Spotlight: The Rural Alberta Advantage

As we start off a new year, it seems fitting to feature the band whose 2009 was arguably better than any other Canadian outfit's: Toronto's the Rural Alberta Advantage, or RAA. Their story's been told well here, but the short version is that good reviews got the word out a bit and in November 2008 their self-released disc, Hometowns, was named eMusic's album of the month. Soon enough bloggers all over the US (primarily) were writing about the album, giving it more rave reviews. In January of last year, the RAA made their first trip to the US, playing for enthusiastic crowds in NYC. Fast-forward to March, where at SxSW, thanks to eMusic, the RAA opened for Grizzly Bear in a church, to---you guessed it---rave reviews. Soon they were signed to Saddle Creek. After that Paul Banwatt, Amy Cole, and Nils Edenloff started touring more extensively in the US and then went out to western Canada and back. They've been on the road pretty steadily since then, and played wonderful, sold-out shows in their hometown in July and November. This February will see them play during the Olympics in BC!

Sonically, the RAA are known for Nils' strained yet powerful vocals, Paul's intense, driving drum beats, and Amy's sweet backing vocals. Though there's only the three of them, their music isn't under-arranged. They perform with variety of percussion instruments, keyboards, glockenspiel, and acoustic guitar. The band's songs are meaningful, yearning ones about childhood memories, the stories that shape our understanding of the world we live in, and holding onto the past while moving forward in one's life. They've got a folk-pop base, but frenetic drumming gives their melodies an urgency and excitement they wouldn't otherwise have. Plus, they're just so adorable. It all works brilliantly.

Here are a few RAA goodies:

The RAA performing their song "Edmonton" in Chicago for HearYa.com:


Official video for "Drain the Blood":


Download: "Don't Haunt this Place" (Hometowns, 2009).
Download: "Frank, AB" (Hometowns, 2009).

Connect with the RAA:
Official website
MySpace page
Twitter account
Saddle Creek Records

Tour dates:
6 Jan 2010 @ Kungfu Necktie (Philadelphia, PA)
7 Jan 2010 @ Maxwell's (Hoboken, NJ)
8 Jan 2010 @ Terminal 5 (New York, NY)
9 Jan 2010 @ Mercury Lounge - early show (New York, NY)
9 Jan 2010 @ Mercury Lounge - late show (New York, NY)
14 Jan 2010 @ Mad Planet (Milwaukee, WI)
15 Jan 2010 @ The Cedar Cultural Center (Minneapolis, MN)
16 Jan 2010 @ Lincoln Hall (Chicago, IL)
17 Jan 2010 @ Beachland Tavern (Cleveland, OH)
9 Feb 2010 @ West End Cultural Centre (Winnipeg, MB)
10 Feb 2010 @ Amigo's (Saskatoon, SK)
12 Feb 2010 @ Broken City (Calgary, AB)
13 Feb 2010 @ Pawn Shop (Edmonton, AB)
15 Feb 2010 @ Queen Elizabeth Theatre (Vancouver, BC)
16 Feb 2010 @ The Lucky Bar (Victoria, BC)

Photo credit: Joe Fuda.

Review: The RAA, Bahamas, and Fox Jaws @ Lee's Palace.

On Friday night the RAA performed for a sold-out hometown crowd at Lee's Palace. It was a great show; I'll get to that. First, some background.

I've been following the Rural Alberta Advantage since the summer of '07, and first saw them perform back in May 2006 (with, apparently, Friday Morning's Regret, AKA the Wooden Sky, though I can't remember). About a year ago, I included the RAA in my personal list of the hottest Canadian bands of 2008. Listing them at no. 7, I noted that they'd gone on an east-coast tour, played to a capacity crowd during NxNE, and that their album had been

getting rave reviews from critics and regular folk across the continent. . . . Hampered in part by the success of Woodhands---drummer Paul Banwatt plays in both---the band has had to turn down show offers (to open for the Dodos, for one) and hasn't been able to tour as extensively as it otherwise might have. And yet. All this underground pressure must lead somewhere, and heck it has to be soon. I predict some lucky label will snatch up the RAA in late 2008 or early 2009, re-release Hometowns, and we'll see the band take itself out west and beyond.

