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Music

At High Noon With the Arkells

Hamilton's indie rock band on their newest album, working with Tony Hoffer, and singing Iggy Azalea.

Since dropping their debut album Jackson Square to much praise back in 2008, Hamilton indie-rock darlings the Arkells have spent a great deal of time carving out their place both on the road and on the airwaves. Having built their reputation on the back of a relentless number of well-crafted radio friendly hits like “Pullin’ Punches,” “Oh, the Boss Is Coming!,” “The Ballad of Hugo Chavez,” “Michigan Left,” “Kiss Cam” and most recently “Come To Light,” in addition to a stellar and widely talked about live show, the Arkells continue to prove that there is something to being a humble, working class indie rock band with heart.

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In anticipation of the Arkells third studio album, High Noon, which dropped earlier this week and is full of classic heartfelt Max Kerman vocals, swingin’ melodies, brassy-guitars, tinkering keys and throwback soul, we caught up with the frontman to talk about writing the record in a 150-year old factory turned gay-night club at home in Hamilton, working with producer Tony Hoffer (Phoenix, M83, Beck), keeping their stage show fresh with covers of Iggy Azalea and the band’s one true love––performing live.

Noisey: You guys just released your third full-length album, High Noon, on August 5th. Tell me a bit about writing this record at home in Hamilton; I’ve heard you guys did most of your work in a 150-year old factory turned gay-night club, is that correct?
Arkells: Yeah it is. The number one thing we tried to avoid when picking out a space to write the record was that we didn’t want to be in a rehearsal factory surrounded by thirty metal bands playing at different speeds. Have you been to a rehearsal factory in Toronto? They’re like purgatory––they’re terrible! Anyways, we found this building right in downtown Hamilton, which is a five-minute bike ride from my place, and it just had a lot of character to it.

The building itself was just purchased by these people who really wanted to keep it in the arts and within the gay and lesbian community, and so we just asked if we could take a room. We had these big bay windows so we could actually get some real sun light in there, and we worked five days a week, which was really cool. It was nice to have a little more time than we maybe had on Michigan Left, and really kind of workshop the songs.

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So, being that Hamilton is home for you guys, was that the primary reason you chose to write the record there––to be in your own space and environment this time around?
Yeah, honestly, I really didn’t want to commute––that was a big thing. It was like if I can find something that’s in the neighborhood then I’m going to be happy. The space itself is on Hughson Street, which is about a block away from James Street North, so we’d go for lunch and there are a bunch of cool little restaurants there––it’s a new flourishing neighborhood. Plus, you know, lyrically I think there are a bunch of Hamilton-centric themes on the record, just in terms of being around there all last summer––it definitely influenced the songs.

Right, like the first single “Never Thought This Would Happen”…?
Yeah, that one’s really sort of a tale of Hillside Festival in Guelph, which is one of our absolute favourite festivals. The band’s played a lot of festivals at this point, but it’s always fun to kind of soak in the vibes, especially at the one’s where people get to camp overnight––those always seem to come with a story or two.

So after writing the record in Hamilton, you guys actually flew to LA to record with the ever-adventurous Mr. Tony Hoffer (Phoenix, M83, Beck), in Highland Park. Why Tony for this record and what was it like working together with him?
The way we ended up working with Tony was kind of cool. We had actually reached out to a sort of “wish list” of producers that we thought it would be great to collaborate with, but we never heard back from any of them. Then one day about a month later, we received a message in our Facebook inbox from the Tony Hoffer saying, ‘hey I came across a song from a session you did, it’s called “Deadlines.” I thought it was really cool and if you ever want to record that song, let me know.’ We were just like, ‘well even though that song’s been out for about four years now, we’re really huge fans!’

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As it turns out, his manager had to switch companies and his email address had changed, so he never got our original note, which was pretty serendipitous and cool. From there, we just started planning it all out. We initially asked Tony if he wanted to come up and record in Hamilton but he has a kid and his own space––a cool little modest studio in LA. It’s so funny, when you tell people you’re recording in LA, I think most people’s brains immediately go to a Guns N’ Roses, 80’s, Sunset Strip kind of thing, and our experience was kind of the complete opposite.

