artist Paper Lions

Paper Lions is a Canadian pop rock band hailing from the unlikely small community of Belfast, Prince Edward Island. Brothers John and Rob MacPhee and neighbour Colin Buchanan began playing music together at a very young age in a variety of garage bands. Their line up cemented when they met David Cyrus MacDonald in high school with MacDonald behind the kit, Buchanan playing guitar and Rob and John filling the positions of bass and lead vocals respectively.

For the first 4 years of the bands career they were known as Chucky Danger Band and during that time they toured extensively all over Canada. Due in part to some unique touring opportunities such as Art Starts, (a program exposing schools and communities to all forms of art), literally no ground was left uncovered, from the Queen Charlotte Islands to Charlottetown. This dedication to the road garnered the group the 2007 National Touring Group of the Year award presented by CAPACOA.

Although successful as CDB, by 2007 the band grew tired of the moniker and sought a new name more in tune with their maturing sound and new direction. On February 21, 2008 the band announced on their website they were changing their name to "Paper Lions" and would be spending some much needed time off the road to focus on songwriting.

During the winter of '08/'09 the band hibernated in their practice space on Prince Edward Island. During this highly creative period the Lions wrote dozens of songs in myriad styles. Sifting through extensive basement recordings and demos, they began to find their new sound in short explosive pop arrangements. By the summer of 2009 Paper Lions was ready to hit the studio, recording their new EP Trophies with up and coming Producer/Engineer Dan Weston (Attack in Black/Classified). Released on September 28, 2010, these six songs clock in at a whopping 17 min long. Possessing the unbridled energy of their live show and their deep understanding of melody and pop arrangements, Trophies, like its creators, is now prepared to take on the world.

Since their inception Paper Lions has garnered consistent praise for their unique live show experience. They have had the pleasure of playing alongside many of North America's finest acts such as CAKE, The Rheostatics, Joel Plaskett, The Golden Dogs, and Hey Rosetta! Paper Lions has been nominated for 13 East Coast Music awards, taking home Pop Recording of the Year in 2006. Paper Lions also graced the stage at the 2010 Olympics and Paralympics in Vancouver, as well as the 2010 World Expo in Shanghai, China.