(They made it to no. 19 on the actual hottest list.) A month later they opened for Ohbijou and the Acorn at Lee's Palace. I remember thinking that this was a pretty big deal for them, and the band thought so too. They were really excited to be playing that night. As part of my review, I commented, "here's to hoping for bigger things for this band soon!"

Well. I wasn't quite right about the details, but that's because I could never have imagined what actually did happen very shortly after I published my "hottest" list on 27 October. The story's been told well here, but the short version is that the good reviews got the word out a bit and in November their self-released disc, Hometowns, was named eMusic's album of the month. Soon enough bloggers all over the US (primarily) were writing about the album, giving it more rave reviews. I read a whole bunch of these, and got a huge kick when some random young woman in Ohio or wherever wrote that the RAA was her new favourite band. ("Hey!," I'd think, "that's my band!") Fast-forward to March, where at SxSW, thanks to eMusic, the RAA opened for Grizzly Bear in a church, to---you guessed it---rave reviews. Thrilling! Soon they were signed to Saddle Creek.

After that Paul Banwatt, Amy Cole, and Nils Edenloff started touring in the US---they'd played a couple NYC shows in early 2009 already---and then did make it out to western Canada and back. They've been on the road pretty steadily since then, and, if I'm not mistaken, have also been recording some new songs for their next album. Their 30 July CD release show at the Horseshoe was sold out (crazy, at $12-$15 dollars a ticket). Friday's Lee's Palace gig, their first in Toronto since then, was priced at $15 in advance, or $18 at the door, but tickets were long gone days before. The RAA is getting to be out of my price-range. How wonderful.

And Friday's show was indeed wonderful.

-----

Fox Jaws opened things up. This Barrie band, producers of finely-crafted indie rock, are always good, but Friday they were on top of their game. They sounded fantastic, and though I'm still not convinced guitarist Dan Allen should take over lead vocals from Carleigh Aikins on occasion, I was impressed. I'm starting to see what Bob sees in them, and though I think they are a little too rock for me, they looked right on that stage. One song fell a little flat---something about phone calls---but otherwise, great stuff.

Next up, the man responsible for one of my favourite albums of the year, Bahamas. I saw him---Afie Jurvanen---back in August (playing with the Weakerthans' drummer), and then again all by his lonesome when he opened for Amy Millan at the Mod Club. I really enjoyed both sets, but the Mod Club performance was something special. His banter was spot-on, really adding to his songs, and the heavily female crowd was pretty near silent. So I was looking forward to seeing him again, this time with his regular drummer.

Once they got on stage, they proceeded to sound-check---must'a not had a chance before---and that's fine, but it wasn't the best sign. Sound problems marked his set, but mostly sound problems the audience couldn't detect. Jurvanen got some laughs later by covering the song he said he could hear being played upstairs in the Dance Cave. The character I'd seen at the Mod Club was there in force, and I'm not sure I really like the extra attitude. All the talking between songs distracted somewhat from the music, and didn't end up having the hoped-for effect: to shush the audience. There were some good moments, including a song I'd never heard before, and a cover of Prince's "Purple Rain" to end things on a definite high note.* And he played some of my favourites off Pink Strat. I was happy, but not ecstatic.

Bahamas was less than magical, but the RAA really rose to the occasion. They came on stage to cheers from the audience, and the band members' grins gave away their delight. It had been quite a year, and though I suspect most people in the audience had no idea of just far the band has come, this did nothing to diminish the moment. Throughout the set I could hear people singing the words to songs they knew, and anticipating when it was time to clap along, or even when it was time to go "woo ooo" during "The Dethbridge in Lethbridge."

The set was heavy with songs off Hometowns, but we were treated to a few new songs, including one song I had never heard before. One of them, about life on the road, featured pounding beats. A real folk-dance number, it was awesome. Another, presumably titled "North Star," I've heard a few times, and it too I quite like. The one I'd never heard before started with an organ solo, and soon enough Banwatt came in with another pounding, primal drum beat. The chorus had Edenloff practically screaming. Brilliant. (Every time I see this band I'm struck by how amazing Banwatt is. Why do I always forget?) During the encore they played "Barnes' Yard," yet another new one. I'm looking forward to a new RAA record. Should be a stunner.

