Paper Lions Put Their Old Name In The Trophy Case

In May, Paper Lions will release their first EP written and recorded under their new moniker.

The Belfast, P.E.I. quartet were previously known as the Chucky Danger Band, and announced that they were changing their name in 2008. They say they have absolutely no regrets about their decision.

"The songs we've been producing in the last year have been our best to date," shares guitarist Colin Buchanan. "The band couldn't be happier with this EP being a launching pad for our new mindset and name.

"We felt restricted as Chucky Danger Band, and weren't happy with the direction things were moving in. We also just hated the stupid name. We were ready to be the band we always wanted and figured the first step was to leave the silly name behind."

Trophies will be issued by The Musebox and distributed by EMI when it comes out in May. It will be the marketing company’s first album release. Paper Lions were courted by a much more prominent suitor, but collectively agreed it would be in their best interest to ink a deal with people with whom they already had a solid working relationship.

"Last year we were offered a major label deal with Sony," explains Buchanan. "They came to P.E.I., wined and dined us, and then took us to their big headquarters in Toronto. It was all very rushed and just didn't feel right and in the end we decided to pass.

"When we started shopping this new EP around, The Musebox mentioned they wanted to get into the record releasing biz. We jumped at the opportunity to work with people we already knew and trusted."

Trophies boasts six well-crafted, hook-heavy slices of pop rock. It was penned in early 2009 and recorded just outside of Hamilton, Ont. with producer Dan Weston (Attack In Black). Paper Lions' practice space flooded last spring, damaging some of their equipment and forcing them to delay the studio sessions for the disc until August.

"We wrote dozens of songs in a lot of different styles, but in the end decided to narrow things down to just six songs we felt would work best together as an EP," says Buchanan.

"We took far more liberties with tones and textures this time around. We've been burned by the studio in the past. Our older recordings sounded far too polished and overproduced, so we knew what we didn't want the album to sound like. Ultimately we wanted an album that better represented our live shows."

Paper Lions will preview Trophies with a handful of their Chucky Danger Band favourites during their upcoming western Canada jaunt with Electric Six. They'll embark on a full national tour once Trophies comes out. They also hope to gig in China later this year.

"We have always been heralded for our live show," Buchanan says. "We try to make every performance an event, a spectacle to go along with the music. It's not like we're sword-swallowing on stage or anything, but we do like a certain level of theatrics.

"If people want to hear the music played perfectly and just as it is on record, they can always listen to their iPods. A live show is supposed to be an unbridled release — whatever happens, happens.

Here are Paper Lions' tour dates:

March 18 Saskatoon, SK @ Amigos Cantina w/ Electric Six
March 19 Edmonton, AB @ The Starlite Room w/ Electric Six
March 20-21 Calgary, AB @ Broken City w/ Electric Six
March 23 Whistler, BC @ Garibaldi Lift Company w/ Electric Six
March 24 Vancouver, BC @ The Venue w/ Electric Six