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Biography
Comprising frontman and guitarist Nils Edenloff, backing vocalist and keyboard player Amy Cole and drummer Paul Banwatt, The Rural Alberta Advantage are widely regarded as one of the best kept secrets in indie rock. They’ve been compared to the likes of Band of Horses and Bright Eyes, and have released three full-length albums to date, as well as having toured internationally. They formed in 2005, after hosting an unsuccessful open stage at a club in Cabbagetown, Toronto; the bar had been there in one form or another for 120 years, but just a year under the stewardship of The RAA saw it go out of business (it’s now a Tim Horton’s). After releasing an early, scratchy demo, and then an EP, the trio quickly forged their signature sound; amongst their distinguishing characteristics are Edenloff’s powerful vocals, the male-female back-and-forth between himself and Cole, and Banwatt’s impressive drumming; his style sounds jazz-influenced, and is key to the rousing, exhilarating style of indie rock that the band play.
In support of their third record, 2014’s ‘Mended with Gold’, they toured both North America and Europe, playing at a host of intimate venues; their sets ranged between the full-on rollicking rock of their records and low-key acoustic songs, often played within the audience.
Live reviews
Life is tough for touring bands - falling revenues mean that their often forced to get by on a shoestring budget, sleeping on floors and worrying about the viability of their current lifestyle in the long term - but at least The Rural Alberta Advantage have a sense of humour about it. Asked in an interview how they came to form, they responded that they used to host an open mic night at a club in Cabbagetown in downtown Toronto, which was so sparsely attended that the venue, over one hundred years old, closed within a year of their night starting up. As the trio themselves put it, though, “we’ll close as many venues as it takes.”
The truth is, though, that they should be filling them; their rollicking brand of indie rock - they make quite the racket for a three-piece - is a genuine thrill, and has won them critical acclaim the world over, even if they’re not quite packing out rooms just yet. That might not be a bad thing, though; at a show in Manchester a few years back, it allowed them to play their encore amongst the crowd, totally unplugged, securing a real connection with those who did attend. With a new album, Mended with Gold, set for September, they’ve lined up a slew of UK dates for November - they’re well worth a look.
Joeg_67
I only had a passing interest in this band - from listening to their debut album some years ago. I got quite into it at the time and also listened to their 2nd album for a while too. I liked them a lot. As I had not been to many gigs this year I thought I would take a chance and go and see them live in London. Also persuaded by the venue (Islington Assembly rooms) which is one of my favourites. The warm-up act were pretty good (PS I love you) so maybe you could check them out.
The Rural Alberta Advanage only number 3 members in total. But what they lacked in numbers they more than made up for with beautifully constructed and passionately delivered songs - the PA system was perfect and carried the vocals (which is a high point of their sound) really well. And as for the drumming, well - I have rarely seen such a display of clinically controlled precision violence in my life!! utterly spellbinding work by him which was the very complex backbone of the sound.
Really glad I went along and was rewarded by experiencing a very talented and lovely band of people.
Great gig.
Bluegoose99
This is the third time I've seen the Rural Alberta Advantage in London, and it was definitely the best. Having three albums worth of material meant their setlist was strong and varied, mixing the best of their new album with the best of their older albums.
But what really struck me about this concert was how good they've gotten as performers.
They were always a good small gig band, but this concert showed they could kick ass at a venue with 750+ people.
They played together really well, their sounds mixed brilliantly, and just had a lot of fun. Paul (the drummer) continues to be a LEGEND behind the drums. How he doesn't pass out from exhaustion I have no idea.
Fundamentally, I had an absolutely great time at this concert, and can't wait to see them again live soon!
jedc
The show was fantastic and the energy in the room was absolutely electric. It is hard to imagine someone in the room having a bad time. The people on stage were clearly having just as much fun as the rest of us.
If you ever have the chance to see these guys, I highly recommend you make it happen.
10/10 Would Recommend
liam-magistad
4th time seeing them and they are absolutely amazing! Venue was too small for them, but it worked out - the crowd was into it! Drummer Paul Banwatt is a show of his own! Great set list! still on a high one week later. Can't wait to see them again!
evensteven
The RAA was fantastic at Great Scott last night. Super high energy performance. They did a selection of great songs from all their albums and tried out a couple new ones on us too. Loved it!
quagga
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