Hamilton Spectator reporter Andrew Baulcomb is on the road with Hamilton's Juno Award-winning band Arkells on a week's worth of tour dates in the U.S. The band opened its tour in Buffalo at the Town Ballroom thisweekend.
Breakfast is being served in Hagerstown, Maryland, and Arkells have been asleep for just over six hours.
After wrapping up a sold out show in Washington, DC last night, the band set out for the next available hotel around midnight—roughly 120 kilometres away.
With winding country roads, a broken GPS and no map in sight, the trip took a little longer than expected.
By 3 a.m., the Holiday Inn Express in Hagerstown seemed like the most appealing destination in North America.
Freewheeling your daily schedule can be exciting at times, but booking rooms on less than a day’s notice can often lead to this kind of predicament.
“We’ve definitely spent a few nights in the van over the years, or simply chosen to drive through the night,” said drummer Tim Oxford.
When the band played the South by Southwest festival in Austin, Texas last year, Oxford decided to drive to their next show in New York City in one full shot—a distance of roughly 2,800 kilometres.
“We pulled into a small town for about four hours of rest, but that was it,” said Oxford. “Nick (Dika, bass) kept asking me all of these mundane questions, just to make sure I didn’t fall asleep at the wheel.”
Despite a somewhat rocky end to the evening, last night’s show in Washington was a resounding success.
Arkells have only one unwritten rule on the road—never discuss ticket sales before a gig.
“We never want to know if a show is sold out, because it can throw your entire mood off,” said lead singer Max Kerman.
Last night’s show was indeed a sellout, with many fans lining up in advance to see tour headliners Tokyo Police Club.
The Arkells set out - Day 1
The Arkells: Pushing on to Washington - Day 2
Kerman knew about it, and so did the rest of the band, so nerves were already a little high backstage. Moments later, disaster almost struck.
Sound technician: “Guys, you’re on in 15 minutes.”
Arkells: “Wait a minute, where’s Tim?”
The band’s set time had been pushed forward, and Tim was still out for dinner with a local friend.
Several frantic phone calls later, the Arkells’ drummer rushed back to the Black Cat with only a few minutes to spare.
Climbing the concrete maze of stairs from their tiny dressing room, keyboardist Dan Griffin paused to share a few words of wisdom before walking onstage.
“It doesn’t matter how many people are out there, or who they’re here to see. We just need to win them over. Let’s do it.”With only 30 minutes to make a lasting impression on fans at the Black Cat, Griffin and his bandmates were at their absolute finest—commanding the stage like seasoned pros, and tearing through their set with sheer ferocity.
It wasn’t a perfect gig from top to bottom, but the band accomplished exactly what they wanted to—winning over new fans in a brand new city.
Next stop, Columbus, Ohio.
