Two bands, eight musicians, all mic’d
This past Friday night was a night of many firsts. It was my first time seeing Yukon Blonde and Rural Alberta Advantage, on the first night of their tour together, on their first day of knowing each other. It was also Rural Alberta Advantage’s (RAA from here on out) first big show since dropping their latest album, “The Wild,” on Oct. 13.
Despite never having heard any of the material played in Club One that night, I found it easy to bop and clap along with the radiofriendly repetitive tunes.
Though I had heard great things about both bands, I had never heard their tunes, so this would be my first encounter aurally and visually.
Yukon Blonde struck their first chord around 8:15 p.m., and the bar was already full — this was not surprising, as shows put on by Mighty Pop tend to fill up quickly.
The five-piece band filled the stage, employing two guitars, bass, drums and a surplus of synthesizers to execute their indie pop/rock sound.
There was a surprising ’80s power pop and electronica vibe throughout — I’m willing to bet that the songwriters in this band have a vast selection of ancient funk and disco albums in their record collection.
The synthesizers were far more audible than typically heard in indie pop bands and, in fact, the entire set was simply loud.
Maybe my overexposed arts reviewer ears are just getting grumpy about the abuse they regularly endure — even with earplugs in. Maybe the sheer
volume could be attributed to Yukon Blonde having a very full sound, with all five members mic’d up to add backing vocals.
The sound levels didn’t seem to bother other attendees, who crammed into the front of the stage, singing and clapping along throughout the set.
After a nearly 45-minute intermission, headliners Rural Alberta Advantage (ironically formed in Ontario) took to the stage, inspiring a loud welcome from the crowd.
The three-piece band has a similar yet different sound
from Yukon Blonde — both can wear the “indie pop” hat, but there was a punk rock edge to RAA. Lead singer (and birthday boy) Nils Edenloff slammed on his acoustic guitar as if it owed him money, while Paul Banwatt provided percussion and Robin Hatch played keys and tambourine. Like Yukon Blonde, the entire band was mic’d for additional vocals.
Playing a blend of older crowd favourites and new tracks from their recently released album, RAA was well received by the sea of flannel and denim gathered at their feet.
Despite never having heard any of the material played in Club One that night, I found it easy to bop and clap along with the radio-friendly repetitive tunes.
For this snobbish record store employee, however, the radio-friendly repetitive vibe was a bit of a buzzkill. Throughout the night, I felt reminded of too many current indie rock bands — if you showed me a Rural Alberta Advantage song and told me it was a Lumineers track, I probably wouldn’t question it.
After hearing so many great things about RAA, I was a little disappointed by the lyrical content, which was great at times, but also overloaded with choruses of repeated “Ooh”s — this seemed like filler in an otherwise good show.
Trim the fat, Rural Alberta Advantage, because as evidenced by your show Friday night, there are many more shows to come.
Happy birthday, Nils — please accept this harsh critique wrapped up with a bow on top.