ROUGH, TUMBLE TO POP ROCK
Arkells singer Max Kerman discusses band’s evolution
ARKELLS with Frank Turner and the Sleeping Souls
When: Monday, Feb. 13, 8 p.m. Where: TD Place Arena, Lansdowne Park Tickets: $39.15 to $64.65, plus surcharges at ticketmaster.ca The Arkells that played Zaphod Beeblebrox a decade or so ago was a scruffy-looking bunch of rockers with an equally rough ’n’ tumble sound. Four albums later, the Hamilton-born band has evolved into a slick poprock outfit that doesn’t shy away from a hook or eschew the use of synthesizers.
Their latest album, Morning Report, has already generated a pair of hits in the slinky groove of Private School and the pop polish of My Heart’s Always Yours, not to mention a pair of 2017 Juno Award nominations, announced this week. So, we asked singer Max Kerman, what happened to trigger this musical metamorphosis?
“When we put out our first record, we were really inspired by bands like Matt Mays and El Torpedo, and Constantines and the Sam Roberts Band, and a lot of that great Canadian indie rock,” Kerman said. “Those bands are still very much part of our DNA but with each passing year there’s a new group of artists that will affect us and it just sort of gets added to our musical palette.
“It’s not like we’re stuck listening to the same Neil Young record over and over again,” he adds, quick to note they all “love, love, love” Neil. Over the years, however, they’ve been listening to everything from Chance the Rapper to Hall & Oates.
“Around 2008, we did not give a s--t about Hall & Oates, or Talking Heads for that matter,” Kerman said. “But now those are two bands I love. I’ve always loved pop music.”
To keep things fresh on the new album, Kerman and his bandmates — singer-guitarist Mike DeAngelis, bassist Nick Dika, drummer Tim Oxford and singer-keyboardist Anthony Carone — recorded the songs in four distinct sessions, with four different producers.
“There’s this rock ’n’ roll mythology of burrowing away for two months in a studio with one guy and coming away with a record,” Kerman says. “To me, that seems really burdensome. I pitched the idea to record a few songs, then go back on tour and come back to it.
“I really loved working that way, to be honest. Each producer has a slightly different skill set and it added to our body of knowledge. And the fact that we were able come back with fresh ears, that was really important to the process.”
Another advantage was that their live show never got rusty. Which is important, because Arkells have also evolved into a great live act, as fans are witnessing on the current tour of Canada.
The Vancouver-to-Halifax excursion involves some of their first arena dates, including a Feb. 9 hometown bash in Hamilton and a stop at Ottawa’s TD Place on Monday.
Joining them for the journey is British singer-songwriter Frank Turner, whom Kerman describes as a long-lost brother. “It’s the best fit: the kind of show he puts on, he’s a true performer, a great showman,” the singer-songwriter says. “His band is sensational and they push us every night, and we do the same for them. We’re watching each other from side stage going, ‘Oh God, we gotta bring our A game.’ ”
Turner is opening for Arkells in Canada, but when they cross the border, the roles are reversed, part of a strategy to break the band out of the Great White North. So far, there are clusters of Arkells fans in certain cities, including Chicago, Philadelphia and Berlin, plus a big opportunity in a high-profile upcoming gig at the Coachella festival.