Paper Lions unfold a fantastic sound

Kimberly Fitzpatrick
Contributor

P.E.I.’s Paper Lions is a band I’ve tried to keep a secret in hopes they don’t become mainstream. After walking into the legendary Horseshoe Tavern on Sept. 30 to see Paper Lions play, though, I could see the crowds already flooding to the front; my precious ‘pocket band’ was gaining popularity thanks to their new EP Trophies, released Sept. 27, and a non-stop touring schedule planned throughout Canada for the next month.

The lights dimmed, and they were on, opening with one of their new songs, “Don’t Touch that Dial.” The track is catchy, fun and easy to enjoy.

Watching Paper Lions perform is the equivalent of downing three energy drinks, and I wasn’t bored once throughout the full set. After the second song, drummer David MacDonald broke into a refreshing five-minute drum solo. This was followed by my favourite track, “Hands,” and then by “Trouble,” apparently Gene Simmons’ favourite song.

Paper Lions is a band that knows how to truly entertain a crowd. With their unpredictable instrument changes – guitarist Colin Buchanan switched to bass, bassist Rob MacPhee to drums – and pen- chant for keeping the audience on their toes, this concert was a truly unique performance.

Living in P.E.I. gives Paper Lions a great base for their progression as artists.

“Music is really in everybody’s blood on the east coast,” said lead vocalist John MacPhee. John’s description of his musical background – he went from singing in church choirs to school bands – really highlighted the importance music had on each of the guys.

“It’s really kind of unthinkable not being in a band in P.E.I. in high school. As soon as I learned to play guitar, I started teaching John, then Colin, and it was very natural for us to try and write our own music,” said Rob.
Paper Lions has written and recorded countless records, but Trophies stands on its own. Their two year hiatus from touring and playing shows has helped them develop a sound that stands out from not only their past albums, but from many other Canadian bands as well.

“It was an intensely creative period,” said David. “We were writing a lot of songs. We started filtering out a bunch of songs and thought to ourselves, how we could make this album really represent us? Our last album sounded like it could have been from three to four different bands and we wanted to sound like one tight package.”

Following the release of Trophies, Paper Lions began to tour across Canada. I had to ask: what’s it like for four grown men to live in one van for 30 consecutive days?

John held up a copy of the video game Civilization II. “John’s more of a gamer,” said Colin. “I download TV shows and dole it out to those two [Rob and David] and enjoy the scenic view!” Paper Lions is truly a gem among the oversaturated and over-produced airwaves.