The Highland Park neighborhood is kind of what Queen Street West in Toronto would have been like twenty-years ago. It’s sort of becoming gentrified, there are a lot of new immigrants there and lots of cool little coffee shops, but we just sort of worked a lot. We’d go in everyday at 10:00 or 11:00 am and we’d be there until 11:00 pm. Then we were just kind of tired, you know? We went out downtown a couple of nights, like to a Lakers game and a Dodgers game but other than that it was sort of all business. That’s what we were really most excited to do though, to dig into the songs and branch out and collaborate with someone new cause we had never really worked with anybody outside of the band.

You know, it’s funny but so many of the bands that I’ve spoken with have these horror stories when it comes to working with producers they’ve sort of always long to work with. I guess sometimes things just don’t gel. Did you guys find that you guys clicked with Tony right away?
Yeah Tony was great. That’s another thing, he’s totally not a typical LA, pony-tailed, drug addict producer. In another life, Tony could probably be a technician working in a science lab or something. He’s incredibly meticulous, so organized, he has a ton of patience and he has the vision.

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I think one of the hardest things about working with a band is probably managing everybody. When you’re working with a solo performer that part of the job is perhaps less work, but when you’re working with, in our case, five guys with five different personalities, just getting the most out of everybody is so important. Tony has worked with so many bands, everybody from STARS and The Kooks to M83 and of course Beck, so he’s dealt with a wide range of personalities and is really great at that.

I should also mention that we ended up finishing the record in Toronto. There were a few extra songs that we wanted to record and we ended up working with Eric Ratz, which was really fun as well. For those songs we just wanted a really honest, big, rock and roll sound. Eric engineered the Metric record and worked on some early Billy Talent records too, so it was really cool to work with him. I think the songs were asking for a raw rock and roll thing and he’s really great at that.

Let’s talk a bit about touring because over the years you guys have really become known for your extensive tour schedule. I think getting on the road and of course working your way up onto legitimate tours, is probably one of the more difficult things bands face these days. Can you speak a bit about your time on the road and perhaps how that has filtered into the band’s overall success?
Yeah, I think for better or worse, people are always saying that they love to hear the songs live, and a lot of the time that’s when they really come alive for people, you know? I also think that most bands are constantly striving to make their records as good as their live show. I know that Bruce Springsteen talks a lot about that. I mean, his live show is pretty electrifying and capturing that on record is a really tricky thing. I think on this album we captured a lot of really great aspects of the band’s live show in addition to making a studio record.

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We really do love playing live and I think that is just really intrinsic to our personalities. Some bands love being in the studio and working really hard just crafting the songs, and we like that too, but we also just really love playing for people. Performing is definitely its own craft and we’re always working on improving the live show to keep it interesting and captivating for people. I think the most gratifying thing for me is just seeing them singing the songs back, but sharing the music so that other people get off on it is probably the most important thing for all of us.

The reality is we probably spend a month in the studio every two years or so, so we have a lot more experience and a lot more time on the road to get good at it. I don’t know, the studio always feels new, at least to me, where as the live show is something we’re working on everyday.

It’s interesting you should say that the studio always feels new. I think often times as creative people we craft these out of the ordinary circumstances and place ourselves within them to sort of just see what happens. Was that true of the way you guys sort of went about writing this record?
Yeah, I think the band is just really interested in trying new things and seeing what works and seeing what doesn’t work. For us it was really like, let’s shack up and work five days a week and see how that feels. When it comes time to do the next record, I don’t know how we’ll do it but I wouldn’t be surprised if we pick a different method. The one thing our band isn’t interested in doing is repeating ourselves.

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Can you tell me a bit about the band’s relationship with Dine Alone Records because you guys have been involved with them since as far back as Jackson Square and they’re also going to be involved with the new release on an international level? What’s it been like working with them over the years, and can you perhaps speak to their ideals as an independent label because they have really been a corner stone when it comes to championing Canadian artists over the past decade?
Yeah, we’re really lucky to know them. Joel [Carriere] was really the first guy in the music business to believe in the band. I mean, they put out Jackson Square, and I think Dine Alone was the perfect fit for premiering the songs on that record to the rest of Canada. At the time we probably didn’t realize how good we had it either because a lot of bands have to wait a really long time or never get the break that we got in terms of getting on the radio.

