Kelly Kintner - Blog

Is it me? Or is this the sickness?

A while back, I was diagnosed with Bipolar Disorder. For those of you who have had a diagnosis and have been living with it for a while, I wonder if you get caught up in trying to change the diagnosis like me, instead of accommodating for it, like I should. I can explain:

My life is largely centered around improving. In music, I try to make better songs than I did yesterday. My diet is improving all the time. I am not regular with exercise, but I am open to it. That is an improvement, believe it or not. I want to help improve things for Keri too. She is my closest friend ever. I just want her to have it nice. I try to improve my brain by avoiding social media. I don’t have a cell phone. All this stuff makes my life better. But I can’t say trying to improve emotionally does much. 

The manias, the behavior, the regret

I have wild dysphoric mania and can be a real bear. I also have typical euphoric mania and can be super lovey-dovey. I am sure I am hell for some folks. I have tried improving there. I have been going to doctors for over ten years. I have taken meds that help immensely, but not “all the way.” I have gone to outpatient and inpatient treatment. I still read about CBT and DBT on the regular, and my behavior has improved dramatically. But the feelings, I wouldn’t say so. It’s likely because I have bipolar disorder, just a guess.

A cycle I get caught up in a lot is if I am talking, or the bipolar is talking. If I am excited on an emotional level, it’s probably the bipolar. It’s nearly always traceable to something I wasn’t excited about. That excitement is likely a reaction to something else. It was triggered. I feel good about the decisions I make when my pulse is below 80. If it’s in the 120’s, maybe it isn’t a time for making decisions? But it is hard. I am charged at that point. Good luck telling me anything, telling myself that. And always check your pulse when making decisions. Revelations abound if you haven’t tried this. I have “zones.” No shit. I do.

Hey, Kelly, take it easy on yourself today.

What I need to do is give myself a break. I think I am working towards that. I realize I am just going to be different, perhaps immature, excitable, and the goal isn’t to beat myself up for it. My goal should be to live with it. Accept it. I can sense relief in that direction. But I am early on in that journey.

I have had behavioral episodes that were tough to come back from. It is tough to think about them still. That doesn’t happen anymore. Maybe I can function as it is, if I just go easy on myself. I have 10 years’ worth of treatment under my belt, a ton of creature comforts to show for it. That isn’t bad for a bipolar on meds who gets a little silly occasionally. 

Even when there doesn’t seem to be improvement, perhaps there is.

I hope anyone who struggles with anything finds improvement. I also hope, if the case merits it, they find acceptance. Coping. I will always likely be an emotionally charged individual. I can wear people out. But it is a thousand times better than it’s ever been. Improvement seems to be the way of things. 

Kelly Kintner

The Horses Mouth Magazine

The Kintners

Djembe Funk

Just a story about a story.

It’s been over two years since I logged into my last social media. It was BlueSky, and I ran across a batch of mean folks. I wasn’t talking to them. I didn’t have them in mind when I said what I said about a personal memory. They inserted themselves underneath my post to berate me and call me a fat white guy. I was like, “I am just telling a story that actually happened. What if there was an opinion in here?”

Do you need to hate so many people?

I find a lot of irony in folks feeling like they need social media to stay connected, yet they use social media to write off huge swathes of the population. Many folks feel like they need social media. I have felt that way before in my life. But nothing could be further from the truth. I promise.

Let’s mention brainwashing.

They wouldn’t call it brainwashing if you knew it was happening. Brainwashing doesn’t mean ‘I willingly take on a different mindset.’ So if you’re on social media, you don’t know what you don’t know. You may not know that sometimes folks really into their social media stuff can come off ridiculous and concerning. You may not know that your world is divided up into grid lines of good and bad, right and wrong, what’s cool and what isn’t. You may not realize you have whole populations on this planet that you would like to see dead. All the MAGAs, all the Muslims, all the Jews, all the Mexicans, all the liberals, all the Android users, the pesky Playstation fans. You may not realize your lack of control of your worldview. You may not realize the words on the screen appear because the screen knows your preferences. You may not realize it has cost you money and friends you can touch. You don’t “need” this shit.

What if I was a big corporation and I wanted to implant a commercial in your brain? I wanted you thinking about me 24/7. Without a moment to yourself? What if I wanted you on my software for hours on end so I could gather data about your environment and your preferences? What if I wanted people to become addicted to whatever I was making? I don’t think that would make me a good guy. Yet…

Maybe if you “need” social media, you simply “need” a hand.

I honestly think if you feel like you need social media, what you really need is help. You need the kind of help that isn’t on social media. You need the kind of help that hugs, that joins you for a meal, that talks to you about a movie you saw together, that likes your kind of music, that says things that are unexpected. A real-life connection, not online sycophancy. 

