After Laundry Pile, our quiet little introspective album, we all had a feeling the next thing would be the opposite. That’s how we tend to work. Big Feelings sounds like what the title suggests. It’s big. And it came together quickly. It started with a bold drum loop that Tim made, and was quickly arranged when the band assembled for a session in February. We didn’t go into the studio trying to finish a song, but when you have something with propulsion, you just hang on and try to steer it the right way. Immediately, we understood it would be unruly, and that the spirit of the song was more about the collective unvarnished expression than any conventional “songwriting rules.” The most satisfying songs are often the ones where we surprise ourselves.
The final product is this big and glossy, spastic thing, but the nuts and bolts are the five of us simply going at once. We worked on the song with the five of us playing in the room together, and then added some sugar at the end.
There’s no path until you make one. Once we had Big Feelings in our pocket, we had a name for the tour. We had a new song we can play at Budweiser Stage. Who knows what else?
Get outside and play this one in motion.
Xo Arkells
Arkellians, your patience will be rewarded…!I was scrolling through the photos on my phone the other day, and I realized it will be more than two years (or more) since we last played a lot of these cities. I’m not sure what the appropriate amount of time between visits oughta be, but I can tell you that this tour feels right. Since we last came to some of these towns, we put out the show-stopping pairing of Blink Once and Blink Twice, and singer-songwriter offerings Laundry Pile and Campfire Chords. Many new sing-a-long songs have entered into the set list and joined the rankings of our most beloved and familiar tunes. Our band has always been about the sing-a-long spirit at the show. That’s it. And we plan to make these ones louder than ever. You might even learn the words to a new one… It’s The Big Feelings Tour for all the big feelings we need to let out. Here’s the run:
Oct 18 – Halifax, NS – Scotiabank Centre w/ Joel Plaskett Emergency
Oct 19 – Moncton, NB – Avenir Centre w/ Joel Plaskett Emergency
Oct 24 – Kingston, ON – Slush Puppie Place w/ Poolside
Oct 25 – Ottawa, ON – Canadian Tire Centre w/ Poolside
Oct 26 – London, ON – Budweiser Gardens w/ Poolside
Oct 31 – Saskatoon, SK – Sasktel Centre w/ Poolside
Nov 1 – Edmonton, AB – Rogers Place w/ Poolside
Nov 2 – Calgary, AB – Scotiabank Saddledome w/ Poolside
Nov 14 – Kelowna, BC – Prospera Place w/ TBC
Nov 15 – Vancouver, BC – Rogers Arena w/ K.Flay
Nov 16 – Victoria, BC – Save on Foods Memorial Centre w/ K.Flay
Nov 28 – Oshawa, ON – Tribute Communities Centre w/ Valley
Nov 29 – Barrie, ON – Sadlon Arena w/ Valley
Nov 30 – Kitchener, ON – Memorial Auditorium w/ Valley
If you’re asking “Where’s Toronto, Winnipeg, St. John’s, or Quebec City,” we’ve already announced those cities and you can find ‘em here.
Arkells have been busy with much more to come: more dates, a new covers album called Disco Loadout, releasing on May 17th (signed copies are almost sold out!) and even a new single that will be teasing its way into your atmosphere very soon…
Grab your tix and tell us where we’ll see ya!
xo Max, Mike, Tim, Nick, Anthony
Why “Disco Loadout?”
A disco loadout is a term in our industry that describes a very humbling act. Many bands have experienced this, and we certainly have. Sometimes when you’re on tour you might pull up to a venue to find there is a later show happening the same night. The promoter, looking at his spreadsheet, has decided that it makes financial sense to book two separate shows on the same night. Your band is playing the early show, and when you are finished, you must load your gear down the stairs and out the door while a lineup of people waits to get into the venue for the next show. The later show is usually a cover band, performing songs that everyone knows and likes.
We have been humbled by this in the past and instead of living with the embarrassment, we have performed and recorded those songs for you. We’re taking the term back.
Disco Loadout Vol 1 arrives May 17th. Just in time for you to party all summer.
You can pre-order vinyl (and signed vinyl), cds and reissued Disco Loadout tees here. And pre-save it as well!.
Some people are wondering if we are going to perform these songs live anytime soon, and the answer is… we might. You have likely heard some of these covers over the years in our set, and they all belong in the bag of tricks we keep adding to, ready to be pulled out like a magician when the time is right. For now, get ready to enjoy the immaculate songwriting that exists in these timeless songs, and gusto of our interpretation.
Don’t miss Arkells on tour. Tickets on-sale now!
You know where to find us!
Xo Arkells
The last time we played Budweiser Stage was three summers ago. It was a long-weekend affair, the first shows back after nobody had been allowed to attend a concert in quite some time. They were the most emotional and euphoric shows we’ve ever played, and a truly special return to the stage. But if you know one thing about Arkells, it’s that our goal is to always make each show better than the last. So we’ve hit the ground running, with an aim to build the biggest party of the summer.
Mark your calendars, cause Arkells are BACK for a doubleheader weekend on Friday June 21 and Saturday June 22 at Budweiser Stage in Toronto.
Tickets are on-sale Friday January 26th at 10 AM, with pre-sales starting tomorrow, January 24th at 10 AM. All ticket info can be found here.
Joining us as special guests on Night 1 will be legends TEGAN AND SARA, whose songs we’ve been singing and career we’ve admired since we started our band. If we’re lucky they’ll even agree to sing “Teenage Tears,” our collab from Blink Twice. On Night 2, GROUPLOVE will be joining us on the bill. We’ve never met in real life, but we’ve been fans since their first record, and respect the energy they will bring to a Saturday night. On both shows, Adam Melchor will be opening up. As an excellent singer-songwriter and relentless touring act, he has recently shared the stage with Noah Kahan, Mt. Joy and Laufey.
You can imagine we’re gonna do our best to pull out all the stops and make this weekend as memorable as it should be. We’re going to play all the hits each night, but also make each set unique. Our catalogue is DEEP at this point, and we’re going to pull out some surprises for the day ones. There will be lots of tix for you and your pals who love to party on the lawn, so start ringing the alarm in your group chats.
The only thing we humbly ask is this: tell your friends and everyone you know, and don’t miss the pre-sale, which starts January 24th at 10 AM. If you do those two things, it’ll be the best two nights of your summer.
Once in a lifetime, twice in a summertime. Consider it BOOKED! Get your tix here.
xo
Arkells
Happy new year Arkellians,
We’ve been using our time wisely, catching up on sleep, watching some good flicks, and planning for 2024.
There’s a couple things we can’t tell you about quite yet, but we’re excited about ‘em and can’t wait to share.
Don’t miss out on any of the fun, make sure you’re signed up for our newsletter. When every app eventually goes out of style or gets banned, we’ll still know where to find you.
See you in no time.
Stay warm.
Xo Anthony, Mike, Max, Nick, Tim
It never ceases to amaze me how – and this is the only thing that really ever seems to be true – one thing leads to another.
Let’s do this chronologically.
In the fall I had a bunch of demos that I was really only writing because it made me feel a bit better. I had never bothered to learn protools or logic, but had a bit of time on my hands and clumsily worked through some home-spun recordings in the basement. It ended up being more fun than I imagined and a good way to use my evenings.
As I was recording on shoddy mics, barely understanding how any of this equipment worked, I was thinking about those raw ’70s Paul McCartney albums, and Bright Eyes, and Neil Young. Stuff that sounds imperfect but has heart and soul.
In January the band had some time off and we decided to hang. We had a jam space lined up (we like to work in different environments), but it fell through at the last minute. I started calling around, and realized my neighbour Jim had a music making garage that I walk by every single day. He invited Nick and I over, and low and behold it was the most serene music making space we’d ever seen. Big windows. Nice piano. Some vintage gear. He doesn’t rent it out, but said “it’s for the neighbourhood.”
“The neighbourhood?” I asked.
“Well, I like people in the neighbourhood to use it, and you’re in the neighbourhood, so you can use it.”
At first we were going to do acoustic versions of Blink Once and Blink Twice. It fit the slow vibe of January. About 45 minutes into jamming an acoustic version of “Liberation” (which sounded quite good I might add), we all agreed it might be more interesting to try something completely new. I had already sent the fall demos around, so we started there. By the end of January we figured we should be responsible and document the material because songs were beginning to take shape. The band was feeling very connected with one another and we were engaged in the work. Everything felt slower. We had no timeline. We had no agenda. It felt very stoned. We didn’t want to pep anything up too much. We weren’t looking to recycle versions of older songs. Together we were living in a world that embraced this new headspace.Early in the process, Mike suggested the goal of the session was to simply have our fingerprints all over the music. Lean into all of our individual musical personalities more than ever before. Musically this effort was the most band-directed thing we’ve done since Jackson Square, and you hear it in the performance. There’s little editing. Many of the final performances were from the first take. You can hear the little ghost-note taps on Tim’s hi-hat and the creaky piano pedals of Tony’s upright at home. There’s a lot of imperfections on the album, which was kind of the point.
During the recording I asked friends for some feedback. I was unsure about how far we should take the new direction. Chase from COIN gave the best notes for the title track. Anytime we were trying something that distracted from the lyric and the sentiment, he said it began to feel “less honest.” Honesty became the policy. I visited Ben from Lord Huron in his studio in LA and sheepishly played some very rough ideas, and he said “the songs are all in there. It doesn’t matter if it’s perfect – you gotta trust that people will hear the songs.”
So we kept going.
To finish the music we brought in our co-conspirators Eric Ratz and Derek Hoffman to keep the train on the tracks. Like any good producer, they understood this particular assignment: honour the songs. Honour the intimacy and the rawness.
Starting a record is one thing, but finishing it and figuring out if it is even worth the trouble of putting it out is another.
In late March, we went over to our other neighbour Andrew’s garage who lives a few laneways over. Among other things, Andrew is a painter with a vibrant and original style. We asked if he might be able to make an original piece for an album cover.
“What kind of design are you thinking?” He asked.
“How about a laundry machine, on fire, with a palm tree blowing in the wind and waves crashing against the beach” I replied.
“No problem. I’ll get on it right away.”
It’s now sweater weather and this album feels just right. Releasing it in the season the songs were conceived. We are excited to put these songs to work and see what happens. With any luck, these intimate little vignettes might be part of someone else’s life.
Laundry Pile is for the sentimental. It’s about having a wish that you know won’t come true. But all the things you learned along the way end up being the gift you really needed in the first place.
Enjoy it, and see you on the road.
xo
Max, Mike, Tony, Tim, Nick
Anyone who keeps a journal will tell you that writing is one of the best ways to work through the chapters of your life. Our new album Laundry Pile is a chapter that documents some of the messy parts that end up teaching you a lot: love, regret, desire, shame, and the longing to get it right. The title track is out first, and it’s a memory honouring the little moments that represent a true partnership.
A brand-new album was not in the works for Arkells. Having been steadily releasing new music over the last few years, we weren’t actively planning the next record to come this quickly. What became Laundry Pile caught us by surprise and began to take shape.
At the top of the year, Arkells got together with a goal to work on acoustic renditions of recent material, jam and hang out, but very quickly started ruminating on other little ideas. I brought in some demos I had been working on – they were little conversations with myself. I had no expectations to do anything with the material, but then the band came to the rescue. It was very all-hands-on-deck. The more we meditated on the music, the more connected we became to the songs and to each other.
Much of our most recognizable material aims to be spirited and anthemic, but this collection of songs are more personal, pensive, and reserved. It’s the kind of album that is one cohesive listening experience – in keeping with the spirit of the classic singer-songwriter tradition that we also know and love.
After a few weeks, we looked at the white board with the growing number of songs scribbled on it and became excited to share these songs immediately. It was one of the most deeply creative experiences we’ve had as a band so far. It’s important to simply honour the moment you’re in, and that’s what we did.
In the fall of ’21, Tony sent over a Dropbox folder full of instrumental ideas. One of them was called “FrankTurnerFuckAround”. I didn’t think it sounded particularly like Frank – it sounded like Bruce Springsteen, which was just fine with me.
A few months later we were sitting backstage with Wesley and Jeremiah from The Lumineers before we performed together at The Grey Cup. People often think of them as a Denver band, but they’re actually from Jersey. We bonded with the guys talking about our favourite Springsteen songs and how we loved the last Bleachers record, and how that Jersey sound has been influential on Arkells.
A few weeks later we reached out to Wes, asking if he’d want to sing and write on the “FrankTurnerFuckAround” which was now called “Nowhere To Go”. He liked it, but didn’t love it yet. I appreciated his candor: he said that to write his verse and have an authentic connection to the material he wanted me to dig in a little more with my lyrics. I loved the challenge, and I got back with another draft.
He was in.
This is how much of the album came together: simply doing our best to piece together these songs as the world was opening up and shutting down again.
We didn’t know what do with the bridge either – a guitar solo? More lyrics? Since we were channelling Jersey, we figured we could go to the source: let’s reach out to Jake Clemons from The E Street Band. Maybe that could work? Clarence Clemons played the sax with Bruce until he passed, and Jake has since taken over the mantle from his late uncle. And dude can wail.
Jake got right to work and recorded his part from home in Montreal where he lives now. When he sent back his part we knew the song the was done.
Blink Twice is out now and it’s yours to have. Each song on the album has its own story of inception and creation.
Our Blink Once / Blink Twice project was meant to weather to storm of coming back from the pandemic. With the uncertainly of touring and the countless stops and starts, we wanted to make sure we’d have fresh music when we took it to the road; whenever that might be. It’s been a thrill to introduce these songs and to take them to a town near you. In a world of infinite options – playlists, tv shows, scrolling scrolling scrolling – a concert is a choice we make to spend real time with one another. There are not many holy places left like that kind of sanctuary! And that’s what these songs provide. A road to that experience.
See you in real life,
Xo Arkells
Hamilton, all aboard! After the two years of endless hiccups and stops and starts, it’s time we treated ourselves to a big night out. The Rally is ON: June 25th, 2022, and we can’t wait to see you there.
If you bought tickets for the show that was slated in 2020, the same ticket will work as you come through the gates this year. Thank you for holding on to it for so long. It’s literally been years in the making.
If you’re just finding us now, good news: due to overwhelming demand, we’ve worked hard to make the show bigger than ever. We’ve just *ADDED* more floor tickets and opened up additional cheap seats up in the bleachers. Call your friends, this Rally is even bigger than the last.
Our 2018 show at Tim Hortons Field – the inaugural Rally – exceeded our expectations in every way so we knew we had to do it again.
