Guelph rockers nominated for Juno Award

It was grandma who delivered the big news to Sam Pattison on Tuesday.

Pattison had just arrived to work at Long and McQuade Music Store in Guelph when his dad called, telling him his grandmother had called and wanted to confirm the name of his band, because she thought she had just seen them on television.

She sure did.

Guelph's Mandroid Echostar had just been nominated for a Juno Award. Their album Coral Throne is up for Best Heavy Metal Album of the Year.

"She found out before I did. She told me, it was pretty funny," said Pattison.

Shortly thereafter all the members of the band were getting the news and got together in a group chat to talk about it.

All the members of Mandroid Echostar are either from Guelph or various parts of Wellington County: Pattison, guitarist Stephen Richards, vocalist Michael Ciccia, guitarist/vocalist James Krul, drummer Matt H-K and bassist Adam Richards.

Pattison and two others got the band going about six years ago and it took a couple of years to arrive at the current lineup.

Coral Throne is the progressive metal band's first full-length album, following a four-song self-titled EP in 2012 and a seven-song EP called Citadels in 2013.

Coral Throne was recorded and mixed over an intense six weeks at a North York recording studio: 12 hours a day, six days a week. It was released last January.

Mandroid Echostar isn't performing at all right now, with lead singer Ciccia scheduled to undergo throat surgery that will keep them off stage for a few months.

But Pattison said that's allowing them to completely focus on its next album, which they are currently writing.

"We're staying busy. We're just doing what we can right now until he's ready to belt his voice out again," Pattison said.

So is the band planning on attending the Junos April 2 in Ottawa?

"We're figuring that out, but what an honour. How do you not go?"

For more about the band and samples of their music go to their Facebook page.