Alan Sculley

If 2007 was the year of Hannah Montana/Miley Cyrus, 2008 might be the year of the Jonas Brothers.

At least, the teenaged pop-rock act seems to have all the pieces in place for a breakthrough of "Montana-mental" proportions.

The initial step is the Jonas Brothers' first tour as a headlining act -- which kicked off Jan. 31 and includes a Friday show at the E Center in West Valley City.

"We're very excited about this tour," Kevin Jonas said. "It's our first time where we actually have some type of production on the tour, instead of just three risers and, you know, our instruments.

"We remember a year ago, we were in a van and that's how we traveled, no buses, no trucks or anything, and it was kind of just starting from the ground up," he said. "And now a year later, we have a sold-out tour -- it's really exciting. And we're just really blessed."

The band's popularity has mushroomed, thanks in part to being the opening act on last fall's monumental Hannah Montana/Miley Cyrus tour.

The Jonas Brothers's self-titled second CD, meanwhile, has sold more than 1 million copies since its release in August, and a third CD is finished and due for release in July.

Around that time, a Jonas Brothers movie, "Camp Rock," will premiere on the Disney Channel. Then, assuming there are no delays due to the television/film writer's strike, production will begin in the fall on "J.O.N.A.S," a live-action spy comedy series starring Nick, Kevin and Joe Jonas, also set to air on the Disney Channel.

But while the rise of the Jonas Brothers has been quick, it took a little while for the siblings, who grew up in Wyckoff, N.J., to get the ball rolling on their career.

Originally signed by Columbia Records, the Jonas Brothers's 2006 debut CD, "It's About Time," was in the works for nearly thee years before it was released. In fact, originally it was going to be a solo project for Nick, who had performed in several Broadway musicals.

But when songs written by all three brothers began to get submitted for the CD, Columbia shifted gears and decided to turn Nick's solo album into a group project.

"It's About Time" made only a modest commercial impact and before making the self-titled second CD, the group split with Columbia and signed with Disney's Hollywood Records. Soon the Jonas Brothers were being groomed to be the next superstar teen act.

Kevin said this might be one reason the group is succeeding at a time when, with exception of Cyrus, the teen pop scene has fallen out of the spotlight.

"I think that [part of the appeal is] the fact that we're not a choreographed dance group and things like that," he said. "We do write our songs. We perform our songs and play all of the instruments. And, I guess, that allows us to perform in a way that it really does show who we are as people. I think it's another way for people to connect with us."