From hand picking the lineup to collaborating with so many different local artists, small biz owners, charitable initiatives and local institutions like the HSR, the Hamilton bike share program, Hamilton Flea, and the Ticats – it was a joy to show off some of the best that Hamilton has to offer.
To our neighbours: if you’re walking, cycling or taking the bus – thank you for helping us host this thing and bringing all the good vibes.
To everyone making the trip to Hamilton: welcome to town! Whether you’re road tripping, or taking the Go Bus or flying in from overseas – we’ve got a good feeling this will be our best one yet.
If the last couple years have taught us something, it’s that we can’t take anything for granted. Nothing replaces *real life* memories. No amount of screen time at home can beat the joy of singing songs, surrounded by friends and new friends.
See you there. This will be the biggest show that’s ever hit Hamilton and we’re so proud we get to do this with you.
Xo Arkells
As we stayed busy making music during the last two years, we always knew we were going to come out of the pandemic with two distinct records. The title of Blink Once was born from the song Reckoning, and the lyric “blink twice, there’s gonna be a reckoning.” If you listen to the outro track of Blink Once – Last Night I Heard Em’ Sing – we hint that there’s more coming. Kind of like a post-credits scene in a movie. Reckoning is the beginning of what’s next.
If we’re being honest, Reckoning is an “eat the rich” song. The song is about privileged people who bury their heads in the sand. It’s also about the admiration for those who lead by example, and want justice for people beyond their own kin.
We wanted the song to be big and cinematic. Something that felt like walking through the streets at nighttime. We were inspired by everything from Justice to Run The Jewels. At this point in our career as musicians, we only wanna go where inspo takes us.
We’re back on the road for our first shows of 2022 in a couple weeks. Get ready to sing this one loud.
Xo
Arkells
You know when you go to the theatre and the cast comes out at the end of the night and they start thanking everyone who was working behind the scenes to make the show happen? They’re usually all teary eyed, and begin motioning to the orchestra pit, the director, and the lighting person while mouthing “bravo!” and “thank you!” It’s usually quite an emotional affair. If you’ve never been a part of a production, you might think the cast is faking this celebration.
After The Grey Cup this weekend… we get it. The halftime show was truly like nothing we’ve ever done before, yet it was also the combination of all of the friendships and creative partnerships we’ve formed and learned from over the years. Mike, Nick, Anthony, Tim and I are very grateful for everyone we got to collaborate with.
We had a little under a month to put together the show. And we worked on it every day to get every detail right. We started with the setlist as the foundation of everything and then built it up from there. K.Flay signed up immediately for the occasion and The Lumineers confirmed shortly after. We wanted a level of musical collaboration you haven’t seen at past halftime shows. Both acts couldn’t have been more gracious, collaborative, and inspiring.
We’ve done so much with The Northern Soul Horns and Arkettes that we’ve developed a shorthand with each other. As a unit, the goal is to bring as much emotion, musicality, charisma, and joy as you have. The big soul band that we are feels unstoppable. They were up for the occasion in every possible way.
We also brought a choreographer – a first for us! Omega Mighty (the sister of Haviah – our tour mate) guided all of the group movement for the set. None of us are accomplished dancers, but we all committed to moving together. If you’ve seen David Byrne and The Taking Heads you know that you don’t need to be Beyoncé to dance. You just have to care.
We also worked with Alex and Marie Nadon – the team that heads up InFrame design. They helped shape our goals and turn any obstacles (example: no fans on the field) into visually stunning moments (“let’s build a grandstand *behind* the stage and get the fans in the frame!”).
Our stylist Caitlin made us all look fabulous. Our photographer Nathan and videographer Korey captured all the key moments. Our touring crew Jordan, Ryan, Ryan, and Chris made sure all the instruments were working right. Eric has the job (among other things) of herding a bunch of cats (us) and he does it with a smile.
The folks at the CFL, TSN, PRP and Tim Hortons Field were accommodating in every way. From the announce video, to the promo, to the set itself, they were supportive and allowed us to lead on all fronts.
Tony, Mad, Jeffrey and the crew at Universal Music have been working on “Arkells + Grey Cup halftime show” for a few years. You can imagine there’s a fair amount of politicking when it comes to choosing the entertainment, and the stars aligned this year. We wanted to make em’ proud.
Our manager Chris connected the dots with The Lumineers and first introduced the idea of having them up. Sarah took care of all the pesky details. And of course Ash had eyes on literally all of it. She was in communication with literally every single person I’ve mentioned here. This doesn’t happen without her hall-of-fame level of attention to detail.
So this is us, at curtain call, standing at the front of the stage, all teary eyed, thanking everyone who poured their heart and soul into making the halftime show what it was. You can re-watch it here. We’re super proud of it. Hope you enjoyed every detail.
Thank you!
At long last, we’re thrilled to announce we’re playing Canada’s largest annual sporting & television event – THE GREY CUP – headlining halftime in our hometown this December 12th. The point of our band has always been to bring people together. Canadians from coast-to-coast will descend on Hamilton for this event, and millions across the country will be taking it in from home. After the challenges of the past 20 months, we’re honoured to be the band that gets music and sports fans back to singing and dancing.
Given our history with this city, venue and fanbase, this announcement may not come as a total surprise, but we’re working long and hard on how to make this special. We’re exceptionally proud to be the first homegrown act to headline their city’s Grey Cup halftime time show and we’re already working hard at the drawing board. Rehearsals started this week, and it feels amazing to be together and sinking our teeth into something entirely new.
We’ll catch you at Tim Hortons Field in Hamilton on Sunday, December 12. The broadcast will air nationwide on TSN, starting at 6 PM EST. A limited number of tickets are available at ticketmaster.ca/GreyCup. If you’re lucky enough to be in the stands, consider it a pep-rally to The Rally. We’re back baby.
xo Arkells
You’ve been waiting patiently for the return of live music. We’ve been dreaming big about playing for you. FINALLY! The best live show in town is coming for you.
Blink Once released last week and is still sparkly and new. We didn’t want to release our record until we knew we could hit the road and sing these songs together. We snuck in a few shows this summer and it was an amazing feeling. Our live show is a craft we’ve developed over the years from touring. The way each show builds on the last is how we evolve and grow. YOU are the reason we tour. The chance to sing and dance and share a moment together is something we will never take for granted.
Blink Once tour dates have been announced in Canada, USA, UK and Germany and are listed HERE. If you don’t see your city listed, may we suggest a vacation? Rest assured, we will stay busy. This is only the beginning, and more dates will come.
In addition to singing your hearts out with your pals, we want to make sure our fans feel safe at the shows. Based on the consistent findings from our healthcare community, we proudly support the vaccine and accompanying regulations to keep our most vulnerable safe. As a courtesy to all guests, full vaccination is required to enter the shows. We want to move forward together, and take care of each other.
Can’t wait to make new memories with you,
Xo Arkells
We like working. We like working because the day we started writing and recording songs, the high of listening back to a demo and feeling like it had potential to *be something* is the best possible feeling. We keep chasing that.
But for Blink Once, we very deliberately tried to change our process. We started working on it as soon as Rally Cry came out, and the initial demos felt too familiar. The songs had little mystery, and to get excited about a song you need it to feel kind of foreign. We knew we needed a new path.
So we found inspiration in new cities and new voices in the room. Songwriting and production came from unexpected places. There was more collaboration within the band than ever. But also more independence. Everyone in the band has their own home DIY studio, and lots of nuggets came from the guys tinkering for hours on their own.
We left LA in February 2020 and had about 80% of the record done. We figured we’d come back and finish it in the spring and it’d be out by the fall. But of course it wasn’t meant to be. When the pandy hit, we put it aside, made Campfire Chords at home, and committed to releasing the record only when we knew we could play it live. There are big old songs that need YOU singing along.
Blink Once is about resilience. It’s about grieving with loss and fall outs and finding your way back. The making of the album began before the pandemic, but the material seems to hit harder after everything we’ve been through over the past 18 months. These songs are about finding comfort in your family, community and music.
We snuck in a few shows this summer, and it was everything we needed to remember what it’s like – but better. Rest assured, we’ll be coming through your town soon.
Last but not least, special love to the memory of Barbara Tatham and Roy Veerman and their families. You hear Barbara’s voice in the interlude after Strong, and Roy’s sons Mike and Greg reflecting on their dad in the interlude before Arm In Arm. We are the product of our community, and those folks shape who we are.
Xo
Arkells
Our triumphant return to live music – aka our first shows back onstage, after 16 months, will be August 13th, 14th and 15th for three back-to-back, once-in-a-return-from-pandemic history making nights at Toronto’s Iconic Budweiser Stage.
It’s been a long haul, but we kept telling ourselves to be patient – when shows come back, we’re going to do it big, and we’re going to do it right. And that time is now. These shows are billed as ARKELLS LONG WEEKEND because it’ll feel like a celebration that we’ve yearned to have together. There’s no better place for it.
Tickets go on-sale Friday July 16th at 10 AM.
These will operating as reduced capacity shows in accordance with provincial regulations – so hop to it!
More dates are coming. We will start practicing now – see you in 4 weeks!
Xo
Max, Tim, Mike, Anthony, Nick
Now more than ever, it seems our lives can change in the blink of an eye. We began working on this album before the world changed and this title felt right given where we’ve collectively landed. Everyday you wake up and you think you know a lot of stuff, then it turns out – you don’t.
Blink Once was started in LA and completed in Toronto. Who knew that when we started rolling it out with “Years In The Making” in 2020, we were literally kicking off a global multi-year come back to reality. These songs have LEGS. It’s truly exciting to officially launch the Blink Once era. The gang’s all here: “You Can Get It” is STILL your fave pump up jam of the summer (#ForzaBroughtMeHere), and we are so proud to lend “All Roads” to the #TogetherAgain campaign.
It wouldn’t feel right to announce Blink Once without a song that’s sure to put you in the mood for a proper Arkells live show. This is why “One Thing I Know” is here to get the party started. This song is about not being ashamed of who you are and where you come from. The best version of yourself lets your colours show – to feel free, weird and unburdened by all the things out of our control.
Get vaccinated. We’re real close. See you at a show. They are coming.
Xo
Max, Tim, Mike, Anthony, Nick
“You Can Get It” announces itself from the first note and asks a very simple question: “Tell me what you want?” The sentiment, much like its sound is both fearless and steadfast. We want you to think big after feeling this song for the first time.
We recorded YCGI with our friend K.Flay in LA prior to 2020’s lockdown. Since then, the song has taken on a new sense of relevance and urgency we couldn’t have predicted prior to being stuck inside for the last year. It feels like the sun is finally coming out, and the song is about being free to chase down every dream and desire.
When we started writing this song, the world felt dark. We were looking for answers. You look to people who give you energy. You look for little moments that can lead you on a new path. Collaborating with K.Flay gave us that jolt. She turned the song on its head and drove it home. Our band is always evolving and growing, and she’s now in the family.
While we were setting up the track, K.Flay shared a pointed quote about the tune: “This song is about finding your momentum, the potential energy that’s inside of you. The future doesn’t just feel unknowable – it feels impossible. We wanted this song to feel like possibility. Like the world is opening up. Like you are powerful.”
We hope this song gives you that jolt that you’re longing for these days.
LFG YCGI.
xo
Max, Anthony, Mike, Tim, Nick
If this song was a movie, there’d be a disclaimer at the beginning that reads “The following is based on a true story.” Our latest release A Little More comes as a *new* edition to Campfire Chords. The tune was written with a nod to our piano man Tony – an undisputed wizard on the keys. He’s been playing since he was a small child and we promise we have adorable photos to prove it. When Tony was a young kid, his musician-dad sold a bunch of his own gear in order to buy an upright piano for Tony to learn to play. This story of love, dedication and sacrifice felt befitting of a song itself – we hope you feel it too.
Sonically, this stripped back project felt like a reflection of the year we’ve been living in. In the winter of 2020 we taught online music classes; coming together with fans all over the world. Come spring we took that intel into each of our home studios and recorded the Campfire Chords album while apart. In the summer we got to share the album with you and the band got to be together again to play these renditions for the first time. As we head back indoors for the winter, we come full circle on the project with a new BOOK so you have all the tools to play at home. The Campfire Chords project was a new journey for us, and we’re pleased to report that it’s still expanding, with the addition of the Campfire Chords guitar chord book as a companion piece to the album. We made sure to include even more of our catalogue, with 33 songs that we expect you all to learn IN FULL in the coming months. We’ve been known to bring a fan or two on stage to play along with us, now everyone has equal warning and time to prep. Can’t wait.
XO
Max, Mike, Tim, Nick & Tony
We’re always trying to interact with the world in a way that feels true to us. When quarantine sent us home, the world got a little more quiet. In 2020, a lot of the music that brought us comfort was a little more tender, a little more sweet.
We’ve always had to make our luck. If there’s an ethos to our band it’s that if we’re putting in good and honest work, one thing will lead to another and we’ll have something to show for it. We’re always building on the last thing we did.
The path to Campfire Chords looked like this: Quarantine -> #FlattenTheCurveMusicClass, teaching Arkellians how to play our songs acoustically -> Fans demanding acoustic versions of these recordings -> Recording Years In The Making acoustically at home -> 3-4 months of recording from home = Campfire Chords. But none of these things happen without the thing before it. And to us, it’s a beautiful thing to know that everything is connected.
We’ve never had time to make an “acoustic record” because we were too busy playing shows and focusing on new music. But we also knew that they felt really good to play in a stripped back way. All of our big rocknroll songs start with an acoustic or piano, so heading back to that place isn’t too much of a stretch. Finding the right “rhythm” for the stripped back arrangements is usually the trick, and there were a few songs that proved to be harder to get comfortable with. We scrapped American Screams for that reason. We wanted a healthy mix of our bigger songs and deep cuts. Songs that would be fun to listen to around the campfire, or in your back yard, or at a park. We added some lost verses to I’m Not The Sun and Whistleblower that never made the original version.
We also wrote a new song for the record, Quitting You, and it’s been amazing to see all the covers pour in for the #ArkellsQuittingYou challenge. The beauty of all the songs is that at their core, they’re simple songs. So if you’re inspired, we’d love to see your cover!
All of this is to say, Campfire Chords was a joy to make and we can’t wait for you to hear it. Being a part of your lives is the best part of being in a band, so whether you’re covering one of these songs, or jamming to it around the campfire, let us know!
It’ll keep us connected with you until we see each other in real life again.
Enjoy!
Max, Mike, Tony, Tim, Nick
While we were knee-deep working on our next album in Eagle Rock, the quarantine forced the band to take 4 months physically apart – the longest we’ve ever spent off the road and out of each others (sweet) faces. The world looks a lot different in 2020, and we had to adapt, but that was OK: we’re a band that’s always found a way to make it work. Beyond the biggest shows, we’ve played in tiny bars, house parties, backyards, so our time at home presented a new path.
