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The joys and pitfalls of being a Whistler musician: Emily Molloy weighs in

Long-time local preps new album, releases music video ahead of playing Maury Young Arts Centre March 8 and 10
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Local rocker Emily Molloy has been a long-time staple of the Whistler music scene. Photo submitted

Emily Molloy has reached a lot of milestones in the Whistler music scene.

She's won the Whistler Music Search at the Crystal Lounge, mastered an array of covers to play in regular rotation around the resort and, as of next Thursday (March 8), she'll have performed at The Theatre in the Maury Young Arts Centre.

"I'm really excited," Molloy says. "It was a bucket-list venue for me. For some reason, I got booked at the Maury Young twice in one week and I've never played that venue before."

The first show at the theatre will be for International Women's Day while the second is an opening slot for Brendan McLeod's show called Brain & Other Stories on March 10 as part of the Arts Whistler Live! series.

The achievement comes at a time when Molloy is plotting her eventual move from Whistler. She's called it home for nearly a decade and a half and while it's helped her hone her sound, she's ready to move on.

"I love Whistler, but I'm at a point where I've outgrown it," she says. "(It) fed me for a long time and it's a great place to get started. Whistler has done so much for me personal-growth wise, so that's totally shaped my music and what I'm doing."

One challenge: playing Whistler regularly means playing a lot of covers. Last week when Molloy was performing at a local venue an individual who had knocked back a few too many demanded to hear "Wonderwall."

"I hadn't even played a note yet," she says. "I was like, 'Dude, you have no idea what I sound like. You don't go to a concert and say, 'Play 'Wonderwall.' ' But the difference is in Whistler most people aren't going out to see a show... People wander into places (that happen to have live music). I feel like we need a venue that caters to that need in this town."

For the time being, Molloy plans to continue using Whistler as a home base for tours that have taken her to eastern Canada and, more recently, to L.A. She also has another exciting project on the horizon writing a soundtrack for a feature film (though she can't reveal much more than that at the moment).

While she first started out as a folk singer, Molloy's songs have evolved into a mix of gritty blues and good ol' fashioned rock 'n' roll. "I finished recording half of my second album," she explains. "I've completely written a third and now I'm on a bit of a backlog."

An album release might still be a little ways away, but Molloy is readying a new music video to come out this week. Shot in Whistler, she describes it as having a "a very Blind Melon, early '90s nostalgic vibe."

"I'm trying to focus a bit more on making videos and content," she says. "I realized I just play a lot and don't have promo material."

To see the video, and keep tabs on Molloy's other projects, visit emilymolloymusic.com. Catch her in the opening slot for Brain & Other Stories on March 10 at the Maury Young Arts Centre at 7:15 p.m. Tickets at artswhistler.com.