“The World Is…” is off of Matthew Ryan’s recent album, Dear Lover. The indie artist is currently on a U.S tour. Check out the schedule for the tour here.

The New Year brings nothing but excitement for the Dallas, Texas based pop-rock quartet Disco Curtis.

Most recently signed to MySpace/Interscope Records the band plans to write and record a host of new material. Today, the band currently performs songs off their debut EP “Play With Fire Get Burned” which is available now via itunes. Disco Curtis’ debut video for “Ashley” is set for a January 6th premiere on MySpace.com. Over the winter months, the band is prepping for their appearance on the second half of the annual Vans Warped Tour, with dates slated for July 20th through August 15th.  Having previously toured with Boys Like Girls, Forever The Sickest Kids and more, the band cannot wait to get back on the road.

Phoenix will be returning to the states this winter and making a stop at The Joint on January 28.

2009 has been a career-defining year for the band with the release of their critically acclaimed album Wolfgang Amadeus Phoenix. Selling more than 200,000 copies to date, WAP is being heralded as one of the best albums of the year. These incredible songs spring to life even more so on stage, with dynamic guitars, infectious choruses and addictive rhythms building to sheer exhilaration as the audience rides Phoenix’s sonic high.

I’ll be the first to admit that New Year’s resolutions are kind of stupid. They usually involve quitting something (smoking, drinking, eating too much) that I end up doing on New Year’s Day because the party’s still on, and after that, I need my favorite vices to recover from the craziness of the holidays, and by the end of the week, I’m wondering why I bothered making a stupid resolution in the first place, and what’s so great about New Year’s, anyway?

But there is a secret to keeping a New Year’s resolution. The secret, friends, is to resolve to do something totally amazing with your new year. Don’t plan to wallow in miserable self-denial. Don’t plan to change who you are. Just plan on being completely awesome.

Doing great things is a particularly excellent plan if you’re someone whose future depends on your ability to succeed with no one cracking the whip behind you. Like, say, for example, if you’re an indie musician. Inertia can be a killer. So what better time to commit to becoming rich and famous than on January 1st?

The road can be a lonely place. As any touring musician knows, it’s tough out there. Organizing venues, covering travel expenses, staying out of trouble, and even just finding your way from town to town can be as epically fraught with challenges as a DragonForce guitar solo.

While it’s true that most musicians create more friends and good times on the road than anything else, it’s also hard, if not impossible, to do all the tour organization and planning alone without a support network. Often, indie artists never take that first step down the dusty trail because there are so many obstacles in the way, which is why singer-song writer Hans York got in touch with Jeanette Lundgren when he was planning a tour.

Jeanette runs Mother Hen Promotions, a social media management service for independent musicians. “Hans is now based out of Texas and he intends to spend all of 2010 on the road,” Jeanette says. “It was his request to me that I look at his tour schedule and analyze it for potential challenges. For example, you shouldn’t be crossing the Rockies in December. There are some areas you don’t want to travel through in winter or spring, and indie artists planning a tour need to have a sense of these things.”

The independent ska punk band has hit the road with shows featuring: Cage, The Swellers, The Casualties and Fishbone.

Confirmed Tour Dates:

Jay Nash is currently on the West Coast leg of his tour, which includes independent musicians Shane Alexander and Joey Ryan.

Nash will be meeting up with Caitlin Crosby and Crosby Loggins on his Midwest and East Coast tour dates.

The unsigned artist is touring once again in support of his latest EP release, All the Stars in Copenhagen.

Years ago, when I decided that music was the way that I wanted to live and the way that I wanted to earn a living. I made the decision that I would rather do what I love, put everything that I possibly could into it and do it well. At that point, I had an truck that barely ran, I lived in a garage and rarely had a positive balance in my bank account. I wasn’t sure what music would bring me in terms of a living and I didn’t care. It was just that I wanted my life to be immersed in it and surrounded by it.

John Nolan, who is the frontman of Straylight Run, is currently taking his solo project on the road.

Nolan has hit the month long tour with Person L and Brian Bonz.

Tonight was the first show of tour with Person L and Brian Bonz and it was a lot of fun. Camille and I played a song with Brian Bonz and the Dot Hongs, and they played two songs with us. We’ll be working on doing some more collaborating with them and hopefully bringing Person L into the mix soon. Thanks to everyone who came out tonight, and many thanks to Person L (who was amazing this evening!) for taking us on this tour!

New Zealand dance punks Bang Bang Eche will be kicking off their North American tour this October with Har Mar Superstar following a plethora of performance at this year’s annual CMJ Music Marathon. 

The band of teenagers will be over in the US to promote their highly anticipated new EP, Sonic Death Cuntttt, available worldwide this November and the follow up to their 2008 self-titled debut EP.

The four members – Zach Doney (vocals), Charlie Ryder (guitar and synths), James Sullivan (drums) and T’Nealle Worsley (guitar and bass) – recorded the new album over a span of three months in their hometown of Christchurch after two tours literally circling the globe. 

Owl City announces his first few weeks of 2010 tour dates in support of his incredibly successful label debut – Ocean Eyes - out now on Universal Republic. MySpace will offer an exclusive ticket pre-sale beginning October 16^th and running through October 23^rd for the tour dates.

The tour kicks off January 21^st at the Beaumont Club in Kansas City, MO and sees Owl City with full band in tow heading through the Midwest, Southeast and up the East Coast through mid-February.  The short US tour will include special guests Lights and Deas Vail and sees the band hitting some of the smaller markets not visited this past fall.

In addition, the 2010 dates come on the heels of Owl City’s first trek to China and Japan and comes before the band will make their live debut in Europe as well as Australia where they’ll be hitting the road with Cobra Starship.

2009 PacTour to Feature Headlining Artist Saosin, Co-Supporting Artists, P.O.S. and Innerpartysystem with opening act Eye Alaska

PacSun, the clothing store inspired by the California lifestyle, has officially announced tour kick-off, November 6th in Los Angeles, CA at the House of Blues and wraps December 20th at House of Blues in Anaheim, CA and tickets are on sale now here <http://pactour.pacsun.com/tour.php?PHPSESSID=8d84dd63d2bb4a04b386b23e57dc2cef> . Saosin, P.O.S., Innerpartysystem, and Eye Alaska as well as local battle of the band contest winners will be performing on each date.

Midnight Masses is an ever-expanding collective of mostly Brooklyn-based artists, led and formed by Autry Fulbright in the wake of his father’s untimely death in 2008.

On any given night the band could be a lean ensemble of its core members or an imposing 14-piece collection of string players, organists, and guests pulled from any number of Brooklyn’s finest bands – including Trail of Dead’s Kevin Allen, Jason Reece and Conrad Keely, TV on the Radio’s Gerard Smith and Jaleel Bunton, the bewitching Katie Eastburn, Peter Hale of Here We Go Magic, and more.