Creatively we went back to our roots, reimagining versions of some of our most beloved songs for a new project. From our bedrooms – and occasionally waving at my neighbour Mike at his window – we began to reinterpret past material for a new project, thematically titled Campfire Chords. We shipped off the parts to Tony to arrange, manage, and make sense of, and after three months of his tinkering, we had something that felt new and fresh and exciting.
We began the recording with the goal to rediscover the singer songwriter spirit that has long informed our most trademark sing-a-longs. These remote sessions inspired our new single, Quitting You – an intimate song about finding comfort in the people closest to you.
“Does it pass the campfire test?” is a question the band often asks themselves while working on new music. If a song can be stripped to its core and be sung around a campfire, then we know we’re on our way. It’s been a treat to finally put together a full length presentation of this side of our music for the first time.
While we haven’t had concerts lately, we still have music in the kitchen, parks, backyards, docks, and campfires. With songs about the essentials in life – love, friendship, community, and optimism. Here’s to Campfire Chords feeling like an old friend here to keep you company. + a new banger cause you’re going to love Quitting You.
Xo Max, Mike, Tony, Tim, Nick
Fam!
The Rally is our crown jewel, because we labour over every detail so we can make our hometown PROUD.
From the weekend it takes place, to the type of stage and production we want to use, the line-up – these are all decisions that we discuss for months before the show is even announced. The Rally is LITERALLY years in the making.
Now, we are lucky that we get to negotiate with everyone we’re working with. We’re lucky that all of our collaborators are incredible partners. They also want to make The Rally the best experience for you.
Unfortunately for us, COVID-19 does not negotiate. That guy is not reasonable. And frankly, has been very unhelpful lately.
This is why RALLY HQ is working overtime to postpone The Rally for next summer – on Saturday June 19 2021.
And we’re still planning to make it THE BEST ONE YET. What keeps us going is that feeling we’ll all get to share when we’re all together again.
The week the show went on sale, we sold more tickets than the inaugural Rally. And we hope that everyone who can, will hold on to their tickets for our new date.
All of the current tix for The Rally are valid for our new date. All ticket info can be found at your point of purchase and has been automatically emailed to ticketholders.
We are keeping BUSY. Lots is on the go. Can’t wait to rock with you. Be good!
Xo
Arkells
Hey gang,
Hope everyone is keeping well. We’re staying busy, and trying our best to keep spirits high from home.
Arkells heard that some 2020 grads have been using our song Years In The Making – which is a song about putting in the WORK – to commemorate their accomplishments at school. We’re feeling for all the new grads out there that are missing out on their end of year celebration with their family and friends. As part of Canada’s multi network “Stronger Together” broadcast – a massive fundraising effort in support of Food Banks Canada – Arkells wanted to honour grads through the story of shining star (and Arkells fan!), Ava Harrison, who’s finishing her degree this spring and just wrote her final exam. Following an elaborate rouse with her family, we wanted to surprise her with a serenade. Hear about her story and see the video here.
Huge love to all the grads out there. This song’s for you too.
To further get you grads in the spirit, we made a little Spotify playlist for you with some jams that celebrate your moment and your friends.
To the class of 2020! Congratulations.
xo
Arkells
Hey gang,
As we’re at home practicing social distancing, we’ve found it helpful to think about how we can be useful to our community. If for no other reason than it feels good to help! Everyone has a different version of lending a hand, and we thought about our neighbourhood YMCA, and the good work they do.
I’m a proud member of the Y. I use their facilities when I’m at home and when we’re on tour. It’s a place where I can feel connected to every corner of the community. Everyone is an equal at the Y, and we’re proud to support a place that cares for our most vulnerable neighbours.
So we’ve launched an Arkells x YMCA throwback t-shirt (designed by our very own Mike D!) with all of the proceeds going to the Y’s newly launched virtual programming. You can learn all about it at YWeAreHere.ca. Their virtual programs and lessons are free to everyone – not just members. The Tee is available at YWeAreHere.ca and on our site here.
There are so many great organizations out there looking for support right now, so if you have something within you to give, I recommend it. The best part of my day is when I feel connected to my community.
Xo
Max, Mike, Nick, Tony, Tim
Hey Gang,
Hope you’re keeping well. We’re physically separated right now, but we’re always together in music.
Right now, we’re trying to be useful in our own small ways and find some comfort in things that make us feel good. Making and sharing music has always provided that comfort.
We recorded this acoustic version of Years In The Making at home in our own little makeshift studios, but the heart and feeling of connection is there more than ever. And that’s always been the most important part.
Enjoy it now. The chords and lyrics are here if you want to play along.
We’re hanging every day at 1-2pm EST on our Instagram Live for our “Flatten The Curve Music Class.” The more the merrier, so come join.
xo
Arkells
Hey gang,
Hope everyone is hanging in there and being good to themselves.
Every day I’ve been trying my best to be mindful of the things that make me feel deeply good, and identify the stressors that are hard on my system. And then I do my best to find productive remedies.
One of the things that has kept my spirits up is our daily hang on Instagram Live, for Arkells’ Flatten The Curve Music Class. If you’ve yet to catch it, every day at 1 PM EST the @arkellmusic IG Live features a song lesson of the day, Q+A’s, interactive lessons, special guests and more. We encourage anyone tuning in to bring an instrument of any stripe and your best self to this online hang; while staying home and practicing social distance. Thanks for sharing your company, your stories, and the music. It’s all a gift.
In this collective moment, there are two central questions I’ve been trying to focus on. #1 – How do we show love and support for all the people who need it most? Namely, the front line workers, and our neighbours who are in tough right now. And #2 – How do we upkeep our own sense of well being? What are the things during the day that offer some focus and sense of purpose? If not only for ourselves, but to be sharp and purposeful to best help with item #1.
So here’s a nugget of an idea that can help both questions: We heard Food Banks Canada needs money right now. We saw that RBC has made a substantial donation to Food Banks Canada as part of their current commitment to COVID-19 community response efforts. We know that music has a healing power and brings people together. So let’s combines these ideas.
Let’s continue to stay home and meet online for our FTC Music Class each day. Arkells want to see your best song covers, originals, dance routines, blazing solos: it’s all on the board. Share them – let’s see what you got, and Arkells will re-share their favourite submissions.
For every creative submission you share with the hashtag #FTCMusicClass, RBC will donate $100 to Food Banks Canada, up to $25,000. Arkells want to see your best song covers, originals, dance routines, blazing solos: it’s all on the board. Just tag us and throw up #FTCMusicClass so we can find it and check out what you got! Arkells will re-share their favourite submissions. Let’s raise $25,000 this week, for people that need it, while staying inside.
*WEEK 2 UPDATE* We’ve reached our goal and we’re going for $50,000 total for Food Banks Canada.
We make music together, and help flatten the curve by staying inside and being creative together. Thank you for your support of Food Banks Canada an organization helping to provide for some of our neighbours who need it most.
xo
Max
2020 – we made it.
We’ve been busy boys, poking around the corners, being delighted by new experiences, and then putting those ideas in to songs.
I know some of y’all have been bummed out by the of state affairs on planet earth and I get it (I get down too). But a wise dude once told me: “if you’re ever feeling lost, come back to the work, and you’ll always have a path.”
In a funny way, that’s what our new song is about.
It’s called Years In The Making. We hope it lifts you up.
The song was born from the idea – or, the desire – to give value to every past experience. Seize the moments and grow from them. Even the tough ones… because it’s those hard times that give you the flavour and the grit that make you who you are today.
If you keep at it, and you surround yourself with good people, good things will come your way. Even my beloved Toronto Raptors won a championship. Or you got into that program you applied for. Or you completed 10 pushups. Whatever your goal is, you gotta keep pushing.
Learning to rely on these muscles has been years the making – the muscles that are the desire to keep pushing and asking the right questions.
All the hard work leads to the good stuff. And there ain’t no time like the present to shoot your shot.
So giddy up! Arkells are back. Years In The Making. 2020. Let’s go.
XO
Max, Nick, Mike, Tim, Anthony
Arkellian babies,
How are we doing? Hope 2020’s been good to you so far.
We’ve been in good spirits.
Tony’s been doing yoga, and trying to not get so mad at the news. He keeps muttering to himself “mindfulness is the way.” We’re happy for him.
Nick continues his monk-ly lifestyle. It’s very annoying to the rest of us heathens: he wants for nothing, doesn’t spend a dime on frivolous stuff and is always volunteering.
Tim’s still getting over the Bills losing in the playoffs, and we keep telling him there’s always next year.
Mike’s spending a lot of time at home with his kitty. He’s truly a “cat guy.”
Manager Ash and I have been riding Mike to finish some important Arkells design work that we’ll discuss with you later.
I know it feels quiet over here in Arkells world, but trust every time you tweet “Um, when are you coming to the UK?” Or “What are your summer summer plans” we see it, and we’re grinning, and we’re planning fun things.
For now, the only thing we ask of you is: be nice to strangers, and subscribe to your local paper. And then we can wear matching tee’s. And who doesn’t love to twin with me?
Be good!
Max
Photo Cred: Nathan Nash
For the past few summers, we put on our thinking caps to throw the best party of the summer. This year at Budweiser Stage in Toronto, we will be hosting A RALLY CRY SUMMER NIGHT on Saturday June 22.
We’ll be performing all our fave Arkells jams, and a super rare SOUL REVUE to cap off the night. What’s a Soul Revue? Every once in a while when we feel like we really need to boogie, we’ll dig in to our fave Stevie Wonder, Tina Turner, Whitney Houston, The Temptations tunes. Hell we might even get a Beyonce tune. These songs offer so much love and joy, and in the spirit of community and DANCING, now is the time to play ‘em.
Kicking off the night will be Judah & the Lion, and Bonjay – both acts we truly admire.
The pre-sale starts TMRW at 10am with the password: DANCEPARTY. You can get tickets HERE.
If you want to party on the lawns, we have a deal on ticket packs for groups of 4. We’re offering a limited batch of 4 tix for $99 with code ARKELLSROADTRIP. Get ’em while you can! General on-sale starts Friday @ 10am.
In OTHER NEWS!
We performed HAND ME DOWNS at the JUNO Awards and picked up Group Of The Year and Rock Album Of The Year. RALLY CRY producer Eric Ratz also won Producer Of The Year for his work on our tunes.
So much thanks to everyone who messaged us words of encouragement and congrats. We share these trophies with YOU.
See you soon!
Arkells
Greetings from the road. The Rally Cry tour has been underway for about six weeks now, winding through Canada and the US. The tour has been long on great times and short on bad ones. From go-karting in Cincy, playing on a train in Calgary, watching the Rangers at Madison Square Garden in New York, or not having to wear a winter jacket in Atlanta, we’ve had lots of great experiences in addition to playing every night.
It’s never always sunshine and lollipops – our bus lost heat traveling in between Calgary and Saskatoon. Overnight. In February. When it was -40. Tim almost turned into popsicle. Luckily we got the big guy dethawed by showtime. Thanks to our all-star crew in keeping the show running smoothly despite temperatures so cold they aren’t good for anyone except long underwear salespeople.
This tour has been a special one for us. We’ve had a great time experimenting with new production, stage bits and musical arrangements. We get a lot of joy out of building a memorable live show and it’s a lot of fun to see these ideas come to life in front of an audience. Thanks to everyone who’s come out to a show so far.
This week we head back to the Midwest USA – Chicago and Detroit, before making a pit stop in London, Ontario for the Junos. We’ll be recording a fresh session with our friends at Audio Tree in Chicago, so keep your eyes and ears peeled for that as well.
Next on the docket are some fun summer announcements and the western US leg of the Rally Cry tour. If you live in California, Arizona, Colorado and Portland, we’re coming for ya soon. If you have a song request hit us up on the Rally Cry hotline.
Nick
It’s that special time of year. As we gather round whatever it is we prefer to gather round, one topic that often gets discussed is favorite things from the year that was. So in that same tradition, and in case you’re looking for something to watch/listen to/read or think about during the holidays, we wanted to share with you some of our personal favorite things from 2018.
Thank you for helping make 2018 such a wonderful year for us as a band. We’re wishing you all the best for the holidays and can’t wait to see you in 2019.
Here’s some of Nick’s 2018 Favorite Things:
Song – Mr. Tillman – Father John Misty
The song itself is an airy folk-pop ballad and the lyrics are a funny and ironic story of a musician’s erratic behaviour at a hotel. Given how long we’ve been making rock and folk music, it feels fresh to me when musicians don’t take themselves or their genres overly seriously. But unlike a lot of people with funny/clever lyrics, I think Father John Misty does a great job of doing this while also being able to say something interesting at the same time – whether its about society at large (like on Pure Comedy) or about himself on Mr. Tillman.
Book – House on Ninth Street – Larry Towell
This isn’t a new book, but with the migration crisis that’s happening at the US/Mexican border I thought it would be relevant to include a book that could provide background on some of the Central American political issues that often don’t get discussed as widely as they should. House on Ninth Street is a book by Canadian photojournalist Larry Towell that tells the story of missing persons Guatemala during the 1980s and the government’s role in the events.
Albums of the Year
There were so many albums I enjoyed this year it was too hard to pick just one. But I am gonna say rap won the year. Some of my favourites:
Vince Staples – FM!
Kid Cudi and Kanye – Kids See Ghosts
Pusha T – Daytona
J. Cole – KOD
Sheck Wes – Mudboy
Sports Story – Shohei Ohtani
Ohtani’s major league debut is one of the most under appreciated stories in all of sports this year. At 23-years-old and with no major league experience, he did something no one has done in 100 years…and was really good at both. And he did it all with a torn ligament in his pitching arm. It’s like if Sidney Crosby played goalie in the NHL too. If he’s able to build on his rookie season, I think we could be talking about one of the best athletes and baseball players of all-time in a few years.
Movie – Annihilation
The movie is about a group of military personnel that are tasked with exploring an unidentified natural phenomenon called “the shimmer”. The Shimmer is causing people to disappear and is gradually getting bigger and bigger. I usually don’t love sci-fi or horror movies but Annihilation piqued my interest because of how it deals with bigger human themes and personal relationships. It was directed by the same man (Alex Garland) who directed Ex Machina and stars Natalie Portman and Oscar Isaac.
It’s that special time of year. As we gather round whatever it is we prefer to gather round, one topic that often gets discussed is favorite things from the year that was. So in that same tradition, and in case you’re looking for something to watch/listen to/read or think about during the holidays, we wanted to share with you some of our personal favorite things from 2018.
