The Rural Alberta Advantage

Deer Tick, the Donkeys, Delta Spirit, the Dreadful Yawns: What all these artists have in common is a love for filtering percussive indie pop through acoustic-based folk rock. Add to that list Canada's the Rural Alberta Advantage (wild name, right?). Hailing from Toronto, a metropolis that has produced more than its fair share of killer indie bands, the trio of Nils Edenloff, Amy Cole and Paul Banwatt emerged in 2005 from the ashes of several local favorites. After releasing a demo tape and an EP, the Rural Alberta Advantage found themselves in BoomBox Sound recording Hometowns, their debut album. Strong songwriting, peppy rhythms and Edenloff's earnest, brittle yelp gave the group an underground buzz throughout Canada, where they toured extensively for three years. That, of course, sounds like a never-ending grind, but the hard work paid off. In 2009 Nebraska's Saddle Creek label, founded by Conor and Justin Oberst, added the Rural Alberta Advantage to its already impressive stable of artists. To kick off the new relationship, Saddle Creek reissued Hometowns, a move that has given the record far greater exposure the second time around.