ATHABASCA — Mention the band name Arrogant Worms to Canadians, and you might hear a range of responses, including, ‘who?’ and ‘Oh my god, the Arrogant Worms!”
But even those unfamiliar with the name will undoubtedly tap their feet and belt out lyrics stored in deep their subconscious when the East Coast shanty-inspired tune of "The Last Saskatchewan Pirate" plays on the radio, in the bar, or at the rink.
And this March, the three worms, who call themselves “the mildest form of famous,” will be comin’ down the plains with a heave-ho and even a hi-ho to swashbuckle Athabascans with tunes of new and old, and commander chuckles, chortles and cackles along the way.
Trevor Strong, Mike McCormick, and Chris Patterson have written, produced, and performed parody and satirical songs under the flag Arrogant Worms for nearly 34 years. And on March 7, the proudly Canuck trio released their newest album, dubbed Canadian Famous.
“We haven’t put out an album in about eight years, so we finally got it together,” said Trevor Strong, singer, merch counter, and avid banana bread maker according to his bio on the bands website.
“All of our albums have some Canadian content on it, but we decided to make this one super Canadian,” added Strong. “We were ahead of the curve because we recorded this in August, and doing Canadian stuff’s in again.”
And although the album contains more satirical ponderings on the popularity of pineapple on pizza and the size of purses sitting next to hockey moms on the bleachers than political commentary, Strong said the resurgence of national pride and all things True North strong and free is a plus.
“The circumstances aren’t great for why it’s coming around again, but I think it’s good to remember that Canada, we have our own thing,” said Strong. “It’s good to get that out there and have songs about things that are purely Canadian.”
The Worms will be returning on March 14 to plunder the Nancy Appleby Theatre for a second time, and although they likely won’t be arriving by ship on the Athabasca River, Strong said the band is of course coming armed with their classic hits, as well as tunes from the new album.
Strong, who wrote the opening track for Canadian Famous, entitled “Great Canadian Folk Song,” credited his satirical songwriting skills to innocuous inspirations outside the typical realm for musicians, like The Muppets and Monty Python.
With an active fan base on social media and super supporters of their music on bandcamp.com, the Arrogant Worms still regularly write songs, releasing a new tune each month for their Patreon proponents.
And while Strong said finding subject matter they haven’t covered before is getting difficult after more than three decades in the business, new ideas can often come from a fresh perspective.
“I wrote a song called “We are the Beaver” many, many, many years ago and on this album, I have one called “Canada Goose,” said Strong. “When I started writing the goose one, I was like ‘oh I could never, I’ve already done the beaver. But you know what? I haven’t done the goose yet so this counts as a new song.”
Despite the long-standing legacy of many Arrogant Worms songs, like “Carrot Juice is Murder,” “The Happy Happy Birthday Song,” and “Me Like Hockey,” Strong said the Worms lead relatively normal lives off-stage, and even went so far as to embody the concept of fame north of the border in the title track of their newest release.
“See that guy over there? He’s straight up fire/ He came in fourth at the ’98 Briar/ He’ll never pay for a beer in Sault Ste. Marie/ But he’s got a second job to make ends meet.”
Strong said the Arrogant Worm’s level of Canadian famous — being unrecognizable at the local Giant Tiger while their lyrics, in the original or a cover, remain a staple in many hearts and minds — is the perfect level of notoriety for the trio of prairie pirates hailing from Ontario.
“That’s kind of amazing to have a song that goes off and does its own life, that’s great,” said Strong. “Anytime you’re lucky enough to make something and then have that thing go off and have its own adventures, that’s always fun.”
Advance tickets for the March 14 Heartwood Live Spring Series show can be purchased at Value Drug Mart, Athabasca Health Foods, and Whispering Hills Fuel for $30, and door tickets will be available for $35. Tickets can also be purchased online through Eventbrite, additional fees may apply.