On the last record we were with Universal Canada and we sort of just missed Dine Alone and the team so we asked Joel, ‘hey, do you want to do something on the third record?’ And he was all about it.
I really gotta hand it to Joel and Ryan [Spalding] who is the head of label operations, they’ve been at it for a really long time and the way they have built the label not only in Canada but internationally, is just really impressive. They really do love seeing new bands, they get excited and they’re passionate. It’s just a really well run business and I think they’re just really inventive. I mean, the music business changes so quickly and from month to month, but they’re right there ahead of the curve in a lot of ways. We’re definitely really excited to be able to work with them on the new record internationally.

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To touch on your point about change in the business today, how has being the Arkells changed since you guys first started out? Primarily in relation to technology and the online world.
Things have changed so much, it’s cool though. I think for anybody to expect the music industry to have stayed the way it was from the 1970’s to 2004 or whatever is probably a fool. I think about when we put out Michigan Left in 2011, I don’t think Instagram and Twitter were really even a thing. I mean we were on Twitter, but not to the degree everyone is now. Even the nature of Facebook has changed since then.

You know, we’re not really the kind of band that gets all up in arms about the ‘good old days’; I think we’ve been really lucky with the era the band has existed in. The Internet has allowed us to be exposed to lots of different music listeners and I think these days people also aren’t as genre specific. Hell, we’ve been covering Iggy Azalea at our shows and people go fucking nuts. I think that’s pretty cool. It’s also nice to be able to have an immediate connection with people who are interested in the band and you can do that online.

I like to hear from bands who were already in it as the major changes sort of came to be because I guess when you are in it, you don’t really notice, you just adapt…
Totally. I mean we definitely came at a time when the Internet was sort of democratizing music. In the 90’s, when major labels sort of controlled everything, there may not have been an opportunity for a band like us. Because the Internet was available and there are so many different ways to find music, we were able to flourish on an indie label and that opened a lot of doors for us.

What has been the most trying part about being the Arkells?
I like to look at everything as sort of being a work in progress. I think we’re pretty self-aware and we’re very lucky and privileged to be able to do this full-time and make a living from it. With that said, I think every band’s problems are all relative and every band will tell you that they want to get to that next place. For us, that’s growing our audience everywhere not just here in Canada but in the States, Germany and the UK. Sometimes that can seem like a daunting task because the world is a big place and you want to play in every city, but I think that it’s really about finding that balance between not burning yourself out and also keeping yourself really busy. I think we’re pretty healthy about that. We’ve always felt we’re busy but it’s never gotten to a point where anyone of us has felt so exhausted that we’re dreading going on the next tour or anything like that. Just maintaining the balance is really the thing we try and keep in mind the most.

In your mind, what has the Arkells biggest accomplishment been thus far?
I think the band has really evolved into a self-sufficient thing. We’re really aware of every aspect and that’s a really rewarding thing. I think just the fact that we can say this is our own. It feels like we are a little family business, you know? We’re not a juggernaut like U2 where they probably have a staff of fifty people working them. We’re really lucky to have a great team, agent and manager along with our label, and they do great work for us, but the core of the group is the five of us sort of pulling together and thinking of ideas in terms of what we can do next. I think being able to do that full-time and not have a second job is something we’re really grateful for.

Let’s talk a bit about the Hamilton music and arts scene and all the love its been getting lately. I’ve been speaking with a lot of Hamilton bands as of late and everyone seems to hone in on the same thing––the sense of community that exists there. Do you find that’s in line with your experiences as a band as well and perhaps part of why you guys haven’t moved away?
Yeah it’s pretty cool. I think everybody over here sort of just knows each other. The younger bands sort of look up to the older ones and the older ones are always nice to the younger ones. For instance, when we were coming up, six or seven years ago and trying to find shows around Southern Ontario, I remember asking Aron D’Alesio of Young Rivals, for some advice. He sent me this really nice long email with a list of all the key promoters in Guelph, Kingston and London that I should reach out to. He was just really gracious about it.

I actually play in a basketball league on Monday nights and it’s basically the Hamilton music scene [laughs]. Right now we also share our rehearsal space with the guys from The Dirty Nil and I don’t know, everyone is just nice to each other and really supportive.

Okay, last question. Can you pay it forward and recommend another great band you’re into right now?
Anthony who’s driving right now says Billy Joel [laughs]. Let me think here. I like Alvvays a lot, is that too obvious? You know who else, The Zolas. I know their record has been out for a while but I’ve just started getting into it now and I love that it. We just played with them at SCENE Fest this year and they were great––really great songs and really cool production.

Juliette Jagger is a writer living in Toronto. She's on Twitter.