Arkells' Max Kerman plays troubadour for wedding proposal

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Arkells frontman Max Kerman helped an Ottawa man concoct an unforgettable wedding proposal when he pretended to be a busker on the streets of the nation's capital earlier this month.

Ottawa man Chris Murray first reached out to Kerman through mutual friends back in May, as he and his now fiance Jennifer Katsuno have a special attachment to the band.

"I just swung for the fences," Murray told CBC News. "I thought I'd just try for the most over the top thing ever."

With help from good friends David Seal and Mike Mcleod to shoot a video, Murray and Kerman staged the proposal before the band's set at Ottawa Bluesfest on July 12. You can watch that video at the top of this page. (PS: she said yes).

Kerman played 11:11 from the band's Juno-winning album High Noon, which the couple played on "permanent repeat" during a trip to the east coast. The song mirrors how the two met, locking eyes across a bar, Murray said.

"That song just became a narrative for us," he said.

To take things up a notch, the band also brought them onstage during their set to announce the couple's engagement:

Now the only thing Murray has to worry about is topping this stunt at wedding anniversaries.

"I don't know if I'll ever be able to do that," he laughed.

"I'll just put on the video and say, 'Hey, remember when?'"

adam.carter@cbc.ca | @AdamCarterCBC