Juno Insider: Rural Alberta Advantage's Paul Banwatt Spots Diamond Rings Busking

Juno Awards Weekend
Day 1 – Friday: You Schmooze, You Lose

Yesterday started with one of the oddest feelings for a musician: an early morning performance. My band, the Rural Alberta Advantage, was asked to play a couple of songs, stripped down and acoustic, at Union Station in Toronto to help see off a VIA train carrying nominees and esteemed dignitaries heading to Ottawa for the Junos. I pictured us busking in the train station to nobody in particular (a noble way to make a living as a musician, but not for me).
Instead, there was a fancy stage set up and a warm reception.

I muffled my snare drum with a pair of sweatpants that travels in my snare case, and I felt bad for sullying an otherwise classy affair.

John O'Regan a.k.a Diamond Rings was also playing on the fancy stage. But unlike us he also took the train station as an opportunity to do some real busking.

While RAAers Amy [Cole] and Nils [Edenloff] rode on the train enjoying massages and being attended to by personal servants,* I drove our band van with our gear from Toronto to Ottawa. Soon after arriving, it was time for the Juno welcome reception at the Museum of Civilization. This room was particularly massive. Nils ventured in and reported that the far end featured food and suits, while the near end was comprised of booze and jeans. I'll leave it a mystery which end we chose.

Tonight (Saturday), we play a show at Mavericks and I honestly can't wait. If I've realized anything so far, it's that I feel more comfortable partying in a dank club than in a museum.

Finally, to provide some closure, Johnny Diamond apparently did quite well busking at the train station, because when we saw him that night he looked amazing.

*I assume

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