The Rural Alberta Advantage at Bowery Ballroom (November 13, 2014)
On Thursday, November 13, I headed into Bowery Ballroom to catch a set from the always reliable The Rural Alberta Advantage. The tour was in support of their sold new album Mended With Gold, which was released this fall via Saddle Creek.
Going into the show I wasn’t familiar with opener July Talk, but I ended up being blown away by the Toronto-based band. Quite frankly, they came close to stealing the entire show. The group is fronted by duel vocalists (and couple) Peter Dreimanis and Leah Fay. They gave a frenzied sexual performance that was gloriously in your face and memorable. Fay ventured in the crowd finding fans to dance with, and even stole someones hat (she returned it after fondling it a bit). July Talk hit hard with strong riffage and raspy vocals from Dreimanis, countered by the softer vocals of Fay. Keep an eye on these guys, they’re going places.
If you go see The Rural Alberta Advantage, it’s a wise move to stand on the right side of the stage. Why? Because that’s usually where you’ll find their exceptional drummer Paul Banwatt placed. The man is one of the best kept secrets in music, a lightning quick drummer that blows me away each and every time that I’m lucky enough to catch The RAA live. All that praise goes the same way towards lead singer/guitarist Nils Edenloff as well as multi-instrumentalist Amy Cole, who round out the groups distinct sound that has come a long way since their unforgettable debut album was released in 2008 (where has the time gone?).
The band had a firm grip on the sold out crowd, who sung back the words to nearly every track, both old, and new. This is a band meant to see at a live space, where all the layers of emotion come flying at you at devastating angles. From the strained vocals of Edenloff, to the elegant keys and vocal work of Cole, which are all strung together by the quick hits of Mr. Banwatt. By the time that the group came into the crowd for an acoustic performance of “Good Night,” everyone left touched in some way.
Below find The RAA’s setlist and photos of both The RAA July talk
The Rural Alberta Advantage Setlist:
1. Stamp
2. Muscle Relaxants
3. Don’t Haunt This Place
4. Our Love…
5. Runners in the Night
6. Tornado ’87
7. Vulcan, AB
8. Luciana
9. On the Rocks
10. Rush Apart
11. 45/33
12. To Be Scared
13. Terrified
14. Four Night Rider
15. Edmonton
16. Frank, AB
17. Drain the Blood
Encore:
18. Two Lovers (Nils solo)
19. The Build
20. The Dethbridge in Lethbridge
21. Good Night (Acoustic in crowd)
The Rural Alberta Advantage:
