The Kintners Music

Maybe you need a hand with some music..

Let’s say you’re trying to make a song and you need a little help. Maybe you hear a bass that you don’t have or know how to play, or acoustic guitar, or choir, or maybe you need someone just slightly further along in the mixing process to ask questions or bounce ideas off of. Maybe you need original music for a visual project. I hope I can help.

It’s not you it’s me

I’m trying to be the person that I wanted when I started out. That means that I want to help a lot. I’m not doing it for money. I’m doing it simply to celebrate that I can do it. I think we need more music from the heart out there. I don’t know where a lot of these messages come from that cross my path on the airwaves, but it’s not the heart.

I am easy, and I am rooting for you. But I am not on social media.

Don’t hesitate to give me a buzz if you need a hand. I promise, I won’t bite. I want to help folks make songs they’re proud of. I want to provide music for folks who have a need for it in their video projects and other creative endeavors. I think this stuff is actually more useful than any song I write. Like cooking, if we don’t practice the craft, we lose it. I hope music’s around here every bit as long as we are. I hope I can contribute to that without making a social media profile again.

“The Call”

I’m set up for bass and guitars and vocals at the moment. I got a choir job in Scotland, then I’m free. Who’s next? You?

Email: thekintnersmusic@gmail.com

Let’s make music,

Kelly

Decisions, decisions

My bass and I are tight now, but we weren’t always. I never really “got” the bass until recently. I still don’t completely get it or anything, but I do get it enough to love it these days. It’s the low-end, it’s a lot of interest, and it’s a handy writing tool. I’ve had the good fortune of jamming with a few amazing bass players. Where they don’t play reveals how clever they are, so when they do play, you tend to listen up. Sometimes the best bass guitar is the one you don’t notice, but you still enjoyed the song. Sometimes a steady bass on the one drives a rhythm like nothing else. It all simply depends on what you decide to do with the thing in your hands.

Low-end interest

Obviously, folks want low-end from bass. Forever, I didn’t really care about making the low-end interesting. I just thought it had to fill out that band of the spectrum of frequencies. I guess I still think that. But I also think, “why not make it interesting?” 

Historically, a lot of lower frequencies in popular music have a function-over-style approach. The bass might be on the spot, but it’s often indistinguishable from the rhythm section. Fortunately, for the style of album I’m on now, there’s a little room in the spectrum of frequencies for me to allot some articulation and character to the bass. The bass will not just be felt, it will be heard. I think it’s more interesting..

A Writing Tool

I have discovered the bass to be an indispensable writing tool, and I am not even that great at it. I might write a progression on acoustic guitar, but I might not. I might write a bass line and start singing. I might be stuck on a song on keys or guitar, but the bass being so direct and uncomplicated helps me hit those notes you don’t expect but sound so right. I might find that root, then go learn that chord. With guitar, I can lock myself in. When I feel that, I reach for bass to escape. Sometimes I may be hunting for a zany bridge or breakdown, time to grab a bass. The final song might not even feature bass, but for writing, I still find it very useful to get me out of the corners I paint myself in.

My basses

I have three basses at the moment. I have an Epiphone Jack Casady hollow-body. It has a gorgeous sound if you let the mids out a little bit. You can really hear the hollowness. A lot of hollow-body basses like the Gibson Midtown I used to have don’t seem to have bonus character like the Jack Casady does. The Jack Casady, you can tell it’s a hollow-body instrument. Most hollow-body basses, you can’t.

I have a Peavey Axcelerator – 2 we just inherited. This bass is from the mid-90’s and is All-American made. This bass features a TEK-2 bridge. This bridge is made similar to how a piano works. There’s a big board the fingers from the bridge run to in the middle of the bass. Each string has its own pedestal. This prevents ‘crosstalk’ from string to string on the bridge, but the main thing it does for me that I am wild about is the sustain. You very much get a piano thunk on the low notes with the sustain pedal down sensation. I’ve never gotten tired of that my whole life. It’s every note on this thing. 2 VFL humbuckers seal the deal there. It’s a very solid bass, not very expensive. I will do an entry about the best affordable gear out there soon. This will be in it.

My fretless bass is a custom jobby from the bench of bkbirge. It has dual lipstick Jerry Jones pickups, an Audere preamp system, a jazz body, and a custom headstock. I play this one most often just playing bass by itself. I find the no-fret sensation useful in writing. It feels more like drawing than coloring. That’s what I want: writing tunes. I recommend fretless, also recommend lipsticks from old Danelectros, and also recommend preamps. That bass is an amazing piece of gear. One of my favorite instruments ever.  

Fun things to try while recording bass

I find two signals most helpful so far. I have a line running to the board, and a line running to an amp. The concept is I record extra mids from the amp, use a nice clean signal from the board. I make the amp signal wet with the effects I want. I use my ribbon on the amp; it likes the mids. So mixing time, I just bring up the mids track with effects up where it sits right, usually just below the clean track. This gives me the character and articulation I spoke of earlier, but sacrificing no thud. It’s also quick as I am imprinting with effects. So, mixing time, looking at a couple of faders, done.

One of the concepts that helps me play bass is thinking about the low end in history with tubas, trombones, pianos, marimbas, and whatever else. I always learn something by trying to imitate those things. For example, we have a ragtime-feeling song on the record I am working on. My fretless is essentially the trombone in that one. The slides! 

I would not have thought this next one to be fun, but I tried it and it sure is! Try putting mics on your electric or hollow-body bass instead of the amp. Just slam the mic up on it. On my hollow body and my fretless, I get acoustic character bringing that into the clean track. I find it very nice for small arrangements that merit it. Mic’ing an electric bass, there you go. 

Going forward

I have worked with many wonderful bass players who have helped me learn and develop as a musician. I would say, if I learned a lot from them, chances are they played bass. I want to help someday too. So I will play these basses on our stuff from now on. I am the bass on the album coming Christmas, my bass coming-out party for Kintners’ songs. 

