Arkells are a Canadian
rock bandRock Band is a music video game developed by Harmonix Music Systems, published by MTV Games and Electronic Arts. It is the first title in the Rock Band series. The PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 versions were released in the United States on November 20, 2007, while the PlayStation 2 version was...
, formed in
Hamilton, OntarioHamilton is a port city in the Canadian province of Ontario. Conceived by George Hamilton when he purchased the Durand farm shortly after the War of 1812, Hamilton has become the centre of a densely populated and industrialized region at the west end of Lake Ontario known as the Golden Horseshoe...
. In 2006, they signed with
Dine Alone RecordsDine Alone Records is a Canadian independent Record Label founded by Joel Carriere. The Label specializes in a wide range of alternative rock. Dine Alone was until recently closely associated with Distort Entertainment's president Greg Below.-History:...
, the label for other Canadian acts such as
City and ColourCity and Colour is the recording alias for Juno Award-winning Canadian singer-songwriter Dallas Green, who was also the guitarist and vocalist of the post-hardcore band Alexisonfire. He plays melodic acoustic and folk music and is often accompanied by a rotating number of Canadian indie rock...
,
Attack In BlackAttack in Black was a Canadian indie rock band from Welland, Ontario. They first signed to Skate Ahead Records for their self-titled album debut in 2005. In spring 2006, they signed with Dine Alone Records...
,
AlexisonfireAlexisonfire was a five-piece, Juno-nominated post-hardcore band that formed in St. Catharines, Ontario, Canada in 2001. The band consisted of George Pettit , Dallas Green , Wade MacNeil , Chris Steele , and Jordan Hastings .They describe their music as "the sound of two Catholic high-school girls...
, and
Tokyo Police ClubTokyo Police Club is an indie rock band from Newmarket, Ontario, Canada. It consists of vocalist and bassist David Monks , keyboardist Graham Wright, guitarist Josh Hook , and drummer Greg Alsop ....
.
Band history
In late 2008, Arkells toured Canada as opening act for Matt Mays & El Torpedo. Later that year, on November 22, they performed the halftime show at the
Vanier CupThe Vanier Cup is the name of the championship of Canadian Interuniversity Sport football and the name of the trophy awarded to the victorious team. It is currently played between the winners of the Uteck Bowl and the Mitchell Bowl...
in their hometown. In early 2009 they toured with Waking Eyes across Canada. Arkells were featured on
Aux.tvAux is a Canadian English language Category B specialty channel and corresponding website owned and operated by Glassbox Television...
's Alt Sessions where they performed their full EP.
On October 22, 2009, Arkells won a favourite new artist
CASBY AwardThe CASBY Award is a Canadian award for independent and alternative music, presented annually by Toronto, Ontario radio station CFNY, currently branded as 102.1 The Edge. The name CASBY stands for Canadian Artists Selected By You....
(short for Canadian Artists Selected by You) from Toronto radio station
102.1 The EdgeCFNY-FM, promoted under the branding 102.1 The Edge, is a Canadian radio station, broadcasting at 102.1 FM. The station rose to prominence in the 1970s and 1980s due to its freestyle DJing format and unique choice to play alternative music...
at a ceremony and concert at
TorontoToronto is the provincial capital of Ontario and the largest city in Canada. It is located in Southern Ontario on the northwestern shore of Lake Ontario. A relatively modern city, Toronto's history dates back to the late-18th century, when its land was first purchased by the British monarchy from...
's Kool Haus. The band also performed at the event.
The band has continued raising their profile and experiencing success in 2010. On April 18, 2010, Arkells won the
Juno AwardThe Juno Awards of 2010 honoured music industry achievements in Canada for the latter part of 2008 and for most of 2009. These ceremonies were in St. John's, Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada during the weekend ending 18 April 2010...
for
New Group of the YearThe Juno Award for the New Group of the Year has been awarded since 1974, as recognition each year for the best new group or band in Canada. The award was originally known as Most Promising Group of the Year, and from 1994–2002 it was known as Best New Group.-Most Promising Group of the Year...
