Montreal’s Karkwa were the surprise winners of last night’s fifth annual Polaris Music Prize gala.

Liz Trinnear caught up with the Francophone band both before and after they won $20,000 and bragging rights for having the best Canadian album released in the past year.

The band’s frontman Louis-Jean Cormier says that right before their name was announced he actually wished it was another band. “When he opened the envelope I was thinking, ‘I hope that’s not us. I don’t know what to say in English.’”

So what does a band do with $20,000? Karkwa’s keyboardist Francois Lafontagne says they will surpass the parties and new gear to find a manager of all things. “We have the money for one year, to have a tour manager,” he says. “So for one year we’re okay. Send your CV to Karkwa!”

Karkwa’s drummer Stéphane Bergeron adds that perhaps the best thing about the whole experience is the exposure. “Maybe that’s the biggest point of Polaris, to make people discover some stuff,” he says.

Check out the interviews below and see just how much winning $20,000 can make a difference.