"Hollerado"
"Hollerado"
Hollerado was formed when the four members met at the Ottawa school Ashbury College. Hollerado have recorded and periodically lived in Montreal where they gained attention as one of Montreal's "top up-and-coming bands". The line-up includes lead singer and guitarist Menno Versteeg, lead guitarist Nixon Boyd, bassist Dean Baxter, and drummer Jake Boyd. Since its inception in April 2007 the band has shared the stage with hard-rocker Andrew W.K. and Montreal's The Stills and Malajube, and was hand-picked by Jack White to open for his newest group, The Dead Weather. The band has also played festivals such as SXSW, Pop Montreal, and Sled Island in Calgary.
In April and May 2009, the band accompanied The Stills and other Canadian indie rock delegates to the TransmitCHINA conference, an event established to promote cultural and musical exchange between the Asian and Canadian music markets. Hollerado played the conference showcase in Beijing to kick off its two-week tour of China.
In the later half of 2009, Hollerado participated in the Big Money Shot Competition hosted by Ottawa radio station Live 88.5. After winning the round 2 finals at the end of August, they competed in the final stage on November 27, 2009 against numerous local Ottawa bands. Hollerado was named winner of the Big Money Shot, winning $250,000. After winning this competition, Hollerado embarked the next day for a second tour of China which lasted for almost a month.
In 2009, Hollerado self-released its debut album Record in a Bag as a free digital download. Originally from the band's Demo in a Bag 5. EP, In February 2010, music label Arts & Crafts re-released Record in a Bag. the album's lead single "Americanarama" drew press for its music video starring The Kids in the Hall comedian Dave Foley in a parody of American Apparel founder and CEO Dov Charney. The album has been favourably compared to the music of Supergrass, Stephen Malkmus, and Weezer. In 2010, Hollerado toured with Free Energy throughout the United States and Canada, as headliner in their home country and as support act in the US. Many of these concerts featured both bands on stage aiding each other in backup vocals on their own songs, and covers of Bruce Springsteen and Neil Young.