, and on May 15, 2010, were hand-picked to open for
Them Crooked VulturesThem Crooked Vultures is a rock supergroup formed in Los Angeles in 2009 by John Paul Jones , Dave Grohl , and Josh Homme . The group also includes guitarist Alain Johannes during live performances...
at the
Air Canada CentreThe Air Canada Centre is a multi-purpose indoor sporting arena located on Bay Street in Downtown Toronto, Ontario, Canada.The arena is popularly known as the ACC or the Hangar ....
in
TorontoToronto is the provincial capital of Ontario and the largest city in Canada. It is located in Southern Ontario on the northwestern shore of Lake Ontario. A relatively modern city, Toronto's history dates back to the late-18th century, when its land was first purchased by the British monarchy from...
.
On June 19, 2010, they played their "biggest headline set ever" at the
Burlington Sound of MusicThe Sound of Music Festival is held annually in Burlington, Ontario, Canada. It is held in mid-June and usually falls on Father's Day Weekend. The Sound of Music is a cross-genre festival that spreads along the city's lakefront Spencer Smith Park and into the downtown core. Attending the festival...
.
Over 12 000 were in attendance and the set included a cover of
The TemptationsThe Temptations is an American vocal group having achieved fame as one of the most successful acts to record for Motown Records. The group's repertoire has included, at various times during its five-decade career, R&B, doo-wop, funk, disco, soul, and adult contemporary music.Formed in Detroit,...
song
Ain't Too Proud to Beg"Ain't Too Proud to Beg" is a 1966 song and hit single by The Temptations for Motown Records' Gordy label, produced by Norman Whitfield and written by Whitfield and Edward Holland, Jr. The song peaked at number 13 on the Billboard Pop Chart, and was a number-one hit on the Billboard R&B charts for...
, and new songs "Whistleblower" and "On Paper" from their upcoming 2011 album. They also made headlines while playing a set at
Horseshoe TavernThe Horseshoe Tavern is a concert venue located at 370 Queen Street West in downtown Toronto, and has been in operation since 1947. Owned by "JC", Ken Sprackman, Craig Laskey and Naomi Montpetit, the venue is a significant part of Canadian musical lore...
in Toronto after the 2010 Much Music Video Awards, when rapper
ShadShadrach Kabango , credited as Shad or Shad K., is a Canadian hip hop artist.-Early life:Born in Kenya, of Rwandan parents, Shad was raised in London, Ontario. His mother worked in London as a hospital lab technician; his father, as a machinist...
and pop singer
KeshaKesha village is a small village nestled in the mountains of Yongshun County, northwestern Hunan province, China, located at latitude 29 05' 50", longitude 109 57' 9". The name is pronounced in Standard Chinese. The official language is Manderin Chinese....
joined them onstage to freestyle and sing along during a cover of
Ms. Jackson"Ms. Jackson" is a song by OutKast and the second single from their fourth album Stankonia. It topped the U.S. charts for the week of February 17, 2001, and won a 2002 Grammy Award for Best Rap Performance by a Duo or Group. It also reached number one in Germany and number two in the United...
by
OutkastOutkast is an American hip hop duo based in East Point, Georgia, consisting of Atlanta native André "André 3000" Benjamin and Savannah, Georgia-born Antwan "Big Boi" Patton. They were originally known as Two Shades Deep but later changed the group's name to OutKast...
.
In 2011 the band wrote and recorded their second album
Michigan LeftMichigan Left is the second full-length album by Arkells. It was announced on August 15, 2011 that the album would be released on October 18, 2011. The album cover and tracklist were also debuted on the band's website the same day. "Whistleblower", the first single, was premiered on July 30, 2011...
, which was released on October 18th of this year. The first single, "Whistleblower", was released to iTunes on July 5, 2011. The band also released a second song, "Kiss Cam", on July 12. "Whistleblower" will be released as a 7" single, and "Kiss Cam" will serve as the single's B-side. The album debuted at #2 on the iTunes Chart and #1 on the iTunes Rock Chart in Canada.
