Saint Alvia
| Company type | Musical group |
|---|---|
| Industry | Music |
| Founded | 2005 in Burlington, Ontario, Canada |
| Founder | Rob Pasalic, Greg Taylor |
| Defunct | 2013-12-07 |
| Headquarters | Burlington , Canada |
| Products | Music albums, singles |
Saint Alvia, initially known as The Saint Alvia Cartel, emerged as a musical group in 2005 based in Burlington, Ontario, Canada. Their inaugural album, carrying the band's name, earned a nomination for the Juno Award for Rock Album of the Year at the 2008 Juno Awards.
History
The formation of Saint Alvia was led by Rob Pasalic, formerly of Boys Night Out, alongside Greg Taylor, who had previously played with Jersey and Grade. The ensemble's name pays tribute to Ernest Alvia Smith, recognized as Canada’s last surviving recipient of the Victoria Cross from World War II.
Although their foundation lies in punk rock, Saint Alvia blended elements from various genres including rock and roll, blues, soul, dancehall reggae, country, new wave, and hip hop. In 2006, after sharing demo recordings on MySpace, they secured a deal with Montreal-based Stomp Records and released their debut album in May of the same year. Their principal single "Don't Wanna Wait Forever" ascended into the Top 20 on Canadian Modern Rock Radio during the summer of 2007.
Their sophomore effort Between the Lines, released in 2008, garnered widespread critical praise.
Saint Alvia performed their concluding concert on 7 December 2013 but later reunited to participate in Walk off the Earth's Mike Taylor Memorial and Tribute Concert.
Members
- Greg Taylor – Vocals / Guitar
- Ben Rispin – Vocals
- Matt Richmond – Drums / Vocals
- Greg Fisher – Guitar / Vocals
- Jon Laurin – Keyboards
- Adam Michael – Bass, Backing Vocals
Former members
- Brandon Bliss – Keyboards / Vocals
- Rob Pasalic – Vocals / Guitar
- Chuck Coles – Bass
- Mike Casarin – Bass
Additional musicians
- Fatty McGinty of The Creepshow – Trombone (Try To Forget)
- John Coombs of The Next Best Thing – Trumpet (Try To Forget)
- Adam Michaels – Guitar (Stones On The Road)
- Jon Atley – Bongos (Don't Wanna Wait Forever)
- Laura Jane Bradfield – Vocals (Blonde Kryptonite)
Between The Lines
- Fatty McGinty – Trombone (Decadencia De Civilizacion, Roll With It)
- Ricky Snips of The Snips – Trumpet (Decadencia De Civilizacion, Roll With It, Mornings In Feng Tu)
- Wade McNeil of Alexisonfire/Black Lungs – Additional Vocals (Mornings in Feng Tu)
Albums
- The Saint Alvia Cartel – 4 Song Demo (2006 – Self Released)
- The Saint Alvia Cartel (2007 – Stomp Records)
- Between The Lines (2008 – Stomp Records)
- Jonxer 7-inch (2010 – Paper and Plastic)
- Static Psalms (2013 – Divergent Recordings)
Compilations
- Borrowed Tunes – A Neil Young Tribute (Thrasher)
- Juiceboxdotcom.com Compilation – Don't Wanna Wait Forever (Phil B's Sunshine Remix)
Singles
- Don't Wanna Wait Forever
- Time To Go
- Blonde Kryptonite
- Between The Lines
- Walk Before You Run DMC
- Romeo
- Mothers Day
- Define Me
Awards
- 2009 MuchMusic Video Awards: Best Post-Production ("Blonde Kryptonite") – Nominated
- Juno Awards 2008: Rock Album of the Year ("The Saint Alvia Cartel") – Nominated
- Juno Awards 2009: Best Video ("Blonde Kryptonite") – Nominated
- 2009 FU Awards: Best FU Song ("Romeo") – Nominated
- 2008 Hamilton Music Awards: Best Punk Album of the Year – Nominated
- 2008 Hamilton Music Awards: Video of The Year ("Between The Lines") – Nominated
- 2007 Hamilton Music Awards: Best New Band – Won
Interviews
- Discussion with TorontoMusicScene.ca about Saint Alvia’s upcoming album and its political themes
- Feature on Saint Alvia Cartel July 2007
- Altsounds: conversation with the band
- Truth Explosion: feature article
- Supernova: coverage