Since 2006, Arkells has grown from a passionate young college Indie Rock band into a mature yet still visceral and engaging collective. Along the way, the group has been nominated for and won a number of Juno Awards, cementing its place in Canadian music history.
Arkells’ journey began at McMaster University in Hamilton, Ontario, when vocalists/guitarists Max Kerman and Mike DeAngelis met at a university introductory week event and their subsequent conversation revealed their mirrored musical interests. Arkells came to fruition with the addition of fellow McMaster students Dan Griffin (keyboards/vocals), Nick Dika (bass) and Tim Oxford (drums/percussion); the band members adopted the name of the street where they lived and rehearsed for their moniker.
Arkells put in two solid years of gigging and honing its craft before releasing a debut album, Jackson Square, featuring the group’s Barenaked-Ladies-meets-U2-and-World-Party brand of Indie Rock/Pop. Although the album failed to chart, its first single, “Oh, the Boss is Coming,” hit the Top 5 in Canada, which led to a performance at the halftime show for Hamilton’s Vanier Cup, the U Sports football championship. In 2009, Arkells won a best-new-artist award in a Toronto radio station’s fan-voted competition. The following year — four years after forming and two years after that first album — Arkells won the Juno for New Group of the Year.
In 2011, the band released its sophomore album, Michigan Left, which incorporated more soulful influences; the group quickly became known for including Motown cover sets at its performances. Three months after the album’s release, Griffin resigned from the band to return to school and was replaced by Anthony Carone. Following the success of Michigan Left and its singles, Arkells took home the Group of the Year Juno in 2012.
Two years later, the band released its third album, High Noon, which just missed the top of the Canadian charts, while its two official singles, “Leather Jacket” and “Come to Light,” took the No. 1 and 2, respectively. Arkells won both Group and Rock Album Junos as a result and High Noon was longlisted for the 2015 Polaris Prize.
Last year, Arkells released Morning Report, the band’s most Pop-based, personal and compelling work to date. The album earned the group two more Juno nominations, festival gigs like Coachella and Sasquatch and a headlining show at FirstOntario Centre in front of 10,000 adoring fans.
Want to know what Arkells is all about? Take Emerson, Lake & Palmer’s advice — roll up, see the show.
Click here for tickets/more show info.
This article appears in Nov 1-8, 2017.