quote:

Originally posted by RavingLunatic:
So that guy who I gave a burnt copy of Hometowns not only really liked the album himself but has been playing it for his friends who are equally enraptured by it. He told me he thinks about 5 of his friends are going to buy it. They were all "where did you hear of these guys?" and he's like "this guy at work." Very cool.

quote:

Originally posted by crob3888:
Goddamn, I wish I could attend that show.

The more I listen to Hometowns, the more I feel completely terrible for placing it at 20 on my best of 08 list!

I hope they make it out to Los Angeles, if they ever do.

quote:

Originally posted by Liberalkid:
Metacricket.. is taken...

quote:

Originally posted by theelfpat:
DATE: 1/27/2009
LOCATION: PIANOS, NEW YORK

I was very excited to see The Rural Alberta Advantage this week at Pianos, a small two-stage venue on the lower east side. We got to the venue right at 10:30, when the RAA were scheduled to perform. When you purchase admission at Pianos, the bouncer asks which band made you come out that night and keeps a tally of everyone's responses. In what probably won't surprise anyone on this site, the tallies were overwhelmingly for the RAA. I was afraid that we had arrived too late, as the lower stage was absolutely packed (fairly rare @ Pianos) and we were forced to stand in a hallway out of view of the stage. I asked a girl next to us who was playing and got an enthusiastic "I don't know, but it's not the RAA!" in return. Luckily, as the second opening band (The Loom) left, we were able to work our way to the front of the stage. The show did not disappoint, and I feel confident in saying that many of the songs were even better in a live setting. Even more important, the crowd LOVED this band. Many people were singing along and taking pictures. The band seemed to be shocked by their reception. At one point, lead singer Nills Edenloff asked the crowd "Am I being punkd right now?" Other banter was better than the average band--this guy seemed to have the perfect stage presence: obviously giddy but not nervous at all (he introduced several songs with long stories about their origins, but I was too drunk to be able to share these anecdotes. Sorry.) The drumming was tight, and to top it all off, Amy is damn cute in person. At the very end of the set, they came into the center of the crowd and played an acoustic "Goodnight" type song not on the LP, without any microphones. It was probably the highlight of the show and an even better demonstration of just how much like Jeff Magnum Edenloff sounds. We were able to talk to the band (and take pictures with them) after the show. For what it's worth, Edenloff claimed they have had no communications with any labels yet, and seemed to imply that he hoped the band's foray into the states would get them a deal. I told him he'd be playing the Bowery a year from now, and he modestly shook his head and professed he was just happy about the response they had gotten tonight (the maximum occupancy for the room was 122...I feel like the fire marshall would have had some issues had he been there on Tuesday). I kept it real for you guys and mentioned that I discovered them off of Metacritic. He definitely recognized the site name and mentioned how nice it was to put some faces to people he's met online. Drummer Paul Banwatt and Amy were just as nice in person as well, and they made us promise to come see them at their next gig at Union Hall in Brooklyn next Friday. I hope I can.

I am very happy that this small band we have all championed for the last few months truly seem to be worth the attention, both in talent and personality. For any band (but especially one from rural Canada), the first show ever in New York City has got to be a defining moment, perhaps indicative of success to come. They knocked it out of the park.

SET HIGHLIGHTS: Drain The Blood, Don't Haunt This Place, Four Night Rider, Edmonton, Unknown Goodnight Song (and actually pretty much everything they played)

(I will update with a link to photos as soon as I upload them)

Thanks again to whoever originally discovered this band, and to everyone else for hyping them so much. I had such a blast at this concert. I saw Andrew Bird at Carnegie Hall the next night, which cost 5 times as much and was extremely anti-climatic after being in the front for the RAA the day before.

quote:

Originally posted by The Fall of Troy:

quote:

Originally posted by Liberalkid:
Metacricket.. is taken...

Oooops. You're right. I didn't mean to step on the toes of the expats.

quote:

Originally posted by The Fall of Troy:
Fellow Metacriticers (Metacrickets?):

This is a call to arms for all RAA fans on these boards.

Last year, we helped the RAA conquer Metacritic, elevating this unsigned band to the point that Hometowns was named the #10 album in our year-end poll.

Then, we helped the RAA conquer eMusic, getting them signed as an eMusic Selects artist. Hometowns is now the highest selling album in the eMusic Selects program.

Now, it is time to take up arms again to aid our tragically underappreciated brethren. It is time to help the RAA conquer the world!

