Last weekend, thanks to Air Miles Canada and their AIR MILES Stage Pass Program our team had the opportunity to meet up with The Arkells, stick around for sound check, and ask them a few questions in Hamilton before they put on one of the biggest shows the city had ever seen.
Air Miles Canada is always looking for new and exciting ways to bring Collectors closer to the Rewards they love, which is why we had this amazing opportunity. With Air Miles Canada and their AIR MILES Stage Pass Program we were able to tour the entire stadium with Max Kerman and see the operations that go behind a big show - definitely one of our most brag worth moments. Not to mention they also offered us two free tickets to watch The Arkells Saturday, so we were up all night singing our hearts out to our favourite Arkells songs. It was a one of a kind experience that brought us closer to the band we love.
For those that don't know (how do you not know??), The Arkells are a rock band originating from Hamilton, Ontario, with 4 Juno Awards under their belt. They've been in the industry for about a decade and have been killing the music scene every step of the way. Made up of 5 stellar musicians; Max Kerman, Mike DeAngelis, Nick Dika, Tim Oxford, and Anthony Carone they’re a go-getting bunch ready to continuously shake up the industry and offer passionate, high energy experiences to all fans.
Since inception they've grown to debut at some of the biggest marquee festivals in the U.S., including Coachella, Lollapalooza and Bonnaroo, in addition to touring all around Canada. But what really sparked our love for them was their passion for music and the message and meaning behind each song. Touching on subjects like women’s rights and political affairs, The Arkells make sure to use their platform to highlight major issues and promote the greater good - we love some female empowerment!!
Most recently, as mentioned before, The Arkells put on one of the biggest shows Hamilton has ever seen, called "The Rally". It was an electrifying and ground shaking event that had an estimated 24,000 people crowding the Tim Horton’s field in the rain. Keeping up to their word, The Arkells did not disappoint and delivered an incredible and interactive performance that their fans will never forget.
However, before their big day unravelled in Hamilton, thanks to Air Miles Canada and their AIR MILES Stage Pass Program we actually had the opportunity to sit down with Max Kerman, lead singer and guitarist of The Arkells to talk about their performance, how they grew to the musicians they are now and what is in store for the future. To see what he had to say, keep on reading:
NJ: This is going to be a big show for you guys, how do you feel about tomorrow and being back in Hamilton where everything really began?
MK: It’s great, it’s been a real labour of love putting together this whole day from the line up, to knowing the logistics of putting a show together in a stadium, to preparing for the events of tomorrow - which as you know has a lot of components such as a bike ride in a flee market and so on. There is definitely a lot of steps to it but it’s been really fun. It’s always been a dream to put on an entire day for our fans and that’s what we have planned for tomorrow!
NJ: So let’s take it back for the readers and talk about how everything started, where did it all begin for The Arkells?
MK: Yeah of course. So Nick, Mike and I went to McMaster University in 2004, so a while back now and it was the second day of school when I met Mike and profiled him as a guy who might look like a guitar player. When I asked him, it turned out he actually did play guitar and I immediately said “you’re in the band”, he then replied with “what band?” to which I responded “we’re making one!”.
The next day I met Nick and yeah it’s been really fun. I feel really lucky with the trajectory that the band has had since then. It’s always been building blocks, its never been a situation where we woke up and leap frogged 9 different bands or something. It's always been a brick by brick process, we love our job in every aspect, it’s an amazing career.
NJ: What would you say are some of the most memorable moments being in the band?
MK: We’ll I mean we’re really lucky that being in this industry we get to make so many. I mean, this year we got to go to Korea for the Olympics. It was really cool, Team Canada had tweeted at us saying they were listening to our music in Korea, so we tweeted back saying we should come play and then they responded saying “ok!”. About 5 days later we were on a flight to Korea. It was really cool, I love stuff like that, you know the perks that come with this line of work.
NJ: What do you see for the future of your band? Where would you like to be in 5 years. MK: I think thinking that far in the future is really daunting. I think it’s hard to predict what your life will be like but we are very committed to working every day and the work itself is fun. I know this is going to sound super corny but if you do your best every day, 3 years from now you’ll look back and see all of the cool stuff you did. I guess you could say that I don’t really know what 5 years will look like - i’m not thinking about tomorrow, I'm living in the moment and doing what I love. Why would you think about the future when today is pretty cool.
We were so honoured to have had this experience and it wouldn't have been possible without the AIR MILES® Stage Pass program that give Canadians - like us - a backstage pass to exclusive experiences. Partnering with Live Nation artists, the AIR MILES Stage Pass provides Collectors with unique music Rewards and benefits including reserved ticket access. Collectors can get tickets to some of their favourite artists sold-out shows and VIP contests and experiences, so a big shout out to them!
We hope you enjoyed this exclusive interview with Max Kerman, for more on The Arkells visit their website here, or follow them on Instagram here.
For more on Air Miles Canada and to sign up today click here or to enter the AIR MILES Stage Pass “With The Band” contest, Collectors can visit www.airmiles.ca/WithTheBand
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