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Archive for the ‘Jordan Burchel’ Category

The Rural Alberta Advantage (Johnny Brenda’s, Philadelphia, PA, February 18, 2026)

Posted in Johnny Brenda's, Jordan Burchel, Philadelphia, PA, The Rural Alberta Advantage on February 19, 2026| Leave a Comment »

[ATTENDED: February 18, 2026] Jordan Burchel

Jordan I saw The Rural Alberta Advantage two years ago at The Foundry and it was such a great show I couldn’t wait to see them again.  I even grabbed a ticket for my wife because I was sure she’d love them.  She didn’t feel up to going but I did and it was even more fun than last time.

The RAA is a trio with an unusual setup: Keys, guitar and drums, with the drums on the right side and the drummer facing the other two.  Nils Edenloff sings and plays acoustic guitar.  Amy Cole plays keys and (most importantly) bass foot pedals that add so much to these songs. She also has a floor tom that she occasionally bangs on.  And Paul Banwatt plays drums (which is the biggest understatement I can make).

I wrote this last time and I’ll say it again

But no drumming could compare to Paul Banwatt.  He has a fairly small kit, but it’s amazing that it’s still standing by the end of the show.  He throws in all kinds of fills on the snare and even the hi-hat.  He has speed and power and is simply amazing to watch.  I think that since the songs themselves are fairly simple, it gives Banwatt the ability to fill in any open spaces as needed.  Banwatt, who is also a lawyer (!) has to be the most underrated drummer out there.  The way he plays the drums in counterpoint to the guitar in “Drain the Blood ” is just incredible to watch.

He broke two drumstick by about the fifth song.

Amy Cole has a lot to do in the songs, but she also has parts where she doesn’t do anything.  So she skips around the stage, claps, or just hangs out in the back of the stage until one of her responsibilities is called upon.  She and Paul seem to communicate a lot on stage with meaningful looks.  They even had a kind of dance move for one of the songs when Nils was singing by himself.

For a band whose songs are so intense (Nils’ voice is so intense, I love it) they have a lot of fun.

They are not very prolific–they were still calling their last album (2023) their new album.  Although Nils did say that his friend got him to participate in a “write a song a week” session which really loosened up his creativity. They have been around for almost 20 years and have put out 5 albums (an easy band to get caught up with). (more…)

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Jordan Burchel (Johnny Brenda’s, Philadelphia, PA, February 18, 2026) [THE RURAL ALBERTA ADVANTAGE]

Posted in Johnny Brenda's, Jordan Burchel, Philadelphia, PA, The Rural Alberta Advantage on February 18, 2026| Leave a Comment »

[ATTENDED: February 18, 2026] Jordan Burchel

Jordan Burchel is a folk singer from Florida.  He writes clever lyrics over simple, catchy melodies. I’d never heard of him before the show but I liked him a lot.  I almost bought a T shirt from him (they were cool designs) but the line was too long.

He sang and played guitar and his wife (I’m fairly certain) Sam (he mentioned her last name briefly, but said Sam several times) sang the harmonies (which added so much to the songs!)

He joked that he wrote the setlist on a plate (a Johnny Brenda’s tradition, I feel) but that he couldn’t read the plate from where he was.

He was very funny telling stories between songs.  He even joked that he felt weird about bending over to get his water because he was afraid he looked like Marco Rubio in that video where he bent out of frame to drink a water–and he doesn’t want to be associated with that man in any way.

He made a joke comparing Florida where he was born and raised to his Aunt Jane while at his wedding. She hit on all of his friends.  Like Florida, he loves his Aunt Jane, he just wishes she were different.

And on another song he has a lyric about taking all the spoons and knives.  He said he didn’t really know what that meant and if anyone had any ideas they could tell him.  He said that after one show a very intense guy came up to him and said I know what it means.  You took the spoons and knives…. but you left the forks [end of statement]. (more…)

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