By Leah Collins, Dose.ca Max Kerman of the Arkells has a funny story about what happened to the band at the 2009 Juno FanFare. Or wait, was that one actually about Matt Mays and El Torpedo... This time last year, Max Kerman of the Arkells was at the Junos in Vancouver. “We didn’t take part in the [televised] event, though. I think that was reserved for people who were nominated,” the rock frontman laughs. Sure, the band’s debut LP, Jackson Square, had been on shelves a few months by that time the Hamilton-based working-man’s rockers found themselves out west on a working vacation. “We were kind of a last minute replacement for Matt Mays, who couldn’t make it,” Kerman explains. So, they got a trip to Vancouver, played a few Juno-related shows, and one other thing… “Are you looking for a funny story?” Kerman begins. Who isn’t? “Well, we were backstage at Juno FanFare,” Kerman says, setting the stage at that annual Juno Week event that lets locals come out to meet their favourite Can-Con acts, so long as they can withstand the high-decibel level squealing. “And Devon from MuchMusic was introducing all the different artists who were going to be signing autographs.” Sam Roberts, The Stills, Crystal Shawanda, The Trews and more all got their due, while The Arkells waited to bring up the rear. “After the Trews were done, he was like ‘Alright folks, that’s it for all the artists, go and get your autographs!’ And then a stagehand was like ‘No! Devon! There’s one more band. The Arkells are here for Matt Mays. You’ve got to introduce them.’ By this time, Kerman says the crowd of kids was already jostling to get their CDs, posters, chests and whatever else signed – but were corralled back to the stage just in time for The Arkells’ big debut. “And he’s like, ‘Last but not least, we have one more band…It’s Matt Mays and El Torpedo!” Kerman laughs it all off over the phone, same as he says he did at the time. “We never expected anyone to come out and ask for autographs to begin with,” he says, though he says the band did sign a few vinyl copies of Jackson Square that day. “The fact that we were introduced like that made the event that much more strange.” What a difference a year – and constant touring -- makes. The Arkells will return to FanFare this year, but this time they’re up for two Junos. The band has a nod for best new group and John Drew, who helmed the band’s Jackson Square, is up for recording engineer of the year for his work on album tracks “Oh! The Boss is Coming” and “Pullin’ Punches.” “The day nominations came out – it was never on our radar,” says Kerman, adding he finds the honour “flattering.” “You know, there are so many other things we make priorities as a band: writing new songs, practicing, all those things that are part of being a full-time band … and then you get these sort of opportunities, and it’s a real thrill to go out and do these things that people wouldn’t usually get to do,” he says. People usually don’t get the chance to fly out to St. John’s, Nfld. for the Junos. They also don’t typically open for supergroup Them Crooked Vultures at Toronto’s ACC, as The Arkells are scheduled to May 15 – or win CASBY awards, or headline cross-country tours or even star in one of those Ontario tourism “There’s No Place Like This” ads. But Kerman’s able to keep things in perspective. It helps that his usual nine-to-five is pretty much the same as any other recent college grad. “Yeah, actually I’m at work right now,” Kerman says from a law library somewhere in Hamilton. “I just push papers,” he says, nevertheless describing his work as “probably the best job I ever had.” (We should have asked whether his supervisor happened to walk by just then…) “It doesn’t feel like work, the Arkells stuff, which is really one of the best things about being in a band, and we were saying the other day, it’s kind of nice to be able to go back to something and have a second job. It keeps everything sort of fresh,” he says – not that he would turn down the opportunity to support himself through music -- to “make our parents proud and not have to ask them for money all the time,” he jokes. But again, Kerman says pulling double-duty is a perk, not a problem. “I don’t view it as a grind,” he says, pointing out that all the members of the band try to keep outside interests: “Nick [Dika, bass] runs a baseball blog, Mike [DeAngelis, guitar] is great with design and photography and Tim [Oxford, drums] is an audio engineer, he records bands.” Keyboard player Dan Griffin has recently been busy working on a solo album, which he’s recording with Howie Beck. “I think it’s really important to keep a fresh perspective on things,” Kerman says. “Having other endeavours is good for everybody.” It might even prove to be inspiring. In past interviews,