Canadian rockers Hollerado will be meeting Victoria Mayor Dean Fortin on the weekend of September 24 during their Meet the Mayor Tour.
Although the idea for the mayor-meeting tour was originally a half-hearted joke on Twitter, it took off pretty fast. Mayors in Regina, Calgary, and Vancouver showed interest right away and the band realized there was no turning back.
“It just came about as us wondering if there were any cool mayors out there and how we could meet them,” says Hollerado bassist Dean Baxter. “It was really just a joke thing and then it turned into the task at hand all of a sudden.”
Hollerado plans to ask the mayors some tough questions; fans are also encouraged to contact the band with their questions.
“We’re trying to get a feel for how the mayors are handling the youth culture and the arts scene,” says Baxter. “We want to see what’s actually going on behind the scenes politically, and have some questions answered that people in the communities want answered. And, on top of that, just to have a good hangout with the mayor.”
Victoria Mayor Dean Fortin is looking forward to meeting the band.
“It’s a wonderful, fun thing that they’re doing,” says Fortin. “We’re always looking for ways to get younger people involved in municipal politics, so this is great.”
Each mayor is invited to see Hollerado play, free of charge. Vancouver mayor Gregor Robertson will even be making a guest appearance.
“He’s going to be dusting off his tuba for our show,” says Baxter.
The band wants to meet as many mayors as possible during their Canadian run.
“Calgary’s mayor responded within hours of the joke on Twitter, so I’m looking forward to meeting him; but, really, just the more the merrier,” says Baxter.
And there are definitely a few mayors that Hollerado will not be meeting. The mayor of Toronto, Rob Ford, has yet to respond to the band’s requests. American mayors can be a lot harder to meet, as well.
“The mayor of Chicago used to be Obama’s right-hand man,” says Baxter. “You can’t even find his email address anywhere on the internet.”
Hollerado
10:30pm, September 25
Sugar Nightclub
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