Kelly Kintner Editor, Producer

The Horses Mouth Magazine

The Kintners, Djembe Funk

It all started..

Last year, I had the opportunity to travel south to an analog studio belonging to my friend, bkbirge. I didn’t know it at the time, but this awoke in me a desire to mix less and play more. I learned that intention and vision are audible if you visualize it and intend it. I learned that if I get it down sounding how I like it, there’s a lot less mixing to do. This is all good stuff. Not only do I stink at mixing, I don’t really like it that much. It stresses me out. It often makes me feel like I am trying to pay attention to a spoken conversation while reading a text on my phone. I don’t get much of either. While the music is going in the monitors, I might not hear what I need to because I am looking at some kind of readout. Stop the madness.

How do I do this?

Since that trip, I have been thinking about how to switch things up. I find myself with a hybrid mixing set up now. So, mixing isn’t the issue it was. I have been able to record with effects like compression and gate so that the track sounds the way I want, and I don’t have to spend effort repairing files. I’m really into all this at the moment. But it isn’t just with gear or mixing; it’s also a mindset in my songwriting.

What do songwriting and The Big Bang have in common?

I searched for “How to write a rock song” on Google and found a summary of most tips I’ve heard in various forms. Even the time signature of 4/4 is mentioned. The article discusses riffs, building a verse-chorus structure (some people call this arrangement), and making room for a solo. However, it doesn’t really answer my question. Just like The Big Bang, a song bursts forth and evolves over time, each set of ears, a new explosion. But what is the core essence of the original song? What sparked that initial explosion? Isn’t that what you’re aiming for—an explosion? Songs require elements like explosions and fires do. But it’s during the early stages, not the polishing phase, that the magic of song happens.

Relax, if you’re nervous, I know the answer, happy to answer it. It was just dramatic writing.

The message.

The explosion happens when message comes across. The explosion is receiving a message from the music. All it is. If your music doesn’t contain message, that’s probably worth looking into. It’s what folks want from music they like. Even if the message is have fun, or party on, or relax, or vote, if it speaks to them in song, that’s message. That is the ingredient I find lacking in scores of music I do not vibe with, message. You could even say intent. But it doesn’t have to be intentionally.

Think about liking a song for the first time, or the thousandth.

If you are vibing with a song, someone has learned your language and started rattling it off to you. It is a good feeling. And no one is even speaking! If you aren’t looking to provide that sensation for an intended audience, as a musician, you make it difficult for the audience to participate in your conversation. It is no longer about them, it is about you. You aren’t speaking their language, you are in yours. I am not saying that is wrong, but I am saying it’s not my message, personally.

Ideas are a commodity around here.

Before I feel like writing a song these days, I have to have an idea that makes me want to write it. I want the song to say something. For me, saying something means meaning something. If I am going to spend the effort on lyrics, playing all the instruments, getting with collaborators who do stuff better than me, spending money, practicing, working, I want the song to mean something to me. A message. A lot like a tattoo. You can see it, but this tattoo on my arm and Keri’s matching one we got at a vulnerable turning point together. We decided to stick it out with each other, to the end. And it’s been wonderful. Ideally, our songs are like that ink.

Fortunately, ideas are flooding me lately, and I am taking notes. I’ve talked before about creative writing exercises that help me a lot. I might start off with a letter I never intend to send. The person may be dead or gone from my life. I try to include atmospheric elements like stores, smells, and noises. I try to dig in myself for uncomfortable truths circling this person and own up to how silly I could have been, neglectful, hurtful, aloof, etc. After the letter is completed, I mine it for words and phrases. I likely have an idea because I dug. Digging usually digs up ideas. For me. This is just one kind of creative writing exercise I use often. There are loads of them. They pop up in Google.

Don’t skip the message.

I would not skimp on this step if I wanted to make an impact with music. Think of this step as shooting a bullet. Without it, you are throwing one. Give the listener something meaty to grab onto. Even if it is just you, this listener, give that to yourself. You deserve to have written a good song too.

Kelly Kintner, Editor, Producer

The Horses Mouth Magazine

The Kintners

Djembe Funk

Why do you not like the USA?

120 kids, poof. If you ever wonder why folks hate us, that’s a good start. I looked at AP headlines with coffee and saw the remnants of a school we bombed. I saw pictures of the services, the rubble, the grief. Iran is difficult. Since the early 50’s, We have routinely screwed them over. We act indignant if they seem upset about it. It never ends. Now 120 kids.

How does no one see themselves when they carry mirrors around everywhere?

We have a looking at ourselves problem because we look at ourselves all the time. I have witnessed many folks receiving new information, and reducing it to their preferences as if the information itself depended on it. “120 kids killed today by a US bombing on an Iranian school” is deep. Many folks say, “not in the mood.” Those kids and parents probably feel the same on that.

Kris says..

I try to learn about our victims. I don’t know how I could ever be truly sorry if I didn’t. But there’s so many! Kris Kristofferson said it is important to know victims. I see it. It means, “never again.” Folks here aren’t scared of the mental drag, they’re afraid of commitment.

One thing I have noticed since no phone and social media is what a commitment everything is. If I just want to look up headlines on Google, I get questions now. I get articles from 2020, 2025. It doesn’t know what to do with me. We are not in a committed relationship. I’ve lost my Google. lol.

Have a spreadsheet for user/passwords? Not me. I can tell you it is wonderful.

I would have to make user/passwords over again to get the service I have grown accustomed to. It isn’t just Google, either. Just about any store, even music ones, and even apps like “Music” or “Canva” don’t have much to go on if they can’t gather data to cater to. So they suck now too.

The worst has to be voice to text. I am not sure what is going on there. But it is unusable at the moment. Would it be better if I logged in? As near as I can figure yes, but possibly not. Apparently it is a dark age for voice to text, even though it worked fabulously just a year or two ago. But they are not getting the data from me that it needs to work well. I have read I would notice improvement, logging in.

Bad spouses and enemies always go for memory. They really do!

