Read in Response[NEW SONG JUST POSTED]

-Recently from Pop-Zap
"MANY complain that the era of MySpace fame has made the search for good new bands extremely difficult. After all, for every good band on everyone’s favorite social network (ok, maybe not anymore), there are 200 plus other crappy bands that have somehow accumulated 5 million friends. So when my friend recommended I check out the band Read In Response, inwardly I groaned “Oh god, they’re probably just another heavily made-up MySpace band.” Thankfully for my ears, I was quite wrong: the myspace player offered up relaxed, cheerful, and poppy indie rock, making me think of everyone from Modest Mouse to Lovedrug and even, dare I say it, hints of Maroon 5….though, as far as I know, Read In Response do not have a celebrity bed-hopping singer.
“We are a positive and fun band, and our MySpace tries to show our love for our music and how much we love to play together,” say the men of Read In Response (RIR). “We’re making one fan at a time, and becoming friends with them.” This grassroots strategy is present on their MySpace, which lacks the usual sparkly glam layout that crashes your browser; and their one fan at a time idea is present in their friends list, which is thankfully absent of the five million fans that were auto-added by some machine.
So while they may want to talk to fans and hang out online (“MySpace really is a huge asset to becoming a band...it’s the best way to promote, set up shows, and keep in touch with fans,” the guys say), PopZap! was curious to know whether Read In Response would be heading out on tour anytime soon to meet the adoring crowds in person. “We have been discussing that lately and are possibly trying to work something out this summer, just a thought though, nothing set in stone,” says RIR. “We have kind of a large age spread -- Dave and myself are old men, and everyone else is in school, so it is hard to arrange schedules. That can be a problem...but we make it work.”
With the new Hello Love EP out as well as an old EP behind them, the talk turned to recording. The guys seemed a bit nostalgic for old school studio techniques versus the Garage Band recordings of today: “When Rob, Dave and I recorded our first EP, it was basically with a MacBook Pro and a 16 channel mixer, and it didn’t turn out good.” But they also noted that when they were younger, “it was really expensive to record. No one knew how to use pro tools or how to mic anything. Now, it is so amazing how someone in a garage can make a masterpiece.”
Though the story behind Read In Response is fairly straightforward, it does take some, well, unusual turns that involve jazz/funk bands, a church, man crushes, half beards, and a mutual love for Emery and Mutemath. Since the story actually starts in a church, it’s not surprising that Read In Response’s music is somewhat spiritually influenced. RIR says that “the message is pretty much up for interpretation. The song “Hello Love” is specifically about the love of God and how it's so much different than the love that a lot of us know. We have never been a band that has sketchy lyrics and we will never be.”
With influences such as U2, The Rocket Summer, The Beatles, Coldplay, Death Cab For Cutie and Manchester Orchestra, it is clear that these guys are going for a grand, panoramic indie rock sound. It’s easy to tell from the easy banter and wit of Read In Response (as well as their stuffed puppet/mascot Franklin) that they are a band that just want to take it slow, let things grow organically, and have fun. So if you’re looking for a new indie pop band that’s honestly in it for the music, not the money, go make friends with Read In Response. They’re dying to click “accept.”