh Bertrend played pedal Steel.
Will we see a music video for ‘Beer Bottle Microphone’ and, if so, what can we expect from the creative process?
We do have a music video coming out very soon! We’ve done music videos in the past, but nothing like this one. We are utilizing AI. Very excited for everyone to see the final product.
Will we see an EP or Album and, if so, what can expect from the creative process?No EP or album coming anytime soon for us. Just singles for now.
Do you have any live shows coming up?
We play on Broadway in Nashville, TN every Tuesday through Saturday. You can find out show schedule on our website. Kristinekabbes.com or I post our schedule on Instagram and Facebook every week.
Let us know where we can get tickets if so.
We don’t have any ticketed events coming up this year. All of our shows are free! So come see us!
What else can we expect in 2023?
Later on in 2023 we are releasing an original Christmas song! Look for that in November!
Where do you see yourself now in 5 Years?
In five years, I see myself on a farm, still making music.
What quote or saying do you always stick by?
Well, this might get a little personal, but a quote I tell myself daily is “I am more than social media.” Part of my job is to market myself and it often feels vain and self-serving. Also watching everyone else’s successes can bring you down, so I have to remind myself that social media is an exaggerated highlight reel of everyone’s lives. There is more to life than that. Social media is just a tool.
When you are at a gig, what are 5 things you cannot forget?
Five things I will never forget at a gig, is my guitar, microphone, capo, phone clip, and phone!
Do you have social media accounts so your fans can follow you?
You can follow me on Facebook, Instagram, TikTok and Spotify!
