Rare Americans.
Shot and written by Eva Lynch
March 22nd, 2023
Montreal, QC @ Fairmount Theatre
As soon as you walk through the doors of the Fairmount theater, for the second night of Rare American’s Milk and Honey tour, the room is abuzz with a warm energy. The crowd soon burst into cheers as the Vancouver-based genre-bending punk, alt-rock band marched on stage in silk boxing robes, marching to a rhythmic beat tapped out on a series of tin marching drums as they got right to it.
They made sure to fill people in on the background to their songs for any new fans in the audience and to get people invested in the stories they were telling. One of their first songs was what they call their ‘anti-label song’ lead up introducing the song filled people in with their backstory in case there were any new fans there. They talk about
how they had tried to work with a label but they didn’t feel seen, not did the label like their music, so they went independant and are now on an almost sold out tour, and were recently nominated for a Juno for Breakthrough Group of the Year.
After running through their first few songs, they paused to catch a breath and launched into a sort of live Q and A with the audience, because they said people were always asking them questions over social media so why not take the opportunity to do it in person. People took the chance to ask questions ranging from how many water bottles
going on stage and them finding out Lubo is the most hydrated going through two a performance, to asking if it is fun working together, wo which they answered that the best part of working with your friends is that you get along so well and are able to have fun together every night. One fan asked what each of their favourite songs were, to which one of their guitarists, Lubo, said Crazy Kitchen, other guitarist Jan chose “Let Go for Love”, drummer Duran Ritz picked “Lose My Cool”, and lead singer James Priestner chose “Brittle Bones Nicky” because they were able to bring together a horns section, a symphony and some really fun drums made it a blast to make all together. During an
unreleased song, they admitted that they’re been working on an animated film which will be announced soon. Almost every song they played was accompanied by the backdrop of its animated music video, done by Solis animation, similar to the way Gorillaz blends animation and storytelling with their songs.
It is without a doubt one of the friendliest shows I’d been to. From the energy of the crowd to the band itself, it was a room filled with positivity. I had the chance to briefly meet the band backstage before the show, where they talked about how the tour had been taking place on the weekends for a while but were finally hitting the road from
Montreal onwards, and they were so excited about the show. As we were ushered in, several of their friends popped by to say hi before the show which had the whole band smiling, and it set the energy for the show to come which was filled with familiarity, as if they had known the crowd for years.
For several songs towards the end, James even descended into the audience, where a ring formed around him and he sang directly to the fans, dancing among them. The crowd was a real mixture of people but everyone loved the music, from young children and their parents to grown punks yelling along to every note, the room was full of love
from people who it felt like had supported the band from the very beginning. Perhaps it was the fact that was the band's first performance in Montreal, which brought out each and every Montreal fan for this rare opportunity, but it felt like they already knew the crowd and Montreal was full of gratitude to give.
The last song of the night was an acoustic “FuckYouWorld” with the tambourine, which
had everyone chanting together, and was one final act of solidarity, as Rare Americans and the crowd left much more connected than I think many expected. Rare Americans was beyond generous, with the crowd, their time, and more -- from tossing their personal beanies and guitar picks into the audience as they played, to striking up
conversations and playing songs based on audience requests. At the end of the night, the whole band even filed out to the merch table to be able to talk and meet people individually, and sign their purchases; the line for merch was longer than the venue, curling back in and slinking throughout the theater.
Wherever the road takes them next, it’s clear they’ll always have a home in Montreal. If you missed their show and want to know how else you can support this epic band, they mention that anyone can join their fan club, an exclusive, tiered content service that offers a behind-the-scenes look at their tour through stories and video diaries. James
even mentioned that he’s really into cooking and will share some special recipes so people can cook along with him and eat what the band is munching down on. It’s clear they love what they do and will bring that energy with them to any show.