I've seen the RAA more than 15 times now, in a few different settings, and I always liked them. But, like I wrote about their July show, touring has made a difference. Not just in their stage set-up, which has Banwatt in-line with Cole and Edenloff, and not just in banter, which is much better, but in performance, too. They fill the stages they are playing with their presence and sound---Edenloff especially---and know how to perform to fans both new (mostly) and old (like me). Although I was most excited about hearing newer stuff, I was still thrilled with the ones I've been hearing live for years. And I still love their record. I'm listening to it right now.

Download: The RAA, "Don't Haunt this Place" (Hometowns, 2009).
Download: The RAA, "Frank, AB" (Hometowns, 2009).
Download: The RAA, "Barnes' Yard" (Daytrotter Session, 2009).

Great show. Oh, and that hottest Canadian bands list I referred to above? The RAA topped it in 2009. Of course.

Photo credit: I took the ones of each band member on Friday night from Chromewaves. Frank Yang has great photos of all the performers.

* I think I was the only person in the audience not to know this song. Everyone else was singing along.

An Evening of Free Music in Toronto Tomorrow

If the recession has been keeping you at home then Tomorrow is your day. The Most Serene Republic, Zeus, Still Life Still and the Rural Alberta Advantage are all playing for free tomorrow.

Your evening starts at 7 p.m. at Soundscapes (572 College Street) where the Rural Alberta Advantage are playing a free in-store set.
(Facebook Event Page).

That will be done by 8 p.m. and now you are downtown, on College St. and you have two hours to make your way over to Queen Street. Most of this time you will be surrounded by places where you can grab a bite for not very much money.

Whatever you do with the two hours in between - you should arrive at the Horseshoe Tavern by 10 pm for another free show ("Nu Music Night") which features Zeus at 10pm, Still Life Still at 11 and the Most Serene Republic at midnight. (Facebook Event Page).

What you spend on food in between and/or beer at the shows is up to you but if empty pockets have been keeping you in this might be a chance for you to break the cycle.

Rural Alberta Advantage - In the Summertime



Zeus - How Does it Feel (at CMJ)



Still Life Still - Pastel



The Most Serene Republic - Heavens to Purgatory

Sing Along with the Rural Alberta Advantage: Tour Starts Tonight

The Rural Alberta Advantage who were recently voted the hottest band in Canada are kicking off their Fall North American Tour tonight in Hamilton at the Casbah. The tour will take them through Ontario and Quebec, down through the Central United States, then through the South West, up into the Pacific North West, then out east for a couple of dates in New York before they finish up in Vancouver. For a full list of tour dates see the bottom of this post. Before I get there though I'm going to try something new. I've always thought that live shows are more enjoyable if you know the words to the songs - even just a few of them. Some people like to sing along, others don't but even if you're in the latter category you still like singing along in your head (don't even bother denying it.) So, in order to help you enjoy the show more - this is the first installment of our sing-along series: Click play and then scroll down.

The Rural Alberta Advantage – Don’t Haunt This Place



Don’t haunt this heart,
Don’t haunt this place,
Your heart beating slow as it beats out a pace,
West side apartment grows lonely and dark,
West side apartment is two more empty hearts.

I see your keys hanging in the same place,
They haven’t moved for a month or even a day,
This was hard it was fun,
We should do it again,
Give ourselves some time,
Ten years for the day.

I need you now,
I need you then,
I never want to feel this again,
Separate the room with painful divides,
Until there’s nothing left to remind.

Never want to see you again,
I never want to feel this again,
Turn off the locks,
All the pitfalls night,
‘Till I find something you left behind.

And the things we never had,
And the things we wish would come back,
Because we need this oh so bad,
Because we need this oh so bad.

And we tremble in the night,
For the things we’re wishing were right,
Because we need this oh so bad,
Because I need you oh so bad.

Don’t haunt this heart,
Don’t haunt this place,
Your heart beating slow as it beats out a pace,
West side apartment grows lonely and dark,
West side apartment is two more empty hearts.

I want to hurt,
I want to betray,
It’s not like me to make your heart break,
This was hard it was fun we should do it again,
Give ourselves some time ten years for the day.

And the things we never had,
And the things we wish would come back,
Because we need this oh so bad,
Because we need this oh so bad.

And we tremble in the night,
For the things we’re wishing were right,
Because we need this oh so bad,
Because I need you oh so bad.

Don’t haunt this heart,
Don’t haunt this place,
Your heart beating slow as it beats out a pace,
West side apartment grows lonely and dark,
West side apartment is two more empty hearts.

