The Arkells are one of those bands that snuck up on me a bit.
I kept hearing the name everywhere......friends were asking me the million dollar question,
"Have You Heard the Arkells?"
To which I reply every time they ask me that type of question....."I've heard OF them......don't know em".
Then one day my band was asked to play Phogfest, a celebration of the Phog Lounge in Windsor being named
"Canada's Best Live Venue" by CBC Radio 3. As we eagerly awaited to see the list of bands added to the bill,
Holy Fuck
The Pack A.D.
Yellow Wood
The Peace Leeches
Michou
.....The Arkells!
I was at work the next day and one of my co-workers asked me if I'd heard of the Arkells... Here we go again!
Turns out my co-worker went to Mcmaster with Max, the lead singer/guitarist of the Arkells. He said he could put me in touch
with Max via facebook so that we could chat at Phogfest. I had no idea what to expect.
So then I got the idea.....why don't I call up my friend, Drew Skitt host of "London Calling" (London TV Show), to come down and do a special show on Phogfest! When I told Drew the list of bands, he heard the Arkells......"Hey! They're amazing....lets interview them!"
And so we did. I held the camera, Drew asked the questions. Max was nowhere to be found but Mike and Dan caught my band's set and we snagged them. They were very friendly funny guys.....and I got the impression quick that they had been on quite a whirlwind ride that summer. They talked about playing shows down in the US, big shows it sounded like.
Here is the interview that eventually made it to London Calling.
After the interview they took the stage and Rocked........The..........Place
How had I never heard of these guys? They played some Motown covers and that really hit home. I've always been a sucker for Motown. I rushed over to buy their CD, but their manager caught me in my Bee-Line and handed me one for free. "Thanks for the Press"
So there you have it. The Arkells. Just when you think the only good stuff is the quirky and underground....... they come along and bash you over the head with loud proud anthemic good old Canadian Rock.
After that show I heard their name a lot more........and saw them play the Vancouver Olympics on TV. And I'm secretly hoping they become the biggest band in Canada. Maybe you are reading this blog right now and will click below and check them out too. They are playing tomorrow night in London, ON and I'm going to see them. They just might be worth a follow up post in a few days.......yeah
Enjoy
