Prominent Sask. musician John Kerns returns to Regina on Friday at The Exchange alongside legendary Canadian punk-rockers, The Black Halos.
Published Sep 20, 2023 • Last updated 2 hours ago • 5 minute read
The Black Halos (L-R): Rich Jones, Jay Millette, Danni Action, John Kerns and Billy Hopeless. Supplied photo. Photo by Michael Amaral
Veteran bassist John Kerns was a big fan of The Black Halos for over 20 years before he helped launch their comeback in 2019-20.
Kerns originally became an admirer of the Canadian punk-rock pioneers during his time with The Age of Electric, a prominent Regina-based rock band that was active from 1989 to 1998. The groups crossed paths on several occasions over the years and eventually became friends.
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Although Kerns doesn’t specifically remember the first time he saw The Black Halos, he does have a vivid recollection of his favourite performance by the band. It was at the 2001 Snow Jam Festival in Halifax, where Kerns was representing a group called Static in Stereo (alongside his brothers Todd and Ryan).
“This was right after 9-11,” Kerns recalled during a phone interview from Toronto. “I remember because all these bands that were supposed to be headlining did not show up because they didn’t want to fly. We were already out east and we got bumped up (in the lineup). We were almost headlining.”
Not only was it a great opportunity, it also set the stage for a memorable encounter with The Black Halos.
Kerns remembers pulling up to the venue, climbing out of the van and spotting Halos guitarist Rich Jones, who was three sheets to the wind.
“I said, ‘Hey buddy, what’s up?’ And he goes, ‘I’ve puked three times!’” Kerns recalled with a laugh. “They were soooo drunk. (Lead singer) Billy (Hopeless) could barely tie his shoes. I was like, ‘Oh God, this is going to be a disaster’ (but) it was the greatest show they ever played. It blew my mind. I remember (talking to) Rich a month later when I ran into him again. I said, ‘Man, you guys were awesome that night’ and he goes, ‘Dude, I only remember half of it; all I remember is that we sold more merch that night than we ever sold in our lives.’
“That’s one of my favourite memories of The Black Halos.”
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The band certainly made an impression on Kerns, who’s part of their latest reincarnation. He and Danni Action were recruited about four years ago when original members Jones, Hopeless and Jay Millette got back together after an extended hiatus.
“I think we missed each other,” chuckled Hopeless, who co-founded the band in 1993. “It’s kind of like the end of Seinfeld; no one else could handle us. We put the fun in disfunction for sure. No one else could handle travelling and being in a band that long with us. I think you’d go insane.”
Fortunately, Kerns is up to the challenge.
“They’ve been our buddies for a long time,” he said. “It’s funny because we were all Vancouver guys, although none of us were from Vancouver. But that’s where we were when this (music) scene was happening. Rich and I both happened to move to Toronto at about the same time. I realized I didn’t really have a lot of friends here. Rich was like, ‘I don’t either’ so we started hanging around a lot. We were always friends but then we became good friends. It just came to be that Rich and Billy decided to put the Black Halos back together and Rich asked me, ‘Would you be interested?’ I said, ‘Absolutely! I’m a massive Black Halos fan so I’d love to be involved.’”
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Hopeless was on board too, referring to Kerns as a “wish-list” coup for the band.
“I think he’s one of the best bass players in Canada,” said Hopeless. “He’s great. There’s something about Prairie people. I’ve always said it: Solid people, built strong, and a lot of fun too.”
Hopeless, who has family ties to Swift Current, is the only member of The Black Halos still residing in Vancouver while the rest are in Toronto. They’re eager to hit the road this week for a brief Western Canadian tour that begins in Edmonton before stopping in Regina on Friday night at The Exchange.
It’s a homecoming for Kerns, who was born in Manitoba but spent his teenage years in Lanigan before hitting the road.
“When people ask me where I’m from, I always say Saskatchewan,” he noted. “I’ll have some friends (at Friday’s show) for sure and I’ll definitely have some relatives that will make it out.”
Momentum is building for The Black Halos, who released a new album last year (How the Darkness Doubled). There’s more music potentially on the way, but they’re not committing to a full-time comeback.
“It’s just kind of here and there,” said Kerns. “When opportunities present themselves, we go. But it’s not like we’re trying to conquer the world or anything. We’re not in our 20s anymore. We’re in our 40s and 50s. We’re at that age where it’s kind of like, ‘Let’s have fun.’ That’s what we’re doing.”
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The Black Halos (L-R): John Kerns, Jay Millette, Billy Hopeless, Danni Action and Rich Jones. Supplied photo. Photo by Michael Amaral
Although Kerns is busy with a full-time construction gig in Toronto, music remains a passion. He does some session work on the side in addition to his duties with the Halos.
“When it’s not fun is the day I stop,” he said. “I did stop for a while (about 10 years ago) because it wasn’t fun. I did it for a long time and then you realize you’re playing in bands you don’t like and playing with people you don’t like. It was just kind of like, ‘Yeah, I’m not really into this anymore.’ I was just done with the hustle.”
Then an opportunity with some olds pals changed his tune.
“We really are friends,” he said of the Halos. “So many bands are just a bunch of guys put together but we’re actually buddies and I like hanging out with these guys. I love playing with Black Halos until they tell me to stop playing.”
Kerns is also on good terms with his former cohorts from The Age of Electric. The Juno-winning band had a brief reunion in 2016-17 featuring John and Todd Kerns with the Dahle brothers, Ryan and Kurt, from Regina.
“I grew up with those guys,” Kerns said. “We were friends long before we were a band. I remember going to an Iron Maiden concert with Ryan Dahle in 1986 (at the former Agridome in Regina). We actually got front row. I used to hang out all the time with the Dahle brothers.”
That relationship eventually evolved into The Age of Electric.
“It was fun as hell,” he said. “We had a good run. It’s the same old, same old — egos, and money of course. That’s what usually breaks up most bands. We broke up at the worst time, right when we were the most popular, but that’s how it goes.
“Something could happen (in the future). We’re all still buddies so you never know.”
THE BLACK HALOS
(With The Real Sickies)
Fri., Sept 22, 8 p.m.
The Exchange
Tickets at theexchangelive.ca
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