Biography

Nashville indie rock outfit Paper Rival formed in 2005 under the moniker Keating and released the Thieves EP as such that same year (later re-released under the Paper Rival name in the fall of 2007). Owning a collective love of artists like Bob Dylan, Broken Social Scene, Neutral Milk Hotel, and Bruce Cockburn, the band -- bassist Cody McCall, guitarist Brent Coleman, guitarist Patrick Damphier, and vocalist Jacob Rolleston -- was approached to be one of the first groups to join booking agent Matt Galle's new record label, Photo Finish Records (asked before the label even really existed, no less). Damphier had found Galle's contact information in the liner notes to Circa Survive's Juturna and emailed him never expecting a response. Instead, he was shocked to receive a rather quick reply from Galle, who was impressed enough by their songs on MySpace to fly out and catch the band's second gig ever in Tennessee. At this point, they were still known as Keating and played around as such until a gig one night in Edmonton, Alberta, brought several people expecting to hear from the female-fronted Canadian band of the same name. Instead of wasting the time and money to fight for rights to Keating, the Tennessee gang decided to simply change monikers and thus became Paper Rival in March 2007. A self-titled five-song EP appeared midway through the year, and since the band was still without a permanent drummer, Damphier manned the skins on the album. For touring purposes, drummer friend Dillon Napier, whose own Scatter the Ashes (Epitaph) had broken up the previous year, joined Paper Rival on the road. The band's full-length debut followed in early 2008. ~ Corey Apar, Rovi