On Tuesday, the band released its first CD, "The Land of Oohs and Aahs," to some great buzz.

It's been a quick rise for RPR.

"We have worked out a deal to have some national distribution for the CD," said drummer Rob Hampton, who has ties to the Berwick area. "We have been getting some good feedback on it from radio stations, and the first single is getting some airplay."

For Hampton, lead singer "Gibson," lead guitarist Chris Bishop, rhythm guitarist Jarrod Griffith and bassist Ronnie Williams, the short journey has been filled with hard work.

"We do a lot of traveling from show to show, and the time in between is usually spent in this 35-foot RV ... either writing music or lyrics," Hampton said. "This is the first time that I've ever been with a band that consists of all songwriters," and they do well in bouncing ideas off one another, he said.

To support the album, the band has released "Walk Away."

"We started with about 10 stations that wanted to play it, and now the number has increased to 20 stations," Hampton said. "There are stations out in Los Angeles and Des Moines, Indianapolis and Anchorage that are playing the song. These are places that we have never even been to play. Hopefully, more stations will take a listen and the fans will enjoy it."

The ultimate goal, of course, is to be signed by a major label.

"You look at Ronnie, who has played with national acts before, so he's a bit used to this. Myself, it's something that I've been close to before, but just couldn't get over the hump," Hampton said. "For Gibson, Jarrod and Bishop, three young kids from Tennessee, this is their big shot.

"We figured this is about eight years in the making between all of us."

Song on 'Cool' list

The buzz on RPR has been good, as allaccess.com, the nation's leading online resource for the radio industry, named "Walk Away" to the cool new music list for this week.

"I looked at that list and there was Rise Phoenix Rise between Coheed and Cambria and Seether," Hampton said. "To be included in that list is something special."

In addition, the song debuted at No. 141 on the Radio and Records Active Rock Chart, which tracks the number of "spins" a song receives on the radio.

Another single?

With the new CD out and the group constantly touring, the members find little time for relaxation, but it's good when they do. Hampton was contacted by phone Monday, spending the day off in Kingsport, Tenn., with some of the members' families. They would soon head off for a show in Georgia on Wednesday. This weekend, they'll be in Florida.

Meanwhile, they're discussing the possibilities for a second single from "The Land of Oohs and Aahs."

"There's a number of ways we can go. We really like 'Dante Maria,' which is a bit of a ballad but then switches to a rock song," Hampton said. "We also have an acoustic ballad on there called 'Find' that could get a lot of buzz."

The CD is available at a number of record stores and through www.risephoenixrise.com.

A CD release party is scheduled for Saturday, Oct. 19, at The Works in Wyomissing. The "pajama party" will be hosted by Reading's own DJ Troy and will feature an appearance by Playboy playmate Kayla Collins.

On the Net: www.risephoenixrise.com