Alvvays band members left to right: Sheridan Riley, Kerri MacLellan, Molly Rankin, Alec O'Hanley, and Abbey Blackwell. Photos for this story: Alvvays social media.
February 14, 2024
-by John Gillis
The official Grammy website calls Blue Rev, Alvvay’s third album, “an exemplar of lush, witty indie rock, with more hooks than a tackle box.”
It was the single, Belinda Says, which garnered Alvvays a Grammy nomination this year for Best Alternative Music Performance.
Alvvays band members and management were able to attend the 66th Annual Grammy Awards held on Sunday, February 4th, in Los Angeles.
While they lost out to boygenius, a talented female trio, Alvvays can be very proud of the achievement of being nominated and walking the red carpet. What an experience. Congratulations!
Having spoken to several family members of Molly and Kerri, it is evident that they, their friends, and fans, are all very proud of them.
The album Blue Rev, which includes the single, Belinda Says, was recorded in October 2021, in a Los Angeles studio with fellow Canadian and Grammy winning producer, Shawn Everett.
The album follows the band’s 2017 offering, Antisocialites, and the band’s initial self-titled debut album.
Alvvays (pronounced Always) has become one of the most popular indie /alternative rock bands of their generation with loyal fans and followers all over the globe. The band has done a tremendous amount of international touring now for more than a decade.
They’ve been a smash hit on college radio stations and have garnered interviews in many of the top music magazines around the world. They’ve played many of the world’s largest and most prestigious festivals.
Based now in Toronto, the band has strong Maritime roots.
Singer, guitarist, songwriter, and front person, Molly Rankin, and friend and keyboard player, Kerri MacLellan, each hail from the Hillsdale, Judique area of Inverness County.
They are both Dalbrae Academy graduates and grew up as friends and neighbours on Hillsdale Road playing music together.
Molly and Kerri each come from musical families.
Molly grew up playing fiddle and dancing and did a reunion tour with The Rankin Family back in 2007 (her parents are Sally (MacDonnell) Rankin and the late John Morris Rankin) before she, MacLellan, and guitarist Alec O’Hanley of Prince Edward Island co-founded Alvvays in 2011. O’Hanley was previously a member of the P.E.I. band, Two Hours Traffic.
Other current members of the band include: Sheridan Riley, drums, percussion, backing vocals (2017 – present) and Abbey Blackwell, bass guitar (2021 – present). Previous band members included Phil MacIsaac, drums (2011 – 2016) and Brian Murphy, bass guitar (2011–2021).
Molly Rankin turned to songwriting as an interest and passion at an early age and showed such promise that she immediately impressed her aunt and uncle, Heather and Jimmy Rankin, both gifted songwriters themselves and who each remain big fans.
Kerri’s siblings are also musicians, Gabrielle is a fiddler and brothers Nicholas and Daniel MacLellan also play. Kerri played fiddle and keyboards growing up and took piano lessons with Betty Jane Cameron of West Mabou.
Kerri is the daughter of Daniel and Jessica (Rankin) MacLellan. Jessica is the daughter of the late Archie and Mary Catherine Rankin of Back Street in Mabou, which means Kerri has a multitude of musical cousins as well.
Alvvays has appeared as a live performance guest recently on Late Night (tv) with Jimmy Fallon and they have been featured artists on NPR’s Tiny Desk Concerts in recent years. Blue Rev was the Alternative Album of the Year winner at the 2023 Juno Awards and was also shortlisted for the 2023 Polaris Music Prize.
The Oran caught up with Alvvays this week after their return from Los Angeles and Molly and Kerri were kind enough to share some of their Grammy experiences as well as provide some insight into future endeavours of the band.
Q & A with Molly Rankin
What are your initial impressions of experiencing the Grammys?
The event was overwhelming and impressive. Movement seems like the key to smoothly running something with that many elements. The red carpet was like a conveyor belt where no one is allowed to stand in the same place for very long. We were in the comparatively cheap seats, not the floor tables with the bigwigs. As far as Grammys go, it felt like a particularly solid show this year.
Were you able to attend the entire Grammy show?
Yeah. We also attended the non-televised ceremony earlier in the afternoon. They had a short dinner break and on our way back we got caught in a downpour. There was a huge backlog to get back in, so we had to listen to Tracy Chapman from the lobby until the commercial break.
Were there any particular highlights you would like to comment on?
I was overcome with Beatlemania when Celine (Dion) came out – to the point of humiliating those around me. You could tell when Joni Mitchell performed that the whole room felt like they were experiencing some form of cosmic blessing. As far as newcomers go, we were all blown away by Billy Eilish’s voice.
What’s next for Alvvays? I understand you have a lot of touring slated for 2024 in U.S. and Europe especially?
We still have a lot of touring left to do before we can wind down and take some time for ourselves. There are a few places we’re still trying to get to on this album – Scandinavia, Korea, the Maritimes (!). Once we get through all of our upcoming tours in one piece, we can start solely focussing on new ideas.
Is there anything else you would wish to add?
Although we’ve lived in Toronto for over a decade now, we’ve never considered ourselves anything other than Cape Bretoners.
Q&A with Kerri MacLellan:
What were your initial impressions of experiencing the Grammys?
We had a blast observing how the show gets made, and the whole affair. We felt a bit like outsiders so we made sure to have fun, celebrate, and not take ourselves too seriously.
Were you able to attend the entire Grammy show?
Our particular award was not part of the televised portion so we went to the pre-show first, and then into the main event. It was a big, fun, chaotic day.
Were there any particular highlights you would like to comment on?
The energy in the room really changed when Celine Dion presented the final award. I have a soft spot for the legacy acts, like Joni Mitchell and Tracy Chapman, but overall I was impressed by all of the performances.
Did you catch fellow Canadian legend Joni Mitchell’s performance?
Joni Mitchell was my favourite of the night, and I knew it would be. It was really charming and optimistic, and a great song.
Were you and the band able to meet some of your musical peers or heroes?
The event was pretty light on interactions; probably because the schedule was so rigid. We spent most of the night celebrating with our label and management, the team of people who do all the hard work behind the scenes. Having them there with us after a big year together was the perfect way to mark the milestone.
What’s next for Alvvays? I understand you have a lot of touring slated for 2024 in U.S. and Europe especially?
We have a busy year – we’ll be starting in Mexico and the USA this spring, and then off for some European festivals. We’re excited to reunite with our crew/pals and pick up where we left off.
Is there anything else you would wish to add?
We always had a subscription to The Inverness Oran growing up, so potentially being part of an issue is very special. Thanks for the questions!
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