BIO DISCLAIMER: Alright, for the sake of my little pride, I must acknowledge that when I read a bands MS bio I, generally, assume that I am reading a guy from the band's best attempt to conjure up a lil' hyperbole and letcha' know why his band is changing the very landscape of the music industry. Well, not THIS guy, homeboy! We hired a publicist in New York to do it ;) Ha! My hands are clean and pride intact.OKproceed.
THNX, Ryan.
Here's their pitch:
"Looking at the current pop/rock landscape, the evidence would seem to suggest that it’s no longer possible for rock to be inventive, smart and appealing to a broad audience. Spy For Hire fly in the face of that rather exhausted conventional wisdom. Their debut album, Speak In Numbers, is filled to the brim with songs that display a striking skill, intelligence and pop appeal. In listening, one can’t help but feel the possibilities of melodic rock being revitalized for a new era.
Based in the Atlanta/Columbus GA area, Spy For Hire are comprised of Ryan Rulon on vocals and guitar, Andy Rich on lead guitar, James Salter on bass and Jared Meharg on drums. Formed in 2004, the band has a bond that goes back to Ryan and Andy’s high school days. Ryan explains, “Andy and I bonded over a lot of the D.C. hardcore/Discord Records music, things like Fugazi and Shudder To Think. We were the only two guys in Columbus who listened to that. We also listened to a lot of the British shoe gaze music as well; My Bloody Valentine and Swervedriver. But we’ve always had a love of pop as well, things like Hall & Oates, Madonna and Tears For Fears.” He adds, “We love a lot of music, but we’re aiming to be far more than the sum of our influences.”
The band quickly built a following in the Columbus area, but it wasn’t until they started gigging regularly in Atlanta that they, as Andy says, “started to see stuff happen.” Architek One, a management firm based in Atlanta, so loved what they saw and heard in the band that they signed Spy For Hire to their boutique record label. And between releasing seven songs to iTunes in 2007 and doing their first east coast tour, the band wrote and recorded the songs that comprise their debut album, Speak In Numbers, produced by James Salter and mixed by Russ Fowler at Southern Tracks Studio in Atlanta (Rage Against The Machine, Stone Temple Pilots).
From the opening notes of “Luck,” the band’s music is reminiscent of everything great about rock, while planting itself firmly in the present. It’s poppy, infectious and smart - by design. As Ryan says, “The common thread in our music is that pop doesn’t have to be bone-headed or dumbed down.” And in between Ryan’s shimmering vocals, Andy’s chiming guitar, and the propulsive rhythm section of James and Jared, they strike a blow for music being able to be both popular and profound.
James Salter’s production walks a fine line between the band’s pop instincts, and the more edgy elements of their influences. Ryan notes, “On a song like ‘As Good As New,’ we really found a way to emphasize some of our more subversive tendencies. But at the same time, there’s a lot of rhythmic and mute guitar tones that is more like 80’s pop. I think we found a way to mesh our influences at an almost sub-conscious level.”
Songs like “Things That Used To Be Good” and “The Moontower” have already received radio play in Columbus, where WVRK-FM has touted them as "One of
the best up-and-coming acts in the south." And Free Magazine has raved, “When the first track “Luck” opens up you know this is not another hipster, moody band. This is straight ahead rock and roll and it’s been missed. This is not to say that Spy for Hire sounds like some retro band; just the opposite. Their tunes embody a freshness that is new because it sounds honest.”
Spy For Hire are a band for people who have felt left out of the pop music world – and who want back in, on their own terms. Ryan declares, “There are a lot of people who aren’t getting what they want from new music – they’re not getting the types of bands that changed my life. We want to be that band for somebody. That’s the ultimate reward.” He continues, “We’re not a band with a fall back position. We’re uncompromising and we’re going to keep pushing and pushing – you don’t fail until you quit trying. It’s simple, really: Find what you love and do it.” On Speak In Numbers, Spy For Hire have produced an album played and sung with the kind of love that drives itself into the heart of the listener, not to be forgotten, and in doing so, have established themselves as one of the acts to look out for in 2009."