I know it’s right I know it’s okay,
And I’d like to see you now and again,
This was hard it was dumb we should do it again,
Give ourselves some time ten years from the day

Go see the Rural Alberta Advantage at:

11/11/09 ::: Hamilton, The Casbah
11/12/09 ::: Ottawa, Zaphod Beeblebrox
11/14/09 ::: Kingston, The Grad Club
11/15/09 ::: Peterborough, Red Dog
11/18/09 ::: Montreal, Club Lambi
11/19/09 ::: Montreal, M for Montreal
11/20/09 ::: Toronto, Lee's Palace
11/21/09 ::: London, Call the Office
12/08/09 ::: Covington, Mad Hatter
12/09/09 ::: St. Louis, Off Broadway
12/10/09 ::: Oklahoma City, The Conservatory
12/11/09 ::: Austin, The Parish
12/12/09 ::: Dallas, The Cavern
12/14/09 ::: Phoenix, Rhythm Room
12/15/09 ::: Los Angeles, Bootleg Theatre
12/16/09 ::: San Francisco, The Bottom of the Hill
12/18/09 ::: Portland, Backspace
12/19/09 ::: Seatle, Vera Project
01/07/10 ::: Hoboken, Maxwell's
01/08/10 ::: New York, Terminal 5
01/09/10 ::: New York, Mercury Lounge
02/15/10 ::: Vancouver, Queen Elizabeth Theatre

Either the PM is a lot cooler than we thought, or, he continues to be the creepy kitten eater we always knew he was...

When Canada's PM is not frightening (or eating) kittens, or hanging out and jamming with Yo Yo Ma, he likes himself some some good ole fashion "indie" rock... apparently. How do I know? Well, like many others, I subscribe to the Rural Alberta Advantage's twitter feed, where yesterday they tweeted "OMG! RAA on Prime Minister Harper's road trip mixtape (between Chuck Berry and AC/DC) http://tinyurl.com/yz33mkd". Uhhh, yeah.

I guess the first question on everyone's mind has to be, huh? Does anyone really believe that Stephen, or Steve, is listening to the RAA? And, presuming of course that this was the work of a clever staffer trying to score Steve some cool points with the Canadian 'indie' rock/music blog community... really? I'm not sure the Hype Machine crowd is going to go from not voting, or voting like most city dwellers vote (Green/NDP/Lib) over to the Conservatives because of a single trendy music selection. I mean, if we were really going to give Steve Harper (sorry, it's just more fun to call him Steve) an image makeover wouldn't we start with the big-sweep-side-part hair do? Maybe get him in a t-shirt?

Of course, the alternative is that the PM has actually come into contact with the music of the Rural Alberta Advantage, which seems, at the very least, odd. You've got to (or I have been) wonder how the RAA feels about that (presuming of course that we share the same - highly negative - opinion of our PM)?

And... hat tip (happy?) Rosie for passing along this discussion of whether or not Steve (continues to be amusing) Harper was lip-syncing or using other performance enhancers when he played with Yo Yo Ma.

The Rural Alberta Advantage on Daytrotter w/ Some New Songs

I wrote a post last week about the Rural Alberta Advantage, how they've got a great album under their collective belt, how they've had a great year, and how they've come a long way from playing in front of 5 people (including me and Liz) at the Alex P. Keaton in London (On). I also mused about where they go from here and how they'd follow up on their impressive, but possibly constricting debut, Hometowns. I say constricting (even though there's likely a better word, restricting?) because they've named their band and written a slew of songs about Alberta. On the front end, this has been great -- album number one has been a resounding success, and paints an incredibly vivid picture of the beauty and despair in/of Alberta.

Now, its not often that you'd say an excellent debut album would hurt a band, but their identity is so inextricably tied to Alberta I'd imagine its going to be hard for them to avoid it. Unless, of course, they just decide to ignore it. The king of geographically inspired music, Sufjan Stevens, did a bunch of weird shit, Michigan, Seven Swans, Illinois, the Christmas Music, and now his Brooklyn-Queens Expressway thing. So, its not unprecedented that an artist would flip back and forth, then again, Suf never tied himself to anyplace with his moniker. I guess the thing is, I think completely ignoring the great province (wince) of Alberta, or geographically inspired music, to become another band who writes songs about life/love/trouble/whatever would be a mistake, since it basically means that the Rural Alberta Advantage starts from scratch again (albeit with a bigger fan base and the support of a very solid label, Saddle Creek).

