Who says indie rock can’t be fun?
Hamilton’s Arkells lighten up with new album Morning Report as they appear poised for an international breakout
“I do my best thinkin’ / Thinkin’ in the
shooooower / Sometimes I do my predrinkin’ / Drinkin’ in the shooooower.”
Unfamiliar with that drawling couplet? Don’t worry: soon it will be tattooed on your brain.
No, nothing’s likely to unseat Drake’s “One Dance” as southern Ontario’s official, inescapable, international bid for 2016’s “song of the summer.” Hamilton’s Arkells, nonetheless, put forth some stiff competition last week — competition notably aided and abetted by the superstar Toronto rapper’s own father, Dennis Graham — when they released their new single “Drake’s Dad,” a stickier-thansticky, blue-eyed soul-rock sleeper inspired by their chance meeting with Drake’s father during a drunken tear through Memphis last summer. It’s pack- aged with a video featuring none other than . . . yes . . . Drake’s dad. Good “get,” as they say. “We have some mutual friends and we sent Dennis the tune hoping he’d be down to make a cameo in the video,” says frontman Max Kerman. “He got right back to us and totally remembered meeting us in Memphis. We shot his scene in Los Angeles and it was an awesome afternoon. He was super easygoing and generous with his time, and talked a bunch about Toronto and his life as a musician.”
Arkells are already a well-known quantity in Canada, being that rare indie-rock band that’s managed to find a foothold on mainstream rock radio. Now, with attentive management from the folks at Last Gang Entertainment and worldwide release secured for its forthcoming fourth album Morning Report (due out Friday), the amiable quintet appears poised for a genuine international breakout.
Last Gang, which recently merged into the international Entertainment One Music conglomerate, certainly believes in the band.
“Arkells have built things brick by brick and now is their moment,” affirms eOne Music president and Last Gang founder Chris Taylor. “This band works as hard as any band I have ever been associated with. As a management company with global reach now, Last Gang is putting a huge push behind this band because they’re ready for their big moment.”
Hard work and hard touring have been key to Arkells’ success, but one shouldn’t overlook the fact that they’re also unashamed — unlike a lot of bands who fall in the “indie rock” category — of making music that is, simply put, fun.
1. Sounds Interchange 506 Adelaide St. E.
In 1987, The Tragically Hip recorded some of their first album, The Tragically Hip, at the studio here.
2. Noble Street Studios 17 Noble St.
Now For Plan A, the band’s 2012 album, was recorded in part at this studio in Parkdale.
3. 1 Albemarle Ave.
Gord Downie’s wife, Laura Leigh Usher, put their three-bedroom Riverdale home up for sale in fall 2015. The price: More than $2.2 million. They bought the home in 2005.
4. King and John Sts.
The Tragically Hip were inducted into Canada’s Walk of Fame in 2002. Visit their star outside Roy Thomson Hall.
5. El Mocambo 464 Spadina Ave.
The band plays rollicking versions of “Highway Girl” and “Last American Exit” at the landmark music venue in July 1987.
6. Air Canada Centre
The Hip performs the first concert at the Air Canada Centre in two sold-out shows on Feb. 22 and 23, 1999.
7. Supermarket, 268 Augusta Ave.
The Tragically Hip quietly sets up in front of this Kensington Market restaurant on Sunday, Sept. 30, 2012 for four days of mini gigs to promote the release of their 13th studio recording, Now for Plan A.
8. Concert Hall (now Masonic Temple) 888 Yonge St.
The 1989 album Up To Here sells 100,000 copies in Canada, and the Hip is given its platinum record during a show here in March 1990.
9. The Phoenix Concert Theatre 410 Sherbourne St.
After years of playing arena concerts, the Hip returns to an intimate setting for four sold-out shows in October 2006.
10. The Horseshoe Tavern 370 Queen St. W.
The Tragically Hip plays a June 1986 show at the downtown bar. Cover: $3-$4.