Rare Americans
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Rare Americans is a Canadian-Slovak band based in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada that was founded by James Priestner and Jared Priestner in 2018. Both are originally from Edmonton, and James had previously pursued a hockey career before forming the band. It started by brothers James and Jared Priestner taking a trip to the Caribbean in the spring of 2017. While on the trip, James jokingly said they should write a song and instead Jared replied with 'A song? Why not a full album?' The band includes bassist Jan Cajka and drummer Duran Ritz. In May 2023, guitarist Lubo Ivan left the band. They are known for having animated videos created by Solis Animation. Since launching in 2018, Rare Americans have established an identity as inventive storytellers. Their songs, paired with narrative-driven animated videos have garnered the band their first top 100 Billboard album, 500M+ streams, 2M+ social media followers, and sold out international tours. Producer Ben Kaplan scooped a Juno for his work on 'Brittle Bones Nicky' in 2020, and Rare Americans earning its own nomination for Breakthrough Group of the Year in 2023. They're much more popular in the U.S.—their biggest market by far, which is an uncommon achievement for a Canadian band.