When Max Kerman ‘08 turned a simple soundcheck into a jam session with two McMaster students, the frontman of the rock-n-roll band Arkells was following his own advice: Be open to new experiences, look for inroads to creative pursuits and approach everything with a sense of fun.
The Juno Award-winning musician and McMaster graduate was back on campus this week for the inaugural Wilson Commentaries annual public event, where the civic advocate shared insights from his book, Try Hard: Creative Work in Progress.
At the soundcheck ahead of the conversation, Kerman spotted a piano tucked to the side of the stage. He’d already chatted about music with Grace Reid and Julia Edwards, the student co-hosts for the evening, and knew they loved to sing. With Kerman at the piano and Reid and Edwards harmonizing, the music of Adele, Taylor Swift, and Lady Gaga soon filled the air of the Concert Hall in L.R. Wilson Hall.
“Being able to sing with him was mind-blowing. We were so happy,” said Reid, who along with Edwards, is part of the inaugural cohort of the Wilson College of Leadership and Civic Engagement.
Students Grace Reid and Julia Edwards got to sing with Kerman before serving as co-hosts for the Wilson Commentaries Annual Public Lecture. (Georgia Kirkos, McMaster University)
In a discussion moderated by Social Sciences professor Mat Savelli, a personal friend of Kerman’s, the musician shared lessons on approaching life with curiosity and the role of teamwork in creative pursuits, leadership and social responsibility.
“I think the people that move me the most are the people who are engaged with their community,” said Kerman in sharing how many Arkells songs speak about social and economic struggles.
Mac grad and Arkells frontman Max Kerman and McMaster professor Mat Savelli on stage in L.R. Wilson Hall during the inaugural Wilson Commentaries event. (Georgia Kirkos, McMaster University)
Hosted by Wilson College the annual public event is part of Chancellor Emeritus Lynton “Red” Wilson’s vision to lead the public conversation.
McMaster University launched the College following a transformative $50-million gift from Wilson and the Wilson Foundation in 2022.
From the stage, Kerman also shared fond memories of his time at McMaster — from meeting bandmates Michael DeAngelis and Nick Dika at Welcome Week, to playing their first gig on campus and living in student housing on Arkell Street in Westdale.
“There is a sense of joy and wonder around McMaster. When you are walking around campus and Westdale you feel it,” said Kerman.
“It’s important to retain as much joy and optimism as possible and to share it with others who might not have had the opportunity to be somewhere like McMaster,” he said to the students in the crowd.
“Having Max, an artist who has been involved in many different creative endeavours — music, writing, philanthropy, civic engagement — share the diverse ways we can all contribute to community building was inspiring,” said Pamela Swett, dean of the Faculty of Humanities.
“Thanks to Red Wilson’s visionary leadership, events like these will show our students that their paths to leadership can be truly their own.”
Photo caption: Kerman signs copies of his book ‘Try Hard: Creative Work in Progress’ for McMaster community members following the inaugural Wilson Commentaries Annual Public Lecture. (Georgia Kirkos, McMaster University)
Students Reid and Edwards say Kerman’s recollections of building a strong community at McMaster resonated with them. They describe a tight-knit community among their peers in the program, strengthened by the cohort’s shared passion for community engagement.
The duo’s also taking Kerman’s advice on creativity to heart: Whatever you do, do it over and over with enthusiasm and determined curiosity.
“I’ve always been involved in the arts, but recently I haven’t really been super involved,” says Edwards. “But now, knowing Grace, we’re going to both do choir next year, and we’re going to start having some jam seshes for sure.”