LUCIDMEDIA

Named after the late Ernest Alvia "Smokey" Smith, a World War II veteran and the last remaining Canadian recipient of the Victoria Cross, the Saint Alvia Cartel consider themselves veterans, so to speak, in their own field. Having spent enough time playing and promoting music, when asked if they felt as if they sometimes feel like soldiers in battle, often fighting members on their own side, both Greg Fisher formerly of the Video Dead and Ben Rispin of Death or Glory Promotions answered with a definite "Yes".

“The business side can be frustrating, but in the end it's all about playing music," Fisher added.

"You try to support your friends, you try to build like that," replied Rispin, "But, you gotta kick down doors, you gotta throw some punches sometimes. You’ve gotta get in there and get heard, it's an ongoing battle"

When asked if that was enjoyable, Rispin responded that "Sometimes I really enjoy it, but you don't always win."

The band has recently seen some success from their latest video "Time To Go"; a battle they were determined to win. For their previous video, "Don't Wanna Wait Forever," the group was disappointed with the final result. "We were promised the video would turn out a certain way, but it didn't turn out like that," Fisher explains, "We felt we weren't represented how we thought of ourselves."

For "Time To Go," the group involved themselves more in the creative process and envisioned it the way it turned out. Children escape to the forest and indulge in innocent play, shooting plastic guns and playing with army men, while footage from World War II is sliced in between scenes of the kids and the band playing the song. "The video is made up of childhood memories from the band," says Greg Taylor, formerly the lead singer of Jersey.

Apparently, the memories aren't exclusive to the band. A little cut in the video showing the kids reading a porn magazine they find stashed away in a tree had "one of the kid's parents get sentimental over that scene because him and his buddies used to do that," remembers Rispin.

In 2007, the band signed with legendary Montreal-based punk and ska label Stomp Records after using Myspace to introduce fans to the new band. "It's an empowering tool for bands, but it can also breed mediocrity," states Fisher referring to Myspace and the consortium of internet musical outlets.

"The fact that Facebook and Myspace makes the promotion job so much easier,” says Rispin frankly, his whose former job was working as a promoter.

“You don't have to stand outside after a show handing out handbills – it’s a total blessing. But, I also see the bulls*** side of it. I won't lie, I like the internet, but technology hasn't as much unified everybody as distanced people."

The music industry is changing at a rapid pace ever since the advent of Youtube, Myspace, Facebook, iTunes, and the release of Radiohead's In Rainbows. To get some perspective on how it has changed I asked Rispin, who has expertise in this area, what he thought. "It doesn't give younger bands the same idea of how hard it is. It has taken out the manual labour of it, so to speak,” he says. “But, a band can make a beautiful demo on ProTools instead of paying to get a piece of s*** done. So as far as work ethic, it probably hurts, but the product is better."

Though how music is made and distributed might be changing, some things never do. Taylor points out that Fisher still doesn't have a computer. Surprised I asked if he had a cell phone. "I got a cell phone in 2007. How can you live in 2008 without one?"

While some bands might be focused on trying to get heard, while finding their way through the labyrinth of the industry, The Saint Alvia Cartel ignores the popularity contest. When asked how they felt about music's greater purpose Rispin responded bluntly. "Everything's so f***ed up,” he states. “If you can change just two heads, not to think how you think, but to think differently, I think that's the most important part about music, or any art. If you can get people to question, and not just live with the status quo, then I think you're doing your job as an artist." The material Saint Alvia Cartel performs is sometimes very pointed and topical. Rispin explains, "If I see something that's bulls***, like the SPP (Security and Prosperity Partnership), how much bulls*** that is in the North American Union, I think, 'I'd really like to write a song about that'. Though it's not that contrived - we go about writing it." In this the Saint Alvia Cartel maintain their punk attitude while still playing enjoyable fun music.

After the Warped Tour the Saint Alvia Cartel will be releasing a new album in September, and will be touring with, though it's supposed to be a secret, Against Me in September as well.