Thank you for helping make 2018 such a wonderful year for us as a band. We’re wishing you all the best for the holidays and can’t wait to see you in 2019.
Here’s some of Tim “Big Horn”‘ Oxford’s 2018 Favorite Things:
Favorite Piece of Tech – Google Home Max
I can’t express how much I’ve enjoyed this unit. Not only does the speaker sound great, on a whim I can ask to hear any song when linked to Apple Music or Spotify, as well as a million other things. I ask it to send me directions to my phone, use it as a timer, weather forecast, etc. Truly surprised how much I use, as well as enjoy this thing.
Favorite Drum Accessory – Tackle Stick Bag
The fine folks at Tackle have been known for making some amazing products by hand. I acquired their stick bag this year and loved it so much I bought another right away. Not only is it amazing to look at, it’s made by drummers for drummers. Time and time again I’m impressed by the practicality of it even though I was initially drawn by it’s aesthetics. Can’t recommend highly enough.
Favorite Podcast – The Rich Roll Podcast
I’ve been a fan of Rich’s for a long time but delved in extra deep this year to his podcast. There are so many hours of incredible content. Mostly a long form conversational format, the guests jump from Joe Rogan to your everyday man who has overcome a personal obstacle to betterment. Truly inspiring conversations of self betterment, living your best, most authentic self life, to incredibly inspirational, real life stories. Check it out! Rich is amazing.
Favorite (non music related) day on tour – Phoenix Az
I had the pleasure, thanks to a good friend, Ian Leggat, and new friend, Dave Kelly, to play a very private golf course in Phoenix Arizona called “Whisper Rock.” As a lifetime golfers I can honestly say, this was a once in a lifetime golf experience. The conditions are untouchable, at least in anything I’ve encountered, and the service was like no other to date. If you should ever find an opportunity and have even a mild interest in golf, you would be crazy to pass this up. Google the place if you don’t believe me!
It’s that special time of year. As we gather round whatever it is we prefer to gather round, one topic that often gets discussed is favorite things from the year that was. So in that same tradition, and in case you’re looking for something to watch/listen to/read or think about during the holidays, we wanted to share with you some of our personal favorite things from 2018.
Thank you for helping make 2018 such a wonderful year for us as a band. We’re wishing you all the best for the holidays and can’t wait to see you in 2019.
Here’s some of Mike’s 2018 faves:
Song: Robyn “Missin U”
It’s too hard to pick an album of the year (but if you twisted my arm it’d probably be the Arctic Monkey’s Tranquility Base Hotel) but I can say the song that hit me the hardest this year would be ‘Missin U’. There’s something about the urgency in her voice, the crystalline synths, and her longing message for human connection that really sets a perfect mood.
New Discovery: Bob Dylan – Infidels
Max showed me the song ‘Man of Peace’ off this record earlier this year, and since then I’ve dove head first into this record. Produced by Mark Knopfler of Dire Straits fame, along side reggae legends Sly and Robbie on drums and bass and Mick Taylor of the Rolling Stones on guitar, this record has some real heavy hitters playing on it. I also think that Dylan’s lyrics here are some of his best – as packed with wit and wisdom as any of his work. Aside from ‘Man of Peace’, I’m also loving the tracks ‘Jokerman’ and ‘Neighbourhood Bully’.
Book: Lake Success by Gary Shteyngart
This novel tells the story of a hedge fund manager on the run through America with nothing but a greyhound ticket and a suitcase full of vintage watches. Woven into this ‘On the Road’-esque story line is a cutting analysis of the absurdity of the ultra wealthy, with a dark wit that’s legitimately laugh out loud funny. I read this while on tour and loved the way this book has a sense of constant motion with amazing little details about life on the road.
Movie: First Man
I’ve loved the history of space travel since I was a kid, so this movie is right up my alley. It’s able to reflect the sober reality and humanity of Neil Armstrong and his family, while also capturing the intensity inside the Apollo spacecraft in a way that felt so vividly real. Amazing cinematography, especially during the dead silent *spoiler alert* moon landing scene.
Radio Show: Time Crisis
It’s that special time of year. As we gather round whatever it is we prefer to gather round, one topic that often gets discussed is favorite things from the year that was. So in that same tradition, and in case you’re looking for something to watch/listen to/read or think about during the holidays, we wanted to share with you some of our personal favorite things from 2018.
Thank you for helping make 2018 such a wonderful year for us as a band. We’re wishing you all the best for the holidays and can’t wait to see you in 2019.
Here’s some of Max’s 2018 faves:
Album – Phoebe Bridgers
I know this record came out in 2017 but I didn’t hear it until a month ago. Awesome songs and intimate lyrics – but also funny lyrics. I get a good chuckle out a bunch of lines. If you’re a fan of Elliott Smith, Bright Eyes, you’ll love it.
Movie – Beautiful Boy.
This movie really wrecked me. I usually stay away from heavy/drug movies because I know it’ll be in a weird state of mind for the next 24 hours, but I’m glad I saw this. Great performances, heart wrenching story.
Podcast
There are so many great podcasts out there. I have a number of go-to’s that I never miss: Slate Gist, Slate Political Gabfest, The Daily, Bill Simmons, Zach Lowe. But lately I love the Dax Shepard podcast – he consistently gets great guests and has really spirited conversations. I relate to him because he ask the same kind of questions I would, with a similar enthusiasm.
Fave (non-show) work experience
I had the chance to talk to my favourite writer Michael Lewis on the phone for a piece I wrote for Macleans Magazine. For 45 minutes I got to ask him anything about his life and career. He couldn’t have been more open, kind and forthcoming. It was such a rush.
Concert: Bruno Mars at Scotiabank
I love Bruno Mars. He is the ultimate entertainer. He’s flawless in his execution and has a helluva fun time doing it.
It’s that special time of year. As we gather round whatever it is we prefer to gather round, one topic that often gets discussed is favorite things from the year that was. So in that same tradition, and in case you’re looking for something to watch/listen to/read or think about during the holidays, we wanted to share with you some of our personal favorite things from 2018.
Thank you for helping make 2018 such a wonderful year for us as a band. We’re wishing you all the best for the holidays and can’t wait to see you in 2019.
Here’s some of Tony’s 2018 faves:
Album – Jeff Rosenstock: POST
This album came out Jan. 1st, and I’m still loving it. You can really feel the American anxiety, post-Trump, through Jeff’s lyrics. Mix in Jeff’s extensive musical vocabulary and raw, unadulterated punk-rock vibes; it’s hands down my fav record of 2018.
Highlights are: the 7:32 minute “USA”, & “Yr Throat”.
Movie – Avengers: Infinity War
Nerd alert! I’ve been a little obsessed with the MCU films. They’re such consistent movies, and it’s dollar for dollar, action-packed entertainment. I saw Infinity War, alone, during the Frank Turner tour in the UK back in the spring and had a blast. Truly stoked for the next installment. Maybe another tour solo-movie?
Book – Naomi Klein: The Shock Doctrine
I won’t lie, I’m still working through this book, but it’s definitely been a favourite for 2018. Every time I pick it up, I get so fucking angry that I only have a ten page window to work with. If you wanna rage about injustices, pick it up!
Podcast – Bill Burr: Monday Morning Podcast
Bill’s a sh*thead, I’m a sh*thead; it’s just a fun, easy pod to listen to. Will always remain my fav.
Concert – Elton John @ MSG
Regardless of the cheese factor throughout the show, this was hands down my favourite concert of 2018. We had 2 nights off in NYC during our tour with St. Lucia, and it lined up with Elton John’s first of two nights at MSG. How could we not go?! Got very drunk & sang my ass off. Highlight of the show for me was “The Bitch Is Back”, and the epic percussionist, Ray Cooper. Dude is a SHOWMAN!
Hello from Glasgow, Scotland, where the band is getting ready to play tonight at King Tut’s.
We’ve had a great time playing shows and hanging out here in the United Kingdom this week. To locals, cornish pasties, cask ales and highway rest stops that aren’t McDonald’s may be old hat – but to us Canadians, they are a much welcomed treat that we don’t get to enjoy when touring in North America. Don’t get me wrong, we love Tim Hortons, but being able to roll into a Marks and Spencer’s and get grilled calamari* to eat in the van is a pretty wonderful thing.
This week’s UK shows have been really special – we made a lot of new friends when we came over in the spring to play with Frank Turner and the Sleeping Souls, and it means a lot to the band to see so many familiar faces coming out to see our headline shows. To everyone who came out in Bristol, Manchester and London – thank you. You’re the reason we’re losing our voices and throwing our backs out. And it’s totally worth it.
Another highlight of the tour has been being able to share the bill with Felix Hagan and the Family. FHATF are an extremely talented, tremendously entertaining band that blow us away each time they take the stage. They are also an incredibly wonderful group of people to spend time with every day. Playing with a band like them is always inspiring. We are already researching where we can purchase mass amounts of glitter back home in Canada.
This week’s shows in Leeds and Brighton are sold out (but there are still a few tickets left for Wednesday night in Birmingham at Hare and Hounds). It means a lot to come all the way across the ocean and get the opportunity to play to a room full of music lovers and we are already chomping at the bit to get back the the UK again in 2018. But let’s not get ahead of ourselves, we’ve still got a week’s worth of gigs before we have to head home so hope to see you soon!
Nick
*I know this is weird. Everyone else gets those sweet pre-made sandwiches and salads but come on; you’re not going to not get calamari, right?
Today we’re heading to the UK after a great little weekend in Germany. Our time was filled with all our favorite German things: bicycles (props to Germans, who are tough enough to bike on 4 degree days in November), Milka bars, mustard in tubes, mulled wine and in Mike’s case, Club-Mate. Club-Mate is a carbonated ice tea that we don’t get back home. Try it. Given we had three different shows in three different parts of the country, we didn’t have enough time to get to a German Christmas market, but rest assured we are still very much getting into the holiday spirit.
This European tour marks the first of the band’s Rally Cry headline shows so we’ve been playing plenty of new songs every night; and getting to revisit some seldom played old songs too – we pulled out Cynical Bastards last night in Hamburg and Ballad of Hugo Chavez on Friday night in Cologne. If there’s an oldie but a goodie that you want to hear, get Max’s attention on social media. He’s an easy sell.
As much as we try to stay on the road, it had been two long years since we’d been to Deutschland and we were long overdue to get back. Thank you to everyone who came out to see us in Cologne, Berlin and Hamburg this weekend despite the lengthy layoff. It really is a treat to play in such wonderful cities in such a great country and we hope to be back sooner rather than later.
This week we’ve got shows all over the UK in Bristol, Manchester, London and Glasgow. See ya on the island.
Nick
Last night we kicked off the final week of the St. Lucia tour in Washington at the legendary 9:30 Club. On the eve of what feels like the most important mid-term elections in recent memory, we played had the opportunity to play at one of the capitol’s most beloved venues.
The 9:30 Club is constantly outdoing itself when it comes to hospitality and it’s treatment of touring bands and crews. Whether it’s the homemade cup cakes they leave in the dressing room or the onsite laundry (because we can only turn our boxers and socks inside out so many times – don’t judge), the 9:30 Club is one of the friendliest places to play in the country.
We’ve been road-testing songs from the new record on this tour and in honor of being in the American capitol, we decided to debut Company Man – one of the record’s politically inspired jams. Playing new songs can feel a bit like Bambi trying to walk on ice, but we made it through and despite the initial tepidness, it’s always a fun challenge to take on as a band. We’ve also been experimenting with a new cover or two to drop on ya. Keep your ears open for that at our upcoming headline shows.
This week we finish up our dates with St. Lucia in Philly, New Haven, Jersey and Boston and then it’s off to Europe for some headline shows in Germany and the UK with our dear friends Felix Hagan and the Family. Hope to see ya at a show soon!
Nick
Rally Cry is officially out in the world. And the is band officially out in the world on tour supporting it.
Before we hit the road, we celebrated the record release at Union Station in Toronto. We had a great time meeting some new friends and printing some new shirts. We also wanted to give a special thanks to everyone who donated clothing to New Circles – your kindness and generosity is much appreciated.
We’ve managed to stave off Canadian winter for a few weeks while we’re on tour in the southern United States with St. Lucia. This past week we played shows in Arizona, Colorado, Oklahoma and the great state of Texas. We plan to re-introduce vegetables to our diet as soon as we get outta barbeque country. We’ve had some fried okra here and there but that sure doesn’t count.
St. Lucia have been the best hosts you could ever ask for and it’s been a real treat watching them play every night. And speaking of new records, their new record Hyperion is required fall listening. The live show is even better.
This Friday we announced some Canadian shows for early 2019. We should be announcing some additional 2019 USA dates soon too. We’ve been road testing the new songs and watching our favorite artists’ shows all year long. We’ve been taking notes and we’re excited to integrate all of the fun into our own headline shows. You can grab tickets here. If we have sold out, and you’re frustrated with paying over face value to get into the show – we completely understand. We promise that we will be back again and we don’t want you paying inflated prices for our tickets – whether it’s on Stubhub or Ticketmaster. But for now, that is a problem for another day. There are still some tickets available (although not in all sections) for the Canadian tour. Grab em now so ya don’t have to deal with scalpers later.
Happy Halloween!!!
Nick
Today we are releasing the band’s 5th studio album Rally Cry. The record began last September in the studio when we recorded People’s Champ and now we will release our five-person musical love child into the wild. We’ve spent the last month having some fun sharing a few of the songs with you in what are new ways for us. We hope you had as much fun as we did.
This afternoon we will celebrate the release in Toronto at Union Station where we will be setting up a pop up shop. We will have copies of the new record (obvi) and we are setting up a printing press to print some custom, limited edition Rally Cry t-shirts. In the “hand me downs” spirit, if you bring an old t-shirt, we will turn it into a custom Arkells shirt for ya. And more importantly in the hand me down spirit, please do bring any gently used winter clothing that isn’t needed, as we are collecting donations for New Circles Community Services. Winter is a tough time for lots of people so let’s help make it a little easier on them by keeping a bunch of our friends warm this year.
Despite the requisite excitement and nervousness when launching a new record, as someone in a band the biggest feeling that comes with releasing a record for me is gratitude. Getting a record across the finish line and out into the world takes a lot of work and we are very lucky to be surrounded by people that are passionate, caring and hard working to help make it happen – to everyone who works with us: thank you for doing the hard work so we can do the fun stuff. And to anyone who listens to our band or comes to our shows: THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU – we only get to do what we do because we have your ears and eyes. This lil guy is just as much yours as it is ours and we are forever grateful.
