Tapes 'N Tapes map quick start for 2009

Indie rockers Tapes 'N Tapes will make a fast start out of the blocks in 2009 with nearly two months of headlining dates already in the books for next year.

The Minneapolis natives kick off their year Jan. 15 in Omaha, NE, on the first of two early tour legs for the New Year. The first leg concentrates on the West Coast and Midwest, and runs through a Feb. 6 hometown show in Minneapolis; after a couple of weeks rest, the next leg picks up Feb. 20 in Bloomington, IN, moving eastward through the remainder of February. Full details are included below.

The group continues to support "Walk It Off," its first record since its 2006 debut, "The Loon." The album was produced by alt-rock studio vet Dave Fridmann (Flaming Lips, Weezer) at Tarbox Road Studio in upstate New York, an upgrade for a band that recorded its previous album in a friend's unfinished basement studio.

"It was nice to be able to work with someone who has a real studio," singer/guitarist Josh Grier said last year in an interview with Billboard.com. "Having a budget was awesome. It allowed us to have a real studio and get the sounds we wanted. We wanted to make a rock record, but there weren't any over-indulgences. There's no orchestral arrangements or anything."

Audio and video of material from the set can be found streaming at the band's website.