We are committed to these broken things like we are committed to bombing schools in Iran. No one thinks they could do anything to change status quo, so they just go with the flow. Good job, Americans. They attacked the memory so hard from Silicone Valley, we’ve forgotten who we are, all from logging in.

Historically, we are assholes to Iran. We robbed them of their Prime Minister in the early 50’s who was to nationalize their oil, nominating him for a Nobel Peace Prize. (A great book is out about that, “All the Shah’s Men” by Stephen Kinzer.) But Truman and Churchill had other plans. They installed the shah. Iran suffers for an eternity, but at least we still got their oil.

But if it isn’t oil these days, what is it?

Now, oil isn’t even the world’s number one commodity, data is. If the same kinds of folks, (or worse), are in power now, what do you think they have their eye on? Oil? Small potatoes these days. It’s the narrative. The USA is barely holding on to its own narrative to its own people. It doesn’t fight for truth, or justice. It fights to control the narrative. A huge reason for such data bullshit isn’t to control what you think as much as it is to control what you have access to for helping you think better. If everyone knew the truth about USA foreign policy history, no one would like the USA. Simple as that.

I am at the best place mentally and financially I have ever been in my life. I feel super fortunate for lots of reasons. I am giving to someone in Iran today because my heart yearns to help somehow. Also, I hope to start a fad. I think if tons of US citizens give to Iranians, the government knows they lost narrative there. People win to live to fight another day. I think that’s the least I owe them kids. I am committed to that.

Kelly Kintner, Editor, Producer

The Horse’s Mouth Magazine (Linktree)

The Kintners (Subvert)

Djembe Funk (Subvert)

As a kid in church in the South.

When I was a kid, I sang at church with Mom a lot. They had this saying about no one at home listening, “Even Jesus had to skip his hometown.” I’ve thought about that since I was a boy, and how true it is. I’ve come up with and found some analogies on it I would like to share, should you wonder too.

This old costume

Hometowns often see you like you were years ago. They do not allow for growth. Many times I’ve heard musicians say, “It is Halloween and I get to wear my 5-year-old costume.” In order to get that Halloween show, that musician has to be who they were years ago. That is not fun for a lot of us who like growth. So showing our new costumes online helps.

Ancient tree in the backyard

I’ve heard an analogy involving an old-growth tree by itself in the backyard not being as cool as in an ancient forest. I don’t really like this one as much because I would think that tree in my backyard was amazing. I get what folks are saying here. But I bet they don’t have old-growth trees in their yard.

Big fish/small pond

I like the big fish in a small pond analogy. Once you play every venue in town a couple of times, what else are you going to do? Most towns in the world don’t have the resources to support a healthy music scene. Mentally or financially, folks are stressed. They can only give so much. That kid they watched grow up playing guitar does not compete with the things on their mind. 

Digital vs Analog

My favorite analogy of being a musician in your hometown has to do with digital and analog. Folks online, on socials, get the digital you. That’s usually a better sell. The digital you doesn’t need food, have hygiene issues, talk too loud, or barely speak. The digital you isn’t obnoxious, doesn’t grind his jaw, doesn’t talk about everything on your mind. Folks at home aren’t given the same deal. They get the analog you that whines, or stinks it up in the bathroom, or eats the last of the cake.  It is possible it isn’t even right to expect the same from each crowd; they get different things from you. Why should they give the same back?

What can we do?

Not much. The thing is, this is so old, it is probably human nature. There’s not a realistic way to change that for everyone. But there are realistic ways to change it in ourselves. I keep saying “music is an inside job.” This is one of the ways I mean that. We can give ourselves what we need from the music we make. If we are able to do that, then we can tell folks how cool it is and be honest about it instead of hoping for their validation for it. How?

For me, I have to get away from most everything. People and noise don’t bother me, but I find them terribly distracting. If I am going to think up something I think is cool and go through the trouble of crafting that, I need to be alone. At least in the beginning stages. If I am to craft something I love first before anyone else loves it, I have to be there when it is crafted. If I am somewhere else, it doesn’t work. I need the moment when it comes together and I think it is rad. If I deprive myself of that, I can’t tell other folks I think it is rad. Important here, for me: I struggled forever, most of my life, in trying to make songs I’d guess folks liked. I no longer do this. I try to make songs I like. Then all I have to do is tell folks I like them. They can agree with my taste in music or not. But it doesn’t let me down, either way.

Also, if no one comes to my show, I am still there. It does not make sense to sit there and play songs I don’t even like for an empty house. If I like them, at least I get to play them. 

The Listener

I talk about “the listener” a lot. I am not averaging out folks who have heard my songs and spitting out lines. I am talking about me. Before I ever played a note, I enjoyed listening to them. I am a listener, first. I learn from every progression on the radio, all three of them. I pretended to be Neil Diamond in diapers, had a tennis racket guitar, I am a listener. I run across peeps who play all the time, but never listen. People know if you listen. If you think they don’t, they probably aren’t listening to you either. It’s wonderful to listen to music, conversations, street noises, even alarm clocks. There are songs in all of that. If you identify with them, someone else will too. Maybe more than a desire to be famous, a desire to make something you honestly love is what’s needed in your artistic career. Don’t pick it or its components from a menu. Craft that shit.

Build. Don’t just take. 

Is this going to help you in your hometown? Probably not. But if you learn music or art, that will probably help your hometown in some way. If you just guess what they want on weekends, you’re really throwing darts. Tell those folks what’s cool. Research it, learn some skills, show up, and put it together. That’s not throwing darts. That’s foundation work.

Kelly Kintner

The Kintners. Djembe Funk (Links to Subvert.fm music)

Finally writing about writing

I wrote a song recently about writing. It is coming on The Kintners album due out Christmas, called “The Kintners – Brand Name Believers.” I explore in song my reasons for writing and encourage folks to do it too. It’s very important in my life. It’s almost like a religion, to me. I don’t “believe” anything on purpose. Writing routinely helps me suss that out. Writing is thinking on the record. Even if you forget, it is right there where you put it.

