Arkells ‘Report’ wide range of songwriting influences
On one of their previous U.S. tours, Ontario band the Arkells wound up in Memphis, where they found themselves partying with the father of rap star Drake.
Like most of the band members’ experiences, that wild night out turned into a song. And “Drake’s Dad,” which opens their latest album, “Morning Report,” is a prime example of the Arkells’ sly, catchy brand of pop.
“It’s really a story about the magic of the night, going out and exploring a new city with friends, feeling that everything could happen,” said singer/guitarist and songwriter Max Kerman. “And then the idea of going home and finding the person you have a meaningful relationship with waiting for you. I like lyrics that can be funny, and sentimental and furious at the same time — Leonard Cohen is the master of that. But I think that showcases my personality pretty well: I have a decent sense of humor, but I’m also an easy crier.”
When they play “Drake’s Dad” onstage, he said, it sounds less like a modern pop nugget than an homage to The Band.
“Musically, the song really started off with a Levon Helm-type of drumbeat. But in the studio, we amalgamated that Band groove with Paul McCartney chord changes and then a gospel chorus. And we wound up thinking, ‘ What would Kanye West do here?’ Let’s bring in some brass, bring in some gospel singers and be a little outrageous about this. Just like Queen might have done in the ’70s.”
As you can tell, the Arkells — including Anthony Carone, Tim Oxford, Mike DeAngelis and Nick Dika — are voracious music fans who have absorbed a few decades worth of pop history between them.
“My dad was a college DJ at Wayne State University in Detroit,” Kerman said. “So he trucked around a load of Beatles and Motown records his whole life and that’s what I grew up on. But I like modern music, too; I love electronics and I love singer-songwriters. What I like most is to find similarities in different kinds of music — I want to be like Paul Simon, who can chase down anything that captures his ear.”
When the Arkells hit the Agganis Arena tomorrow night, they’ll be opening for British songwriter Frank Turner. But when they get back to Canada, Turner will be opening for them. While the Arkells are genuine stars in Canada, winning the Juno Award for group of the year in 2012 and 2015, they’re still building an audience in the United States.
“I try to be objective about it. All you can do is work your (butt) off and cross your fingers,” Kerman said. “The audience has grown in the places where we’ve spent the most time. If you’re delivering a good show and you’re writing good songs, you can expect more people to show up. So if the audiences down here are more humble, it just means we have to work harder.”