live: the raa at pianos
Photo by Fred Wilson
Last night the Rural Alberta Advantage made their US debut at Pianos in New York, and it was tremendous. The room was packed, everyone knew every word to every song, the energy was perfect, the band was completely overwhelmed. They couldn’t imagine it ever working out the way that it did.
The band and I met up earlier in the night, and like all of our Selects bands, they were amazing people. Nils sings and plays guitar, Amy sings, plays percussion and keyboards and Paul drums and plays percussion. They were as sweet, humble and unassuming as you would imagine three folks playing their first show in NYC might be. They never stopped smiling.
At the show, people recognized them. “Are you in Rural Alberta Advantage?” someone would ask, and they would look at each other as if in some weird dream. Even Fred Wilson, the beloved blogger and venture capitalist, excitedly paid tribute to the band. It was that kind of night.
As for the performance itself, it greatly exceeded my expectations. They were great. They are intense and personable onstage. I always love it when I can look at a band and know exactly how they feel about how things are going — it’s a look that disappears with time — and their emotions were naked. It fed into the crowd, Nils’ “thank you’s” more heartfelt than they needed to be, their dazed stares into the blackness of the audience saying it all.
And they aren’t going anywhere. To anyone who witnessed their performance, it’s now a God-given fact that this band is going to make it. Whatever “it” is these days, they will achieve it. There’s a faucet of opportunities that has been steadily opening over the past three months, and very soon it will turn into a torrent, and before they know it their lives will be different. It will be fun to watch.
There are several videos of the show on YouTube shot by kskobac that capture the show well. Here’s “Don’t Haunt This Place”:
Here’s “Edmonton”:
And finally, their good night song. So when I first talked on the phone with the band back in October, they told me about this song that they play live on rare occasions. An acoustic song for when the crowd was rapt and quiet, for when a show has been special. All day I had been thinking, “I hope we get to hear that song,” and two minutes into the show, it was obvious that we would.
Before the song began, Nils, Amy and Paul walked into the middle of the audience and introduced what they were about to do. Below is a video of it, but it was almost entirely dark, so you mainly get the sound. But please please please listen to it:
They play again next Friday at Union Hall in Brooklyn, and they will be at SXSW in March. You need to see them.
Sigh. I am so jealous. Stuck in the snow in Indianapolis can’t come close to that.
Does anyone else think that looks like Hugo from Lost in the 1st image? Look in the right half.
Haha. I was standing right next to him. It was not him, but everyone kept wondering. Good eye!
Wow I love them more and more everyday
I keep mentally comparing them (though they are very different from) to the Pixies and GreenApple QuickStep (hahaha nobody remembers that band)
The Good night song was stirring I closed my eyes and listened to it (I’d have gone tol the concert but it’s a 24 hour drive Oh well maybe this year I’ll actually make it to SXSW it’s sooooo much closer)
Woot, I used ie8′s youtube downloader add-on and made a perfect Mp3 (personal use ONLY) of Goodnight
Yancey get the [permission of RAA and you too can do this (i think it’ll work with all ie because it’s actully a external program) and maybe you can play it on the Radio show
I’ve been listening to their album non-stop since it was available on Emusic. I am insanely jealous at the moment and I just traveled 10 hours to see a band. Had I the time or the money after bankrupting myself for my last concert experience I would have totally been there.
Did they do Frank A.B. I love Frank.
“Frank” is my favorite, too, but it was actually one of the weaker live songs: it’s hard to “oooh” like they do in the chorus while still keeping up a nice energy level. I was surprised by it. But songs like “Edmonton” I liked MUCH more live than I do on the record.
They sound lovely and naive (in a positive way).
Right now the favorites in Korea are the opening Ballad and Frank. I was talking with one of my favorite bar tenders last night as he decided to sit and talk to me and let his employee run the bar when he suddenly reached over and asked to have RAA put on. They are definitely starting to build their following world wild.
Yeah, I could see how Frank might not hold up but that just means they need to do it more live to get it to live up to the standard. I’m glad they are touring and promoting but when do we get a new album?
oh there won’t be a new album anytime soon. i think that you will see a new ep exclusive to emusic this summer at the earliest, but nothing other than that.
Nice to see a TO band getting some love in NYC…
@Sara I love the fact that you are getting the Koreans to love RAA that’s the Bee’s Knees Man :beatnic pose:
My Favs Are (in order)
1 Don’t Haunt This Place
2 Edmonton (just barely beat by my number 1)
3 Four Night Rider (this is really growing on me a lot but not as much as the above. . .yet?)
4 Goodnight (ok that’s cheating but that song IS FUCKING GREATLY MOVING)
5 In the Summertime
IF YOU’VE YET TO PICK THIS ALBUM UP DO IT!!!!!!
The Koreans I hang with have damned strange taste in music. The other night I asked the Gun-ho to put on some Maximo Park and he looked at me strangely for a minute and than said “You know Maximo Park?” So we ended up talking for a while about that before he booted up the Park, The RAA, and some She Keeps Bees to top it off.
My Fave RAA aside from Frank and the Ballad would include Deathbridge of Leathbridge as well. They just have the worlds best sound for me right now, can’t even come close to explaining it. But whatever it is, yeah, they got it.
I’ll be very impatient for potential summer EP’s, but suspect at the moment they are working hard touring and building their fan base. They shouldn’t have to work to hard for the fan’s though.
heh, I was standing very close to “hugo from LOST” and drunkenly noted the resemblance repeatedly throughout the show. i normally harshly judge people who are constantly taking pictures at concerts…but i hate to say that was me @ pianos last tuesday. i couldn’t help myself from taking a dozen pictures of such a great band making their USA debut, so my apologies for being “that guy” to anyone who was at the show.