Forgetting is huge, by the way. Every login, password, glitch, update, ad, lures me away from thinking. I also wrote a Djembe Funk song lately, coming soon, that asks; “how do you ride a train of thought to the end of the line these days?” It really is difficult. I find a blank piece of paper or an offline word processor helps get me to the end of that line. That is where I need to be. I want to share the final stop in my songs. If I never get there, my songs are empty.

How do you get deep without digging?

Much like deep conversation, songs do not get deep unless I am deep into the thought of making them. Conversations rarely, if ever, start off deep. They build, dig. This is what makes me sad about folks who reject me for deep conversations. Don’t let the icebreakers I am terrible at fool you, I am there for cerebral, emotional, challenging. I just have to work up to it. That is not the norm. Most folks size me up before a song is over, or that length of time. I do not give a crap on my end. But I feel sad for folks who walk through life that way. You just don’t get deep without digging.

Google doesn’t help. I am guilty of using them too. But if anyone remembers, it was harder to find information not so long ago. You were on a train of thought until you found it. It was a quest to find what you were looking for. Now it is a search and instant answer on google. Are you going to understand that google as well as something that took a few days or weeks to learn? No. But we are allergic to staying on the train of thought. We have been trained to seek instant gratification instead of embarking on personal journeys for something to keep with us. We keep nothing. Blow and go. It makes for shallow conversations. It makes for shallow people.

Who benefits? …….(the Lenin version, Stalin can suck it.)

Why? Why all this shallowness? I know I keep saying it, but it is true from here. So I’ll say it again; it is so software developers can make more money. You have to look at who is profiting, here. Data and software are the top companies in the world, above oil. They have been for nearly a decade. That’s plenty of time to change the world if everyone has your device that tells them anything you want.

They have the tools, the talent, the budget.

It doesn’t take a rocket surgeon to figure out how to put you on a narrow grid of brand names, beliefs, income level, food preferences, etc.. It does take a data scientist. The software industry recognizes this. Why don’t the rest of us? They have data scientists with all of our data. If I was a big company, why wouldn’t I hire them to get my product moving, besides it being highly unethical? I have known plenty of business owners who find the law as like a green light/red light system. They seem to have no right and wrong sense of their own. Just “if it’s legal, let’s do it.” This is not a quality I look for in leadership, but obviously me and tons of Americans disagree.

It’s not just harvesting, it’s refining. Refining is $$

Data scientists spend on average 80 percent of their time refining and cleaning the data, (google :) ). That’s very important. Just like oil, which powered the industrial revolution, data requires refining to be worth what businesses pay for it. Unless you are a data scientist, you don’t know what to do with all the data collected. This puts a hinge in the process that pivots squarely on the backs of data contractors and data scientists. It might be hard to understand how they’re doing it. But it isn’t tough at all to see who is doing it. It’s them.

I know why you can’t think of lyrics like you used to. If you are like me, you know why too.

If you are like me and struggled for years at creative projects, I’d put down the phone and try it out. I am nearly a month without a cell phone. I write lyrics and play acoustic a lot more without it. Like I used to. That is more valuable to me than anything on profiles or a screen. I struggled with it for years. I shouldn’t have. A one month long test was all I needed. Don’t be like me. Experiment. It helps you think better.

There’s you and there’s the world. Finding a place doesn’t mean staying connected.

I have a lot of theories as to why this is. But we’re all different. I just think being connected to everyone in your brain is a lot like a drug. You probably think better after that illusion is shattered. It’s like a commercial in our heads 24/7. It is just you in there, after all.

Kintners Playlist Alert!!!

PS: I made a 25 song playlist on Subvert.fm of The Kintners stuff I like a lot. I listen to it. Just sharing if you’d like to check it out. Thanks.

Kelly Kintner – Producer, Songwriter

The Kintners, Djembe Funk (Subvert Links)

The hour later thought: Life is like the intro and safety rundown on a plane ride. They tell you to put your own mask on before saving someone. They do not tell you to punch them out and take their mask. I think a lot of folks hear the latter.

Is there a way to make this LESS like a business?

One of the things I don’t like about the music business is the word business. Some folks get off on it. Wheeling, dealing, shaking hands, money flying around. I hate all that crap. However, I think people know that about me and use that knowledge to get what they want from me. So while I hate it, I try to practice at it. It is a skill like anything else, practice helps.

I am not here for you, sorry. That isn’t where I am at.

I just can’t count how many times I have been ripped off. From lousy jobs and ex-wives to slinging records and guitars, voting, to tuition… I can’t catch a break. I sometimes feel like my real purpose in life, looking from the outside in, is to be a battery for other humans. I have so much energy for projects, socially and creatively, I often run into folks who help me feel this way, powering them..not me. That is not a good feeling. And it happens a lot with folks who like “the music business.” What I am certain they’re after is “music benefits.”

I speak for myself. If you feel like I do, I got lucky.

What makes this difficult is I can’t speak for every musician. We are all in different places and we all hopefully like different things. You may not be sick and tired of older hoarder types who will not play a song with you without a prenuptial and lots of signatures. (I have been turned down for collaborations from artists who liked my songwriting but couldn’t do it because I didn’t have enough followers on Spotify.) They are wrong to be that way. You may not be tired of folks telling you how to run your creative life like a god damn spreadsheet when all you want to do is finger paint with friends, essentially. You may not be tired of the only folks in your life who want to talk to you (besides Keri) are the ones who want to give you advice or tell you what you are doing wrong. You might not be tired of listening parties and feigning excitement when you just want to play guitar and write words with buddies. Whatever the case, you might like Subvert.fm because it doesn’t really feel like “business.” That’s a perk from my spot. It feels like a club. That’s what I am looking for.

Do you see the herd?

