INTERVIEW: LANE ELLIS: WHEN A VIDEO GAME CHANGES YOUR LIFE

Another interview. Another one of my guests walks in and exudes kindness. However, Lane is not only kind. She is also a badass who used to play "Rock Band" as a kid and now takes the stage to perform that style of music she loves with all her heart. From singing 'Bohemian Rhapsody' with her friends just outside the music room at school to performing her material in front of audiences, enjoy this wonderful conversation and get to know Lane Ellis.

Growing up you were not allowed to listen to Rock music. I was wondering who was the first Rock artist or band you discovered?

My mom got me and my brother "Rock Band". I was allowed to play the game so I remember  hearing “Detroit Rock City” by Kiss and “Maps” by Yeah Yeah Yeahs. It was just the best music ever. The first band I got into was probably Weezer, when I was in high school. It's either Weezer or Queen. I love garage music. Weezer is such a garage band. When you are a teenager, you go through angsty stuff and feel like nobody understands you. I can also say Simple Plan, I loved songs such as “Grow Up”, “I'm Just a Kid”, and “Perfect”. 

Since you weren't allowed to listen to Rock music, how come your mom decided to get you "Rock Band"? 

I think she didn't fully understand. The Christian church is so weird about Rock music. They have this fear that it's secretly evil or something. As I got older my mom became less religious.  I don't think she thought that deeply into it. It was just a game. I don’t think my mom knew that I would be making Rock music because she bought "Rock Band".

Do you have a favourite memory attached to Weezer, Simple Plan, or Queen (e.g: Watching their music videos, attending their concert)? 

I think of high school when my friends and I would sit outside the music room and sing "Bohemian Rhapsody" from start to finish. That song moves people so much; same with songs like "Sk8ter Boy". I think Rock music is so community-oriented. I've never felt as closely tied that way to another genre of music. You feel like you are a part of something.

You mentioned bands you listened to growing up. Who are some of your favorite Rock artists or bands right now?

I love Alvvays. They're so cool. I've seen them play twice. It felt like when you go to the movies and then you leave the movie theater and it’s like: Woah, the world is back.That’s how it feels like to watch Alvvays perform. They’re not current but I love The Cranberries. I love The Sundays, Mitski, Alanis Morissette, Nirvana, The Beatles. The Kinks, Oasis, Blur. I like exploring decades and seeing who influenced the decade a lot. 

In 2025, is there anybody who has an impact on Rock music? 

Alvvays is definitely impactful to me. Mac DeMarco is a huge Indie Rock influence and has changed sounds so much. Peach Pit too. Beabadoobee is keeping it alive for younger music fans. However, I still feel like in the way that Rock was impacted by bands like Oasis or Arctic Monkeys not yet. 

*At that moment, Lane and I fangirled over Beabadoobee and asked each other’s favourite song…Okay, back to the show! I mean, the interview. 

Would you like to collaborate with a younger Rock artist such as Beabadoobee at some point? 

Yes! Do you know Yungblud? I would love to collaborate with him. I think he’s so Pop Punk. 

What’s your take on people who discredit artists such as Yungblud?

I think Yungblud is a true artist in the sense that he wants to make art, to move people. Also, he’s young and figuring things out as we all are. We are not all young but we all have been. I also think it's complicated when you get a label. If you think of Yungblud in his early music, it was so raw and honest. If he gets more and more famous, his music becomes more marketable because of a label asking him for things. I think the same thing happened with Avril Lavigne. Her music is not the same as the one we started with but I still think it's important. I listened to a lot of Avril Lavigne growing up. When I was in my tween hood, I was secretly listening to Avril and it has influenced me so much in understanding more about Rock music. I know for a fact that there are people who are like: "She’s not really Rock". Same with Olivia Rodrigo. Kids who listen to her will end up learning more about Rock music.

How did you get into singing and playing guitar? When did you start writing your own songs? You mentioned doing music in high school? Did it start there or even earlier? 

I started playing keys when I was younger.  I have always written music. I  would play on my keyboard and write songs. Then, when I was in high school, a boy really hurt my feelings, and instead of crying about it, I got a ukulele. I decided to teach myself how to play it. In University, I always wanted to learn how to play the guitar and there was a guitar in my house. It was never used and one of the strings was broken. I didn’t really understand how to restring it. I just decided to rent a guitar. I didn't want any barriers. I'm just going to learn it. I can do whatever I want. Hitting adulthood, you realize that there's so much freedom and you don't have to wait for the people to tell you to do something or not do something. I just picked up a guitar during a winter break, during my first year or second year of Uni and then I just played every single day. By the end of the winter break, I went back to school and was playing guitar at coffee houses all of the time. I dedicated so much of my time to it. Since then, not every day but nearly every day, I play guitar.  I've always written songs. When I'm at an instrument and sitting down at a keyboard is like such a to-do, you know that you're going to do it. Picking up a guitar it's so accessible so I was writing way more than I was before. Singing is something I've always done. I would make up songs about random things like plants or washing the dishes. I didn’t think it was a big deal or a part of who I was. It was well into writing song after song that I realized I was a  songwriter. I never thought of myself that way. It’s just something I always did. 

