Rural Alberta Advantage Sign To Saddle Creek

05/01/09 12:48pm

by Jen White (CHARTattack)

"How is it at all possible that The Rural Alberta Advantage remain unsigned?" our reviewer David Missio asked in the band's CMW 2009 Report Card (they scored 93 out of a possible 100, by the way).

It looks like the day has finally come: Conor Oberst's Saddle Creek Records has snatched up the Alberta band, and the label will re-release their Hometowns debut on July 7, with pre-orders starting on May 26.

You can hear five songs from Hometowns on The RAA's MySpace page.

Singer/songwriter Nils Edenloff and drummer Paul Banwatt (who's now also one-half of Woodhands) met when they were paired to host a weekly open mic night in 2005. They had a revolving door of other local musicians in the band before Amy Cole became a permanent member later that year.

They recorded a five-song, self-titled EP in 2006, and spent much of 2007 in the studio recording Hometowns. That album was supposed to be the inaugural release for a new record label formed by a local producer, but when the producer abandoned his plans, The RAA were forced to self-release the album, selling copies at shows early last year.

The band are currently in the process of planning a summer tour. In the meantime, you can catch Saddle Creek's hottest new signing here:

May 22 Buffalo, NY @ Mohawk Place
June 21 Madison, WI @ High Noon Saloon
June 23 Winnipeg, MB @ The Royal Albert Arms
June 25-26 Calgary, AB @ Sled Island Festival
July 9 San Francisco, CA @ Bottom Of The Hill
July 25-26 Guelph, ON @ Hillside Festival
Aug. 8 Wolfe Island, ON @ Wolfe Island Music Fest
Aug. 24 Chicago, IL @ Pritzker Pavillion (Downtown Sound)

Here are the tracks on Hometowns:

"The Ballad Of The RAA"
"Rush Apart"
"The Dethbridge In Lethbridge"
"Don't Haunt This Place"
"The Deadroads"
"Drain The Blood"
"Luciana"
"Frank, AB"
"The Air"
"Sleep All Day"
"Four Night Rider"
"Edmonton"
"In The Summertime"