Today is a Bandcamp Friday and it feels like a corral again. “Everybody go here.” I say, “no.” Simply give me a credit per quarter to use on any day I want that is significant to me or my fans. I do not want to make an email for fans the same day everyone else does. It’s bad enough we all feel we have to distribute the same. Having sales on the same day doesn’t benefit us. It benefits Bandcamp. Maybe it benefits who is getting their data. If you are doing what everyone does, you are following one person, typically. Did you know that? A sure-fire way to get lost in the crowd is to do everything the crowd does. Also, they have to have thought this. So who’s winning? It ain’t the musicians blowing up my inbox a few arbitrary Fridays a year.

That definition of insanity that really isn’t a definition of insanity.

I think there’s always better ways when I get really frustrated. I might have to learn things, make changes, or even buy something. But I don’t think it makes much sense to keep getting frustrated over and over. If that is your bag, this may not be for you.

Keep the AI on Bandcamp.

Subvert.fm is different so far. There’s moderation of content. Some may not like that. They do not allow AI art or music if they can detect it. I like it. I think it’s nice to have a distributor where the fleshies hang out. The aesthetic is different over there. It’s more like a craft mall than a vending machine in a break room. I love craft malls! I don’t care if our music is your break room. But I’d like the store you get it from to be more like a flea market, not like a chain box store. Bringing my wares to the co-op market is a better vibe for me than being a brand or owning a business. Subvert manages to do this by banning AI the best they’re able and actually being a co-op.

What is a co-op? Let’s ask google for something it can still do. Let’s grab a definition:

A co-op (short for cooperative) is a business, organization, or living arrangement owned, controlled, and operated for the mutual benefit of its members rather than outside investors. 

Common Meanings and Types of Co-ops

• Business / Worker Co-op: A company owned and managed by its employees or customers (such as a credit union, agricultural group, or grocery store) where decisions are made democratically—usually on a "one member, one vote" basis.
• Housing Co-op: A residential building or community where residents do not own their individual units directly; instead, they buy shares in a corporation that owns the property, granting them the right to live there and a vote in building management.
• Education (Co-op Program): A college or high school program where students alternate between traditional academic semesters and full-time, paid professional work experience in their field of study.
• Video Games: Short for cooperative gameplay, meaning a game mode where players work together as a team against computer-controlled opponents or challenges rather than competing against each other.

A bird in the hand..

Subvert.fm doesn’t do Bandcamp Fridays. It allows for ownership. It is built from the ground up with the musicians it serves in mind. I am not just a subvert music page, I am part owner. This is important to me. Every software developer, every site, every distribution platform, every business, it feels like, is not going to let me own anything, even if I have money. They rent it out. They make up days you’re supposed to be excited about that are every bit as meaningless as a national holiday, maybe less. They quit selling anything, for the most part. They want a subscription. This keeps costs up front low for the ‘comsumer’. Sounds like a good deal. But we can’t sell it when we don’t need it anymore. All the knowledge we learned just to use it doesn’t apply elsewhere. They get our monthly for life. What they’re after. And I am just talking about trying to give folks a song we made. Keri and I hope our song helps you in a tight spot someday. But we worry about you wanting us forever. We’re more of a “let’s hang out and play songs” type. There’s no “future” in that. It’s about right now.

Meanwhile, back at the craft mall.

I am writing this on a Bandcamp Friday after I have spent a few days uploading 9 or so releases of an album, EP, Singles on Subvert.fm. I made artwork without AI per their policy. A while back I deleted all of our album art when I learned more about AI and didn’t want to be a part of that. Now the process is photos, a friends’ art, I even bought one of them. I have also corrected them on Bandcamp as I do them. But on Bandcamp, the atmosphere is so different. If our song appears on a page of a bunch of Bandcamp releases from other artists, it’s obvious to us a lot of folks are using AI. With a subvert scan, we are back at the craft mall. I like that better.

Finding your brand is finding your belief.

Folks love their brand names. Finding a good brand is much like finding something to believe in. We all want that. But it doesn’t exist very often in reality. Big businesses suck. Subvert.fm could even suck. But as part owner, that would be partly my fault. So I am trying to help it along.

Ownership helps the owners. So why not make them everyone?

When folks are granted ownership or a sense of it in products or companies they use or like, they step up to the plate to keep it. They may even think of ways to help maintain it. By developing a community-owned platform, Subvert has my vote. For now. Things change, especially in software and distribution, I’ll try to keep you posted.

Kelly Kintner, Songwriter, Producer,

The Kintners, Djembe Funk (Subvert Links)

The band is getting back together!

For anyone who doesn’t know, Keri and I have been collaborating online with folks all over the world for years. I’ll write a song, get crazy about it, hear a friend or favorite artist on a part, send them a proposal with a nice demo and idea for the song, and they say yes a lot. I am so fortunate to get to do this. I feel very happy about the work done so far. It has taught me a lot about not just music but working with people. I desperately need all the skills I can get in that area. I don’t get to spend much time around people and don’t even really know how. It’s been that way for years, I don’t expect it will magically change. So not only is music my creative outlet, it’s my social one too.

I do find a purpose with me and an acoustic. But by the time I ask someone on a tune, that purpose has been had. That song has probably made me cry. I have thought about the words a lot. I have placed things where they should go. I get fulfillment out of all that. But I don’t get to hang out with buddies. So I share it. I like hanging out with buddies. Win/win.

A hot mix takes a moment

I have come across some amazing technicians, one of them is probably a genius. I get so wow’d with their mixes, it just blows me away. Sometimes, to be honest, the mix is all I hear. I have to listen to the song several times, over time, to get critical about the song again because the wrapping paper is so shiny. This is where conflict can happen. I wanted to talk about that.

When you think about “rules”, think about “roles.”

I think one of the most important rules about collaboration in music I have picked up over doing it many times is established roles. If you have a two-man team and one is a tech and one is a creative, those folks should trust each other with the roles they want to do. In order to do that, a conversation or agreement helps; “I’ll do this, you do this.” If you stick to that, people often are happy and want to work with you again. This took me a long time to learn. I hope you are taking notes.

“You write a song, I’ll mix it.”