Lane performing "Redundancy" with her bandmates at Blue Dog

Everything was self-taught then? 

Yes! I also play bass. I’m good at tabs. I can only play with a pick though. 

Are there any other instruments you would like to learn how to play? 

I would love to learn how to play the drums! Theoretically, I could play all of the major band instruments. I would love to learn how to play the accordion. That would be so cool! My grandfather played the accordion. 

When it comes to playing shows, releasing music, do you set any sort of goals for yourself or are you more the kind of person who goes with the flow? 

I want to be thorough with what I do. That's the most important thing. I want to make things that are honest. I want to make things that are good and that I'm proud of. I want to do it to the best of my ability. (For the first couple of months playing) I didn't know that much about the music industry. I didn't know anything about music other than what I listen to and what I love. Throughout experimentation and with help from my bandmates, I learned a lot.

I do have goals in general. I want my music to be heard by the people that need to listen to it the same way that I need to listen to music by other artists. I want to give  music that was gifted to me. I think wanting to have a specific number is detrimental to the flow of the artistry. However, having a place where you want to go is important.  

Recently, I saw your story about how it can feel like a chore to promote your music. Would you ever let someone else do that for you? 

I don't have a manager. I don't have a booking agent. I figure it all out myself. I think it's important because you learn so much about the industry. You learn so much about the work that other people would be doing and you value it more. It’s not that I don't like promoting things. I hate being an advertisement. I hate people going on my Instagram stories and it’s just me being like: "Hey, come to a show"! People want to hear the music and they want to come to shows but they also want to know things about me. I also want to just be a human. I think it's an art to be able to promote and to do it well but I don't think it's necessarily my art. I would maybe ask somebody else to do it. 

I think Tik Tok feels different from Instagram. Tik Tok is being sent to new people who have no clue who you are. Instagram, I am telling my friends to come to my shows all of the time.  

You have covered the song “Hot to Go” by Chappell Roan. What was the motivation behind wanting to cover that song? 

I love that song! I love Chappell! Chappell and I have very different vocal ranges. She’s a queen, an icon! I don’t necessarily think of myself as a singer. I can hold a tune. It’s perfect that I make Rock music. Rock music isn’t about your vocal range. It is about your vocal range if you’re Hayley Williams. Kurt Cobain sings songs with a vibe. I think it’s the most fun and the most Punk Rocky of her songs. If I could sing any of her songs, it would be “My Kink is Karma”. That song is so good!

Have you thought of what songs you would like to cover in the future?

We used to cover “Cherry Bomb” (The Runaways) and “Black Sheep” (Metric). That was super fun. For a "Lilith Fair" festival put together by the McGill gender equality coalition, I was asked to do a cover from an artist who played "Lilith Fair". I covered "Supermodel" by Jill Sobule. It was in the movie "Clueless". The song is so aware of itself and the lyrics are basically about the desire to be beautiful. It was used in Clueless unironically. It was very fun to cover. I think we live in a world now where everyone wants to be an Instamodel or a Tiktoker. I love covering music. I think it teaches people about what your music sounds like because there are catalogs of music that you like and that is such an indicator of what you would create.

You currently have 4 songs available on Soundcloud. How important is it for you to release demos of your music?

When it comes to SoundCloud, it feels like nobody I know uses it so I can just put music on there because I want to put it out and I want to be able to listen to it. I think it’s so important (especially as an artist) when you hear the finished product of something. You don't really know how much work goes into it and how many iterations of that song exist. When you hear a demo, you're like: "Okay, the music I make is all right. I'll be fine". For example, I’ll listen to a demo of "Maps" by Yeah Yeah Yeahs and hear how it’s not what the song eventually sounded like at all. I love it because it's so raw and real. I think it’s important to you as an artist because then you learn to celebrate yourself before having the finished product. I also think it's important to other people too. It helps them connect with you on a deeper level.  

Out of the four songs that are already out on Soundcloud, are there any you would perhaps re-record?  

There are two songs I would re-record. One of them is called "Sorry". I think I would record it in a more Rock n’ Roll way. There is also this one song called "Someone like You" that I really really like. It would be a shame not to give it a full life. 

Lane performing "Adam's Song"

Do you have any more songs that would be ready to share right now or in the near future?

In the near future. I'm excited though. I also want to release live recordings too because I think that's fun. Also, I'm really proud of the music we play. I think it's cool that we play together and it sounds good enough that I think people should hear it. That’s the point of music making. 

Speaking of live performances, how did you meet the musicians who are playing with you?

I met Matys at a jam. I love telling that story. He came up to me and he was talking about music. I told him that I made music. “If you're really looking for a drummer, I play the drums.” ‘Whatever, you're at a jam. Every musician will say that.” Then, he sat down and started playing. “Oh, he PLAYS the drums. He really plays the drums.” It was crazy. 

