Just when Menno Versteeg thought he was out, fate pulled him back in.
Since Hollerado split in 2019, Versteeg has kept busy with projects both solo (Mav Karlo, his upcoming debut under his own name titled Why We Run) and collaborative (CanRock supergroup Anyway Gang). That's all on top of helping to run Royal Mountain Records and the coffee shop/record store located under the label's office in Toronto's Junction neighbourhood.
Then Tokyo Police Club made Hollerado an offer they couldn't refuse.
"There have been a couple of paycheque offers that were like, 'Oh, that's a lot.' But it just didn't feel right," says Versteeg. "Tokyo Police Club played our last show at the Danforth. They're doing their last ones at History, and they're like, 'Come play these with us!" You can't not do that. They're buds."
So as not to hit the stage cold, Versteeg and his bandmates, guitarist Nixon Boyd, bassist Dean Baxter and drummer Jake Boyd played their first show in five years in Royal Mountain's back parking lot. "We lit it all with construction lights from Home Depot. I bought $1,000 worth of construction lights and $500 worth of extension cords, and then I returned it all," boasts Versteeg. "We were back to our good ol' sloppy selves in one rehearsal. We never really were the tightest man on earth."
If the reunion didn't already have band members feeling nostalgic, a chance call from former Doughboys frontman John Kastner likely will.
"John just called me the other day," said Versteeg. In the band's early days, Hollerado stayed at Kastner's jam space in Los Angeles. "He said that he found an entire Hollerado album. This was the early days, when we liked to get fucked up. We recorded a whole first album before Record in a Bag that none of us remember, and he has it."
The trip down memory lane triggered another L.A. story, this one involving Evan Dando of the Lemonheads. "I have so much admiration for what he's done, and he's not given credit," says Versteeg, "He's a brilliant songwriter."
When Hollerado were stuck in L.A. and broke, Kastner hooked them up with a gig as roadies for an Evan Dando at a gig in San Francisco. "[Kastner] filled us up with a tank of gas. The backing band was ALL. He didn't show up for soundcheck. We moved all the gear, set everything up. He showed up for stage time, put on an unbelievable show — they hadn't rehearsed at all," he recalls.
After the show Hollerado got to hang out with their hero for a bit. "He was so gracious and nice and full of stories, and just such an awesome dude," Versteeg remembers. At the end of the night, when it was time to get paid, Dando said, "'Oh, of course," and goes into a backpack, pulls out this giant bag of mushrooms and gives us all a handful." Unsure what to do they got back in touch with Kastner: "John's like, 'That fucking guy.' and John just sent us some money."
As for the unearthed album, no one in the band has heard it or remembers what's on it, but Versteeg is resolute in his dedication to sharing it with the world.
"Even if it's embarrassingly bad, I'll put that out. What's it gonna do, ruin our career?"