'Americana rock' on Sedro-Woolley native's first CD
When Sedro-Woolley resident Kevin Lint was in the third grade, his family and the neighbors hosted a tandem garage sale. Lint was intrigued by the neighbor’s upright organ, and sold his toys to get the money to purchase the instrument. His efforts to teach himself to play inspired his mother, who forked out the money for lessons; three years later, Lint added the guitar.
Lint was a football star at Sedro-Woolley High School and played at Pacific Lutheran University, where he earned a bachelor of fine arts degree in graphic design. But his passion has always been for music, and Lint last month fulfilled a dream with the release of his debut CD “Story Problems.’’ Lint had the opportunity to showcase his music in a feature on KOMO TV on Dec. 6, and this month hosts a CD release party — for the date and location, check out the singer/songwriter’s Web site at
http://www.kevinlint.com.
Lint’s songs mix rock, jazz, hip-hop and roots music into something he calls “Americana rock.’’ “I take my favorite elements of music and I mash it together and cook it up,’’ says Lint, who now lives in Mukilteo. Finding inspiration isn’t a problem. “I write a song a day ... I approach the whole music thing like it’s a business.’’
Lint’s father and brother played guitars, and Lint remembers being moved by Tom Petty’s “Free Fallin’’’ on MTV when he was 9. Lint performed with a mock rap group while attending PLU, and at age 23 decided to try to make a career out of music. He took lessons from local guitar teacher Thom Gustafson, and solicited advice from music producers, who urged him to forsake joining a band, “a big dead-end road’’ that would dilute his vision and produce too many overhead costs.
Lint, who designs the Web site for Community Transit in Snohomish County, then fished around for a producer until he found Vancouver, Wash. engineer Patrick Tetreault, who told him he’d produce his CD for between $15,000 and $25,000. “I spent eight months doing side work and convincing my wife this was something I had to do,’’ says Lint. The CD was recorded during 14 10-hour days with session musicians, and 1,000 CDs were printed. Friends and musicians Rob Piercy and Adam Waldron are playing alongside him to help promoted the album.
Lint says he approaches songs like a movie producer, creating stories that reflect the people he knows. “People Like Me’’ begins with the lines “Tom was a quiet boy, but had a life full of noise, his father died when he was 3, his mom was always hooked on speed.’’ Many of the songs evoke yearning for love and acceptance, including “Another One Like You: “I’m a sinner, you’re a saint, I’m all the things you ain’t, but I’d lay my body down, just to be around your love.’’
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