Safety tips and Taylor Swift with the Arkells

Before we start, for your protection, a few rules in
the form of an anagram courtesy of the Arkells
video for their hit single “Oh, the Boss Is Coming”:

A: Always use precaution.
R: Rules must be followed.
K: Keep alert.
E: Eye protection must be used.
L: Lift with your legs.
L: Leave your work area clean.
S: Safety first?

Got that? Please bear those in mind for the duration of
this article. Though, the original version was apparently
deemed unfit on the day of the shoot. So the question that
begged to be asked, what are the real rules? We’ll get to
that.

Just before their Vancouver gig at the Biltmore, in a
drafty staircase just off the lobby, the Link caught up with
lead singer and guitarist Max Kerman and jack of all
trades keyboardist, guitarist, and backing vocalist Dan
Griffin. Having made the indie festival circuit with their
well received debut full-length Jackson Square, the Hamilton
quintet is being hailed as a band to watch. Rounded
out by bassist Nick Dika, drummer Tim Oxford, as well
as guitarist and backing vocalist Mike DeAngelis, their
driving and soulful rock anthems and overall passion for
their music bleed through in every track, and evidently on
stage.

Griffin describes their sound as “black and blue eyed
soul. It’s sort of a play on David Bowie’s “Blue Eyed
Soul.” We just figured that we’re not nearly as talented
as David Bowie or as graceful. It’s like if someone took
Bowie out back and beat the shit out of him, broke his
fingers and magically undid all of his abilities…then it
wouldn’t be so blue eyed soul. It would be black and blue
eyed soul.”

They’ve toured with other reputable Canadian acts such
as Matt Mays and El Torpedo, Attack In Black, Bedouin
Soundclash, the Black Lungs, the Cancer Bats, and
even Sam Roberts.

Fun fact: Arkel is a village in the Dutch province of
South Holland.

“Our name unfortunately doesn’t have anything to do
with Holland…” reveals Griffin.

“Unfortunately,” adds Kerman. “We were in a band
called Charlemagne and Tim joined the band and Tim is
French Canadian and so he didn’t like the idea of using a
former French king as our name because he’s pretty controversial…
at the time we happened to be listening to a lot
of 60’s girl groups like the Shirelles and Martha and the
Vandellas, the Rolling Stones...and we thought Arkells
kind of rhymed with all those things too.”

The band then started a cover band, playing the Hamilton
circuit, before deciding to forge their own way as the
Arkells. They are currently on tour with the Waking Eyes,
whom they’ve affectionately dubbed “the Blind Boys Of
Alabama,” sharing in a nightly tradition. “Every night
they come up on stage and sing a song with us,” explains
Griffin. “We don’t tell them what song it’s going to be, so
if they know the lyrics then they’re in good shape.”

Karaoke Arkells style if you will?

“They’ve got a great tune we come up and sing with
them as well,” continues Griffin. “And we try to mess it
up a lot.”

“We try and change the tuning of instruments on stage;
Dan unplugs the keyboard,” laughs Kerman.“Suddenly
everything’s in drop D; classic!”

The tight knit band recently had an eerie experience
driving from Kamloops to Kelowna. “It was about 10
o’clock at night and usually we try not to drive at night
because we’re so scared,” relates Kerman. “It was going
ok, the whole day was great, and then we saw a sign on
the side of the road. It said ‘foggy conditions.’ We’re like
yeah, well, the sign’s always up; it can’t be foggy all the
time. Sure enough within a matter of minutes we couldn’t
see two feet in front of our car. We didn’t know what to do
so we pulled off to the side of the road…

“When we moved on to the road again,” continues
Griffin, “out of nowhere, like an angel from the sky came
a Ford 150 pick-up. Shining, like Taylor Swift on Rolling
Stone Magazine.”

They looked out the window and the driver winked.
“We couldn’t tell if it was Willie Nelson, Morgan Freeman,
or Taylor Swift,” giggles Kerman. “It was one of
the three. But he pulled in front of us and we just followed
his taillights and as soon as it cleared up he exited. Never
to be seen again…”

“Possibly to Kamloops the city of angels,” suggests
Griffin.

Unnatural obsession with Taylor Swift aside, the
Arkells are indeed a band to watch for. Look for new songs
debuting at their live shows, and as promised, the original
words of wisdom from the Arkells School Of Safety:

A: Always use protection.
R: Remember to use protection.
K: Keep using protection
E: Even when you think you shouldn’t use
protection.
L: Leave protection on even when you think
you should take it off.
L: Leave it on.
S: Seriously.