Nominated for a Juno Award, a U.S. label knocking at their door, and headlining a show at Toronto's Mod Club - you could say it's been a good week for The Saint Alvia Cartel.

But the Burlington, Ont. band, which formed in late 2005 and has been gaining notoriety ever since, is taking all the positive news in stride.

"(The Juno nomination) was definitely unexpected," bassist Greg Fisher admits in an interview with CityNews.ca. Saint Alvia's self-titled debut is up for Best Rock Album, competing with more established acts like Finger Eleven and Sum 41. It's their first-ever nod and they plan to be at the Calgary awards ceremony April 6.

"In the category there's some pretty tough competition with bands that released huge albums this year. Very cool nonetheless, we're stoked. I don't think we'll win, but we're going to go and hang out."

A listen to Saint Alvia's first record reveals a sound that's hard to pin down as any one genre - there are elements of ska, punk, rock, and new wave in their songs. It's not surprising given that all six members were in a host of other Hamilton-area bands before forming the Cartel. Singer-guitarist Rob Pasalic believes that's a big part of their appeal.

"Maybe the fact that there is no real formula," he explains. "Doing it unconventionally as opposed to what we've always done, just playing one band, one style of music. The whole variety aspect of it is what people are digging."

After signing with Montreal-based Stomp Records, the group spent most of 2007 touring Canada in support of their disc. The first single, Don't Wanna Wait Forever, took off, and led to an end-of-year tour with labelmates Bedouin Soundclash.

"Bedouin was a good band for us to be put together with," drummer Matt Richmond observes. "They have an eclectic sound that worked with our style. That and they pull out a lot of kids to their shows, so we got to perform for a lot of different people. They seemed to really dig it."

Now Bedouin's label south of the border, L.A.-based Side One Dummy Records, is taking notice of Saint Alvia. They've been in talks over the past few days with the band's representation about getting their debut released stateside. If that happens the guys will put the songs they've written for their follow-up record on hold and focus on making gains in the U.S. - gains that could come when they play the South by Southwest Music Conference in Austin, Texas as well as a cluster of dates on the 2008 Vans Warped Tour.

"It will definitely put off plans to record any time soon," Fisher says. "But if we really wanted to we could probably record in the next three or four months. We'll just have to wait and see what happens."

Photo: Greg Fisher, Matt Richmond, and Rob Pasalic of The Saint Alvia Cartel