The Saint Alvia Cartel

Named after a Canadian war hero, punk rock band the Saint Alvia Cartel formed in Burlington in 2005. In possession of a fairly solid punk pedigree (Guitarist and vocalist Rob Pasalic cut his teeth in Boys Night Out, Greg Taylor was a member of both Jersey and Victory Records' Grade, while Ben Rispin was the former lead vocalist for the Video Dead. Other members included Greg Fisher, Matt Richmond, and Brandon Bliss) the Saint Alvia Cartel released a pair of demo tracks on MySpace in 2006, and scored a deal with Stomp Records. The group released their self-titled debut in May of 2007, and was a critical and commercial hit. In 2008, the Saint Alvia Cartel were further praised for their standard when they earned a nomination for Best Rock Album at the 2008 Juno Awards. They also played that year's South By Southwest Music Conference in Austin, Texas.
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