New Faces to Phog Phest

Canadian indie rock band The Rural Alberta Advantage returned to Windsor to headline Phog Phest 4 on Sept. 15.

The headliner began an hour-long set at 11 p.m. in the converted parking lot next to Phog Lounge on Victoria Avenue.

Tom Lucier, co-owner of Phog Lounge, said he chose The Rural Alberta Advantage, to headline because of their connection to the venue.

“They played at our place like a year ago April,” said Lucier. “They really wanted to come back and play a bigger show. We said that we’ll make that happen. It’s just kind of a lucky circumstance that they were actually available for Phog Phest.”

Formed in 2005, the Toronto-based trio consists of singer and songwriter Nils Edenloff, with multi-instrumentalist Amy Cole and drummer Paul Banwatt.

The band independently released a demo tape and an EP before completing their first full-length album, Hometowns, in early 2008.

Their second album called Departing was released March 1, 2011. It was a long-listed nominee for the 2011 Polaris Music Prize, losing to Arcade Fire’s The Suburbs. New Group and Video of the Year were the two Juno awards RAA was nominated for this year.

“This is a really big band,” said Lucier. “For Phog Phest, one of the things you really need to have is somebody who you still like who is a name. They can draw people in who otherwise don’t know what we do.”

“I needed that name so that new faces would come. It totally worked. I was on the stage, announcing them, and everybody was from the university and the college. I didn’t recognize anybody outside some of our regulars, who were in the back. All of the students were close to the stage.”

Beverley Anger, 24, was one of those students. Anger is currently at the University of Windsor in Philosophy and Education.

She danced to the beat of RAA with 100 other attendees. Anger said The Rural Alberta Advantage was why she attended Phog Phest this year.

“I actually saw them last year at Phog and when I heard they were coming back to Windsor,” said Anger. “ I knew I had to go.”

This year’s Phog Phest headliners The Rural Alberta Advantageand last year’s headliner Elliot Brood share some commonalities. The bands are signed under the same record label, Paper Bag Records, feature only three members, lack a traditional bass player and call Toronto home.

The Rural Alberta Advantage‘s Cole who provides keys, percussion and backing vocals, said they had an amazing time for their first year at Phog Phest.

“We’ll be back for sure,” said Cole.

The RAA are currently writing their next record and preparing for a fall tour.