by Tom Plant
John Quint has a keen mind for dates. Mention anything of note in his past and he’ll tell you exactly when it happened. He isn’t particularly fond of telling this story, but it’s a good one. On November 27, 1982, the night he was about to marry his ex, a friend who was putting together a band, called to ask him if he was still singing and if he still had long hair. He answered yes to the singing and no to the hair. His friend said they were auditioning for a lead singer and was wondering if John was interested. “It’s going to be great. We’ll have makeup and big hair.” “What are they going to be called?” asked John. The answer was Mötley Crüe. “That’s kind of a stupid name,” John thought. He passed up the audition and Temecula area residents should breathe a sigh of relief.
Temecula has a rich landscape of musical talent and John Quint is one of its finest examples. He’s been singing since the 70s, starting in cover bands. He began his musical path as a roadie for a friend’s band and was drafted as the lead singer when their lead singer quit. He became a member of a new wave all original group called Film at 11. After several years pursuing his musical passion, he decided to do “the responsible thing” and got a job at a graphics firm in Orange County. On August 7th, 2008 (remember the thing for dates?) he was laid off. On the drive home, he called his life partner Carolyn to tell her the news. Her reaction was “thank God you won’t have to make that &*$#!@! drive any more. Maybe you should go back to music.”
He didn’t need much convincing and in 2010 he began songwriting using guitar, teaching himself how to play the instrument at the same time. He started writing because “I have my own demons to purge.” He gathered some fellow musicians including Dave Kizziar, Wayne Cameron and Lily McCabe to record a few songs. When he told them he couldn’t pay them, they were eager to be a part of the project anyway. The resulting recording, Over & Done, is an excellent example of his singing and songwriting talents.
John is a prolific writer who’s still working on getting comfortable playing his guitar live. He plays often with husband and wife team Robin Adler and Dave Blackburn. John doesn’t mince words and believes music has to come from the heart. He says even though many people feel you must play cover music that’s familiar, he disagrees vehemently. “No you don’t!” He believes you need to enjoy it, be professional and different. John plays locally at Heritage at Callaway and Cougar Winery.
John Quint succeeds on all counts. His biggest influences are as varied as his music: Simply Red, Peter Gabriel, Tony Bennett, Sting, Bryan Ferry, Led Zeppelin and Squeeze to name a few. I make a point of catching him perform every chance I get. He’s that good.