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Hollerado in Concert
Formed in 2007 in the Ottawa suburb of Manotick, Hollerado presented itself as a proudly no-frills, good-time rock ‘n' roll band powered by crunchy riffs, instantly familiar sing-along hooks, and an infectiously playful spirit. But this old-school band has found success through some tech-savvy 21st century strategies.
Their 2009 debut album, Record in a Bag, was first released as a free download on their website, generating word-of-mouth buzz that eventually landed its lead single, "Juliette," in heavy rotation on rock-radio stations across Canada. (The album was also the de facto first release on Royal Mountain Records, the label founded by Hollerado's Menno Versteeg.)
They reached an even wider audience thanks to their brilliant DIY video for "Americanarama," which featured the band performing in front of a four-story, grid-like structure populated by placard-wielding people who create an ever-changing backdrop, like a Tetris board come to life. (The viral clip proved to be an early example of how YouTube could help accelerate a fledgling band's ascent.)
All the while, Hollerado earned a reputation as road warriors, embarking on international tours, extended residencies in select cities, and a 20-city Canadian trek they dubbed the "Meet the Mayors Tour" (for which they invited each city's mayor to sit down for a live pre-show Q&A — and most of them actually said yes).
After picking up a nomination for Best New Group at the 2011 Juno Awards, Hollerado kept up the momentum with 2013's White Paint (featuring the soaring pop-punk single "So It Goes") before hunkering down for two years to complete the most ambitious project of their career. To entice online pre-orders for White Paint, Hollerado offered to produce a customized song for each purchaser and, after cutting off the promotion once orders hit the triple digits, they followed through on the promise by issuing 111 Songs, with each track dedicated to an individual fan.
In 2017, Hollerado resurfaced with Born Yesterday, whose new-wave-buzzed title track became their highest-charting single to date at Canadian rock radio. And yet, despite Hollerado's relentless work ethic, Versteeg has found the time to nurture his Royal Mountain label into one of Canada's premier imprints, with a roster that includes such indie A-listers as Mac DeMarco, Alvvays, PUP, and Stranger Things star Finn Wolfhard's band Calpurnia.