Stardom Boredom

Only 3 days into their Canadian tour with the punk and roll phenomenon known as Against Me! The Saint Alvia Cartel (or Saint Alvia) along with their tour mates made a brief cruise across lake Ontario to The Toronto Island for this years Virgin Music Festival.

I happened to run into the guys from St. Alvia in the morning prior to V-Fest as I was wondering around the harbor front area. Despite being way too early in the morning and seemingly being confused an uninformed, the band was in good spirits and was ready to cross.

After I walked around the city and met up with the rest of the EPK team we registered and headed towards our media ferry. When we got to the ferry I noticed the guys from St Alvia waiting to bored with us. They were not allowed to bring their van and trailer onto the island i guess, and were forced to hand carry everything onto this boat.

Once we arrived at the island half the guys and most of the gear got picked up in a limo style golf cart. I overheard some coordinator trying to direct the band towards the media tent or some sort of registration area and they all were basically saying they wanted to go to the stage area.

When we got to the O’Henry stage we started setting up our gear to film the guys as well as a few other awesome artists sharing the same stage. As we were setting up the Cartel emerged from their trailer behind the stage (beers in hand) and start to greet and meet friends family and fans.

By the time 3:00 rolls around the area in front of the stage is largely full with people waiting to see Ben Rispin, Greg Fisher, Rob Pasalic, Matt Richmond, Brandon Bliss, and Canadian punk rock legend Greg Taylor. Take the stage and move them with their dub infused, rock and roll, reggae.

Like every time I have seen Saint Alvia they rocked like it was their last day on earth. You can feel all the roots of their musical influences in every song and it creates a great party like environment that crosses not only musical boards but generational gaps.

After the completion of their tour on September 15th, the boys have a CD release party at The Horseshoe Tavern in Toronto on September 17th, then its off to Japan to support the record. You can also catch the premiere of their brand new video for the song “Between the Lines” at their show on the 17th.

For more info on The Saint Alvia Cartel please visit: www.saintalvia.com or www.stomprecords.com

The Saint Alvia Cartel – Don’t Want To Wait Forever

“Don’t Want To Wait Forever” by The Saint Alvia Cartel is currently airing on 102.1 the Edge here in Toronto. They’ve been getting heavy rotation and unlike most bands, their live performance is a perfect rendition of what’s on radio. While on stage, this seven piece band has always got something worth looking at and brings the meaning of “a catchy tune” to a whole new level. The lyrics of “Don’t Want To Wait Forever” have touched me personally as they depict the life of a young couple where one individual waits on their significant other to step it up only to find the end of the road.

For more information about The Saint Alvia Cartel or to find out where they’ll be next, visit www.myspace.com/thesaintalviacartel