Ariel Publicity

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, John Mayer).

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 Moon Tower” 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.