Nils Edenloff of Rural Alberta Advantage
When Toronto’s Rural Alberta Advantage released its sophomore album, Departing, in March of this year, it felt like no time had passed since it released a debut. But the band—singer/guitarist Nils Edenloff, keyboardist/vocalist Amy Cole, and drummer Paul Banwatt—had actually put Hometowns out independently in early 2008. Intense touring produced a slow-growing grassroots fan base and gradual attention from places like online music retailer eMusic and American insta-cred indie label Saddle Creek (who rereleased it in 2009), giving that one album a life longer than some bands’ whole run in the spotlight.
There was no time off between albums, but people hadn’t tired of RAA. After Departing’s release, the band kept touring and watched its shows grow even larger, the crowds even more acquainted with the band’s ramshackle, percussively aggressive folk-pop. Finally ready for a bit of rest, the band is capping its year early with a sold-out show tonight at the Phoenix—just a few blocks and six years removed from the tiny Cabbagetown bar where it met hosting open-mic nights.
We spoke with singer/guitarist Nils Edenloff about that career contrast, the last year(s) on the road, and finally taking some time off.
The A.V. Club: So you guys are wrapping up your year, it sounds like?
Nils Edenloff: Yeah, it’s been a pretty busy year. The first part was touring everywhere for about three months, constant shows, and being away a lot. In the summer we did some festivals here and there, and then in the fall tried to get back to a couple of cities we really wanted to get back to, mostly on weekends. We’ve been doing the classic weekend-warrior thing for a little while.
AVC: So do you have some time off? What are you up to in the next couple of months?
NE: Yeah, we’re going to take some time off and just get back to doing some writing. It’s going to be nice to relax a bit.
AVC: The cycle for this record was so much different than the last one.
NE: It was pretty different. With the last one, as much as there was a lot of time between records, there wasn’t really a lot of downtime. It kept ramping up. After eMusic picked it up, then Saddle Creek took it, we started doing more touring, then more touring, then more touring. We never really had a chance to let things settle. [This time], we’ll be able to soak it up a bit with some time off.
AVC: How did you even write this new record? Did you get any dedicated time?
NE: As much as we could, we were writing as we were going. Every now and then we would incorporate some new songs into the live set and try things out. Some of the songs came out at the same time as the songs on Hometowns. There were more songs that I’d had, but we needed a little more time to work them out. So there were a lot of skeletons of songs we’d already had, which we do this time as well, but we’ll be able to this time, more than last, sort of start anew.
AVC: Do you have any grand vision of what those songs will sound like?
NE: Not really. We’ve never been ones to plan a grand vision. I think so much of what we create tends to evolve. It’s a matter of going back and re-polishing things until they feel right. I never really know how it works! It eventually happens, then it feels right, in a way.
AVC: How was it releasing Departing knowing that people were watching and listening more closely?
NE: It’s hard to not feel a certain amount of pressure about that. When we were recording Hometowns, it was like, “Maybe our friends will like it, or my mom will tell her friends about it and she can be proud!” But then we’d been doing so much touring, and there were so many people we’d met along the way who were excited for the new record. It was definitely different. I think we tried go with our guts, try to make something that we felt represented us. You get bogged down thinking whether other people will like it or not.
AVC: Did it ever even feel like there was a distinct break between touring two different albums?
NE: There really wasn’t a lot of downtime. I know that at this time last year, we were touring across Canada and finishing the new album. Then we went to Europe, then we kind of started touring the next record in a way. It didn’t feel like there was much of a break. But as soon as the record did come out, the audiences were growing and responding to the new songs in a completely different way. Up until a month or so before the record came out, no one had really heard it.
AVC: So those shows got even better?
NE: Oh yeah. There’s never been a point where we’re on tour and thought, “Why are we doing this?” For the most part, everywhere we played, it was reaffirming as to why we’re doing it.
AVC: And you’re doing your last show of the year at home, in Toronto. Is there anything special about that to you?
NE: It’s definitely going to be nice. It’s going to feel like a party in a way, with lots of friends. It seems like every time we play Toronto, the next night there’s one or two more shows. It’ll be nice to not have to keep it in check for those shows.
AVC: It must be kind of crazy to headline the Phoenix when you started out not far from it doing open mic nights at a bar.
NE: Yeah, the open mic place was, like, a couple of blocks from the Phoenix. Six years ago, I never would have thought that we would be headlining the Phoenix. It’s funny how far things kind of come and how they exceed any expectations one may have.
AVC: What was that bar’s name?
NE: It was the Winchester. It’s a Tim Horton’s now. It was an old bar.
AVC: You guys should do a secret show at the Tim Horton’s.
NE: That would be so crazy. “Hey you guys! Buy some lasagna or get out of here!”
AVC: That lasagna looks so weird.
NE: It seems like a stew! It’s stewish.
AVC: So since you guys are wrapping up your year, we wanted to ask some year-in-review stuff. First, is there a performance or career milestone or step that stands out as a band highlight this year?
NE: Oh man. I feel like every place we played was a new, big show. I think a couple shows specifically stood out. One was playing Minneapolis. We headlined the First Avenue, and that is a venue that’s owned by Prince. [Prince has a long history with First Avenue, but does not actually own it—ed.] We sold it out, and there were like 1,500 people there. That was our biggest headline show ever. It was amazing, we never thought that would happen! So that was special. All the Alberta shows were nice, to come home and see family and friends. Then also, you know, headlining the Phoenix and selling that out, too. That’s an amazing thing.
AVC: Was Prince there?
NE: No. But apparently he does show up every now and then. He showed up for the Gayngs show a couple of months before us. He has his own booth.
AVC: What was your most valuable lesson learned this year?
NE: I can’t specifically think of one! Maybe it’s better to block those things out. The bad ones anyway.
AVC: And what’s a band or artist that stands out as getting lots of play among you guys this year?
NE: Oh there’s a lot. I was recently trying to go through stuff and kept coming across stuff. I’ve really been listening to that War On Drugs record a lot. There’s something really cool about it. I definitely listened to that more than anything else over the last little while. I can’t speak for Paul and Amy right now, though I did get them listening to some CCR on the road. So that was good. Nothing like listening to some CCR and driving through the Southern States.
