Here’s what we know about Annie Murphy’s husband Menno Versteeg.
Who is Annie Murphy’s husband Menno Versteeg?
Versteegis a Canadian indie rock musician who’s the former lead vocalist and guitarist of the Canadian indie rock band Hollerado. He was raised in Manotick, Ontario, on the same street as his three future Hollerado band members. The foursome grew up playing together and eventually recorded their first demo in 2007. The group split in 2019 after the release of their fourth album, Retaliation Vacation. Versteeg and his bandmates addressed the end of this musical era on Instagram.
Annie Murphy and Menno Versteeg got married in 2011
Their wedding looked fairytale perfect, and nothing like what Alexis Rose would have had. Murphy wore an elegant fascinator and a lacy white dress, looking hippy-chic.
Menno Versteeg is also a composer
He has composed music for film and television, including The Trotsky, Kim’s Convenience and Schitt’s Creek.
They’ve worked together
Versteeg also worked as an executive producer and actor for the TV series, The Plateaus, which Murphy wrote for and starred in. In an interview, Versteeg said, “When you’re married to someone who’s in a band, it’s a very specific type of relationship. For the first half of Hollerado’s career, Annie was a struggling actress—she would get the odd commercial or bit part here and there, but she had a lot of time off. So she would often come on tour with the band, and that would involve sometimes coming onstage to sing with us.” That ultimately led to the creation of “Good Day At The Races,” which Murphy wrote half the lyrics to.
Menno Versteeg helped Annie Murphy write “A Little Bit Alexis”!
Their collaboration also led to the iconic A Little Bit Alexis. Murphy said, “We knew it had to be funny and we knew it had to be kind of spoofy, but we all secretly wanted it to be a banger of a song that people would actually put on to pre-drink to and, you know, dance to at the club.”
He wrote a song about his grandfather
In the documentary song, So It Goes, Versteeg told the story of his grandfather, Dutch resistance member Karel Versteeg, who was captured in 1942 but later freed by a sympathetic Nazi soldier. As described in the song, after two years of solitary confinement, the soldier let the elder Versteeg go, saying to him that if their places were exchanged, “…I would fight back.”
Menno Versteeg is still making music
In the summer of 2018, he joined the Canadian group Anyway Gang which also consists of solo artist Sam Roberts, Dave Monks of Tokyo Police Club and Chris Murphy of Sloan. After Hollerado disbanded, Anyway Gang released their debut album in November 2019. Versteeg released his first solo album, Reno Tapes, under the name Mav Karlo in March 2020. He created the album in Reno, Nevada with a guitar and a tape recorder.
He also has an indie record label
He is a man of many musical talents. In addition to producing music, Menno cofounded the indie record label Royal Mountain Records in 2009. Royal Mountain Records signed Mac DeMarco, U.S. Girls, Ought and Metz. It also discovered acts such as Alvvays and Calpurnia (with Finn Wolfhard of Stranger Things!).
He’s an advocate for mental health
In January of 2018, Versteeg created a mental health initiative for artists connected to his label. The label is known for providing a $1500 mental health fund to each band signed with the company to help them cope with the stress that comes with touring and performing. As Menno explained in 2019 to The Globe and Mail, “You go to the doctor to get a checkup for your body. Why getting a checkup for your head isn’t seen as just as important blows my mind.” In the past, Versteeg has struggled with his mental health. It wasn’t until his wife was cast in Schitt’s Creek that he was able to afford a therapist. Can’t get enough Schitt’s Creek? Find out if a Schitt’s Creek movie is on the way.
