On Broadway - The Skallywags & Chili
On Broadway is a bi-monthly web series that delves into the food memories of the talented musicians of Broadway in downtown Nashville. Every other week, we’ll pair those memories with a relevant recipe and information on how to listen to each musician’s material. Our aim is to connect the passion of food to the passion of music—two mediums that evoke instant reactions and memories, and remind us of the incredible people that pour their heart out every day to make their living in our backyard.
My brother came to visit recently, and as I was waiting for him on Broadway, I popped in to The Second Fiddle to grab a drink. Within mere minutes of pulling up a bar stool, I was sending him a text that read, “get down here, this chick is killin’ it.”
“This chick” turned out to be Kristine Spielmann, one half of The Skallywags, a band she fronts along with her husband, Mike Dittmer who also sings and plays bass. Their sets include a variety of country and rock hits mixed in with a slathering of their original music, always a delightful reprieve from the, at times, repetitive nature of Broadway bands. Just as the first verse slid into the chorus, it was clear that their originals had real legs to stand out on. This is also the point at which I finished my beer, slid off my stool, and set out to find out more.
The couple is mid-western, through and through, having grown up in Aurora, Indiana. In fact, they would name their genre of music “mid-western” if they could. Kristine began her musical journey much like most in the business- singing at church choir at the age of seven before starting voice lessons. She then became quite active in her community in musical theater and high school productions. In college, she studied vocal performance and music business and for her senior project, chose to do a solo album. When it came time to hire musicians to record the album, Kristine chose musicians from back home, including Mike. And the rest is, as they say, history.
In 2012, the band made the excitingly terrifying move to Nashville. “It took us about two years to get on our feet where we were just musicians and none of us had a day job. Now we play five nights a week and we travel occasionally.” Quite the difference from mall jobs and waiting tables, indeed.
It’s an especially large difference in lifestyle for Mike, who grew up in the farming community. His grandfather owns a farm, where a young Mike would work countless hours, all the while looking forward to the supper that came after. “My favorite meal is salmon patties, macaroni and cheese, green beans and blackberry cobbler,” he says. That’s…. oddly specific. But, he explains, “that meal is what my grandma would cook for me when I was done working on my grandpa’s farm. We would harvest tobacco or bale hay and when we’d come home in the evening that’s what we had for dinner. It makes me think of my Grandma.” Nothing like anxiously awaiting an oven full of Grandma lovin’ is there?
Kristine spent her younger years eagerly eyeballing something else- her mom’s chili. She remembers, “[It would cook] on the stove all day long in a big pot. It was a Saturday thing- we went to church [those] evenings and every single Saturday we would come home and have chili. It’s my favorite because we were all together on that day. Throughout the week we’d all be at different sports and school stuff, but every Saturday we could do that as a family.” Chili is one of those wonderful, versatile foods that morphs into a different take on every family’s dinner plate. Kristine’s mother’s was tomato based with the addition of ground beef and beans, as many are, but the twist arrives in the starchy vehicle swimming around in the pot- thin spaghetti noodles! With the (hopefully) last of the wintery weather upon us, it doesn’t sound like a half bad idea to whip up some chili. (Maybe on a Saturday). Don’t have a recipe from some family member’s rolodex to fall back on? Never fear! This spicy lamb chili from Amy of Tavalin Tails Farm is sure to stick to your bones in all the right places.
Nashville has been good to The Skallywags, proving once more that sometimes you just have to take the risk; believe in yourself and what your life could be. “Me and Mike talk about it all the time,” Kristine muses. “We never really had a plan B. It was like ‘we have to make this work, or we don’t know what we’re gonna do.’ So, we just made it happen.” The Skallywags define success as being able to support themselves purely by doing what they love- music. They’re currently in the process of recording their second album and seem to be constantly gracing one stage or another (currently at The Stage, Legends Corner, and The Second Fiddle), so I’d say they’ve hit the mark.
And who knows? The tobacco and hay farm is still in Mike’s family, though no longer active since his Grandpa has gotten older. Maybe one day they’ll buy it and get it up and running again. But this time, Mike will be asking Kristine to pass the salmon patties.
Follow Kristine and Mike on Instagram @theskallywags or visit their website at theskallywags.com for up to date performance schedules
