Hamilton alt-rockers Arkells have been busy as of late, releasing a surprise single and making their way back to Victoria to headline Spirit of 150, an 11-day harbourside Canada Day celebration that will culminate with a massive show on July 1.
“We assumed we could do something on Canada Day,” says vocalist/guitarist Max Kerman. “Since it’s the 150th, it was sort of just a matter of where we got the invitation from. We didn’t get a chance to go to Victoria on our tour—we only went as far west as Vancouver—so this is a perfect way to make up for that. We played last year at Rock The Shores; that was an amazing day and an amazing festival. We’ve always had a great time on the island; obviously, it’s such a beautiful part of the country. Victoria, to me, has a heritage to it, a kind of classic Canadian feel.”
As for the surprise single that Arkells recently released, it’s “Knocking at the Door,” a non-album cut that showcases the range and ability of the group as musicians. The song features brass horns, gospel-esque backup vocals, and Arkells’ style of blending genres to create their sound, which is a mixture of rock, soul, jazz, hip hop, and pop. Kerman says their new song, although uplifting and positive, actually has some esoteric social undertones to it.
“We wrote it in February, recorded it in March, and released it in April, which is a pretty quick turnaround for running bands, especially in the rock genre,” says Kerman. “The tune is kind of a call for collective action. It sort of has some social commentary; it’s basically about fighting for what you believe in and being relentless about it. We all hear about injustices that are happening in your community and in the world, and how you don’t want to stand for them, and that’s what the song means for me.”
Arkells’ musical influences are quite varied; according to Kerman, they draw inspiration from artists of the past while also picking up on more modern sounds.
“I think each record we make is definitely a reflection of what music we are into at that moment,” says Kerman. “Our sound is probably rooted in the stuff we would have heard around the house, like stuff our parents would have had on, like The Beatles, Springsteen, and all that stuff, but we are really big fans of what’s happening in music today; we’re not overly nostalgic for music of the past. We listen to everything from Chance the Rapper to Kanye West. Of course, we love the big heavyweights like Arcade Fire, and we love the band Phoenix. We like a lot of pop music, too. We certainly have a lot of influences throughout the record.”
The members of Arkells met in Hamilton, Ontario at McMaster University; the name of their band comes from the road on which two of them lived when they were staying at a student house near their school: Arkell Street. Kerman says that while the recent success of the band hasn’t felt overwhelming, it still blows him away when they perform in front of thousands of people.
“We have always taken everything one step at a time; nothing has ever happened to us so quickly that we didn’t feel prepared for it,” says Kerman.
The band has gone from performing in front of a dozen people to headlining large shows, such as the upcoming Canada Day celebration here in town, where they will be playing alongside Tegan and Sara, The Funk Hunters, Delhi 2 Dublin, and many others.
“The first time we played in Victoria there was like 12 people there, and then the next time we came back a year later and there may have been about 100 people there, and then 400 and 800. So our success has always been very incremental, which suits us just fine,” says Kerman. “Everything that we have done so far has just felt like part of a natural evolution, when it comes to making our records and the kinds of shows we put on and any sort of notoriety we might have.”
Arkells (at Spirit of 150)
3 pm, Saturday July 1
Free, Legislature lawn
spirit150victoria.ca