Current critic darlings The Rural Alberta Advantage will be re-releasing their debut album Hometowns independently in Canada through Fontana North and with Saddle Creek in the United States.
Hometowns, which they began to sell at shows in early 2008, without an official release. With no label or publicist, Hometowns began catching the ears of bloggers across the country on pure word-of-mouth. Herohill.com proclaimed the RAA “the best unsigned band in Canada”, and I Heart Music.net deemed Hometowns “a near-perfect album”.
The band’s reputation for stellar live shows garnered them a sellout crowd at the 2008 North By Northeast festival, and the band played similarly successful showcases at the 2008 iterations of the Halifax Pop Explosion and Pop Montreal. In November 2008, digital music retailer eMusic.com selected the Rural Alberta Advantage, from a fan recommendation, as an eMusic Selects artist. Repeating and surpassing the successes of past Selects artists Crystal Stilts and High Places, the RAA sold thousands of copies of their record in mere weeks, an astounding feat for an unsigned act. Hometowns became the highest-selling Selects act in history and a critical darling overnight, appearing on dozens of “Best of 2008” lists in newspapers, blogs, and radio podcasts across North America and Europe.
The inspiring DIY success story of the Rural Alberta Advantage has continued to gain momentum and attract fans and followers, with a breakthrough performance at the 2009 SXSW festival in Austin, Texas getting the ultimate seal of approval from Pitchfork (“This band could be huge”) and a nod as a “buzz band” from the Associated Press. More glowing press reviews and sold-out club dates in major cities throughout the United States have followed, and Hometowns will be released properly in the United States for the first time on Saddle Creek in July 2009.
MP3 from The RAA – Hometowns > Don’t Haunt This Place
ON TOUR – SUMMER 2009
Sat 6.20 Indianapolis, IN The Vollrath
Sun 6.21 Madison, WI High Noon Saloon
Mon 6.22 Minneapolis, MN 7th Street Entry
Tue 6.23 Winnipeg, MB Royal Albert Arms
Thu 6.25 Calgary, AB Sled Island Fest
Fri 6.26 Calgary, AB Sled Island Fest
Sat 6.27 Edmonton, AB Brixx
Tue 6.30 Regina, SK The Exchange
Sun 7.05 Vancouver, BC The Media Club
Mon 7.06 Seattle, WA Sunset Tavern
Tue 7.07 Portland, OR Backspace
Thu 7.09 San Fran., CA Bottom of the Hill
Fri 7.10 L.A., CA The Echo
Sat 7.11 Phoenix, AZ Modified
Mon 7.13 SLC, UT Kilby Court
Tue 7.14 Denver, CO Hi-Dive
Wed 7.15 Omaha, NE Slowdown
Sat 7.25 Guelph, ON Hillside Festival
Sun 7.26 Guelph, ON Hillside Festival
Sat 8.08 Wolfe Island, ON Wolfe Island Musicfest
Mon 8.24 Chicago, IL Pritzker Pavillion
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