The areas where I have had the hardest time in this regard involve a tech and a creative dynamic. I mentioned I know a technical genius. He is not a creative one, at least in my style of music. That’s okay. I theoretically make the decisions regarding creativity. If he steps on my toes there, it may lead to resentment. It might not even be at final mix time, for me. All the other stuff sounds so good, I can’t focus on the creative aspects when I first get a mix. Sometimes, I may not be resentful until afterward. When I hear a demo, for example, and the drums are in different places. I want to hear my impact on the song and the decisions I made. So I end up listening to my versions after all that work with a genius. It’s not because they sound any better, (they don’t). It’s the drums on the bridge. It’s every bit as much my fault as it is his, this resentment. I hate it.

There is a better way. 

We make rules not just so we can be civil. Rules help us not get hurt and they also help build trust. Not everyone will follow them. But in what I do, most folks do follow them. 

When I was a retail manager at a major hardware store chain, I took a test for a position and was asked in a subsequent interview, “what is the number one cause of turnover?” I had studied their material, so I knew the answer they wanted. It was training, or lack thereof. This chain had figured out 30 years ago that folks feeling incompetent made for a miserable work environment. So they trained me on training folks.

Communication, really. Oldest thing.. not getting better.

Some of the things I learned have carried over into music. This is where I get the “know your roles” tip. If every crew member has a firm grasp on the task at hand, you are ahead of the game. This is usually in a proposal for me. I will have a clearly laid-out purpose for them being on tune. The only time when this gets a little murky is when I hear someone’s presence but can’t quite spot it. They will help me with that, usually. People on our tunes often write their own parts. In my imagination, I can hear how they sound, just not exact notes. So from the get-go, folks know exactly what’s expected and can think on their role. That’s the goal. A lot of collaborations, even “successful” ones, are not this smooth. It’s because of communication. I know it’s cliché, but it is.

The wonk of silence.

As a trucker, a retail manager, and other things in my past, I can tell you communication is essential for good work from multiple personalities. On creative projects especially, a wavelength helps. That doesn’t happen over the web without words flying around. I’m not saying every project has to blow up a chatroom. But I am certainly saying, if you aren’t chatting with coworkers, the work environment is wonky. Expect wonky results. 

Flaking is fine. But don’t expect a pat on the back for it!

I know a lot of talented recluses. They may only send a sentence a day. But if they are into it, they know other folks on the project need the updates, not just me. I’ve been on a record with 23 people, all over the world. It was excruciating at times, just waiting to hear from people. I can’t afford to call them back. It took years off my life last time. It wasn’t the recluses, either. It was the socialites. I don’t mean to say I have anything against them. I have flaked on my fair share of collaborations. But I don’t expect a callback when that happens.

“I thought I hired you to mix?”

Out of all the folks I have worked with, I have come into the most conflict with hiring technical assistance who put in creative assistance. I can even be very clear from the outset, “I make creative decisions, you make technical ones.” I have paid a lot of money (by my standards) to get robbed of those decisions. I have mixed words with wonderfully talented technicians not on setting the compressors, but when the drums come in. Okay, look, as a technician, if a creative is paying you for their vision to come to life, if you rob them of their decisions, you rob them of their vision. Don’t charge them money for that. Your ego is already profiting off their work. Charging them for that is like double-tapping the ATM machine.

I’m a freaking song factory!

So now I am doing it all myself. That’s really the reason I am transitioning to analog. It isn’t as hard. I can have 3 good options in analog setups for something like compression. I can have 100 or more in a computer. I take the 3. Sorry to the folks that want the 100. It’s a compressor. 

Decide, make a move, hear the result.

When I work with analog gear, I can feel and hear the impact of my decisions easily. I think it, I turn the knob, I hear a difference. This, to me, is gratifying in a way computers are not. In a computer mixing situation, I am often selecting from menus to find something that sounds right without having much direction in my head. In an analog mixing situation, I’m finding I hear what I want in my head first and make it happen. There’s only one way I want to work from now on, and it doesn’t include a screen and unlimited options. 

It’s an older model, but it still checks out.

I am taking on tech and creative roles. So, for my situation, the fewer tech options, the better. I want to focus mainly on creative ones. Computers don’t let you focus on other stuff these days. A software company’s goals are to make you use their software for as long as possible. When I am writing tunes, I am not into that. So I had to customize the tech side. It’s old and lean, but it sounds nice. I am okay with that.

If you hear me, contact me. Thanks.

I am very fortunate I get to do this. It is something I never would have anticipated in my life even five years ago. Things happen. If you are struggling and want to talk about analog treatment or creative input on your music project, just know I never charge for that stuff. It’s also take it or leave it. You’re in charge. I just like trying to help creatives get over humps. No biggie. 

If you hear me on a song, singing…guitar…lyrics…bass…fretless bass…djembe… anything…don’t hesitate to give me a shout on the ole email; thekintnersmusic@gmail.com. I don’t charge for that either. It’s fun for me to hang out with musicians and work on other folks’ projects. 

I want to be supportive, if I can help somewhere, just holler at me. 

Kelly Kintner, Editor

The Horse’s Mouth Magazine

I am learning new songs, writing new ones. The Kintners have a double album in the works. We are on schedule for Christmas release.

I wanted to leave a song here, Friday and all.. This is “Smoke and Mud.” It was a massive collaboration. So, in the spirit of that. Thanks!

Also, still lots of free codes for latest release by The Kintners, “Some Folks.” Enjoy.

Thanks Brits!

Thanks to the British, we now have data that should shut down American Football, but it won’t.

When you are poor and athletic, nothing brings the promise of a better life like two-a-day football practice in high school. Like musicians, athletes are dangled in front of wealth, but rarely ever experience it. We’ve known for a while about CTE. Now we have numbers. (Again, thanks to the British.) We put kids in meat grinders here in the USA, tell them they’ll be rich. I have met kids wanting to play football to buy their parents a house. What do you think the odds are of that?

(Google says…)

“How likely is a highschooler in Texas in football to make enough in football to buy parents a house with football money?”

