Indie pop-rockers take break from civics and unwind at campus pub

Having released but a single studio album, students arrived in droves to witness a free concert featuring Manotick, Ontario’s Hollerado on Nov. 24 at the Brass Taps. Amassing a line that spanned the length of the University Centre Courtyard, some students waited up to an hour to gain access to the campus pub and catch the indie pop-rockers charmers headline a show that also featured opener Molly Rankin’s blend of surf and folk.

The band, currently embarking on its “Meet the Mayor” tour, has been travelling from city to city, visiting mayors along the way. Accepting email submissions of questions fans have for their respective mayors, the group has been documenting its encounters via popular blogging platform Tumblr. Despite the group’s efforts, it doesn’t seem the band was able to arrange a meeting with Mayor of Guelph Karen Farbridge, but on the tour the group has been able to ask mayors questions about topics like marijuana use and for their position on an ongoing survey: “Mayor Quimby or Mayor West?” (according to the Tumblr, Thunder Bay’s Mayor Keith Hobbs has been the only person to understand what the group has been asking so far. He answered Mayor West, also referring to Peter Griffin as “the guy with the balls on his chin”).

Although they only have one studio album-worth of material to work with, the group’s managed to get three years of touring out of a demo series that led up to its 2010 release Record in a Bag. The seemingly endless rounds of touring, as well as some creative, choreography-heavy music videos that have been released along the way over those three years, it’s allowed them to share festival stages with artists like Andrew W.K., The Stills, Malajube, and Jack White’s The Dead Weather.

While the crowd at the Brass Taps seemed to have a great time singing along to singles like “Juliette,” “Americanarama,” and “Got to Lose,” as well as a cover of Queen’s “Fat Bottomed Girls,” it became apparent that perhaps the group is growing tired of the songs it’s been touring for so long. Between “Got to Lose,” and “Americanarama,” guitarist/lead vocalist Menno Versteeg announced that the group would soon be taking a three-week break from touring in order to write a new album.

For updates and more information about the “Meet the Mayor” tour, visit www.holleradomeetsthemayor.tumblr.com.

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