Catchy guitar riffs and great melodies go together like cake and ice cream. With that in mind, Harrisburg, PA based rock band Rise Phoenix Rise decided to bring the party approach to their on-stage concert experience. “Life needs to be enjoyed” is the common sentiment of the band’s members. With their high-energy live show and “good-times” attitude, it is not hard to see that they take the idea to heart. Their audience, through constant crowd participation and interaction, easily adopts this philosophy.

“Finally” was the first word to come to the mind of drummer Rob Hampton when he saw a vocalist by the name of Gibson perform while Hampton’s former band (Poptart Monkeys) was on tour in Tennessee. Hampton had been looking to put a new project together for quite some time, but had not been able to find the right members. That changed upon his introduction to Gibson. “This guy is a superstar,” says Hampton, “on and off stage. I knew that I wanted to be involved in a project with him and I was thrilled when I called him a few weeks later and he said ‘yes’”.

The two then went on to enlist Jarrod Griffith and Chris Bishop, the two guitarists of Gibson’s former band (GoodSpeed). The final piece was secured with the addition of bassist Ronnie Williams, a constant face on the PA music scene who has performed with several national recording artists.

Like a phoenix, the five members of this group have risen out of the ashes of several other bands. Those years of blood, sweat, and determination have allowed RPR to develop a tight-knit chemistry that spills over to their relationship with their fans. With a party atmosphere, and songs that stick in your head for hours after the show, Rise Phoenix Rise are turning heads and leaving crowds wanting more. Clearly, they are having their cake and eating it too.

The band's official website can be found at www.risephoenixrise.com, MySpace page at www.myspace.com/rprmusic and Facebook page at www.facebook.com/pages/Rise-Phoenix-Rise/28811545304 Read more on Last.fm. User-contributed text is available under the Creative Commons By-SA License; additional terms may apply.