Obviously I'm slightly (though likely needlessly) concerned about the RAA's sophmore album, but I would probably be more concerned if the new songs weren't so good. The new tunes (from Daytrotter) "Two Lovers" and "Barnesyard", as well as stuff I've heard live, is every bit as good as the music on Hometowns and happier... so maybe its best that they're moving on from their Albertan past...

You can download the two new songs plus two others at Daytrotter...

Review: RAA, Hooded Fang, Wilderness of Manitoba @ The Horseshoe, 30 July.

The Rural Alberta Advantage played at Toronto's Horseshoe Tavern last night Thursday night, to a sold out, jam-packed crowd of friends new and old. It was their "hometown" CD release for Hometowns, the album they put out independently in early 2008, but have now re-released on Saddle Creek, their new US record label. They've been touring the US this summer, after earning a lot of buzz when they opened for Grizzly Bear in a church during SxSW. Their beautiful, exciting record got heard by thousands of new people thanks to eMusic back in November. And the band's been on the up-and-up since then. But us here in Toronto have known we had a treasure for some time. And so, more than 4 months after their last Toronto show, the RAA came back to us.

The night started off appropriately lovely, with the gorgoeous vocal harmonies and instrumentation of a newer Toronto band, The Wilderness of Manitoba. Some of the members of this band had hosted the RAA at their home back in March, and Nils, Amy, and Paul must have liked what they heard then and invited the WOM to perform last night. The band seemed both comfortable and a little nervous about performing in front of so many people on the relatively large Horseshoe stage. Very quickly they created a happy, calm mood with their nature-inspired songs. At moments they reminded me of Fleet Foxes; at others, of Great Lake Swimmers. "Evening" was a set highlight, as was their last song, whose name I don't know. (Sorry, oops.) The mix was a bit off, and the instrument changes between songs took a second or two too long for my tastes, but I chalk that up to a venue like the Horseshoe not being super familiar with their vocal-heavy, acoustic sound, and the band's lack of experience in playing bigger shows. Overall, a pleasing opening set that made them a good number of new fans, no doubt. As I write this I'm listening to their first EP. It's not yet officially out, but those of us at the show got a chance to pick it up. It's great. I may listen to it all night. I look forward to seeing how this band develops.

Next up was Hooded Fang, another local band with a very Canadian name. This group specializes in pop, and came out of nowhere in 2008 to blow the local music scene away with their happy energy and catchy hooks. Not to mention the strong vocals of leads Daniel Lee and Lorna Wright, and good musicianship showcased in their recorded output. Last night the band---whose female members dressed for the celebratory occasion that it was---performed many of the songs off its self-titled EP, as well as some new ones that will presumably appear on their full-length, coming out this fall. A new release from Hooded Fang makes me happy. Unfortunately, the band was rather low-energy last night. Their lack of pep meant they couldn't keep the attention of some of the people up at the front (where I was), and it's really too bad. Perhaps it was nerves, because by the last song a few more of the band members seemed into what they were doing. If they'd had that energy all night, it would have been a fantastic set.

Last up was of course the stars of the evening, the reason why we all paid $13 or more to be there, and why the show sold out even before the first band started playing. The road has done wonders for this always-strong band. I fall in love all over again with the RAA every time I see them, but last night was extra special. Amy Cole's backing vocals were stronger than ever, piercing or blending in with the songs perfectly; Paul Banwatt's inventive, exciting drumming was on better display than ever (helped by a stage set up that had him in a row with his bandmates); and Nils Edenloff's singing was more confident and his banter less awkward (but still endearing). The crowd was jubilant and singing along, and the band was thrilled with the turnout. It was super hot in there, but I didn't really mind. The only negative---other than the drunken few causing a bit of trouble at the front---was that the show wasn't particularly intimate, so we didn't get to hear "Goodnight," a live-only song they perform once in a while, as appropriate. Ah well, I can't have everything.

Oh, RAA, you are amazing. We loved you before, but you looked and sounded completely at home playing for 350 or so people in a way that I did not expect. (Silly me.) What a great way to celebrate your years of hard work and more recent acclaim. It seems a bit strange to me that a band I've seen 15 or so times here in Toronto pretty quickly got much bigger than they were, played a bunch of shows elsewhere, and then came back even better than they were before. And yet there you have it. How exciting.