After today we’re going to do what we always do. Hit the road and tour the dang thing. We’re in the US and Europe this fall and are announcing Canadian dates tomorrow.
See you soon and thank you always,
Nick
Greetings Friends,
With the calendar turning to October, the release of our new record Rally Cry is just around the corner.
In the weeks leading up to the release, we’ve been trying to have as much fun as we can sharing our new music with everyone. Last week we took over our favorite Toronto karaoke bar to scream sing our hearts out and hangout with some of our Toronto friends and fans – in the spirit of our new song Only For a Moment. We captured some of the footage and will continue to share it with everyone who wasn’t there. It will be just like being there, except you have to listen to Britney Spears.
This week we opened up our American Screams hotline. Feel free to call in (1-888-426-8856) and listen to American Screams, another new song that will be a part of Rally Cry. You can also leave us a message if you have any questions/complaints or set requests. We’re also looking for some new moves in the kitchen – if anyone has any great fall recipes, please do call in and share them with us. We’ve got one more song to show ya before release day so keep your eyes and ears peeled for that in the coming weeks as well.
In addition to the song teases, we’ve been training hard to get these new songs road ready – lots of pushups, long-distance running and carb loading. We debuted Relentless at Bumbershoot in Seattle last month and will be debuting a few more songs from the new record when we hit the road with St. Lucia stateside in a couple weeks.
We are going to be all over the USA, UK and Europe this fall. We will be announcing more dates in both Canada and the US for 2019 in the near future. And due to technological advances available to the band, all Rally Cry tour dates will be presented in 3D (no glasses necessary).
Enjoy the beginning of fall and hope to see and hear from you all soon!
Nick
To say that it’s been a memorable few weeks would be an understatement. Thank you to everyone who came to the Rally. June 23rd was a very special day for us, not just because of the show, but because of all the wonderful friends, artists and neighbors from the community that we got to share the day with. It will not soon be forgotten. Our full thank you is posted here.
And speaking of things that won’t soon be forgotten, June 22nd marked the arrival of the newest member of the Arkells family – Anthony’s son, Oscar, who was born the day before the Rally. He’s super adorable and to the surprise of most, despite being alive for less than three weeks, he still doesn’t scream as much as his father. But to be fair, most of the screaming Tony does it at the TV (when Fox news is on).
Since then, we’ve been back on the road at played some pretty memorable shows. Last week we were in Ottawa for Canada Day, where we played on Parliament Hill in what was officially our hottest outdoor performance ever. We have a no shorts on stage rule that was very rigorously contested that day. I won’t say by who, but I will say they looked slightly uncomfortable when meeting the foreign dignitaries after the performance.
This weekend we went up north to play in Sudbury and Thunder Bay. While neither was our first trip to each city, it was our first in sometime. Thunder Bay is truly beautiful in the summer. The evergreen trees and rock shield that line Lake Superior made for a beautiful backdrop for the Thunder Bay Blues Fest. And we were honored for the opportunity to play with Sheryl Crow and Sarah McLachlan. As picturesque as Thunder Bay was, Bell Park in Sudbury gave TBay a run for its money, and we had a great time helping to kick off the Northern Lights Festival. We will be back sooner rather than later.
We’re gonna spend the next couple weeks working on mixing and mastering the new record before we head to PEI (another place we haven’t been in a lil’ bit) and all over the damn place at the end of July and into early August.
See ya then,
Nick
Hey All,
As we get closer and closer to the Rally, our summer kickoff show in Hamilton, we’re going to be announcing different events and festivities around the city in conjunction with the concert.
This week, we announced the Rally Market we are hosting in conjunction with Hamilton Flea outside of the Cannon Street entrance to Tim Hortons Field. The market will be open from 1pm till 5pm on show day (June 23) and will showcase some of the city’s best artists, designers and food trucks. The market is free and open to the public, but we recommend that you stick around for the show too. If ya haven’t got your tickets already, you can get them here. If you’re saving money to pay for a new air conditioner (it’s summer, we feel you), we’ve released some $24 tickets in the bleachers that should be in your price range, too.
Our friends at Merit Brewery also announced a limited edition beer and sausage to commemorate the show. They both come highly recommended and the beer is being sold in a limited edition commemorative bottle starting this Saturday.
We have a few more fun events and plans to roll out surrounding the show so keep your eyes on our social accounts in the coming weeks. See ya at the showwwwwwww.
Nick
We back. After four weeks without playoff hockey and proper Mexican food, we are back in our home and native land. But when you give you get, and we were treated to a month’s worth of curries, cask ales, and most importantly, the chance to meet and play for some incredible music fans every night on the Be More Kind tour.
We are going to miss out gracious tour hosts Frank Turner and our tour mate Derek (aka the Homeless Gospel Choir). We actually loved Derek so much that we started a punk band with him. But we will be seeing them again real soon. And you should too. Derek and Frank both put on incredibly entertaining live shows and you absolutely need go to the show when they roll through your town.
For everyone back here in North America, we are getting ready for our festival shows this summer and putting the finishing touches on our new record. Stay tuned on more info on these happenings next month. More importantly, our wonderful manager Ashley was recognized with the Manager of the Year award at the Canadian Music Week LIMA Awards!
Needles to say we are thrilled for her. Ash is one of the smartest and hardest working people in music. She is also tirelessly positive and this couldn’t have happened to a more deserving person. Her hard work and amazing spirit makes everything better (and easier) for the five of us in the band. Congrats, MOTY, you deserve it.
Nick
Just when we were getting used to the cool, grey weather that is so common here on the islands of the North Atlantic, the sun has come out and we’ve been treated to some pretty beautiful spring weather in London and Southend-on-sea over the past few days.
As always, the shows this week past have been a treat. In addition to Southend, we played the hollowed university towns of Oxford and Cambridge. Both of which put the architecture of Canadian universities (and Canada in general) to shame. This really shouldn’t be a surprise given both institutions were founded five hundred years before Canada was. The Corn Exchange in Cambridge is a refurbished old venue with a pretty rich musical history. It’s equally impressive that the same venue that hosted David Bowie, Oasis, Queen and Iron Maiden was also used to trade cattle. Which has given us a good idea for our next headline tour…
Oxford is a particularly special place to us because dear friend of the band/McMaster University history professor Dr. Mat Savelli, worked on both his MA and his PhD at St. Antony’s College. He is the one responsible for introducing the band British chocolate, betting shops and football (we’ve been to White Heart Lane twice) and in this case, the best places to check out in Oxford. We love him for it (amongst many other more important qualities).
This week we finish up our time here in the UK with shows in Hull, Norwich and London before heading back to North America on Sunday.
But most importantly this week, we want to give a special shout out to our tour host, Frank Turner, whose new record, Be More Kind, was released this past Friday. Be More Kind has become a fast favorite and been in heavy rotation in both the van and my phone all week. Frank and the band have made another fantastic record well deserving of both your attention and your support. Congrats to them on releasing another gem.
Just like the centre of a Cadbury Cream Egg, we are into the creamy middle of our month-long UK and Ireland tour with Frank Turner and the Sleeping Souls. Typically, we are only in the UK for a few days, so this trip we’ve tried to take in as much of the country as possible. I promise that doesn’t just mean just trying new chocolate bars (although that is a big part of it). With a day off between shows in Exeter and Cambridge on Sunday, we went full tourist. We basically got as British as you could without getting into professional cricket.
On our way to Cambridge, we made a pit stop at Stonehenge to see for ourselves if we could solve the mystery of the gigantic, prehistoric stones. While we couldn’t come to agreement on how the stones got there or what they were used for (Max thinks it was the world’s oldest CrossFit gym), we were able to prevent a major accident – which wasn’t the case the last time we visited a World Heritage site and Mike almost fell into the Grand Canyon.
After Stonehenge, we participated in another very British tradition – our first Sunday roast. For those who aren’t from the UK, Sunday roast is a big dinner that Brits serve in pubs on Sunday afternoons. Think Christmas dinner – turkey, ham roast beef, taters, veg (see, we are becoming more British) and of course, Yorkshire pudding. Washed down with your favorite cask ale.
But our very British Sunday wasn’t the only extracurriculars we got up to this week. On Friday, we visited our namesake brewery in Swindon. And on Thursday in Liverpool we did all the Beatles-related things we could. Including firing our drummer. Just kidding, we would never do that, but we did visit the Beatles museum and the Cavern Club. If you’re wondering who got suckered into buying the most Beatles merch, the answer is very obviously Tony.
This week we head to England’s southwest for shows in Cambridge, Southampton, Southend-on-Sea, Leicester and Oxford. More updates to come.
Nick
We’re rolling into week two of our UK and Ireland tour and every thing is tippy top on the European side of the Atlantic. We spent the weekend in Scotland, playing in Aberdeen and Edinburgh, which for a bunch of Canadians, meant being in complete awe of all the architecture, history, bagpipes and Tesco’s. The shows were fantastic and it was a real treat to visit some cities that we’ve never had the opportunity to visit before.
Another really amazing element of the tour I think we should mention is that Frank Turner and the team have decided to cut the amount of plastic water bottles they are using on the road. When we arrived in Manchester, we had reusable canteens waiting for us, and instead of the typical cases of plastic water bottles, there are big water coolers around the venue that the band and crews can use to take a drink or fill up their bottle.
It’s probably not something you wouldn’t notice about a tour just from coming to a show (although Frank and the Sleeping Souls are all drinking from reusable bottles onstage), but it is something that I think we can all agree is important and makes a big difference in the fight against waste and environmental degradation. It’s been a big inspiration and something we are going to try and bring to our own touring operating moving forward. Hat tip to Frank and the gang for being less wasteful and keeping that rock and roll eco footprint as small as possible.
This week we’re back in England, playing Sheffield, Liverpool, Bristol and Exeter. See ya soon!
Nick
Photo Cred: Adam Graves
Top o’ the mornin’ to ye, on this grey, drizzly afternoon. After landing in the UK and playing in Manchester on Friday night, we’ve officially kicked off our month-long UK/Ireland tour with Frank Turner and Homeless Gospel Choir. We are here in Dublin in the midst of the band’s first ever trip to Ireland. Unfortunately, the second show tonight had to be cancelled because Frank has come down with a pretty awful throat infection. Send good vibes his way. As you probably know, it takes a lot to get Frank to cancel a show. He’s a trooper. We’re all hopin’ he’s feeling better soon.
We’ve tried to make the most of the situation and our newfound day off in Dublin. Because I don’t have the constitution to drink whiskey at 12:30 pm and come out the other side alive, I decided to hang back but the rest of the guys did a tour of the Jameson distillery. In lieu of drinking whiskey, I spent some time walking through St. Stephen’s Green, one of the bigger green spaces in downtown Dublin.
Once the rest of the guys were good and day-drunk, I met Mike to walk through Trinity College and reminisce about our own college days at the far newer and less-gargoyle-y McMaster in Hamilton. The college is also home to the original Book of Kells, but we decided we’d rather not pay to see it given that you get a free one in every non-Super 8 Hotel you stay in.
Tour picks back up in Belfast tomorrow. Hope to see ya at a show soon.
Nick
Hey All,
We’re excited to share a new song with ya: People’s Champ. We recorded the song last fall in Toronto, with Eric Ratz – the talented producer that we worked with on Knocking at the Door and several songs off our High Noon record. We got the whole gang to play on this one: the Northern Soul horns, the Arkettes, and a first for us; an auxiliary percussionist to play some bongos (don’t get mad at us, Arcade Fire paved the way for this kind of thing). We are currently putting the finishing touches on a new album and plan to release it sometime later this year.
In terms of the context of the song itself, as per Max:
“We’re all looking for leadership that is benevolent and generous, and truly has the will of the people in everything they do. We’re comforted every day by the people in our neighborhood who go the extra mile for their community – especially when they don’t have to. We love that person. This song is about the opposite of that: it’s about the guy who acts like Robin Hood, but is the farthest thing from it. But that’s OK: look around and you’ll find people’s champs all around ya.”
We’ve been practicing up and should be playing the new tune at all of our summer shows and on tour this month in the UK while we open for Frank Turner and the Sleeping Souls. Hope to see ya at a show soon.
Nick
Hey Friends,
Late last week, we released some additional tickets for our show in Hamilton on June 23rd at Tim Hortons Field. These new tickets include some under $30 bucks for any deal-seekers that have to balance concert ticket purchases against tuition costs, newborn children, summer vacations and kidnapping ransoms.
We’ve also added some additional info to the website on some of our favorite places to eat in for any out of towners. I’ll make you a deal – if you try pizza from my favorite place (Mr. Grande) and Mike’s favorite place (Mattina’s) and you like Mike’s recommendation better, I’ll personally refund you your money.* We are very excited to get the chance to play at home this summer alongside some of our favorite other artists. We’ve also got a little write up on how we came to know and love them. We should be organizing more fun stuff around the show as time goes on so keep your eyes peeled for that.
In terms of more immediate business, next week we will be in Vancouver for the Junos. We will be playing on the TV broadcast Sunday night and appearing at Juno Fan Fest on Saturday afternoon. Given the season starts the following week, I will be drafting my fantasy baseball teams all weekend. Hope to see you there.
Nick
*cash equivalent in Blockbuster and Radio Shack gift cards.
When Tony and I were (rightfully) cut from the men’s Giant slalom ski team in late 2017, we had no idea that we’d still be going to the Olympics this winter. But like a lot of things in 2018, some stuff happened online and things went crazy. Last week, we got the opportunity to spend five days in South Korea during the Olympics.
We got to try all sorts of interesting Korean foods we hadn’t eaten before: some buckwheat noodle soup that is (maybe?) famous in Gangwon, the province where Peyongchang is located, this amazing dessert (we think are called something like dakkas?) that are crudely (this isn’t a food blog…yet), giant mozzarella sticks dipped with cinnamon and sugar. And then of course, authentic Korean BBQ. Multiple times. Aside from eating, we saw some long track speed skating, the Olympic Athletes from Russia play hockey and the men’s bobsled runs on Sunday.
The purpose of the trip was to play for the Canadian athletes in Korea, but what we didn’t realize that we would be playing WITH Canadian athletes in Korea. Justine Dufor-Lapointe, Jesse Lumsden, Tristan Walker, Scott and Tessa all came up to play a little guitar (or in Tristan’s case drums) and do a little singing with us during our show. We returned the favor and did karaoke with them afterwards.
