Rural Alberta Advantage Live!

On the evening of July 15th, I had the privilege to see the RAA live in concert, at Omaha's Slowdown. It was a wonderful albeit brief show, but easily worth my $8.

I missed the opening act due to a tight schedule on my part and also some road construction that closed part of the highway I wanted to take to the show. No matter; while I'm sure that this band was excellent, this in no way affected my enjoyment of the main show. I think this band was called UUWWVVZ or something similar; they are almost impossible to search for on the internets and may not actually exist.

The second band on the bill was actually a solo act, a sandy-haired man named David Dondero. David Dondero wore a flannel shirt and played a hybrid acoustic guitar, appearing to be in his early thirties. He wasn't a terrible singer, and handled his guitar fairly well. However, he made me wonder if Isaac Brock had any children. Dondero seemed to be unhappy with life in general, and his songs reflected this to some degree. Poor David Dondero, you're supposed to smile on stage.

Anyway, the RAA came out in short order, and they were fantastic. The singer - a twentysomething with fading blonde hair and a kept beard - spoke frequently between songs, telling the audience stories that formed the basis for many songs, and seemed quite personable. The female keyboardist bounced around during songs, and the drummer played like his job depended on his performance. The band held together very well for all of its songs, and was generally a joy to listen to. Note: the drummer and keyboardist were making googly eyes at each other and generally being a cutesy couple during the show; this didn't detract from the presentation but it was evident, to say the least.

If there is anything negative to say about the RAA, it would be the brevity of their show. Being a relatively young band without much of a discography, this is to be expected, but the band clearly enjoyed playing. The singer thanked the audience more than once, and the entire band seemed to be having a good time. I spoke to the drummer and keyboardist briefly after the show, and they seemed genuine and friendly as well. I wish I could have hung around to chat with them further, but most of it would have ended up being The Chris Farley Show anyway.

For reference: The Chris Farley show (with Martin Scorsese)

In short: You should buy the RAA's album, Hometowns, and go see them when they tour again. Wednesday's show was their last show on this tour, but hopefully they will continue making amazing music and come to your town someday soon.

In Other News:
Cool weather in July is generally always welcome.

I got a copy of my birth certificate today! Passport next week, international incident forthcoming! Watch your ass, Canadians!