Spy For Hire

Bio:

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.OK....proceed.

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

CDs Available

Decatur CD

Criminal Records

Member Since:

April 14, 2005

Members:

Ryan Rulon-vox, gtr, ect.

Andy Rich-gtr

Jared Meharg-drums

Gene Woolfolk III-gtr

Influences:

Some of our favorites are: Swervedriver, Shudder To Think, Prince, Mansun, Baby, My Bloody Valentine, Sade, The Church, Echo and the Bunnymen, Raphael Saadiq, Genesis, ELO, Silk, Earth Wind and Fire, Jeff Buckley, New Order, Slowdive, The Smiths, Hall and Oates, Electronic, Bjork, The O'Jays, Fugazi, XTC, Superchunk, T-Rex, Pet Shop Boys, R&B radio, Dinosaur Jr, Madonna, Daft Punk, Yes, Depeche Mode

Sounds Like:

"One of the best up-and-coming acts in the south." WVRK- Rock 103FM, Columbus, GA

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"Their tunes embody a freshness that is new because it sounds honest. When you listen to the plaintive chorus on “Things Used to be Good” the melody is infectious and binds the listener to the tune as one of the standouts on the EP."- FREE Magazine, NYC

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"...a group that has found a large, faithful following with it's alternative pop sensibilities" Brad Barnes- The Columbus Ledger Enquirer

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Click on the icon below to get our EP on iTunes

Record Label:

Architek One