Some occasions upon which we have dressed up extra nice and lugged some gear onto a stage.
08/15/2008 Emerald Lounge
Asheville, North Carolina
07/25/2008 - Soho
Columbus, Georgia
07/24/2008 Six Flags Over Georgia
Austell, Georgia
07/19/2008 - Hard Rock Live
Atlanta, Georgia
07/18/2008 - Lennys
Atlanta, Georgia
06/27/2008– Corndogorama @ Lennys
Atlanta, Georgia
06/24/2008 - Smiths Olde Bar
Atlanta, Georgia
06/22/2008 07:00 PM - Vinyl
Atlanta, Georgia
05/30/2008 - Crowbar
Tampa (Ybor), Florida
05/29/2008 - Push Ultra Lounge
St. Petersburg, Florida
05/24/2008 - Village Tavern
Mount Pleasant, South Carolina
05/22/2008- Oxygen
Columbus, Georgia
04/11/2008 - Lennys
Atlanta, Georgia
03/29/2008 - New World Brewery
Tampa, Florida
03/28/2008 - The Atlantic
Gainesville, Florida
03/27/2008 - The Nick
Birmingham, Alabama
03/06/2008 - Smiths Olde Bar
Atlanta, Georgia
03/05/2008 - Caledonia
Athens, Georgia
02/16/2008 - Head On The Door
Montgomery, Alabama
02/15/2008 - The Orpheum
Ybor City/Tampa, Florida
02/09/2008 - Roosters
Auburn, Alabama
02/07/2008 - Doc Watson’s
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
02/05/2008 - The Saint
Asbury Park, New Jersey
02/03/2008 - Arlenes Grocery
New York, New York
02/01/2008 - Luckys
Wilmington, North Carolina
01/31/2008 - TT Reynolds
Fairfax, Virginia
01/30/2008 - Record and Tape (In-Store)
Baltimore, Maryland
01/28/2008 - 5 Points Pub
Columbia, South Carolina
01/26/2008 - Egans
Tuscaloosa, Alabama
01/23/2008 - Marvell Event Center
Durham, North Carolina
01/18/2008 - Lennys
Atlanta, Georgia
01/16/2008 - Glow In The Dark (Special Invite)
Atlanta, Georgia
01/12/2008 - Soho
Columbus, Georgia
01/10/2008 - Oxygen
Columbus, Georgia
01/10/2008 - WVRK Rock 103 (In-Studio)
Columbus, Georgia
12/19/2007 - Caledonia
Athens, Georgia
11/03/2007 - Rhinos
Columbus, Georgia
08/17/2007 - ISP Space
Altanta, Georgia
07/14/2007 - Lennys- Corndogorama
Atlanta, Georgia
07/13/2007 - Roosters
Auburn, Alabama
06/28/2007 - Oxygen
Columbus, Georgia
06/21/2007 - 10 High
Atlanta, Georgia
06/13/2007 - Drunken Unicorn
Atlanta, Georgia
06/02/2007 - The Bradley Theatre
Columbus, Georgia
05/25/2007 - Lennys
Atlanta, Georgia
05/05/2007- Cinco de Mayo Party- Dirty Bird House-
Atlanta, Georgia
04/14/2007 - The Atlantic
Gainesville, Florida
03/31/2007 - Rhinos
Columbus, Georgia
02/01/2007 - 10 High
Atlanta, Georgia
01/26/2007 - Lennys
Atlanta, Georgia
01/20/2007 - Arlenes Grocery
New York, New York
01/16/2007– TT Reynolds
Fairfax, VA
01/13/2007 - 007 Tavern
Myrtle Beach, South Carolina
01/12/2007 - Gypsy Gs
Greenville, South Carolina
12/09/2006 - Rhinos
Columbus, Georgia
11/10/2006 - Soho
Columbus, GA
11/06/2006 - Tasty World
Athens, GA 30601
10/27/2006 – Dirty Bird House
Atlanta, Georgia
10/18/2006 - Lennys
Atlanta, GA 30301
10/05/2006 - Soho
Columbus, GA 31900
Merch Store
CDs Available
Decatur CD Criminal Records