To buy a house, a player generally needs to secure a massive Name, Image, and Likeness (NIL) deal or reach the NFL. 

• The High School Population: There are roughly 170,000 high school football players in Texas at any given time.
• The College Jump: Only about 7% to 9.5% of high school players make it to any college roster, and only about 3% make it to a Division I FBS school, where the major money resides.
• The NFL Jump: Nationwide, out of more than 1 million high school players, only about 250–300 get drafted into the NFL each year. That is a 0.025% chance (roughly 1 in 4,000) of going from high school to the NFL. 

Because Texas produces a disproportionate amount of elite talent, a Texas player's individual odds might be slightly higher than the national average, but they still face a fraction of a percent chance.

What’s the deal with brain damage in America?

In the USA, we do not think much about brain damage, even if you are rich! If you start out poor, we bless you with wealth for taking on such brain damage. Not that you can enjoy it.

I am reminded of Romans and gladiators. I know this news this morning from Britain will fall on deaf ears because folks like football. They like music too! But that doesn’t mean they like the players involved. So athletes and musicians get taken advantage of with lottery-type career systems and concussions.

Are “earning” and “winning” the same thing? What about the losers? Didn’t they earn a living too, doing the same thing? Okay, who out there does not deserve to live?

A musician or athlete does not “earn” a living. They “win” it, often taking it from someone else. Folks do not “work” their way up, no matter how hard they work. It’s a lie. I am not saying they do not work. Many work circles around me. But to get the good life, luck is involved. .5 percent make it to NFL who start out in high school. Now we know 1 in 4 in the NFL get CTE. All that work and luck just to wind up brain damaged. CTE is the second form of brain damage these kids incur too. The first was joining football to begin with, those kind of odds. But they sure do! Also, they’re in high school. Not impressionable or anything ..

Let’s talk about lottery for a moment…

“What are popular thoughts against lottery systems, Google?”

(Google says..)

Popular thoughts against state-run financial lottery systems focus on their mathematical design, economic impact on low-income groups, and targeting of vulnerable communities. 

Mathematical Odds

• Extremely low chances: Winning a major jackpot like Powerball has odds of roughly 1 in 292 million.
• Negative expected return: Payouts average only about 60% of total revenue, meaning habitual players lose a vast majority of their spent money over time. 

Economic and Regressive Impact

• Regressive structure: Lower-income households spend a significantly higher percentage of their disposable income on tickets compared to wealthier individuals.
• Opportunity cost: Money spent on lottery tickets diverts funds from practical savings, investments, or basic household needs. 

Social and Demographic Concerns

• Targeted marketing: Critics note that ticket retailers and advertisements are often concentrated in lower-income and minority neighborhoods. 
• Exploitation of hope: Advocacy groups argue that state-sponsored gambling preys on people looking for financial escape from systemic poverty. 

Government Reliance

• Flawed revenue source: Critics argue that using lotteries to fund public services like education allows governments to avoid raising standard, progressive taxes or providing consistent budgetary support.

Who fixes this?

“Targeting vulnerable communities..” I see it says that. The flawed revenue source is good too. Instead of taxing millionaires and billionaires for civic upgrades and fair policy, we’ll just have a lottery. The plebs can do it themselves. At least they’re right about us doing it ourselves. But we have to get rid of team owners.

I want nice things too. But I also don’t want your kids to be brain damaged so I can watch a damn game.

One thing you get when folks think you’re rich is suck ups. Sycophants. Many people daydream about having folks concerned about their life, achievements, aspirations. Many folks want a team to work on. Many folks like money. Me! I am folks!

I don’t feel I am “owed” any of that stuff. I don’t even really like the sycophant thing since I quit social media and realized how fake everything is outside of it, (inside too, wooboy). I don’t feel like I have “earned” it, either. I am kinda’ lazy, do whatever art projects I want. I love my life, don’t get me wrong, but it isn’t because I am making bank. I am making decisions. For me, that’s just as good.

What do you want money for?

I create mainly because it gives me things to do, think about. That’s what a lot of folks want money for. Guess I found a softer way on accident. (It totally was not on accident, fyi. My reason for music is simply getting to do it. Happy place.)

Music and NFL fans, your sign.

Seriously NFL fans, the burden is on your shoulder pads . Music fans too. Do not reward slimy team owners with more money for 1 in 4 cases of CTE. That’s gladiator numbers. Do not reward greedy entertainment companies and managers using micro-targeting for pop-stars practically vacuuming the money and attention from your very life. That’s brain damaged too. So, I know you won’t do it. I just don’t see it getting better for these kids in high school until you do.

Kelly Kintner

The Horse’s Mouth magazine.

For the last several years, I have been an online musician of the indie type. I have gotten so much marketing (even this morning) about image, brand, yada, yada. Have you ever looked up what brand means?

“What is a brand name, Google?”

What a Brand Is vs. What It Is Not

Many people confuse a brand with design elements.

• Not a brand: A logo, a color palette, a website design, or a slogan. According to theAmerican Marketing Association, these are visual assets and marketing tools, not the brand itself. 
• The actual brand: As defined onWikipedia, a brand is the intangible collection of memories, emotions, and expectations a customer associates with a seller. It is what people say about you when you are not in the room.

Core Components of a Brand * Customer Experience: Every interaction a person has with your company—from answering a phone call to unboxing a product. * Identity and Personality: The distinct human traits and values assigned to a business (for example, rugged and bold, or sleek and modern). * Promise: The unspoken guarantee of quality, consistency, and value a customer expects every time they choose you. 

Why Brands Matter

• Differentiation: They help people instantly tell your product apart from cheaper or generic competitors.
• Trust and Loyalty: Strong emotional connections make customers stick with a company over time.
• Economic Value: Recognized brands command higher prices and build long-term financial worth.

Blunt talk with Kelly K. 

