Saint Alvia Shorten Name

The Saint Alvia Cartel are no more.

Tired of their name being mangled, misspelled, mispronounced and abbreviated in every conceivable way, the Burlington, Ont. sextet decided to cut the Cartel from the equation, shortening their name to simply Saint Alvia.

Although their name may have changed, their songs remain the same. The group's rowdy sophomore release, Between The Lines, proves they're every bit the wild gang they were when known as Canada's most famous cartel.

"The name was spelled wrong on all the schedules on Warped Tour," says vocalist/guitarist Greg Taylor. "I can't possibly tell you all the incarnations of our name that I've seen. Apparently we've chosen the most difficult band name ever."

Now armed with a compact name that places full emphasis on decorated Canadian WWII veteran and Victoria Cross recipient Ernest Alvia "Smokey" Smith, Saint Alvia are primed to surprise fans with the highly ambitious follow-up to 2007's The Saint Alvia Cartel debut album. Between The Lines was written and recorded very quickly in between a headlining Canadian tour and Warped Tour. But it's packed with unusual arrangements and well-formulated hooks that don't hint at the album's rushed recording process.

"As far as themes go," says Taylor, "we really felt our first record was great and it established the band and the kind of music we wanted to play, but we really wanted to have something more to say on this record."

Some of the album's recurring themes concern the decline of civilization and society's increasing dependence on technology.

"The world has become so connected through the internet and cellphones, at the same time people are becoming so disconnected and less human," says Taylor. "I see five-year-old kids in the playground typing on their BlackBerries."

"No one has a conversation with each other anymore," adds vocalist Ben Rispin. "It's kind of weird because, at the same, time everyone is so intertwined."

Saint Alvia are proud of the musical progression on Between The Lines. Many of the songs feature horns, accordions and little studio touches not typically heard on a stripped-down punk record.

"I don't even know all the instruments we played on this record," says vocalist/guitarist Rob Pasalic. "Sticks, bells and god knows what, but that's what this band is all about."

You won't wanna wait forever to catch Saint Alvia at these shows:

Sept. 2 Waterloo, ON @ The Turret (Wilfrid Laurier University)
Sept. 4 Montreal, QC @ Club Soda w/Against Me! and Japanther
Sept. 5 Quebec City, QC @ La Grande Place w/Against Me! and Japanther
Sept. 6 Toronto, ON @ Toronto Island (Virgin Festival)
Sept. 7 London, ON @ Cowboys Ranch w/Against Me! and Japanther
Sept. 8 North Bay, ON @ The Wall (Nipissing University) w/Against Me! and Japanther
Sept. 9 Thunder Bay, ON @ The Outpost
Sept. 10 Winnipeg, MB @ The Garrick Centre w/Against Me! and Japanther
Sept. 11 Saskatoon, SK @ Odeon Events Centre w/Against Me! and Japanther
Sept. 12 Edmonton, AB @ Edmonton Event Centre w/Against Me! and Japanther
Sept. 13 Calgary, AB @ MacEwan Hall w/Against Me! and Japanther
Sept. 15 Vancouver, BC @ Croatian Cultural Centre w/Against Me! and Japanther