This was the band’s first trip to Korea and definitely a once in a lifetime experience. We got to see and do things that not a lot of people in our position get to do. Everyone we met along the way was nothing short of wonderful to us and we couldn’t have been happier about getting the opportunity to go. Cross one off the bucket list that we didn’t even know was on there to begin with. We’re still smiling a full week later. Now we’re back at work in Ontario – we’re in the studio this week and should have a few more summer show announcements in the next few weeks as well. So stay tuned!
Nick
Howdy, Howdy,
I hope that 2018 has been good to everyone so far. After a month in hibernation, we’ve got lots of news to share with ya. We are very excited to be heading to the UK this spring to support Frank Turner and the Sleeping Souls. We can’t wait to play with them on their home turf and crush all of the top notch UK chocolate you can’t get here in Canada. I’ll be bringing an extra suitcase I can fill with Galaxy Minstrels. Because the Roundhouse show with Frank sold out so fast, we will also be playing our own headlining show at Dingwalls in London on May 12 while we are in town. Tickets go on sale tomorrow.
We’ve also been in the studio for most of January working on some new music. I don’t wanna give too much away but Max is definitely dancing more with his arms than he normally does when listening back. Take that as you will. We’ve been eating of lot less A&W than we did during our first recording sessions for Jackson Square – hopefully our music has evolved as much as our dietary choices. We also have an big show announcement for closer to home (Southwestern Ontario) coming at the end of the week so keep your eyes and ears peeled for that.
Lastly, we found out this morning that we’ve been nominated for some Junos this year! We are so thrilled that they reflect and acknowledge all of the wonderful people that support us. Our talented and hard working collaborators: producer Eric Ratz, and directors Mark and Shane all received nominations. Our first inclusion in the fan choice category is extra special because it’s a reflection of all the wonderful support we’ve gotten from everyone who comes to shows, listens to our records and talks to us on twitter. We’re very lucky to have all of the support we do and we don’t take it for granted. Thank you, thank you, thank you. We will see ya in Vancouver.
Nick
Photo: Jess Baumung
2017 was a strange year. You probably don’t have to think too hard to recall a lot of the not-so-great things that happened or are continuing to happen in the world. But in the face of difficult and trying times, we want to stay positive and grateful for the many small moments and experiences that made this year special as we roll up our sleeves and work towards a better 2018.
All and all, we got to spend the year doing something (video shoots notwithstanding) we really love – traveling and playing music together. It was shows at the Beacon Theater, Bud Gardens, Massey Hall and Coachella; playing with Frank Turner, Phoenix, Kendrick Lamar, and Neil Young; eating at Vanessa’s Dumplings, Ben’s Chili Bowl, the Elgin Street Diner and the million local coffee shops that Max was tweeting at your from. 2017 was a year full of great moments and opportunities.
It was also a year full of firsts for the band. Tim became a father. Tony made it back to Italy for the first time. We let Max drive the van. And Mike learned the true meaning of Christmas.
From the bottom of our hearts, thank you to everyone who helped make our 2017 the year that it was. Whether you came out to a show, listened to our music, or answered your mom when she asked you “what’s an Arkell?” – we are so grateful for your support and want to wish you all the best for the holiday season. We hope that whatever you choose to celebrate, you get to do it with people you care about and in a way that is meaningful to you. In my case, this means crushing chocolate oranges and trying to beat my brother at video game hockey. So from our family to yours, happy holidays and all the best for 2018.
Nick
After a couple final weeks of Christmas shows, we landed in Ontario Sunday night and put a bow on our 2017 touring schedule. That doesn’t mean we don’t have an eye on 2018, and to that note, we’ve already announced we have the honour of participating in Frank Truner’s Lost Evenings concert series in London at the Roundhouse next May.
If you’re from the UK, you probably know about the Roundhouse. If you’re not, the Roundhouse is one my all-time favorite venues. It’s an old rail station in the heart of Camden Town – one of London’s coolest neighborhoods and one with a pretty major musical history. It’s where Amy Winehouse hung out. Max, Mike, Dan Griffin and I saw Mumford and Sons play in the corner of a Camden pub in 2009. Frank himself regaled us with stories of hanging out there the early 2000s with many of his (now famous) musical buds.
And speaking of Frank, getting to be part of his Lost Evenings concert series is going to be a treat. We were pretty busy here in North America during 2017, so we weren’t able to make it across the pond to Europe, but we will be announcing dates around the Lost Evenings show in the new year. I’d tell you to keep an eye on the internet for details but it’s (the end of) 2017, you’re already doing that.
Thanks all of the radio stations that had us on their Christmas shows. It was a treat to play on some killer lineups (Phoenix, Run the Jewels, Bishop Brings, the War on Drugs) and get to listen to some non-Christmas music for once in December. It’s not that we don’t like Christmas music, it’s that the rest of the band doesn’t like me singing it back to them and changing the lyrics to be about different cheeses. Personally, I think “Provolone” set to the tune of “Silver Bells” is pretty beautiful.
Nick
We’ve spent the last week hopping around the USA playing our last batch of shows before Christmas break. Since last Thursday, we’ve played in New York, Florida, Minnesota and Oklahoma. Over our travels, we’ve had a chance to play with some artists/musicians (what’s the least pretentious word to use here?) we’ve been big fans of for a long time – Phoenix, Run the Jewels, Bishop Briggs, and Cold War Kids. All of the zigzag travel and 4am lobby calls have been well worth it.
Last night, we had the pleasure of playing at Cain’s Ballroom in Tulsa, Oklahoma, one of the most historic music venues we’ve encountered in our recent travels. Dating back to the 1920s, Cain’s has been the live music home to jazz, country and rock in Tulsa and has built up some pretty significant musical history in the process. Sid Vicious punched a hole in the wall when Sex Pistols played there in the 70s. Legend has it that Jerry Lee Lewis and Leon Russell met at Cain’s in 1959. And where Max Kerman met Thomas Mars in 2017.
Part of what is so cool about the venue is that the building looks like it hasn’t changed at all since it opened. Lit up marquee sign hanging off the side, exposed wooden beams, and high ceilings – the room looks like it’s a set piece straight out of Walk the Line. It’s incredible how great these old ballrooms sound acoustically too. We hope to get back to soon.
This week we head to North Carolina and then to San Diego for Wrex the Halls with the Lumineers and the War on Drugs.
Nick
Photo: Jess Baumung
We wrapped up the Canadian leg of the Knocking at the Door tour this weekend in London, ON and it couldn’t have ended on a happier note.
As Max said onstage, we started out playing London 10 years ago when we were able to land a show at the now-defunct Salt Lounge. We took a Greyhound bus to the gig and we played for about 12 people. But for me, playing in London on Saturday was special for reasons other than the continued and growing support from the city’s community of delightful music fans.
My parents are born and bread Hamiltonians. Grew up in the north end, dad worked at Stelco, the whole thing. But they ended up getting jobs in London and because of that, London is where I grew up. I moved to Hamilton when I was 18 and haven’t really left since, but I’ll always consider London to be home. Because I spent all my formative years there, it’s where all the important stuff happened to me.
I remember when the JLC Bud Gardens opened. A little while after the arena opened, I promised my little brother than I would take him to see Green Day when they announced they were coming through town. He’s five years younger than me and my mom would only let him go to shows if I went with him. When I promised him the tickets, I didn’t realize it would involve waiting in line at five in the morning to buy tickets before they sold out. American Idiot sure was popular.
I was about tenth in line and after about six hours of waiting, I was able to get tickets to the show. It was his first time seeing Green Day and I still remember how excited he was when he found out I got the tickets. It was the first of many memories at the arena. I had my first (legal) beer at a Knights game; Max and I saw the Strokes there when we were in university; and last summer, London said goodbye to one of their favorite bands there. For a native Londoner like myself, having the opportunity to play the arena last week created another memory that won’t soon be forgotten.
Thanks to everyone who came out and made the show such a memorable one, not just for me but for the rest of the band. This week we are criss crossing in the US for some Christmas shows. Hope to see ya there.
Nick
Howdy, Howdy,
We are on our way to la Belle Province (the province, not the late night poutine shop) to begin the Canadian leg of the Knocking at the Door tour tomorrow in Quebec City.
The other night in Washington, someone asked what goes through our minds when we are performing. Now like any good professionals, we are mostly focused on the task at hand, but every once in a while, our thoughts can wander – we’re only human. So this week, I thought I’d elaborate on what and how often things run through our minds during an Arkells show:
Special thanks to our good friend, Mike Sonne, the Monet of Excel for helping with the graphs. Photos are courtesy of Ashton Garner
Nick
Photo cred: Ashton Garner
We’ve reached the eye of the storm on the Knocking at the Door Tour. We’ve been on the road for two weeks now and much like a storm, are getting ready to hit the eastern seaboard. Except instead of hitting New York, Boston, Philly and D.C. with rain and heavy wind, we will be hitting them with a rock show that does include a little rain. I’ll let myself out.
Ahead of the show in Philadelphia today, I had the chance to walk around what I always forget is one of the older cities in the country. I spent the afternoon walking along the Ben Franklin Parkway – a tree covered boulevard decorated with the flags of countries from all over the world and some of the city’s biggest museums, libraries and historic buildings. Think Philly’s version of the Capital mall in DC. There’s even a Rocky statue. Does looking at it count as exercise?
The whole team has been having a great time on the road. In order to get an early start on next year’s softball season, we visited the cages at Everybody Hits yesterday in Philly and we spent Monday at Circuit arcade bar in Richmond. When it comes to arcade games, Tony and Mike are the only two gamers worth their salt. But that doesn’t stop the rest of us from trying. And on that note, in other video game related news, we are having a tour-long NHL 17 tournament on the bus – the winner gets to be Godfather to Tim’s new daughter, Olivia. Check back here for updates, but it looks like Uncle Nick and Uncle Dave (our tour manager) are the current frontrunners.
Philly, Boston, New York and DC this week. Quebec and Ontario next. Giddy up.
Nick
Greetings from Cleveland, where we are a week into the second leg of our Knocking at the Door tour.
Last week, we played shows in Detroit, Chicago, St. Louis and a stripped down set on Sunday night in Kansas City. Thanks to everyone who came out and made them some of our best American shows to date. We’ve been having a great time sharing the stage with Iron Tom everyday, and for one night only in Detroit, our new friend Hailey.
Despite having a full dance card, we’ve been able to sneak in some R&R. Our local hockey team was in St. Louis on Saturday night, so we popped into the Scott Trade Center to watch the Leafs get spanked by the Blues. We aren’t sweating it, it’s still early. Thanks to our friend Scottie Upshall for the hookup.
Last night in Indianapolis we were able to catch Beaches and Death From Above at the Old National Center. The show was face melting from start to finish in the best way possible. Go check them out when they roll through your town.
This week, we are making our way through Ohio and then heading south – into Atlanta, North Carolina and Virginia for what will be this group of Canadians last taste of warmish weather until the spring.*
Nick
*Actually, until we are in Florida and California in December for some radio shows. Sweeeeeet.
Happy Halloween! I hope everyone has a great time dressing up/partying/giving themselves diabetes on our culture’s most instagrammable holiday. The great thing about mini chocolate bars is that they come with a fraction of the guilt that regular chocolate bars do; even if you eat five times as many.
Tonight we will be eating ourselves into a diabetic coma and tomorrow we will be getting ready to leave for the last leg of the Knocking on the Door tour. We will be on the road for the next three weeks – in the Midwest and Eastern US and then finishing up with a week of dates in Ontario and Quebec City. We’re looking forward to hitting the road one last time before we head into the studio, so we hope to see you at one of the shows. As always, deets are posted on the Live Shows section of the website. First date is Thursday in Detroit.
Now, in honour of the special day, the Arkells official ranking of Halloween candy:
1. Kit Kat
2. Canadian Smarties – better than M&M’s, don’t @ me
3. Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups
4. Hershey’s Cookies and Cream
5. Skittles
6. Oh, Henry – should be lower, but Mike REALLY likes them
7. Aero
8. Peanut M&M’s
9. Coffee Crisp – you might not get this now, but give it five years.
10. Mars Bar
11. Caramilk
12. Starburst – should be higher but they’re too damn hard to unwrap.
13. Nerds (and Nerds Rope)
14. Mr. Big
15. Twix
16. Milky Way
17. Rockets (American Smarties)
18. Apples
19. Big Turk
20. Chips
-Nick
Watching and reading all of the “Me too” posts that have trickled out onto our newsfeeds over the last forty-eight hours has given me a lot to think about.
It is so disheartening (though not surprising) to know so many women have been made to suffer, often in silence, at the hands of men. You are heard and you are believed. And we have to do better, full stop. This online campaign to generate awareness on the extent and severity of the problem is a wonderful place to start, but given just how prominent these kinds of shitty and undeserved harassment and assault are, it isn’t enough.
As a male (particularly a straight, white one), I think we need to do our part to be allies to women that say “me too” – that we too will do our part to try and end sexist culture. If we think of this as someone else’s problem to solve , then we are part of the problem.
As someone who works in a corner of an “entertainment industry,” what I often find frustrating is that decisions are rarely analyzed in terms of good or bad, right or wrong. Rather, they are framed as good looks or bad looks – optics before ethics. Speaking out can be seen as inconvenient, risky or unnecessary. My guess is that many other industries are the same—but there is a spotlight on ours right now, and for good reason.
This kind of shitty behaviour needs to be confronted right away, by the people surrounding the offenders. Looking the other way or trying to rationalize questionable behaviour or comments instead of calling it out is never ok, even if doing so might make things more difficult personally or professionally.
So that’s my pledge, to stir shit up – in email chains and meetings, at concerts and with our partners: managers, agents, collaborators, directors, producers and touring crew.
No one should get away with saying or doing something abusive because they are good at their job, or because they simply have enough power that the people below them are scared to confront them on their objectionable actions. And I will do my best not to let it happen. I hope you will too.
As the old adage goes (I think it’s from Dante’s Inferno): “the hottest places in hell are reserved for those who in time of moral crisis preserve their neutrality.'”
Onward and upward,
Nick
Week one of the Knocking on the Door tour is in the books. Last week, we spent Canadian thanksgiving explaining to people what Canadian thanksgiving is – playing shows throughout California and Phoenix. Happy belated Thanksgiving to all our Canadian friends.
The shows were great fun and have us chomping at the bit to get back out on the road in a couple weeks. Irontom are a fantastic band. Every time I watch them it makes me want to practice…for a long time. The tour starts back up again on November 2nd in Detroit and finishes in London, Ontario on the 25th.
In the meantime, the band is going to spend the next week and a half in the studio. While we don’t have immediate plans to release anything we’ve been working on, think of recording as a like a funner version of cleaning your room: you don’t always have the time to do it, so you have to fit it in while you can. Because we tour so much, trying to block off a solid month to hole up and make a record doesn’t work as well as popping in for a few days at a time here and there. We’re working with our old friend Eric Ratz – the talented producer who worked on Knockin’ and a few of the songs off of High Noon and are hoping to get two or three songs finished by this time next week.
