HAMMER TIME FOR ARKELLS: Gray Cup headlining halftime shows big trouble for longtime Ticats fans

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Creating fun musical memories that make people sing and dance is very important to Arkells.

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A homecoming on December 12, when Canadian rockers will take center stage at the Gray Cup halftime show in Hamilton, is also a big deal for a group of talented lads who grew up as fans of the Canadian League. of Soccer, specifically the Tiger. Cats in recent years. The CFL announced Friday that the multiplatinum recording artists and group of the year in four Juno awards will be the musical headliner in their national championship game, following in the footsteps of music heavyweights such as Keith Urban, Shania Twain , Imagine Dragons, Justin Bieber. , Nickelback, Blue Rodeo, Lenny Kravitz, Black Eyed Peas and The Tragically Hip. The Arkells will be the first local act to headline their city’s Gray Cup halftime show.

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“The goal of our band has always been to bring people together,” said Arkells frontman Max Kerman. “After the challenges of the last 20 months, we are honored to be the band that makes music and sports fans sing and dance again. Being asked to perform in Hamilton is exciting, it’s also an amazing project to work on. The scope of the Copa Gray halftime show is different from that of a normal concert; we’re having a really good time thinking about how we can make it special. “

Kerman, who grew up in Toronto and later moved to Hamilton to attend McMaster University, remembers riding in the bike lane on Cannon St. or taking the HSR bus to games at the neighborhood’s Ivor Wynne Stadium. where you can pay to park on someone’s lawn.

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“We have been attending Ticats games for years,” Kerman said. “It’s a very special place, it really feels like you meet everyone there. Going to Ivor Wynne’s games really stands out. There are not many stadiums in professional sports that are built in the middle of a neighborhood. One of the charms of (Chicago’s) Wrigley Field is that it’s right in the middle of a residential neighborhood. Old Ivor Wynne Stadium and now Tim Hortons Field has that feeling. “

Kerman said the sense of community, where fans have such a deep connection to their team, creates a vibe that makes the CFL special.

“A big part of the life and feel of the city revolves around the local sports team,” said Kerman. “(Going to a game) is a place where people meet. When you think of Canadian fans, these are generations of families who have loved their home team through good times and bad. That familiar aspect of what a team can mean to a city is what strikes me as really cool. (In Hamilton), the mood of the city depends in a way on a victory or a defeat for the Ticats. “

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On the music scene for 15 years and with three number one hits, Arkells has released six critically acclaimed albums, including his latest, Blink Once. In 2012, they released Ticats are Hummin ‘, the song that plays after the home team gets a touchdown and converts.

“Hopefully the Ticats will be in the Gray Cup and you’ll be listening to (the song) all night,” Kerman said with a laugh.

After a 16-month hiatus through the COVID-19 pandemic, Arkells returned to Toronto’s Budweiser Stage in August, performing for more than 30,000 fans over three nights. Following the Gray Cup, they will hit the road for a tour that begins in Buffalo on January 13-15 and features several stops in Canada (including Vancouver, Calgary, Edmonton, Ottawa, Kingston, London, Barrie, Kitchener, Oshawa and de return to Hamilton on June 25 for the band’s main event, The Rally, which has been postponed twice.) The band will then continue the tour in Germany and the UK.

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“The last 10 years of our band have been go, go, go,” said Kerman. “Being home for 16 months really put everything in perspective. Often, if you are an active band, you do not have time to think about the moment you are in because you are living it. We have had a lot of time to reflect. The opportunity to put out an album, announce a big tour playing a lot of different countries and now (the Gray Cup), it takes on a whole new meaning. A big part of our band’s success has been seeing what’s going on in the crowd, monitoring the vibes in the room, and reacting accordingly. As we practice and rehearse for the upcoming Gray Cup tour and halftime show, we’ve been thinking about all of those things. “

There has been an evolution in Arkells, both in sound and depth.

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“Each song builds on the one before it,” said Kerman. “It started out as a more classic rock-influenced band, be it The Beatles, Motown or Bruce Springsteen. As writing has evolved, we are not afraid to dive into more R and B or pop or electronic music … there is a lot of different music that inspires us. He was obsessed with The Beatles from a young age, drawing pictures of John, Paul, George and Ringo when he was in kindergarten. My father went to college in Detroit, so we listened to Motown a lot. I see the lineage of music. I see a real connection between what Bruno Mars does and what Bruce Springsteen does. They both love soul music, they are both amazing physical performers, they both really trust their band, and they are both really inspirational for Arkells.

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“We want to make exciting music. That can mean a lot of different things, but it really has to be exciting for us. That is the ultimate litmus test. We also want to make sure that people feel connected to us. Music is meant to be shared. We want people to sing, we want people to dance, we want people to come to the shows excited to hear their favorite songs ”.

And while providing ear candy, Arkells are inspiring others to walk their own musical path.

“A big part of my desire to be in a band was to see other bands play,” said Kerman. “We feel very fortunate to have grown up watching bands like Arcade Fire, Sam Roberts Band, Joel Plaskett, great Canadian artists who came to Hamilton and played clubs there. That made us want to pick up a guitar and form a band. If we can do that for someone else, it’s amazing. “