As I reported last night, Hometowns is now available for download on Amazon. Sadly, there are no reviews for the album yet. This morning, I intend on posting my write-up for the album on Amazon with a 5 star rating. Let's see if we can boost the RAA's profile some more by everyone posting their own review of the album.

quote:

Originally posted by blueskyoas:

quote:

Originally posted by The Fall of Troy:
Fellow Metacriticers (Metacrickets?):

This is a call to arms for all RAA fans on these boards.

Last year, we helped the RAA conquer Metacritic, elevating this unsigned band to the point that Hometowns was named the #10 album in our year-end poll.

Then, we helped the RAA conquer eMusic, getting them signed as an eMusic Selects artist. Hometowns is now the highest selling album in the eMusic Selects program.

Now, it is time to take up arms again to aid our tragically underappreciated brethren. It is time to help the RAA conquer the world!

As I reported last night, Hometowns is now available for download on Amazon. Sadly, there are no reviews for the album yet. This morning, I intend on posting my write-up for the album on Amazon with a 5 star rating. Let's see if we can boost the RAA's profile some more by everyone posting their own review of the album.

It's also available on iTunes.

quote:

Originally posted by The Fall of Troy:

quote:

Originally posted by theelfpat:
DATE: 1/27/2009
LOCATION: PIANOS, NEW YORK

I was very excited to see The Rural Alberta Advantage this week at Pianos, a small two-stage venue on the lower east side. We got to the venue right at 10:30, when the RAA were scheduled to perform. When you purchase admission at Pianos, the bouncer asks which band made you come out that night and keeps a tally of everyone's responses. In what probably won't surprise anyone on this site, the tallies were overwhelmingly for the RAA. I was afraid that we had arrived too late, as the lower stage was absolutely packed (fairly rare @ Pianos) and we were forced to stand in a hallway out of view of the stage. I asked a girl next to us who was playing and got an enthusiastic "I don't know, but it's not the RAA!" in return. Luckily, as the second opening band (The Loom) left, we were able to work our way to the front of the stage. The show did not disappoint, and I feel confident in saying that many of the songs were even better in a live setting. Even more important, the crowd LOVED this band. Many people were singing along and taking pictures. The band seemed to be shocked by their reception. At one point, lead singer Nills Edenloff asked the crowd "Am I being punkd right now?" Other banter was better than the average band--this guy seemed to have the perfect stage presence: obviously giddy but not nervous at all (he introduced several songs with long stories about their origins, but I was too drunk to be able to share these anecdotes. Sorry.) The drumming was tight, and to top it all off, Amy is damn cute in person. At the very end of the set, they came into the center of the crowd and played an acoustic "Goodnight" type song not on the LP, without any microphones. It was probably the highlight of the show and an even better demonstration of just how much like Jeff Magnum Edenloff sounds. We were able to talk to the band (and take pictures with them) after the show. For what it's worth, Edenloff claimed they have had no communications with any labels yet, and seemed to imply that he hoped the band's foray into the states would get them a deal. I told him he'd be playing the Bowery a year from now, and he modestly shook his head and professed he was just happy about the response they had gotten tonight (the maximum occupancy for the room was 122...I feel like the fire marshall would have had some issues had he been there on Tuesday). I kept it real for you guys and mentioned that I discovered them off of Metacritic. He definitely recognized the site name and mentioned how nice it was to put some faces to people he's met online. Drummer Paul Banwatt and Amy were just as nice in person as well, and they made us promise to come see them at their next gig at Union Hall in Brooklyn next Friday. I hope I can.

I am very happy that this small band we have all championed for the last few months truly seem to be worth the attention, both in talent and personality. For any band (but especially one from rural Canada), the first show ever in New York City has got to be a defining moment, perhaps indicative of success to come. They knocked it out of the park.

SET HIGHLIGHTS: Drain The Blood, Don't Haunt This Place, Four Night Rider, Edmonton, Unknown Goodnight Song (and actually pretty much everything they played)

(I will update with a link to photos as soon as I upload them)

Thanks again to whoever originally discovered this band, and to everyone else for hyping them so much. I had such a blast at this concert. I saw Andrew Bird at Carnegie Hall the next night, which cost 5 times as much and was extremely anti-climatic after being in the front for the RAA the day before.

Great write up, elf!!! I am very envious of you.

I hope they come to L.A.!!!!!!