New Years Day

Perhaps calling their band "Fall Out Girl" would have been a bit too on the nose, but the Orange County act New Years Day undeniably sound like the melodic and commercial pop-punk of Fall Out Boy -- whose lead singer, Patrick Stump, and bassist, Pete Wentz, were early supporters -- fronted by a young Gwen Stefani wannabe. (Not the recent gimmicky dance-pop Gwen, mind you, but Tragic Kingdom-vintage Gwen.) New Years Day formed in 2005 when bassist and primary songwriter Adam Lohrbach left the long-running first-generation pop-punk act Home Grown to form his own group. Featuring singer Ashley Hittesdorf (who usually just goes by "Ash"), guitarist and keyboardist Keith Drover, guitarist Mike, and drummer Russell Dixon, New Years Day began gigging locally and building up an online presence via MySpace and other social-networking sites. By early 2006, New Years Day were signed to the large indie label TVT Records after a flirtation with Decaydance, Wentz's Fueled by Ramen-affiliated vanity label. A self-titled five-song EP was released in the fall of 2006, featuring the catchy first single "I Was Right," which garnered some MTV buzz. The full-length debut by New Years Day, My Dear, followed in the spring of 2007, featuring a song co-written with Justin Pierre of Motion City Soundtrack.