On 6 October 2011 it was announced that Dan Griffin would be temporarily leaving the band to go back to school but that he will be rejoining them on stage when he can. He is being replaced by Anthony Carone
Band members
- Max Kerman – vocals, guitar
The guitar is a plucked string instrument, usually played with fingers or a pick. The guitar consists of a body with a rigid neck to which the strings, generally six in number, are attached. Guitars are traditionally constructed of various woods and strung with animal gut or, more recently, with...
- Mike DeAngelis – vocals, guitar
The guitar is a plucked string instrument, usually played with fingers or a pick. The guitar consists of a body with a rigid neck to which the strings, generally six in number, are attached. Guitars are traditionally constructed of various woods and strung with animal gut or, more recently, with...
- Dan Griffin/Anthony Carone – vocals, keyboard
A keyboard instrument is a musical instrument which is played using a musical keyboard. The most common of these is the piano. Other widely used keyboard instruments include organs of various types as well as other mechanical, electromechanical and electronic instruments...
, guitarThe guitar is a plucked string instrument, usually played with fingers or a pick. The guitar consists of a body with a rigid neck to which the strings, generally six in number, are attached. Guitars are traditionally constructed of various woods and strung with animal gut or, more recently, with...
- Nick Dika – bass
The bass guitar is a stringed instrument played primarily with the fingers or thumb , or by using a pick....
- Tim Oxford – drums
A drum kit is a collection of drums, cymbals and often other percussion instruments, such as cowbells, wood blocks, triangles, chimes, or tambourines, arranged for convenient playing by a single person ....
, percussion
Albums
| Release Date |
Title |
Label |
| 2007 |
Deadlines - EPAn EP is a musical recording which contains more music than a single, but is too short to qualify as a full album or LP. The term EP originally referred only to specific types of vinyl records other than 78 rpm standard play records and LP records, but it is now applied to mid-length Compact...
|
Self-release |
| 2008 |
Deadlines - EPAn EP is a musical recording which contains more music than a single, but is too short to qualify as a full album or LP. The term EP originally referred only to specific types of vinyl records other than 78 rpm standard play records and LP records, but it is now applied to mid-length Compact...
(Digital Re-issue) |
Dine Alone RecordsDine Alone Records is a Canadian independent Record Label founded by Joel Carriere. The Label specializes in a wide range of alternative rock. Dine Alone was until recently closely associated with Distort Entertainment's president Greg Below.-History:...
|
| October 28, 2008 |
Jackson Square Jackson Square is the first full-length album by Arkells. It is their first non-digital release with Dine Alone Records. The album contains updated versions of the 5 songs found on the Deadlines EP along with 7 additional songs. The album is named after Lloyd D. Jackson Square, a shopping mall in...
|
Dine Alone RecordsDine Alone Records is a Canadian independent Record Label founded by Joel Carriere. The Label specializes in a wide range of alternative rock. Dine Alone was until recently closely associated with Distort Entertainment's president Greg Below.-History:...
|
| October 18, 2011 |
Michigan Left Michigan Left is the second full-length album by Arkells. It was announced on August 15, 2011 that the album would be released on October 18, 2011. The album cover and tracklist were also debuted on the band's website the same day. "Whistleblower", the first single, was premiered on July 30, 2011...
|
Universal Music Canada |
Singles
| Year |
Song |
Chart
Positions |
Album |
CAN
AltThe Canadian rock/alternative chart was first published on June 11, 1995 by RPM magazine under the name Alternative 30. The song which held the number-one spot on this first chart was "More Human than Human" by White Zombie...
|
CAN
RockThe Canadian rock/alternative chart was first published on June 11, 1995 by RPM magazine under the name Alternative 30. The song which held the number-one spot on this first chart was "More Human than Human" by White Zombie...
|
| 2008 |
"Oh, the Boss is Coming!" |
4 |
10 |
Jackson Square |
| 2009 |
"Ballad of Hugo Chavez" |
12 |
16 |
| "Pullin' Punches" |
14 |
24 |
| 2010 |
"John Lennon" |
42 |
31 |
| 2011 |
"Whistleblower" |
5 |
5 |
Michigan Left |
| "Kiss Cam" |
- |
- |
External links