‘ILLUMINATE YOURSELF’ ON THE ROAD WITH INDIE DARLINGS LYDIA - BAND SETS OUT ON FIRST EVER HEADLINING TOUR

(NEW YORK, NY January 26, 2009) In the five years since their inception, Phoenix, AZ sextet Lydia has grown to become darlings of the indie rock world. After years of relentlessly touring to build a widespread base of loyal fans, Lydia is poised to take over the scene with their sophomore album Illuminate and debut headlining tour.

The Illuminate Yourself Tour kicks off February 19th in Albuquerque, NM beginning a whirlwind, month long trek through the United States. Armed with direct support Black Gold, Illuminate Yourself promises to be a refreshing addition to the much anticipated spring touring season.

Lydia’s intoxicatingly melodic styling and deliciously layered male/female vocals have the fans and critics raving. Absolute Punk’s CEO & Founder Jason Tate hailed Illuminate a contender for their prestigious 2008 Album of The Year Award, while their legion of fans are signing up to be Myspace friends in droves-54,000 of them to be exact! But the commitment to Lydia runs even deeper than the impressive 3.9 MILLION Myspace plays; quite a few fans have been spotted with Lydia’s powerfully captivating lyrics tattooed on their own bodies.

This group of high school friends came together in 2003, and after a few trials and errors created the ideal line up of lead vocalist / guitarist Leighton Antelman, keyboardist / backup vocalist Mindy White, guitarists Steve McGraw and Ethan Koozer, bassist Jed Dunning and drummer Craig Taylor. Lydia’s “big break” came in 2004 when the band won a contest with Blink 182-owned clothing line Atticus to have a track featured on the brand’s compilation album. Their proceeding debut album This December: It’s One More and I’m Free sold a remarkable 10,000 copies solely through word of mouth and their live shows.

Tour dates below:

FEB
19 Albuquerque, NM The Launchpad w/ Joshua James
20 Colorado Springs, CO theLoft w/ Joshua James
21 Denver, CO Larimer Lounge w/ Joshua James
24 Omaha, NE The Waiting Room w/ Joshua James
25 Des Moines, IA Vaudeville Mews w/ Joshua James
26 Minneapolis, MN Station 4 w/ Joshua James
27 Madison, WI The Annex w/ Joshua James
28 Chicago, IL AV-Aerie w/ All The Day Holiday

MAR
01 West Lafayette, IN Purdue University w/ All The Day Holiday
02 Cleveland Heights, OH The Grog Shop w/ All The Day Holiday
03 Philadelphia, PA The Barbary w/ All The Day Holiday
04 Cambridge, MA Middle East Club w/ All The Day Holiday
05 New York, NY The Mercury Lounge w/ All The Day Holiday
06 Hoboken, NJ Maxwell's w/ All The Day Holiday
07 Washington, DC Rock and Roll Hotel w/ All The Day Holiday
08 Richmond, VA Canal Club w/ All The Day Holiday
10 Chapel Hill, NC Local 506 w/ All Get Out
11 Atlanta, GA Drunken Unicorn w/ All Get Out
12 Oxford, MS Proud Larry's w/ All Get Out
13 New Orleans, LA One Eyed Jacks w/ All Get Out
14 Dallas, TX Club Dada w/ All Get Out
15 Denton, TX Rubber Gloves w/ All Get Out
17 San Antonio, TX White Rabbit w/ All Get Out
18 Austin, TX SXSW
21 Tempe, AZ The Clubhouse w/ Joshua James