Introduce yourself… My name is Allister Quinn, I am from Yellowknife Northwest Territories  and I play in the Garage/Psych Light Bulb Alley based in Montreal. Light Bulb Alley have many members who come and go. Our main lineup as of now is Pablo Garcia on drums, Jack White on bass, Max White on Guitar, Sean Cary-Barnard on Guitar and myself on Guitar and voice.  We have been around for about 12 years and toured Canada, USA and Mexico. We have been lucky enough to play with some really cool bands, like Lyres and Hot Garbage and Paul Jacobs, and cool festivals, like Cavestomp, Pop Montreal and Fishfest Montreal. We have  are signed to the same label as The Gruesomes: Ricochet Sound and Fishbum Records out of Montreal. 

Why do you play music? I play music because I love writing songs and building them to the level in which we can perform them. When I get in the creative zone my worries dissolve. It's a magical  place where I can be myself. It's also an addiction. Since I was 13 its been one of my main priorities  in life. Some people go to Church, I go to my guitar and a pen and paper.I love working out the structures one layer at a time. The fulfilment is lovely when finally it feels like a song is complete, although it never is. My band members make these songs sound like a million bucks. I like taking a song too far experimentally and pulling it back a few notches. William Blake said " You never know what is enough until you know what is more than enough".

What was a major influence on you as an Artist/Band? When I first moved to Montreal I fell in love with the Demon Claws they had this loose punk feel that was spinkled with traditional roots music. I got to hang out with them when I first arrived to Montreal and was roomate’s with their drummer Brian Hilderbrand. I got turned on to his record collection that introduced me to the Seeds, Electric Prunes, 13th Floor Elevators, Bob Segar System. Pat from Demons Claws said I could just dirty up my songs and that might be alright. I did that. Right now am inspired by Ennio Morricone and anything from Canned Heat to The Brian Jonestown Massacre. Growing up in Yellowknife I had my dad's record collection with The Doors, Rolling Stones, Led Belly. There wasn't the best selection of music at stores in Yellowknife.  In high school I loved Nirvana, Dead Kennedies, Teenage Head the Damned. When I was really young  Little Richard, The Beatles and Elvis really struck me. 

What's your ideal festival line-up? Les Deluxes, Iggy Pop, The Sonics, Neil Young, Nick Cave, Ty Segall, The Haunted, The Ugly Ducklings, The Rolling Stones, Hot Garbage, Vypers, Black Lips, Death Valley Girls, Bloodshot Bill, King Khan and  BBQ Show, Chocolat, Uubbuurruu, MC5, The Jim Jones Revue, The Spaceshits, Beck,  Black Angels, Elephant Stone, Amyl and the Sniffers, Brian Jonestown Massacre, Brian Wilson, Les Breastfeeders, Surf Bort, The Gories, Detroit Cobras, Timmys  Organism. DJ Jonathan Toubin off the top of my head. 

Do you prefer the recording process or performing live?  Playing live can be the most intense gratifying experience. There is this energy feedback loop that is like heroin. The thing is if you don't have anything archived you can only look back with a foggy memory.  Recording is super fun it's just a different beast. I become a perfectionist when recording and embrace the looseness and danger when playing live. I still play my ass off when recording, but have all the time in the world to second guess it.

What would be a dream collaboration? Keith Richards. 

Describe a favourite album.  I love the Velvet Underground and Nico. It's haunted and simple. It is not trying to be anything, it just is. You can feel New York in the late 60s when you listen to it. It's very intense with John Cale’s drones especially on Venus in Furs. 

What's your favourite local haunt? LÈsco. I do prefer the old venue more than the renovated one. I don't like to go there often because it's hard to leave. It's like Montreal’s CBGB's or a punk rock version of Cheers ( everybody knows your name). 

What's your strangest experience while performing live? A completely naked man dancing in front of us at Fishfest Montreal 2017. After our set we noticed he had put on his clothes again and carried on as nothing happened.

What are some of your favourite aspects of being a musician in Montreal? We get to play a lot, people love to dance and there are many inspiring bands.

If you weren’t playing music in Montreal where would you be ? I would be an international real estate tycoon.

Any sage advice for young musicians? Keep at it and stay positive. If you're in it for money you're in the wrong business.