During the early years of the band, many demos were recorded and ripped to CDs which were often distributed for free. The demos were titled “Demo in a Bag” and the name references the fact that the CDs were “distributed” in plastic bags with homemade confetti.
In 2009, they self-released their debut album Record in a Bag in 2009 as a free download on their website. The name of their debut references their string of demos. Later that year, the band entered and won a “battle of the bands” contest in Ottawa, Ontario which was hosted by a local radio station. With the $250,000 prize money, the band reissued their self-released debut and formed Royal Mountain Records. Royal Mountain Records has since helped launch the career of other Toronto, Ontario artists such as PUP and Alvvays.
In 2011, the band was nominated for the Best New Group Award at the Canadian music awards show the 2011 Juno Awards, but lost out to Said the Whale
On February 26, 2013, the band released their second LP, White Paint. The pre-order sales of this album lead to the ambitious 111 Songs project which was eventually released in 2015. At the time, Hollerado stated "as part of the deal we would write them a custom song. The idea was the person would send us their name and where they were from and two facts about themselves, and a few months later we would send them a song we wrote for them”. The band sold over 100 of these packages before they realized the tremendous amount of work all these original songs would be. “111 Songs” actually resulted in two years of work on the songs and many of the songs were used in the band's third full-length album Born Yesterday which was released in 2017.
In early 2019, Hollerado announced the group would be disbanding following one last album and tour. Retaliation Vacation was released later that year and the band embarked on a final tour titled The One Last Time Tour. The band played their final shows on December 11th-13th at the Danforth Music Hall with a final performance at the Horseshoe Tavern in Toronto on December 14, 2019.
Since the disbandment, frontman Menno Versteeg (vocals, guitar) has joined the Canadian supergroup Anyway Gang and released some music under the moniker Mav Karlo. Jake Boyd (drums) is part of the newly formed supergroup Girlfriend Material. Nixon Boyd (guitar) is an additional guitarist/tour guitarist in “Anyway Gang” and is credited as as a producer/composer on many albums/songs from bands signed under Royal Mountain Records.
Americanarama
Hollerado Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
As a city in the North-East where the Power used to sit
There's no more Chicago
She went down with the last of the buffalo
Poor weak New Orleans
She went first and we didn't even hear her scream no
Denver U.S.A
you came down from the top of the mountain
Doot doot doo doot do doo Doot doot doot doot do doo
Lord I miss you
Doot doot doo doot do doo Doot doot doot doot do doo
Lord I miss you
Hey Philadelphia where'd you go?
Oh New York City, you're so pretty in the dark
When all your lights are gone out
We're camping out in Battery Park
Denver U.S.A.
you came down from the top of the mountain
Bet you didn't count on becoming what you are today
Doot doot doo doot do doo Doot doot doot doot do doo
Lord I miss you
Hey Philadelphia where'd you go?
Hey Philadelphia
Hey Philadelphia
Where'd you go?
The lyrics to Hollerado’s song Americanarama address the changes and struggles that different American cities have undergone over time. Starting with Philadelphia as the city “that used to exist,” the song laments the loss of power and influence that it once held. The lyrics then move on to mention other cities, each with their own story of decline. Chicago is said to have gone down with the last of the buffalo, suggesting a metaphorical representation of the destruction of the city. New Orleans is described as having “went first,” an allusion to the devastation caused by Hurricane Katrina, which left the city in ruins without much warning. Denver is portrayed as a city that “bet you didn't count on becoming what you are today,” implying that it has become something less desirable than it once was.
The repeated “Doot doot doo doot do doo Doot doot doot doot do doo” serves as a nostalgic refrain, emphasizing the longing for what these cities once were. The lyrics also allude to the power of New York City, which “is so pretty in the dark” and yet still struggles with darkness and uncertainty. By the end of the song, the lyrics return to Philadelphia, asking “where’d you go?” as a way to express sadness and confusion over the city’s loss of influence.
Line by Line Meaning
Hey Philadelphia you used to exist
Addressing Philadelphia as a city that had a presence
As a city in the North-East where the Power used to sit
Highlighting Philadelphia's importance in the past
There's no more Chicago
Stating that Chicago doesn't exist anymore
She went down with the last of the buffalo
Metaphorically stating that Chicago met its end
Poor weak New Orleans
Describing New Orleans as helpless
She went first and we didn't even hear her scream no
Suggesting that New Orleans was the first to fall and nobody noticed
Denver U.S.A
Naming Denver as a location
you came down from the top of the mountain
Implying that Denver was once small and undeveloped
Bet you didn't count on becoming what you are today
Suggesting that Denver grew beyond what was expected
Doot doot doo doot do doo Doot doot doot doot do doo
Repetitive melody of the song
Lord I miss you
Expressing a feeling of loss or nostalgia
Oh New York City, you're so pretty in the dark
Complimenting New York City's appearance
When all your lights are gone out
Referring to the city's unique charm when the lights are off
We're camping out in Battery Park
Describing a specific location in New York City where camping occurs
Hey Philadelphia where'd you go?
Posing a question regarding Philadelphia's current state
Hey Philadelphia
Addressing Philadelphia once again
Where'd you go?
Repeating the question about Philadelphia's whereabouts
Lyrics © O/B/O APRA AMCOS
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Hollerado
You can watch our latest music video here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rBFKOW393qg
Emersonac
Years later, this still slaps.
Lars Neelsen
I saw them some years ago at a Show with Sum 41 in Hamburg and had a nice Chat with them after the Show and bought their CD for 1€ cuz I had no cash. Great dudes, great music
(I wonder why yt recommends this 10 year old video tho xD)
Dan Player McKinnon
Wicked awesome guys. Great song, awesome video! Great song writing! Love rock and roll, and it shows you're doing it for fun and nothing else!
angele mf
Super creativos, me encanto!!! FELICITACIONES!! Saludos dsd Chile
Humberto Barbosa
O clipe mais criativo que eu já vi... =P
justanotheraccount
Absoultely amazing, that bass tab part was genius. Love it :)
Hexy Ko
I remember when this was new. It was featured here on Brazilian TV. Where has time gone?
Andre Cronje
Meaning of the song via Hollerado: "Basically the song is part of this story i have been working on for like 10 years. the story takes place in the way way way distant future. In the future all of the ice caps have melted and left most of the earth underwater. The story is set even further into the future after a great war has brought the planet into another ice age, thus leaving most of the once great American cities frozen under ice. Denver, which was once the mile high city is now one of the few cities from the past that still exists above the ice. But Philadelphia is long gone. One part in song mentions how New Orleans disappeared first. Thats cause we wrote it right after Hurricane Katrina. The song might not make a whole lot of sense if you don't know the context and, even if you do, it still might seem like a bit a of a stretch. Or maybe it does make sense to you. Either way is ok with us."
Andrews official channel
Nobody cares lol