Hollerado is a power-pop quartet from Ottawa that has been gaining momentum not only locally but also around the world. Their catchy sounds (think old Weezer) earned them $250,000 from Live 88.5's Big Money Shot last year.
Since then the band has toured Asia and South America and released their debut LP Record in a Bag. Menno, the band's singer and guitarist, began his career humbly.
“I was in a band and when we broke up I inherited the van,” Menno said. “When I started jamming with Hollerado we wanted to make money without having jobs so we started a moving company. It went pretty well until somebody dropped something. I think it was a TV. We were cheap, not good,” Menno said with a laugh.
Even before the band won one of Canada's most lucrative band competitions, they were set on making Hollerado a full-time job, Menno said.
“We were always trying to make a career out of [Hollerado],” Menno said. “We would work shitty jobs that we would leave, or sometimes have bosses cool enough to let us go on tour.”
The band plans on keeping this do-it-yourself attitude even after the Big Money Shot. Hollerado has started its own label, Royal Mountain Records, and plans on steering clear of a major label contract.
“We have our own label but Arts & Crafts helps us with distribution and things we don't know how to do. What we're trying to do is play all over the world,” Menno said.
“In Canada we use our own label, but we want to work deals with indie labels from other parts of the world too. Good indie labels can help you with tours and distribution. Major labels will look at tour dates [in cities where they won't make as much money] and decide they're not worth their time.”
Next month Hollerado is playing South by Southwest (SXSW), a huge showcase of unsigned bands in the continent.
Many bands get discovered at SXSW, and that pressure got to Hollerado the last time they played the festival, Menno said.
“Our first time we were all nervous. . . . There are literally 2,000 bands,” Menno said. “Ten of them are supposed to be the next 'it' band, and one of them comes out with a record deal and are all over [the website] Pitchfork or whatever . . . but usually it doesn't work that way. This year we're going to play as many shows as possible and make new friends.”
It’s not up to the band what people get from its music, Menno said.
“We make what we want to hear, but we are still entertainers. . . . There's songs for every situation — the first date song, the party song, the bummed-out song, the cleaning the house on Sunday morning song. . . . I want them to have that kind of unique experience with Hollerado.”
Hollerado is playing Feb. 26 at the Live Lounge.