I met Ethan when I worked at Champs briefly. It was a karaoke night. It was Halloween. Ethan came in dressed as Billy Joe Armstrong from Green Day and sang "Mr. Brightside". It was so Punk Rock. It was the end of the night. I was ready to go home. Ethan came in like a super star. Then, I saw him at the jam, the same one where I met Matys. Immediately after Matys told me he was willing to play with me, Ethan was like: “I heard you are putting a band together. I play bass.” 

I met Zach through Matys. We met a jam. Zac and I have the exact same taste in music. I have never met someone with the same music taste as me. We talked about The Smashing Pumpkins, The Sundays, and Alvvays. I needed a guitarist and I asked Zac. We have been playing together ever since.

Does it ever get hard to find time to jam together? 

They’re super busy. They’re all working musicians. I have my project. They have their music projects and are playing in other people’s projects too. It is difficult. I trust them so much that I feel less stressed about it. I think if I was playing with anybody else, I would be stressed about the little time we have together. However, with them, I feel like it’s fine.

On Instagram, your handle is @lanethealien? Have you ever thought of presenting yourself (when it comes to musical endeavors) using this name or any other name than your own? 

(Not specifically Lane the Alien) I thought about using another name. I thought about Roman Copy as a name. I think maybe it will be the name of an EP or an album. When I think of Alanis Morissette, Avril Lavigne Rock musicians that came out of Ontario and I am a Rock musician that came out of Ontario, I think of using my actual name as a way to honor the tradition. I think that's why I went with the first name- last name thing. 

You mentioned being from Ontario so when did you come to Montreal?

2 years ago. The music scene is much more community based here. In Toronto, it’s very corporate. I didn’t know much and wanted to learn. I wanted to grow as an artist, play with musicians, and meet other musicians in a very loving way. I think this city has done that. 

Besides the music scene, what has been your favourite part of Montreal?     

The parks. The people. I think this city is full of people who are so willing to accept you into their lives. If you move to Montreal and have no friends, you will meet one person and they will immediately invite you to their home. Also, in summer, you actually have too much to do. The music here is so good. Every time you go to a show and watch the openers, they end up being amazing. People from Montreal don’t understand who spoiled they are for having good music everywhere they go. It’s a gem of a city. 

Is there any Montreal artist or band you discovered and fell in with since you have been here?   

I love Sophia Bel. She has this album called “Anxious Avoidant”. It’s so good. It’s criminal that it’s not everywhere. I love Jazz music here. Matisse, the drummer who plays with me, has a Jazz project and it’s amazing. I have a friend named Charles and he is part of this trio (Charles Vigerie Trio). It’s Jazz but also Rock. There is much good music here.

This is more of a serious question. When being in crowds at shows whether you are an attendee or a featured performer, do you generally feel safe? 

Yes, I think so. It’s something I’m very specific about; what kind of music I listen to, what kind of shows I go to. In that sense, I always feel safe. Being on stage is a weird thing because people are looking at you. Before you start singing, you think: “What am I doing up here?” Being in a crowd does feel safe for me. 

Do you think there is anything that should be done to make shows feel safer? 

I think it really depends on the crowds. I tend to go to shows where there are a lot of women and that makes me feel safe. If you go to a show at Traxide (now Trashcan) and it’s very dude-based, I might not feel that way. I think encouraging having a safe community at your shows is what makes shows safe. 

Do you have a favourite a feminist song or a song that empowers you?

I love Labour by Paris Paloma. It’s so good! I think it’s a very honest depiction of what it feels like to be in a relationship where somebody just expects you to do things because that’s the perception of women. I needed it. When I listened to that song, it was after going through a break up where I felt like doing a lot and it was never acknowledged. That’s definitely a big one. Also, I listen to a lot of music by women who are very honest about their experience in the world. Alanis Morissette who has this song called “Forgiven” and it’s about being raised Catholic as a woman and the difference between her experience and her brother’s. I don’t know if she actually has a brother or if it's a metaphor. There is also a song from the 60s called “I am Woman” by Helen Reddy. It brings so much comfort when I need to feel strong and brave. It reminds me that I’m allowed to be flawed.    

If you've made it this far, I hope you had as much fun reading this interview as I did working on it. Whether you are a local or not, I hope this exchange has made you want to pay attention to the amazing, community-based, and ever-growing Montreal music scene. You read it here; if you want to listen to music made in the most honest way possible, then Lane's songs are for you! When promoting the release of this interview on Instagram, Lane reposted my story and added, "Best conversation ever." I think she was right. 

Your favourite Montreal blogger and interviewer/self-proclaimed biggest of the fan of the Montreal music,

Ariane

LINKS TO FURTHER DISCOVER AND SUPPORT LANE 

Lane on Soundcloud

Lane’s Instagram