I have a lot of memories of being on social media and feeling wired. People would buzz around my brain. It would keep me awake, rolling words in my brain much like a slot machine in Vegas, and they were just words I saw on my feeds. They were words I wouldn’t have seen if not for algorithms and folks selling things. Me seeing them had nothing to do with who was writing them. It had to do with the computer thinking I wanted to see them. This changed the way I saw the world, eventually. I thought it was here for me. The truth is I’m here for it. So I put it down. Social media. Glad for it. Better too.

I am worried.

I talk about social media with people still using it. I’m concerned. They think we all need it. It connects us. It gives us presence. I’ve even been told I’m doing it wrong, and I’m the one who should get a social media. But I’ve been down that road. It’s not happening again.

I was not in control. Multiply that times billions. No thanks.

Kelly Kintner

The Horses Mouth

The Kintners

Djembe Funk

That time already?

We are hard at work on another issue plus bonus content. We have a jam going with familiar faces. We have an interview I am very excited about. We have Halloween. We have artwork. It will be a good time.

The magazine for me chronicles the time we are in. I may want that someday. It is also a lot of fun to do. I get to talk to folks. I get to make songs. All great stuff. I am very proud of it. I still like picking up the first issue and holding it. It feels good.

Magazine-making is also a journey!

I am discovering my reasons as I go along. If it feels good, I just do it. I may not know why at first. But the wholesome feeling is what I am after. I do not find it in software. I don’t find it in metrics. I find it in connecting with people. I think the magazine is a little about that.

A word about Sharmi Surianarain

Sharmi Surianarain contacted us for the long interview. She is an awesome voice in the Jazz realm. She strikes me as fearless from her songs. I asked her about that. I can’t wait to see what she says. I have been having a blast prepping for this. Thanks, Sharmi. Please check out her album, The Witness.

I absolutely love the record, by the way. But I don’t want to give the interview away. I do hope you get a chance to listen to it. I hope it’s before the interview is published. Sharmi sounds like someone you want to talk to before you even get to hear them speak. The more folks that listen to the album, the more will want to read the interview. I am confident about that.

The call

If you want to write, or be interviewed, reach out. We’d love to try to make that happen. There’s signups on the linktree and you can always email, thekintnersmusic@gmail.com. Maybe you have an idea for the treasure chest? Maybe you want to play on the houseband jam? Maybe you have an idea for a column or recurring article? Let’s talk!

Currently, we want stories about Halloween or that involve Halloween. Keri and I don’t dig the holidays much. But, we got nothing against Halloween. Maybe you are in a different part of the world that has a different October ritual. That’d be fun too. Maybe a Halloween gig stands out as a performer. Maybe you have a scary story you tell at campfires you don’t mind typing out. Maybe you toured a candy factory and want to talk about it. I’m easy. Deadline is October 1 for next issue. It’s a quarterly mag, about every three months. Treasure chest of bonus goodies on the Linktree along with signups, comments, anything you need.

The Horse’s Mouth isn’t a giant outfit. It is me, Keri, some friends, some musicians. I love magazines, still. Thanks for everyone who is helping this one along with their thinking and typing. In my case, with no social media, the magazine feels special. Print feels special. If I am reading the same thing you are, it’s rare these days. Our words are most likely catered to our preferences if they’re from a screen. But with our magazine, we speak unfiltered. No algorithm. Just postage. lol. I don’t edit a writer’s intentions. I don’t water-down their message. Even if I disagree, I find their view valuable and appreciate them sharing it. I love mailing you writers’ true intentions. Very tough to score for a writing gig nowadays. Do what I can.

Again, check out Sharmi’s album Witness. You’ll be happy you did.

Kelly Kintner Editor, Producer

The Horses Mouth

The Kintners

Djembe Funk

It wasn’t always like this..

I wasn’t always loaded with gear. That’s a very recent deal. In my 20’s, I was homeless. I was nearly there again in my early 40’s. In my late 40’s, the gods have seen fit to grant me with earthly pleasures, but it is still new. I still eat cheap. I still don’t go out much. And I still freak out at the cost of most gear.

I don’t mind being this way. I often work with folks in various places on various pay scales. I like staying within their range too, if I come across sound they like. I ultimately want them to be able to do it. If I keep it on the cheap, the likelihood they’ll be able to make the sound they want is greater.

About DAW’s

I have been around the world in DAW’s. I started back in 2002 with Cool Edit Pro 2.0. I am trying to get away from computers, personally. However, I find I don’t have everything I want from them squared away in the analog realm. So my Tascam Model 24 is hooked up to the Reaper DAW. Most recently, I used Logic Pro forever. I can no longer get along with it. Kudos to those who can. Since they updated to version 12, I have had nothing but issues. I get grumpy while mixing, well, grumpier. I do not enjoy Logic Pro anymore. So, I tried Reaper. Reaper is the first money-saving tip. You can try it out as long as you like, honor-system. Then buy it for 60 dollars. What you get free and clear for 60 bucks here is a very good deal these days. No subscription. A full DAW loaded with great features. Until they change it too, Reaper is the best deal out there I have found. Even other free DAW’s aren’t free like Reaper is. Try it free, long as you want, pay 60 bucks when you’re hooked. Never pay another thing. Unheard of.

