Born and raised in the Pacific Northwest, singer/songwriter and recording artist Kevin Lint has quickly shown himself to be yet another creative force hailing from this rich artistic community. Kevin began working with well known Portland based producer Patrick Tetreault in the fall of 2007. Holing themselves up in Tetreault’s historic Vancouver, Wa. Studio (Ripcord Studio: The Ventures, Buck Owens, Willie Nelson), Kevin and Patrick worked feverish 12 hour days for two weeks straight recording what would become Kevin’s solo debut album Story Problems. Sleeping on the floor of the studio, rewriting lyrics on the fly and living off of granola bars, coffee and whiskey, the album took on a life of it’s own in what was a true demonstration of pure artistic freedom and expression. With it’s clear “blue jeans” Rock influences, Story Problems manages to weave a wide variety of genres. The listener can easily pick out instruments, tones and topics from: Country, Folk, Electronic, Alternative Rock and Blues as well as household names such as Tom Petty, John Mellencamp, Bruce Springsteen and Chris Isaak. During the tracking sessions, they joked that they were creating a new genre called “Amerivana” making reference to Kevin’s Kurt Cobain-esque vocal style combined with the strong Americana influences of the songs they were recording.
Immediately following the release of Story Problems in January of 2008 Kevin spent the next two years promoting the album primarily through live shows. He performed both as a solo artist and with a band as Kevin Lint and The Good Sinners which was comprised of a number of his long time friends. During this time, Kevin also made a number of local radio and television appearances as a featured artist (American Airlines, The Mountain 103.7, KOMO 4 TV) and through self promotion began to establish his material on FM radio station play-lists across the country in multiple genres (Indie Rock, Folk, Blues).
Recently, as the momentum from his solo album debut release has begun to slow and music industry continues to experience a dry spell, Kevin has taken the initiative to be more self sufficient and has chosen the DIY approach to his music production. In the summer of 2010 he opened his own studio called The Lint Trap and has begun making music under his own label, Lint Trap Records with his long time friend Mitch Latta. In July of 2010 he released his self-produced single Tug My Heart under the name Kevin Lint and The Sand Reckoners. The single is a departure from the solemn and classic rock tones of Story Problems. The song begins with a lo-fi melody that seems to mimic the serious and austere vibe of his first album but then immediately explodes into a triumphant full-figured chorus dripping with harmonies and sonic texture that is completely distinct from his previous work. With it’s power-pop rhythm and infectious melodies, the track sets the stage for a whole new set of expectations for Kevin and demonstrates his abilities to blur the genre lines while creating something truly unique and original. It may be time for him to change his “Amerivana” genre to something more like “AmerivanaSoulPop.”
Looking ahead, Kevin is currently working on two new singles. He plans to release these two singles plus three more in the coming months. Upon completion, he plans to combine them all, plus a few unheard tracks, into one record and release it as his sophomore album. Kevin is also busy designing a new website for himself and other artists as well as pursuing publishing deals, performing, and working out of his home studio as a producer for a variety of local artists. For more information on Kevin and his music go to his official website kevinlint.com.
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