The Rural Alberta Advantage played Maxwell's, Mercury Lounge & Terminal 5 - pics & a setlist

photos by Vincent Cornelli

“It’s been a lot of shows since SXSW [2009],” says [The RAA’s lead singer, Nils Edenloff] with a chuckle, taking a few minutes to call from a Tim Horton’s somewhere off the 401. “I think by the end of [2009] we might hit 100 shows. I’m hoping we hit 100 because that would be pretty cool to say.”

Just add it to the band’s list of milestones. In addition to the above, you can score a No. 1 on the Canadian college radio charts, inclusion on the bill for Vancouver’s Cultural Olympiad this February and credit for writing the Prime Minister’s (or maybe just his assistant’s) favourite song of the moment, “Edmonton.”

Edenloff has a harder time ticking off his achievements from the last year. “It’s funny because it feels like every step is a new high,” he reflects. “When we first played New York [in January] at this little bar, Piano’s, we felt like ‘This is the most amazing thing ever.’ I never thought anything would top that. And then SXSW, it was a crazy-amazing time down there, everything just went really well. And, you know, playing Alberta for the first time, if just feels like everything is getting better and better.” [Dose.ca]

The Rural Alberta Advantage just completed a four-show-in-three-nights run in the NYC area. Last night it was two shows in a row at Mercury Lounge which came one night after opening for Passion Pit at Terminal 5 which came after a show at Maxwell’s. More pictures from Terminal 5 with one of the Mercury Lounge setlists, below…

The Rural Alberta Advantage – Mercury Lounge setlist (early or late? not sure) (via)
The Ballad of the RAA / Rush Apart / Don’t Haunt this Place / Luciana / Frank, AB / (new song) / Maybe Tomorrow (Littlest Hobo theme song) / Four Night Rider / The Deadroads / (new song) / In the Summertime / Drain the Blood / Edmonton // Northlights / Sleep All Day / The Dethbridge in Lethbridge