Listen, I’ll be blunt. If you happen to be thinking about this stuff while writing a song, you are thinking about the wrong stuff unless your song is about brands. Then send it my way. If you are advertising your music using “consistency, trust, loyalty, value” as guideposts, what the hell are you doing? Art isn’t economical, even cheap art. We do it because we love it, I thought. But marketers out there want me to feel like an entrepreneur, and I most certainly am not that, pardon your French. I am a music contractor, that’s all. That’s all I want, and I got it.

The big consistency lie.

Many of these marketers will harp on “consistency.” They don’t know the meaning of the word. They are looking for quick bucks with you. Ever think about who needs consistency? Corporations love it.  But does any kind of art? Even the most consistently cool artists like Miles Davis invented a new genre every decade or so. That is not consistent. He was hell on promoters, tour managers, and women. He was a nightmare in many regards. Very turbulent. One of the best. Never consistent. 

Bob Dylan doesn’t have a consistent bone in his body. He does whatever the hell he wants. 70’s Dylan is my favorite. But it is very much different than other decades in his career. To call Bob Dylan consistent is a bold-faced lie. He can’t even find a consistent guitar player.

Those have been among my favorite musicians in my whole life. Not consistent, so I haven’t worried about that in years.

But you know who was consistent? Elvis.

Elvis Presley couldn’t write his way out of a paper bag. 

“What Elvis songs did Elvis write, Google?”

Elvis Presley did not write his own music, but he is credited as a genuine co-writer on just two tracks: "That's Someone You Never Forget" and "You'll Be Gone." 

The Truth About Elvis's Credits

• Real Co-Writes: Elvis helped conceptualize or write lyrics for "That's Someone You Never Forget" (with Red West) and "You'll Be Gone" (with Red West and Charlie Hodge). 
• Fake Credits for Hits: Early hits like "Heartbreak Hotel," "Don't Be Cruel," and "All Shook Up" list Elvis as a co-writer, but he did not actually write them. His manager, Colonel Tom Parker, demanded writer credits and royalties for Elvis as a condition of him recording the tracks. 
• His Own View: Elvis openly admitted this practice, stating in interviews that he got credit just for recording a song which "makes me look smarter than I am." 

Ladies and germs, Elvis is a true brand name. Not only did he have some kind of factory going for crappy old hits, he had a very capitalist manager. His manager is still known to some as a marketing “genius”, (gag a maggot) .. Enter: “The Colonel” Tom Parker.

Tom Parker, Music, Brands.

Tom Parker had a mysterious background involving immigration, citizenship, and traveling. He was an illegal Dutch immigrant. Many think this played a significant role in explaining later actions. Why he was scared to leave the country. Even why he was sued by the Elvis estate after Elvis died. But there’s no doubt, he came up with clever cash delivery vehicles. 

Once such method involved buttons. He had buttons that say “I love Elvis” made. He also had buttons that say “I hate Elvis” made. He knew how to market Elvis to folks who hated him and profit from them. See, Tom Parker was a music version of a micro-targeter. In fact, I venture to say, he would have loved micro-targeting. I wonder if he helped invent micro-targeting in some thought process kind of way. Micro-targeting is data-driven, but the concept behind it is a lot like those buttons.

If you don’t want to write songs and swing your hips and you want to hire a manager you are going to fire and even sue for robbing you later on, by all means, call yourself a brand. But if you want to write songs and relate to folks, brands do not do that. People do.

Maybe we’re all terribly lonely, anyone ever thought of that? And it’s by design?

Being lonely makes us consumers, the crowd, the target audience, and it makes us predictable. This is all wonderful stuff for brands with a data contractor. They have tons to dig up from our private lives and throw in our face, guaranteeing a response. They have recognition and years of being in business despite not being the same businesses years ago. Some folks won’t even hang out with folks who like different “brands” of music, politics, church, even food, or home goods. One person didn’t talk to me anymore because I ate at a chain owned by MAGA’s. Fried chicken, I am going to MAGA’s for fried chicken. If there’s any one thing I trust them for, it is that. I think MAGA’s making southern fried chicken is a good use of MAGA skills. Why would I not support that? Plus, I live in Texas. I couldn’t even get power to the house if I boycotted every MAGA, silly asses.

The way they do it.

A demographic is a specific group of people or a set of statistical characteristics used to describe a human population. 

What Tom Parker and everyone in business and politics want is demographics. These folks want to know what their average customer looks like, what color they are, what church they go to, the sexes are a biggie, where they live, and age too. Demographics are a marketing tool that helps you know where you are doing good and where you could focus. Politicians and businesses alike will customize their message depending on who you are. They essentially say one thing to white women and another thing to black men. Now, keep in mind, I don’t think this is wrong. I don’t necessarily think white women and black men need the same message. Having said that, it is entirely possible they don’t need the same politician, either. If we are talking music especially. Those two crowds are not listening to the same stations. But it’d sure be easier to sell them both songs if they did. Politics is like that.

The point is out there about musicians and brand now. Let’s bring it home.

What do you think being a musician is?

The best way I can tell you to figure out what you want in music is to figure out what someone you like did, and do that your own way. Much like writing a tune might inspire another, careers in music do this too. We used to have apprenticeships to guarantee music for folks when we die, but recording and other factors tore down taking other younger folks in and showing them around on nice stuff. This is a shame. I am very grateful to all the “boomers” who worked with me and showed me anything. I’d be crap without that, and better with more of it.

To me, being a musician is that. It’s teaching. To you? It might be industry. It might be escape. It could be simply something to do. Only one of those things out of anything I can think of is a “Brand Name.”  So while marketers are keen to tell you about brands, they are hoping to resonate with your frustration, not your aspirations.  So many musicians seem weary and frustrated; they think industry is a way to get more people. What musicians do not realize is this mentality makes them vulnerable to micro-targeting. 

It’s not about music, it’s about being lonesome.

If you are lonely, you are vulnerable. It doesn’t matter how smart, how talented, how chipper. It matters how lonely. That is their invitation.

Maybe avoid marketers and work on the lonesome issue? Just a thought.

Thanks.

Kelly Kintner

The Horse’s Mouth Magazine