Nine years ago, five school friends gelled over music, and duly formed a band.
Nothing too unusual about that.
But this lot were in it for the long haul, and serious about their sounds.
They called themselves Arkells and released their debut album, Jackson Square in 2008.
It was a critical and commercial success, followed – in 2011 – by the long-player Michigan Left, a collection of blue-eyed soul anthems.
Arkells were on top once more, cementing their place as one of Canada's most successful rock mobs.
The politically charged, unabashed third album, High Noon was welcomed in 2014.
A trio of singles from the opus have already taken them to the top of the charts in their homeland, and been certified Gold.
Now, having completed sold-out tours of Canada and the States, Arkells are tempting the Brit side – they wrap up their European tour in London tomorrow night, at Electowerkz.
Frontman Max Kerman went On Track with Total MK...
The song that first awakened your musical senses
The Beatles - You’re Going To Lose That Girl
Physical or digital - how do you take your music?
Digital
The first time you thought 'Music - this is the job for me’
When I was 15, I rented a crappy digital music recorder from the local music shop to try and record my own songs.
I am not a particularly handy person - and this is in the age before Garageband - so figuring out how to use it was a nightmare.
I stayed up all night trying to get it to work.
That’s when I realized I had never tried so hard at anything before. A good job is something you work really hard at but don't even realize it in the moment.
Your best on stage memory…
We’ve have two onstage wedding proposals at our shows. Both times the girl said yes. Thank God.
And the worst gig you've ever done
We’ve had a few! We played one in New Jersey recently that wasn’t great.
Which one song by another artist do you wish you had written?
So, so many. Lately, I like that Ellie Goulding song On My Mind. That tune is dope.
And one - by yourself - which holds special significance
Leather Jacket feels pretty good, top to bottom. Good hook, meaningful lyrics, fun to play.
If you could step into the shoes of another musician, living or dead, who would it be and what would you do?
Paul McCartney … and just creating beautiful strange chords / melodies all day long
Are there any current musical influences that you might look to?
The new BORNS record is pretty fresh to my ears.
And any genre of music that you simply can't stand?
Nah, cause I’ve learned over time that if I don’t like something at the moment I know that there’s a good chance I’ll like it later.
For instance, I used to think Phil Collins was so cheesy. Now I love Phil Collins.
Finally, tell those ticket holders exactly what they can expect from your London show this Wednesday evening…
A rock n roll band trying their best
Keep up to speed on all things Arkells - click to http://www.arkells.ca/