With that in mind, I’m going to sign off so I can get into a creative head space (not really, I just have to go to the bathroom).
Nick
Ahoy hoy, all. The band spent today traveling through the desert on en route to Phoenix, where we will be playing tomorrow night at Valley Bar.
One of the simplest pleasures that come with playing in a band are road trips like today. Admittedly, these trips can become grueling when they start to creep up over ten hours long or when your only option for roadside dining is the truck stop version of a charcuterie plate: a less-than-desirable pepperoni and cheese stick combination called a “Pep N’ Ched”. I’ve never heard of an American gas station that doesn’t sell them or a band that hasn’t gotten sick from eating them. Be forewarned.
Fortunately, today’s drive from LA to Phoenix was none of those things. Tim, the band’s resident In-N-Out lover, found one along the way and we traded gas station food for a (maybe?) healthier option. However you feel about the nutritional value of In-N-Out, my family is Italian so you’re probably* not convincing me lettuce burgers are healthier. Don’t @ me.
Being Canadian, getting the chance to drive through the desert was another treat. The sunny, red-rock desert landscape between California and Arizona is pretty novel to Canadians more used to seeing snow in October than 40 degree^ days. While the heat, sand, snakes and scorpions make desert feel almost completely unlivable to me, I have no doubt that an American from the southwest would say the exact same thing about Edmonton in the winter.
Given the unfortunate musical news of the day, we are going to spend tonight learning a little Tom Petty to play in his honor over the next little while. Tomorrow we will be ready to get down to business (read: eat Mexican food) and play some shows. We’re doing our National League West tour (apologies to Colorado) this week and will be hitting Phoenix, San Diego LA and San Fran between now and Saturday. Hope to see you at a show!
Nick
*If the science is there, I won’t militantly deny it. But my Nonna will.
^Celsius. Join the club, America!
This weekend we had the privilege of honoring Neil Young at his Canadian Songwriter Hall of Fame induction ceremony. It goes without saying how important Neil Young is to both Canadian music and music in general. But Neil Young also holds a pretty special place in the band’s heart and history.
When Max, Mike and I first met in university, Neil Young provided the soundtrack to many late night jams and hangouts at our friend (who is now a fantastic Toronto-based producer/pedal steel player) Aaron Goldstein’s house. At this time in our lives Max, Mike and Aaron even had a Neil Young-inspired side project called the Surly Young Bucks, who made a name for themselves playing every Hamilton bar that would serve Labatt 50 and could fit seven people on the stage. A couple years later when Jackson Square was released, lots of friends and family mentioned hearing Mr. Young’s influence in songs like Champagne Socialist – a song who’s inception you can trace back to Aaron’s basement during those university jam sessions.
Young’s ability to weave important social and political stories into his music and storytelling so seamlessly is one of many reasons I think he will go down as one of the most important musical narrators of 60s, 70s and 80s America (and of course, Canada too).
When we were invited to celebrate Neil Young’s music we knew we couldn’t do it without, Aaron. Playing at Massey Hall in front of Neil Young himself is a lot different than playing covers in Aaron’s basement on Broadway Avenue in west Hamilton, but all those late nights in university made this weekend even more special and memorable.
We have this weekend off to continue being sappy and reminiscing, but we hit the road again next week when we play four headline shows in California in Arizona. Hope to see ya then.
Nick
It’s been a pretty busy week in Arkells camp. Tim returned from dad duty and we got right back to work.
As part of a soon-to-be released Canadian music project, we recorded a live cover of an Alessia Cara song with Allie X. If re-arranged versions of pop songs are your jam, keep your eyes open, we should be releasing it sometime soon.
Over the weekend we played a couple of shows in New York State. Saturday, we played in Albany, at Pearlpalooza – a really great local street festival that reminded us a lot of Supercrawl, our hometown music and arts festival. One of the (very few) problems with living in Canada is that there isn’t much in the way of Cajun food; despite Boston Pizza’s jambalaya offering. I try to take advantage and indulge anytime I can when we are traveling in the States. When we stop in Albany, I always try to eat at a wicked Cajun place called Parish – check it out if you happen to be in the NY state capital. We’re making plans to come back to Albany soon. But that’s because of the amazing crowd at the festival (see the photo above) and all of the support we’ve gotten from WEQX – one of the coolest independent radio stations in the US*, not the gumbo.
We also got the opportunity to play Meadows festival in New York City this weekend. Because we didn’t have a chance to get any New York pizza before we left town, we made plans to come back and play a headline show in November. The show is at the Bowery Ballroom and tickets are on sale now. We are on our way to St. John’s as we speak, where we will be playing at the Iceberg Alley Festival tomorrow night with our old friend’s the Darcy’s. We’re looking forward to seeing them play but not looking forward to being reminded just how uncool we look standing next to those hip s.o.b’s.
*They literally broadcast from on top of a mountain.
Nick
So the show announcements I hinted at a couple weeks ago were officially released earlier this week. This fall, the band is going to be playing a few Canadian shows in some of the cities we missed on our Canadian tour last winter. Given the dearth of messages that we receive via Instagram/Facebook/Snapchat/email/courier pigeon, I thought this might be a good time to answer some of the frequently asked questions that pop up every time we announce some new shows:
I live on the moon. Why aren’t you guys playing a show on the Moon?
Ok, so people don’t ask us about the moon, but they do ask us why we don’t play their hometown. While we would love to play as close to you as humanly possible, there are just too many cities and not enough time to get to every one. North America is a big-ass place and as much as we would love to, until we figure out how Rick and Morty get around so fast, we can’t just pop in to the east or west coasts. Going overseas is obviously even more challenging. We try to get to as many different places as we can, but because of time constraints, travel routing, and other musical/family responsibilities, we just aren’t able to play everywhere we’d like on each set of tour dates. Max is also scared of snakes, which makes touring desert cities difficult as well.
Why isn’t this show All Ages?
This is the first question we ask our agents and manager when we hear a show isn’t all ages. Unfortunately, some venues aren’t able to make all ages shows work for a whole bunch of reasons that we don’t totally understand – which is why we wouldn’t be very good concert promoters. If it can’t happen, it wasn’t by choice and we will do our best to make the next one AA. All three Ontario shows this fall are all ages, unfortunately, a few of our USA and Quebec ones are not.
When are you playing my city next?
No word of a lie, someone messaged us on Facebook asking when we were playing Toronto literally the DAY AFTER we played Toronto. If we are playing somewhere soon, it will be posted on our website in the Live Shows section, guaranteed. As much as we’d like to respond when people ask for this information we wouldn’t have time to go to the bathroom if we did. And I sure would like to be able to go to the bathroom.
Who’s Opening?
This is usually posted in the Live Shows section of the website too. We’d love to have 15 different bands on every show but nobody (other than Phish fans) wants to watch a 9-hour concert. We try to play with as many artists we love as possible but sometimes it doesn’t work out for scheduling reasons or because Kanye doesn’t return our calls.
We really appreciate that fans care enough about our band and live show to ask us these questions. If we announce some dates but aren’t coming to your neck of the woods, don’t fret. We will likely* be playing close to you again sometime soon.
Nick
*Not Japan. Tony is banned from Japan.
We have some exciting personal news to share with you that happened while we were off over the long weekend. Tim is the first member of the band to become a father! Tim and Sarah welcomed their new daughter Olivia into the world last week and both baby and mom are doing wonderfully. If you’re curious about how long it took to pick out a baby gift for the Oxfords, the answer is very. I don’t really know my way around a Toys R Us and I was told that babies don’t appreciate Keg gift cards as much as I do?
If you saw us over the last couple of weeks and thought “I sure don’t remember Tim having a full, rich, moustache and a sweet nose ring?” you were not wrong. Our friend Jordan Gautheir filled on drums while Tim was away from the band. Not only is Jordan a talented drummer, he is also a talented drum-builder: if you’re in the market for a drum kit check out his tubs (I’ve heard drummers call them tubs) at YC Drums.
We couldn’t be more excited about the new arrival to our extended family and are looking forward to being un-official uncles. Mike is gonna teach her how to drive standard (he’s the only one of us who knows how), I’ll be taking her out for froyo (obviously), and Anthony is going to teach her about the terrors of far-right political movements percolating under the surface of almost every western democracy (follow him on twitter if you don’t believe me). Hopefully Tone doesn’t break out that last one till she’s a bit older.
All the best to anyone starting school for the year and whether you’re at work, study or play this fall hope to see you all at a show soon!
Nick
I hope everyone is enjoying the end of summer and that you all make your rec-league softball or soccer playoffs. Unless you live in California. Then screw you. All year is summer for you, you lucky bastards.
The band is off for the Labour Day weekend and then we hit the gas on what is going to be a pretty busy fall. We have a bunch of American shows already up for sale (including in the aforementioned California) with a few more to be announced over the coming weeks. There might even be a Canadian show or two in there as well. Keep you eyes and ears open for the details. Or just check the internet. Everything is on the internet.
In addition to letting you all know about the shows we are going to play, we wanted to say thank you to everyone who came out to the show we did play this Saturday in Fort McMurray, Alberta. When we were making our summer touring plans we didn’t anticipate having to go up against the fight of the century so it meant a lot that everyone came out to the show. To make it up to you, the band will hold our own boxing tournament next time we are in town. Mike vs. Tony for the featherweight title and Nick vs. Tim for the heavyweight. We promise it will be just as entertaining as McGregor/Mayweather but with more hair pulling and crying.
We’re back to Alberta (this time, Edmonton) a week from now and then we head to NYC (for Meadows), Albany and Newfoundland. Does it snow in Newfoundland in September? We will find out soon. Hope to see ya there.
Nick
This week we are coming off our longest break between shows this summer. The band had 10 days-off between playing in Nashville at Live on the Green and last Saturday’s show in Lewiston.
Nashville was a great time, although the downside to playing Tennessee in August is that you really are pushing the limits of wearing pants outside. In the tradition of almost all non-rapping musicians that came before us, we’ve fostered a pretty rigid no shorts on stage policy. The few exceptions being if we are opening for Jimmy Buffet or thrust into a climate change-induced, post-apocalyptic water world (which might be more possible than we all think…take public transit, people!). The prison of skinny jeans is very real. I am waiting anxiously for roomy-ass pants to make a come back. But when your biggest problem with your job is that your pants were kinda uncomfortable one day in Nashville when it was 35 degrees, it’s a good problem to have.
Luckily, the temperature was far more moderate on Saturday and we had a great time playing at Artpark – a beautiful outdoor venue inside of a state park near Buffalo. If you get a chance to see a show (Tony saw Avett Brothers there), or hiking is your thing (I personally believe it to be glorified walking) it’s definitely worth a visit.
While it was nice to spend a few extra days at home, it wasn’t all fun and games: we worked out some Neil Young and Alessia Cara covers for a couple of live project-thingys we’ve got coming up in September; went hunting for a new practice space; and Mike made sure his new amp was in tip top show-shape. The unintentional pyrotechnics that arise from amps catching fire is never a good thing, no matter how cool it might look.
We are all rested and ready to hit the road once again. Tomorrow night we will be making a guest appearance at Cure-A-Palooza in Toronto and then heading to Fort Mac in Alberta for the weekend. It’s a long trip, so we will have plenty of TV and movie recommendations for ya next week.
Nick
We had a great long weekend where we played three different shows in three different provinces.
The weekend started Thursday night in Muskoka, where we played at the Kee to Bala. Playing at the Kee has become a summer tradition of sorts, and despite our wildly fluctuating summer touring and wedding (we’re getting to be that age) schedules, we’ve been able to make it up to Muskoka every summer for the last six years. The traffic (and the lines at Webers) ain’t fun, but the shows always make the trip worth it. The Kee runs shows all summer so if you’re up there it’s worth trying to check out a show if you can.
Next we headed to Montreal for Osheaga. Osheaga is one of Canada’s most renowned festivals, and with good reason. There are only so many festivals in the world that can convince Liam Gallagher to come perform without storming out midway through his set and Osheaga is one of them. Liam also seems to love Mount Royal as much as we do too. But Brit Rock aside, the true star of Osheaga is always the catering. Try as we may, we didn’t observe the “no swimming until an hour after eating” rule, it’s a miracle we were able to play without getting sick. Think Michael Scott eating all that pasta and then doing a fun run. Thanks to everyone who came out to our set and helped give us the energy to do our best despite being extra full.
Last but not least, we made our first ever trip to Minnedosa, Manitoba on Sunday. Despite being 2300 km’s from Hamilton, the bill was made up entirely of Hamiltonians and we were treated to sharing the stage with Terra Lightfoot and the Trews (John-Angus and Jack are East Coast transplant Hamiltonians, of course). Thanks to our gracious hosts and everyone who came from near and far to celebrate the long weekend with us in Manitoba, can’t wait to do it again.
Nashville on Thursday for Live on the Green is up next.
Nick
What a time to be alive. Since I last posted, we’ve seen a White House Chief of Staff and Communications Director both hired and fired. And that’s more of a comment about the instability of the current American head of state than a lack of regular updates on my part. Luckily for me, Max is a far less volatile leader than the current United States’ Commander-in-Chief. My term as Arkells Communications Director* has outlasted that of both Mooch and Spicey.
And speaking of these United States of America, we just finished a weekend playing sets at XPoNtential and MoPop Festivals.
It was an honor to be a part of XPoNential Fest in Philly. WXPN has long been one of our favorite radio stations – and in my opinion, an example of how great radio stations can positively impact a community. WXPN has curated a station built on interesting, challenging (and often independent) music, both new and old, for music lovers in the Philadelphia area. Just as importantly, WXPN has done a wonderful job of creating a community for both musicians and music lovers. Through XPoNential Fest, World Café live, or the collection of other events that WXPN is involved with, the sense of community spirit is undeniable. It’s a privilege to spend time with and around so many people who are caring and passionate not only about music, but their community as a whole.
Not to be outdone, our Sunday was spent on the banks of the Detroit River playing the MoPop Festival. Detroit is a far more beautiful city than some realize. It was a treat to walk around downtown and spend time at the festival grounds, which are set up along the oddly picturesque riverfront – facing a really old, really cool US Postal Service building. Because backstage was literally set up right along the river, I took a Huck Finn style nap under a tree and woke up next to Vance Joy, who was reading beside me. In case you’re curious, it looked like he was reading Chicken Soup for the Australian Soul.^ All and all, a great weekend.
