2 weeks Ago By Ben Sigurdson
Every day before getting to work, Max Kerman sits down with a cup of coffee and a physical newspaper, goes for a morning “thinking walk” and then dives into the tasks at hand. Read this article for free: Already have an account? To continue reading, please subscribe: * To continue reading, please subscribe: *$1 will be added to your next bill. After your 4 weeks access is complete your rate will increase by $0.
00 a X percent off the regular rate. Every day before getting to work, Max Kerman sits down with a cup of coffee and a physical newspaper, goes for a morning “thinking walk” and then dives into the tasks at hand. Read unlimited articles for free today: Already have an account? Every day before getting to work, Max Kerman sits down with a cup of coffee and a physical newspaper, goes for a morning “thinking walk” and then dives into the tasks at hand.
Kerman’s job doesn’t involve a cubicle, punching a time card or working on a factory floor, but it’s work all the same: managing the business and creative components of a multi-platinum rock band. For the better part of two decades, the 38-year-old Kerman has fronted Arkells, a road warrior Hamilton quintet that has risen from playing small clubs to belting out hits such as , and in arenas thanks to a bit of luck and a whole lot of hard work from the charismatic singer and his bandmates. Nathan Nash photo Max Kerman, lead singer of The Arkells.
In his new (and first) book , published by Viking on April 22, Kerman chronicles the band’s trajectory, his creative process and some of the highlights of his work with Arkells. Kerman launches in Winnipeg tonight at McNally Robinson Booksellers’ Grant Park at 6 p.m.
, signing copies of the book. Arkells manager Ash Poitevin was pivotal in getting Kerman to write the book, which he hopes answers questions he hears frequently from fans. “The book is meant to be a conversation that I’ve had many times with people wondering what I do all day,” Kerman says from his Toronto home prior to the book tour.
“That’s what I hope people feel like when they’re reading — like, ‘Oh, this is just an opportunity to ask a guy in a band questions about how things get done.’” For Kerman, explaining his creative process and the business of the band proved easier than parsing out the themes of a song or album. “I think in music culture and music writing, there’s this tendency to want to look at the narrative around a record, but sometimes I find that harder to talk about — you just want the music to speak for itself.
This kind of book, which is about process, it’s very easy to talk about because it’s really just a matter of pulling back the curtain and talking about exactly what you do,” he says. Over four months, Kerman managed to write his book between his work with Arkells — which, in addition to the songwriting, involves quarterbacking the band’s social media and other day-to-day tasks. “I really enjoyed the process of writing.
I didn’t know if I would. I went in with some hesitation — like, let’s see if I like the first 1,500 words. If it felt like a real chore, I probably would have stopped.
But then I fell into this routine that I fell in love with. You’re trying to do the thing that you do in any creative pursuit: what feels honest, what feels true, what feels like the best version of myself?” he says. Inspiration for came to Kerman through the work of other artists who have written about the process — including David Byrne in and Rick Rubin in — as well as long-form writing in magazines such as the , which he’s read since he was a kid.
But if his book has one kindred spirit, it’s perhaps prolific horror writer Stephen King’s how-to, . “I think we have this tendency to make the arts into this mystical thing, when really it’s just sometimes about getting into 2,000 words in a day and then doing that the next day and the next day — and if you do that for a few months, you have a book. (King) talks about it in this very matter-of-fact, everyday worker kind of way, which I really identify with,” Kerman says.
Once the ball is rolling, says Kerman in , the key is to keep it going. “One of the underlying themes is how important this creative momentum is, and finding ways to keep that momentum up. And I don’t mean just like going a mile a minute — I mean feeling good about the work,” he explains.
“If you feel good about the work and the people you’re working with, and there’s that sort of beautiful, generous give and take, you just do more because you don’t even realize you’re working. The second you start thinking, ‘Do I want to call this guy? Maybe I’ll put it off till tomorrow,’ that’s when things begin to grind to a halt.” Kerman still finds great joy in working with his bandmates on all things Arkells, in part because each has been able to focus on the parts of being in a band that they enjoy.
“Nothing about what I do is inherently enjoyable — there’s lots of people in bands that hate it, lots of people who hate the idea of marketing, who hate dealing with the money. Nothing about a creative life is promised to be fun — but I really am trying to make it fun,” he says. Kerman hopes readers can find some sort of creative spark in , whether or not they have aspirations of fronting a band.
Nathan Denette / The Canadian Press The Arkells perform during the Juno Awards in Toronto in 2022. During Elections Get campaign news, insight, analysis and commentary delivered to your inbox during Canada's 2025 election. “Even if they don’t see themselves in me, they might see themselves in somebody in my orbit who’s very, incredibly valuable.
They might see themselves as a guitarist, they might see themselves as a business manager,” he says. And while it’s his name on the book, Kerman says , like being in Arkells, was very much a team effort. “Sometimes I wonder if people look at me and go, ‘Oh, there’s like, a lot of energy there’ or ‘This guy’s too bold’ or something,” he says, laughing.
“But there are so many other people I rely on that happen to be interested in another part of the operation, which I could never do. Everything I do is a group effort.” ben.
[email protected] Ben Sigurdson is the ‘s literary editor and drinks writer.
He graduated with a master of arts degree in English from the University of Manitoba in 2005, the same year he began writing Uncorked, the weekly drinks column. He joined the full time in 2013 as a copy editor before being appointed literary editor in 2014. .
In addition to providing opinions and analysis on wine and drinks, Ben oversees a team of freelance book reviewers and produces content for the arts and life section, all of which is reviewed by the ’s editing team before being posted online or published in print. It’s part of the ‘s tradition, since 1872, of producing reliable independent journalism. Read more about , and .
Our newsroom depends on a growing audience of readers to power our journalism. If you are not a paid reader, please consider . Our newsroom depends on its audience of readers to power our journalism.
Thank you for your support. Max Kerman Signing copies of Tonight, 6 p.m.
McNally Robinson Booksellers, Grant Park (1120 Grant Ave.) Free Ben Sigurdson is the ‘s literary editor and drinks writer. He graduated with a master of arts degree in English from the University of Manitoba in 2005, the same year he began writing Uncorked, the weekly drinks column.
He joined the full time in 2013 as a copy editor before being appointed literary editor in 2014. . In addition to providing opinions and analysis on wine and drinks, Ben oversees a team of freelance book reviewers and produces content for the arts and life section, all of which is reviewed by the ’s editing team before being posted online or published in print.
It’s part of the ‘s tradition, since 1872, of producing reliable independent journalism. Read more about , and . Our newsroom depends on a growing audience of readers to power our journalism.
If you are not a paid reader, please consider . Our newsroom depends on its audience of readers to power our journalism. Thank you for your support.
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