text: "Edmonton" (2008) by The Rural Alberta Advantage
  ALTHOUGH the Rural Alberta Advantage are based out of Toronto you wouldn't know it by skimming the back of their (so far) only CD Hometowns, which is made up of titles like "The Dethbridge in Lethbridge," "Frank, AB," and of course, "Edmonton." In fact, there's no evidence of their Eastern residence anywhere on the CD, including in their own name.
  Singer-guitarist Nils Edenloff explained that "the majority of the songs tend to be based around my experiences and memories from growing up in Alberta. In a way I guess they are homesick love songs," he continued. "I moved to Toronto a couple of years ago, as did several of my close friends from high school, and it was funny how being from Alberta was something we really took pride in. It took being away from it to remember all the things that we loved about growing up there."
  Edenloff founded this grassroots trio of homesick Albertans in 2005, with keyboardist/drummer Amy Cole and former Woodhands drummer Paul Banwatt. That same year they pieced together a 3-song demo that eventually broadened into a 5-track self-titled EP that included "Edmonton."
  Produced in Toronto by Roger Leavens, Hometowns followed in '08, their first full-length effort. That November the RAA were selected as eMusic's featured artist of the month, drawing in a heap of new listeners that may never have heard of the indie band otherwise. Subsequently the band were offered a recording contract from Saddle Creek Records, which re-launched Hometowns last year.
  The video below is a studio session of the band's track "Edmonton," recorded live for HearYa.com. The session took place last April at Shirk Music in downtown Chicago. Can't wait to hear more from these guys!
  You can also check out the indie rockers' MySpace page for more information on the band, listen to tracks, and to see when they will return to Edmonton, which will be in less than two weeks! The RAA will play two shows at The Pawn Shop on Saturday, February 13th, though only a few tickets ($13 in advance) are available for the early show at 5:30PM. Tickets can be purchased at Megatunes or Blackbyrd.
  Amy Cole Blackbyrd Edmonton eMusic Hometowns Megatunes Nils Edenloff Paul Banwatt Roger Leavens The Pawn Shop The Rural Alberta Advantage