The live shows keep coming and this weekend we’re gonna be playing in three different parts of Canada. Thursday night, we’re playing a charity show at the Kee to Bala in Muskoka. Saturday, we’re in Montreal for Osheaga, and Sunday were in Manitoba for Rockin’ the Fields.
Nick
*To be fair, I haven’t accused anyone of excessive self-love, either.
^As far as I know, I’ve made up this book.
In the fall of 2008, Matt Mays did us the honor of taking the band out on his Canadian tour. It was our first supporting the release of our record Jackson Square and Matt had agreed to let us open for him across the entire damn country. The tour was really special for a lot of reasons. We had long been fans of Matt Mays and El Torpedo; one of the first shows Mike, Max and I ever saw together was MM&ET at the Casbah in Hamilton a few years earlier. The tour was also our first opportunity to play in some of Canada’s most iconic venues – ones we had been fantasizing about playing in since the aforementioned show at the Casbah. Venues like the Commodore in Vancouver, The Marquee in Halifax, The Phoenix in Toronto and Barrymore’s (RIP) in Ottawa.
The tour also marked our first trip to several Canadian cities. Cities like Truro, Nova Scotia (because Matt is a good east coast boy) and Grand Prairie, Alberta. This past weekend we had the privilege of returning to Grand Prairie for the first time since our 2008 tour with Matt. It wasn’t cause we didn’t want to come back, it’s cause I’m deathly afraid of bears. Don’t you dare tell me my fears are unfounded. It’s a really special feeling to see so many friendly faces after not being able to play in town for so long, thanks to everyone who came out to party in GP. You’re way better at partying than us.
This weekend we’re heading to the States. Aside from sampling the ample selection of Snapple flavors not available in Canada, we will be playing at XPonential Fest in Philly and MoPop in Detroit. In addition to our festival set, we will be doing a late night Motown set in the birthplace of Motown. It’s at JP’s Lager House and costs $10 bucks to get in, $9 of which will go directly to Berry Gordy.
See ya there,
Nick
We had quite the roadside adventure on our way to New York City this week. Somewhere around Syracuse, the band van blew a tire and we were momentarily stranded in central New York. In reality, it was actually a pretty normal experience – people get flat tires all the damn time. But as you probably could have guessed, the five of us aren’t exactly car guys. We were more interested in what kind of ice cream the service station was selling than how to fix the flat. To be fair to us, changing the tire on a band vehicle is pretty challenging given how big and heavy it is – and will continue to be… at least until Tim switches to electric drums.
All’s well that ends well. After a call to AAA and a trip to a New Jersey tire shop, we made it to New York City with four working tires. While the breakdown tested our patience, it was nothing compared to driving an oversized vehicle through New York City. With Anthony behind the wheel, there were more f-bombs dropped than in Scarface (extended director’s cut) but we made it to Paste’s NYC offices, in time to record a session you can check out here. As superfans of both St. Vincent and being super-obviously topical, we threw in a cover of her new track. New York isn’t New York without out traffic, too.
Aside from the Paste session and dumpling consumption, the reason for our trip to New York is a show that we’re playing tomorrow on Long Island, at Blue Point Brewing’s Alive After Five Fest. If you’re in the area, come hang (and take a cab, cause it’s at a brewery). Ff not, hopefully we will see you in September at Meadows.
Drive safe,
Nick
We’ve spent the last couple days playing and hanging out in hilly Quebec City, which means we will spend our first day back home buying new jeans – ones that fit our newly enlarged glutes and quads. I’m just kidding. We ate enough bad French food that it would be a wash at best. Given that the old/touristy part of Quebec City is swimming in ice cream shops, even a wash is wishful thinking.
Today, we spent the afternoon at Montmorency Falls before our Motown set at the Imperial Bell Theatre. Surprisingly enough to those not from Hamilton, our waterfall game is actually quite strong. Not as strong as our motorized scooter game, but close. Montmorency put our local waterfalls to shame, and just as importantly, they have a wifi and cell reception (a requirement to get Max anywhere close to something resembling nature). Add it to the list of scenic places in one of Canada’s most (sneakily) scenic cities.
We are in said scenic city because we’ve been playing at Festival d’été. For my money, the festival is one of the best in Canada. It runs every night for about ten days. Outdoor stages are set up throughout Old Quebec and a festival pass will get you into any of the shows (capacity permitting). Its a great way to see a bunch of different music and enjoy a beautiful city in the middle of the summer. Max got hyped up before our set by checking out Migos outside the gates of the old city. Mike listened to Phantogram. I was moved to tears watching the Backstreet Boys on the Plains of Abraham. Something for everyone.
If you’re in the New York City area, we play at the Blue Point Brewing Street Festival next week. Come say hello if you’re thirsty.
Nick
This weekend we had the chance to play in Victoria as part of the Canada Day 150 festivities. As a band (and as people too, really) we don’t get to travel to Victoria as often as we would like.
We’ve only had to cancel two shows in the entire history of the band and a show at Sugar back in 2012 was one of them. The band was driving into Vancouver when bad weather hit the coast and ferries began to get shut down. Determined to cross onto the island, we drove from ferry terminal to ferry terminal – like a desperate dad trying to do all his shopping at 4pm on Christmas Eve before the mall closes. Unfortunately, no one would take us – not Horseshoe Bay, not Tsawwassen and not Richmond. They said crossing was a safety risk. We took matters into our own hands and tried to rent a paddleboat. We couldn’t find one big enough to hold all the drums. Dejectedly, we were forced to cancel the show and hole up at the Morrissey instead. Admittedly, there are worse problems to have. I am digressing.
Thankfully, we were able to make it across the Strait of Georgia (we took zero chances and flew this time) and were treated to a really inspiring Canada Day in BC’s capital city. The weather was perfect, the crowd was wonderful and it truly was a treat to see so many different people celebrating together in Victoria’s Inner Harbor. And the inner harbor really is beautiful – so much so that I would almost admit I would go hiking there, and I loathe hiking (wake up people! It’s just a glorified term for walking outside!?!). Canadian or not, everyone should check out Vancouver Island, it really is a gorgeous place.
Last weekend we headed west, and this weekend we head east – to Quebec City for Festival d’ete. See ya at Chez Ashton (don’t you judge me!)
Nick
Playing in a band means getting to enjoy all kinds of surreal and unusual experiences (like the time I started hallucinating because of bad shawarma in Ottawa). The NHL Awards marked the first (and likely only) time that the man who singlehandedly won you your fantasy hockey league was in the front row of the audience staring at you. And to put things in perspective, Erik Karlsson is still faster than all of us, even when he’s on crutches. Max got to participate in the fist bump to end all fist bumps.
🚪👊🏼 GRETZKY, I'm knocking at the door. 🚪👊🏼
Thank to all who tuned in for our performance at the @NHL awards! pic.twitter.com/HQu8KMFJmA
— ARKELLS (@arkellsmusic) June 22, 2017
It’s a pretty special week when sharing the stage with Sidney Crosby and Wayne Gretzky isn’t the biggest highlight. On Saturday we got to play at the Bud Stage in Toronto with our old friends July Talk, and Said the Whale along with our new friends Mondo Cozmo. One of the first concerts I ever went to with Max was the Foo Fighters and Constantines at the Molson Amphitheatre during the summer after our first year at Mac. If memory serves me it was the In Your Honor tour and we went to the Red Room after, which was the style at the time. Getting to play on the Molson Amp/Bud Stage stage after sitting on the lawn with Max watching the Cons and the Foos all those years ago was just as just as surreal (and a lot more special) as eating bad shawarma and thinking you could see through time. Not that it would ever stop me from eating shawarma though either.
As if last week wasn’t busy enough, we also released a deluxe version of Morning Report. Like all deluxe versions, this album contains green peppers, mushrooms, sausage and onions; as well as Knocking on the Door and some acoustic jams that we recorded this winter to stay warm. We also had Andrew Fairclough, the talented Australian artist who designed the original Morning Report album artwork, design some new artwork for the deluxe version.
See you on the West Coast for Canada Day!
Nick
Greetings from up in the air. I’m writing from the sky somewhere between Toronto and Nevada as we make our way to Las Vegas for the NHL Awards.
We’re pretty excited to be headed to Vegas, and not just for the buffets. The band was planning on attending the NHL Awards anyway – all five of us were left unprotected in the expansion draft and are hoping to get picked up by the Golden Knights on Wednesday afternoon. When we got the invitation to perform, we decided to put our playing careers on hold (yet again) and focus on making the show the best it could be, which means taking it easy on the buffets we mentioned above.
And speaking of shows, this past weekend we had the opportunity to play at the Much Music Video Awards. Getting to be part of such a longstanding institution in Canadian music was really special. We also got to observe just how much work and planning go into putting on a TV production of that magnitude – there is an entire crew of people that work for and with the production team to ensure our performance looked and sounded the way we envisioned it. Thank you for all of your hard work (and for helping us get Joe Jonas’ autograph).
If getting autographs from your favorite Jonas Brother wasn’t enough, we ended up taking home the an MMVA Fan Choice Award for Knocking at the Door. Thanks so much to everyone who voted for the band – we know it wasn’t our moms because bless their hearts, they still have trouble doing most things on the internet. It really is a special feeling that people take time out of their lives to nominate us for awards like this – especially given all the other fun things you can do with your time online.
It’s supposed to be 47 degrees Celsius when we land in Vegas so if you’re wondering what a rock band with sun burnt ears looks like, check our show in Toronto on Saturday at the Bud Stage.
Until next time,
Nick
We’re back in Hamilton/Toronto while we get ready to play the Much Music Video Awards this Sunday. As kids who grew up in Canada during the 90s, playing the MMVAs is something that will make our 1997 selves feel very excited and our 2017 selves feel very old (but also excited). Don’t think Tony won’t give Niall a lecture about the good old days – when boy bands where made in America and not overseas.
Last weekend we were in the USA playing in Chicago at the House of Blues and Cleveland at the LaureLive Festival. We’ve been to Chicago a whole mess of times in the last year. As Max has mentioned many times from the stage or in the pit (it seems he’s spending more and more of the show in there), every show gets better and better. We’re making plans to head back this fall. Thanks to everyone who’s come out and become part of our Chicago family. We love you as much as we love your city’s wonderful pierogis.
Friday night in Chicago also marks the first show in years where the band didn’t play Leather Jacket. In the heat of the moment (read: equipment malfunctions), we strayed from the set list and in calling audibles instead of following the original set, left out the most requested song. It was an accidental omission and not a Bob Dylan-inspired attempt at credibility. We wish we were as cool as Bob. We had a great (although slightly more sunburnt) time at LaureLive Saturday afternoon and just like the Cavs, we will be back soon.
We also received some great news today. Morning Report was long-listed for the Polaris Prize. As Canadians, we are very blessed to be part of a diverse musical community that is consistently producing inspiring, imaginative and entertaining records. We live in a country that is punching far above it’s weight musically. It’s an honour to be mentioned alongside any and all of the other artists on the list. Thank you, thank you, thank you to all the amazing Canadian musicians that we get to call our friends and peers. Even though we’ve never stopped calling ourselves your fans.
Nick
Howdy, Howdy, Howdy,
We’re officially in the midst of festival season. We spent the past two weekends at Sasquatch and Bunbury festivals respectively. Seattle and Cincinnati are definitely not sharing zip codes – we’ve spent a lot of time in the air and on the road during the past two weeks. Luckily for us, the new House of Cards season has kept us occupied while in transit and we’ve managed to stave off the boredom (and leg cramping) that comes with cross-continental flights.
Even if we had been bored and uncomfortable, the trip to Sasquatch would have been well worth it – the Gorge Amphitheatre is one of the most scenic venues we’ve ever played in – and trust us, we’ve played in some pretty beautiful venues (Silver Dollar, Call the Office, Piano’s). If you haven’t been, the Gorge Amphitheatre is a scenic, outdoor venue set in the foothills of the mountains about two and a half hours east of Seattle. Every year, the Gorge plays host to the Sasquatch Music Festival – the pic of the band above is us at the festival grounds. As fans of the Constantines, the festival has always held a special place in our hearts – their 2006 performance during a hailstorm has gone down as one of the most epic in the band’s history. Getting the opportunity to play such a legendary venue as part of such a legendary festival was definitely a band bucket list checkpoint.
We spent the following weekend in Cincinnati, where we played Bunbury, another great festival (we really are spoiled). The festival is set right on the banks of the Ohio River and we couldn’t have had a better time while we were in town. Before our set on Saturday night, we went to Great American Ballpark to see the Great Canadian Ballplayer (Joey Votto). During our set on Sunday, we covered Bloodbuzz Ohio – a nod to Cincinnati’s hometown heroes: the National. While I insisted that we pay tribute to Cincinnati’s other hometown heroes: 98 Degrees, I couldn’t convince the other guys in the band to add “Because of You” to the set list.
This weekend we’re heading back to the Midwest to play at House of Blues in Chicago and Cleveland at LaureLive festival. Hope to see ya at the show…or at Lou Malnati’s.
Nick
Hey All,
The band just got home after spending the last two weeks in the US of A touring and playing some festival dates. At Shaky Knees in Atlanta, we were lucky enough to see a bunch of bands we really love (Ryan Adams, Phoenix, Portugal the Man to name a few). We also got to see some other bands that we haven’t had a chance to see live before – Bishop Briggs, Warpaint, and our tourmates Run River North. Highly recommend checking them out, they all put on great live shows.
Because of how this tour was routed, we also had a chance to do a lot of non-musical fun things during our time in the States: Max and I got to watch Game 5 of the Predators/Blues series in St. Louis; we got haircuts and a crash course in Kentucky politics from our good friend Adam at Derby City Chop Shop (but he didn’t understand what I mean when I said ‘give me the George Clooney ‘do); and Tim was able to sneak in two rounds of golf without getting severely sunburnt. We were also introduced to Kolache, which….look it up, so good.
Right now we are back at home for a week. We will be planning out some fun surprises for our upcoming MMVA and Molson Amphitheatre Bud Stage performances. Max has A LOT of production ideas, but the technology to have him fly around the crowd singing on a jet pack just isn’t there yet. We’ll get there, just not by June 24th.
Yesterday was Mike D.’s birthday too! Which means I’m writing this preemptively in case I’m too hungover to do it the day I’m supposed to. In lieu of alcohol, send Lacroix. I’m not sure which “naturally essenced” flavour he likes best, though. Next weekend we’re in the Pacific Northwest for Sasquatch festival, which is equal parts exciting (as a music fan the lineup looks awesome) and terrifying (because Grizzly Bears live in the mountains). See you then.
