Canadian Indie Rockers Hollerado Win $250,000

Posted on Dec 1st 2009 9:45AM by Drew Berner
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Most indie musicians understand a quarter-million dollar payday is unlikely, no matter how good their music is -- they're usually worried about gas money for the tour van or where their next meal is coming from anyway.

But in the blink of an eye, those troubles disappeared for Hollerado, who won The Big Money Shot, a battle-of-the-bands competition put on by Ottawa, Ont. radio station Live 88.5 which boasted a grand prize of a cool $250,000.

The finals opened last weekend with the top five bands squaring off at Ottawa's Capital Music Hall. When the dust settled Hollerado -- who hail from the tiny town of Manotick, Ont. and are based in Montreal -- claimed the massive prize.

Ever the archetypal DIY band, Hollerado were on a plane to the other side of the world the very next day, insisting that the windfall wouldn't change their immediate plans.

"Win or lose, we're still going to China and will keep doing what we're doing," lead singer Menno Versteeg announced. The band kick off a three week tour of China in December, but it's not the first time the band has spent time in the far east, as they told Spinner back in October. This visit marks the end of their 'Half-World Tour,' during which they've toured extensively through North and South America -- an adventure they filmed with the hope of putting together a TV pilot they call 'Holleradoland.'

The win is just the lastest in a string of successes that seem likely to continue into the new year, when they will release their debut, 'Record in a Bag.' Last summer the band was handpicked by Jack White to open for his much-lauded project, the Dead Weather, on their last go-round in China they performed on 'Asia Uncut,' a talk show with an audience of about 120 million and their music video for 'Americanarama' features 'Kids in the Hall' alumnus Dave Foley.

Hollerado's first single, 'Juliette,' is available on iTunes as of Dec. 1.