Alex Kristian Scally (born July 15, 1982) is an American multi-instrumentalist and songwriter. He is known as the co-writer, guitarist and backing vocalist of the

dream pop Dream pop (also typeset as dreampop) is a subgenre of alternative rock and neo-psychedelia that emphasizes atmosphere and sonic texture as much as pop melody. Common characteristics include breathy vocals, dense productions, and effects such ...

band

Beach House Beach House is an American indie music, indie band formed in Baltimore, Maryland, Baltimore in 2004 by current members Victoria Legrand (vocals, keyboards) and Alex Scally (guitar, keyboard, backing vocals, drum programming). Their work is char ...

, with whom he has recorded eight studio albums.

Early life

Scally was born July 15, 1982 in

Baltimore Baltimore is the most populous city in the U.S. state of Maryland. With a population of 585,708 at the 2020 census and estimated at 568,271 in 2024, it is the 30th-most populous U.S. city. The Baltimore metropolitan area is the 20th-large ...

Maryland Maryland ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic region of the United States. It borders the states of Virginia to its south, West Virginia to its west, Pennsylvania to its north, and Delaware to its east ...

, where he was raised. He is of

Irish Catholic Irish Catholics () are an ethnoreligious group native to Ireland, defined by their adherence to Catholic Christianity and their shared Irish ethnic, linguistic, and cultural heritage.The term distinguishes Catholics of Irish descent, particul ...

heritage. He graduated from

Baltimore Polytechnic Institute The Baltimore Polytechnic Institute, colloquially referred to as BPI, Poly, and The Institute, is a US public high school founded in 1883. Established as an all-male manual trade / vocational high school by the Baltimore City Council and the ...

in 2000, and from

Oberlin College Oberlin College is a Private university, private Liberal arts colleges in the United States, liberal arts college and conservatory of music in Oberlin, Ohio, United States. Founded in 1833, it is the oldest Mixed-sex education, coeducational lib ...

in 2004, where he studied

geology Geology (). is a branch of natural science concerned with the Earth and other astronomical objects, the rocks of which they are composed, and the processes by which they change over time. Modern geology significantly overlaps all other Earth ...

and ran

NCAA Division III NCAA Division III (D-III) is the lowest division of the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) in the United States. D-III consists of athletic programs at colleges and universities that do not offer athletic scholarships to student- ...

cross-country. Upon graduation, he returned to Baltimore to work as a carpenter alongside his father.

Career

In 2004, Scally founded Beach House with

Victoria Legrand Victoria Garance Alixe Legrand (born May 28, 1981) is a French-American musician, best known as the lead vocalist, songwriter and keyboardist of the dream pop band Beach House. Early life Legrand was born in Paris, France, the daughter of paint ...

in Baltimore. The two had decided to base their project in Baltimore as it was "a place where people can make music intensely, because you don't have to make much

oney Oney may refer to: * Oney, France, a subsidiary of French Auchan Holding and Banque Accord * Oney, Oklahoma, an unincorporated community in Oklahoma * "Oney" (song), a song written by Jerry Chesnut and sung by Johnny Cash in 1972 * Oney Judge ...

to live

here Here may refer to: Music * ''Here'' (Adrian Belew album), 1994 * ''Here'' (Alicia Keys album), 2016 * ''Here'' (Cal Tjader album), 1979 * ''Here'' (Edward Sharpe album), 2012 * ''Here'' (Idina Menzel album), 2004 * ''Here'' (Merzbow album), ...

" Recalling the formation of the band, Scally said: "We were both just kind of knocking around Baltimore right in our early 20s, and met doing a different musical project, and then each Housekind of grew out of it." Regarding their early shows, Scally noted: "I'm really glad nobody came to our shows at the start, because we had no idea what we were doing." As of 2022, the group has released a total of eight studio albums.

Discography

References

External links

Beach House official website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Scally, Alex 1982 births American rock guitarists American male guitarists American indie rock musicians Living people Musicians from Baltimore Oberlin College alumni Guitarists from Maryland 21st-century American guitarists 21st-century American male musicians Beach House members American people of Irish descent