[Photo credit: Michael Ligon from For the 'records'.]

Osheaga Festival: Day 1

Arriving at the Mountain Stage I found Caracol just about to start her set. The first Montrealais band of the day, she bantered with the crowd in French and started off the set playing ukelele. They debuted a brand new song, “Deux Cent Fois”, that began with Caracol and guitar player David Lafleche combining for some magnificent vocal harmonies, before taking the song somewhere that reminded me of “Spiderwebs”-era No Doubt. After a cool latin-sounding song about spies in the French Army, they slowed things down for “Tes Larmes”, with a neat stabby piano part from Vincent Rehell. She then traded up for an electric guitar and ribbon microphone to give her voice that old gritty sound on a superb tune that was very 50’s doo-wop, with stellar harmonies and feel to it. Unfortunately, their set was plagued by sound problems the whole time, feedback, cracking mic’s and a sounguy who ran up and yelled in her ear (as she was mid-lyric no less) to move over and steal backup vocalist Audrey-Michele Simard’s mic. Simard wasn’t sure what to do, since nobody bothered to get here another mic, but stayed positive with her percussion playing, which was peppered throughout their set and always rhythmically perfect and interesting. Caracol had no problem shifting genres or styles from song to song, as they ended off with her back on uke for a skankin’ song that could have easily been a hit by the Specials. You don’t need to understand French to love this band – highly recommended. They’re touring the shit out of Quebec for the next couple months, so check them out if you get the chance.

Time for some real hip-hop with ol’ dusty foot himself – K’Naan. With the radio waves plagued by unimaginative groups like Black Eyed Peas, we should be thankful to have a talent like K’Naan here in Canada to prove that we’re not a joke in the hip-hop world. I got there in time for “Take a Minute”, with his band solidly backing him up. He brought things down with a great a capella version of "Somalia", and then got things cooking again with “Fatima” and “T.I.A.”. He put his incredible guitarist in the spotlight as he ripped a burning guitar solo on “If Rap Gets Jealous” that the audience ate right up. Ending the set with the inspirational message of “Wavin' Flag”, he got everyone singing along and sent them away smiling from ear to ear.

You’ve gotta have balance, so after hip-hop comes ball-busting rock n’ roll courtesy of Flash Lightnin’. These guys don’t have any hesitation in rocking-the-fuck-out, with great stage presence, monster riffs, thundering drums, pummeling bass lines and soaring vocals. Darcy Yates could almost pass for one of the Gibbons brothers from ZZ Top, with his thick beard and long hair behind his Hofner bass. Chris Henry showed his skill on the skins during one song with some pounding fills between guitar breaks. And the son of Jimmy Page (not really), Darren Glover on lead vocals and guitar lit up his fret board with some very Page-esque riffs and rambled all over the stage while doing it. I can’t wait for their full-length album to drop soon and to see them again in support of it on tour.

The Rural Alberta Advantage followed on the same stage, opening their set with Amy Cole (keys) and Paul Banwatt (drums) both banging on a floor tom while Nils Edenloff held it down on the acoustic guitar. They have a really great sound going, with what are basically folk songs transformed into something much bigger due to the ferocious drum beats provided by Banwatt. With his electro/disco beat added, they become an energetic dance band almost, but with acoustic focused harmony. “The Ballad of the RAA” was also a highlight for me, and they had a great song, "Frank, AB",about the landslide back in 1903 that buried the town. The song ended quite dramatically, with Edenloff banging on the top of his acoustic guitar to ring out the chords instead of strumming them, a very powerful and intense effect.

While Coldplay was on the mainstage and you were looking for the real party, you needed to get over to the Tree Stage for Woodhands’ electrifying set to close out the night. With an insane amount of energy for just two guys, they packed the area around the stage and got the place jumpin’. Drummer Paul Banwatt (yes, he's also in The RAA) threw down a slick verse of Puff Daddy’s “I’ll Be Missing You” into the middle of one song to great appreciation before they got a few surprise guests up to join them. First was Cadence Weapon, who provided some key rhymes and is allegedly now living in Montreal even after just being named the new Poet Laureate of his native Edmonton. Then Gentleman Reg came up for another tune and they closed out the night, leaving everyone dirty and sweaty after another fiery set of spazzy dance rock.