For Rob Hampton, renewed inspiration has risen much like the mythical phoenix from the ashes, and that has manifested itself in the name of his new band, Rise Phoenix Rise.

For Hampton, one of the founding members and former drummer of the wildly successful Poptart Monkeys (PTM), Rise Phoenix Rise simply represents something new.

“When PTM started in 1999, no one was in the band that was there now,” Hampton said. “We have all been down that long road, and for me, it just felt like I have done all that I could do with PTM, so I started looking to go out and start from scratch.”

That meant recruiting new band members, and the first call Hampton made was to an old friend, Ronnie Williams, lead singer and bassist from Teacher’s Pet, the band Hampton was with prior to PTM.

“(He) has this incredible voice, so I knew he was the first one that I had to call,” Hampton said.

A second member was recruited while PTM was playing in Johnson City, Tenn., and Hampton had a chance to see a band called Goodspeed and its lead singer, “Gibson.”

“It just blew me away,” Hampton said of Gibson’s skills.

The two talked for hours about starting a new band, and Gibson led Hampton to the fourth member.

“I mention that we needed a guitar player, and Gibson tells me about his song-writing partner, Jarrod Griffith, and how the two have been friends since the sixth grade and he’s a guitar player,” Hampton said. “We meet and I start making plans for the two to come up and begin to make this all happen.”

The four basic parts of the band are in place at this point with singer, guitarist, bassist and drummer. Then came an unexpected fifth member. Gibson and Jarrod, preparing to move to Pennsylvania, approached Hampton about hearing this “super guitar player.” He agreed, and Chris Bishop joined his friends on their move north.

Coal Hole debut

Hampton said the feel he was searching for in Rise Phoenix Rise was evident from the first note the members played together in practice.

“We started with 10 songs and, in a short period of time, we played them from start to finish,” he said. “By the time we practiced again, that number went up from 10 to 30 songs.

“I just keep telling myself that this is too good to be true,” he continued. “I feel that we are even a little tighter than I’ve seen with the other bands I was with.”

But what about the public? It was time to find out by scheduling appearances.

“I wanted to be the one that called out and booked the band, and I told them that, you know, it could be tough just starting out,” he said.

As it turned out, club owners had heard the rumblings, and that made it very easy. The first to come on board was Shamokin’s Coal Hole, where the band will debut on Saturday, March 3. Following that, Rise Phoenix Rise will embark on a two-week tour, with stops in Key West, Fla.; Arkansas, Pennsylvania and Ohio, playing as many as three or four shows a week for the first month.

“When I started calling the clubs, 90 percent of them were ready to be a part of this, because they knew my reputation, and they knew that I wouldn’t walk away from PTM if this wasn’t as good or better,” Hampton said.

There is a PTM reunion feel to the debut show at the Coal Hole, with original lead singer Paul Reddon’s band, Yada Yada Yada, as the opening act.

Hampton is thrilled to debut his new band in Shamokin.

“I knew that it had to be at The Coal Hole because that place has been my home club for many years,” he said. “I’ve always enjoyed playing there.”

Ready to rock

The future is looking bright for Rise Phoenix Rise, much like the fire that is burning inside its members.

“There are times that one member’s vision will be different than another’s, but we all have a vision of what we want this band to be,” Hampton said.

As for the debut, “In many ways, this night is going to be like the band’s name, the phoenix rising from the ashes and ready to rock.”

(More information about the band, including tour dates and original music is available on the band’s Web site, www.risephoenixrise.com)