Mics, done.

As far as gear itself, if you are like me, you like the word, “clone.” I got SM57 clones I was telling a friend about this morning. I got a few. They are called the GLS-ES57 and they have a sound in my tiny mixing room here I prefer over the real deal. They are 25 dollars on Amazon. Even on tiny budgets, they are doable. But even if I was loaded, I’d still have a basket full for tracking. They are very handy, sound great, and easy to use. I made a song with Keri about them. All tracks are made with the GLS-ES57. I didn’t do a lot of processing because I hate it. But it also lets you hear a more raw signal than most songs. The signal is great, even on the pots and pans! I said to hell with drum mics, bought a bunch of these. Sounds fabulous.

MIDI

100 bucks can get you an ultimate Midi controller. I have the MPK Mini MK3. I am not much of a keys player. But I have to have something to trigger sounds I find that I like. I play a lot of finger drums on this thing, The pads are glorious for it. The pressure sensitivity is adjustable so you can get it where it sounds just right and natural with fluctuations in volume that give it the right touch. Many DAWs come with loads of sounds you don’t even have to search for. This triggers them and it is easy. I have used it in three DAWs. Easy.

The old stuff

I know it is a cliché, but keep older gear in mind. I have gear that dates back to the 70’s. Some of that stuff sounds better than some of the stuff made today. I have an acoustic guitar made by Pearl Drums from the early 70’s in Japan. It is worth more than a million dollars to me. 70’s acoustics from Japan often have treasures still in them waiting to be discovered. They usually don’t cost very much, usually way less than my Pearl. They have character already. I have had more than a couple. Old Alvarez, Suzuki, Yamaki, Takamine, etc. You find one of them for a good deal, try it! It might be just that, a good deal!

Old basses? I got a Peavey from the 1990’s. I think it is only 500-600 dollars on Reverb sometimes. Folks, this is a professional bass. The bridge is insane with sustain. The electronics maximize on the build potential, taking the sound to the next level. It is a pure monster of a bass. I have basses in various price ranges with different characters. I’ve only had this one a short while. It is the first one I am grabbing for most things. Marvelous low end here, and it goes on forever until you stop it or play another note.

I have an old Casio Keyboard. I keep it hooked up and ready to go. These are Goodwill items. Many times, I have seen keyboards like this for 20 dollars. It has a metronome, which I find handy. It has great sounding drums for certain types of music. The low keys have tremendous “thud.” Plus, having it so handy while writing is a cool tool, I have found. Sometimes I go there to find something, or to create whole new problems. Very cheap. Very worth it.

Don’t sleep on digital recorders

I think a digital recorder is a great way to record on the cheap. I have a Zoom R16 I have had for years. A friend let me pay it out, about 3 hundred if I remember right. If you do not want to do computers, or you want to record on batteries, or remotely (which I’ll still use it for), I don’t see how you go wrong here. It is not a computer. It records to memory card more like a camera. It is keeping a record, which is really what making a record is. I had a lot of fun on this thing. I still like having it. No DAW, no online, but 8 inputs, easy to use, and it sounds fabulous.

Being poor is not in your head. But being rushed is.

About being poor and time. When I was hurting for money, skipping meals to save a buck, I didn’t feel as though I had any time. I don’t know why that is, but it isn’t true. It is a mindset that works against the poor. It takes time to get nice things if the system is working. Many occasions, I sold things at a loss because I couldn’t spare the time to sell them properly. They say it takes money to make money. When it comes to appraisals, complicated deals, selling art, inheritances sometimes, even, “they” are on point. Don’t let “them” rush you. They know they can get a better deal if you feel you are in a hurry.

Some instruments are worth a lot of time.

The same applies to nice instruments. I have one I paid a lot (for me) for. It wasn’t easy. It took a lot of time. It was a good value as I plan to never get rid of it. If I didn’t feel I had time, I could have never gotten it. Being poor doesn’t only mean being robbed of things in your home. Poor keeps you from getting things inside your home to begin with. It is a mindset. It hinges on time. Give yourself time to think. You are worth it. If it takes time, get that son-of-a-bitch. Coming from a former homeless mental patient now with an Oregon Breedlove made from ancient Spruce that I play every single day.

Unfortunately, I haven’t found easy tricks. But I have found some tricks. I don’t think I enjoy it if it’s “too” easy. lol.

I hope you are able to save money wherever possible and still get to enjoy music. I hate that this stuff costs so much. But between Reaper, 25 dollar mics, quality affordable instruments, and good decisions, I am rooting for you. If you need help, I am here. Jus’ holler. Email: thekintnersmusic@gmail.com

Kelly Kintner

The Kintners, Djembe Funk

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.