the rural alberta advantage

“The Alberta Advantage” is a phrase the Alberta government made up to describe the benefits of living in Canada’s most prosperous province. You know, it has something to do with the 179 billion barrels of oil locked up in the tar sands. There are the more glamourous parts, too: big prairie skies and top-of-the-world views in the Rocky Mountains. Born and raised Southern Ontarians might find this hard to believe, but Alberta is actually a lovely place to grow up.

The Rural Alberta Advantage is an awesome indie folk-rock band from Alberta and now based in Toronto. They play “… songs about hometowns and heartbreak, born out of images from growing up in Central and Northern Alberta.” The tracks I’ve heard from the new album Hometowns are super. I love the percussive sounds of “Sleep All Day” and “Don’t Haunt this Place”. A few MP3s are available on the band website and you can order the CD from there, too. Mine is in the mail!