2009 was a pretty good year for Los Angeles-based band The Silverspund Pickups. They released their second full-length called ">Swoon" last Spring and received plenty of critical praise and a Grammy nomination for Best New Artist.

And it looks like 2010 is headed in the same direction.

The band recently kicked off the first performance on the Jimmy Kimmel Live outdoor stage and they are headed out on tour with mega-band Muse at the end of this month. That tour will be making an anticipated stop in Philadelphia on March 4th.

The event is being presented by Radio 104.5 and ticket prices range between $35 and $45.

Get your tickets for this show fast because I'm going to guess it will sell out. You don't get to see concerts with two huge bands all that often so make sure you jump on it.

As Bill Wyman was growing up in a General Motors family in Detroit he was too young to appreciate the classic lines of the mid-1960s Chevrolet Impalas. Years later, however, the 1966 Chevrolet Impala attracted his attention, particularly the two-door hardtop model.
 
"In my early 20s," Wyman says, "I remember thinking that when I turn 50 I am going to buy a classic car." As that inevitable half-century mark approached, Wyman started shopping for the car that he had promised himself. "I'm really into cars," he admits.

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If you haven't stopped in to Square 1682 yet, it's OK to blush. The restaurant is one of the city's hottest new spots. Fortunately for you, Valentine's day offers a great excuse to take a culinary peek. The restaurant is offering up a five-courses menu for $75 per person, and I promise you, it won't disappoint.

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One can only hope Snowmageddon Part II doesn't completely cripple Philadelphia for the rest of the week.

The Situation is coming to town, after all.

That's right, Mike Sorrentino of MTV's "Jersey Shore" will be appearing at The Buckhead Saloon (461 N. Third St.) in NoLibs Friday night. Doors will open at 7 p.m. and he is due to appear to around 9.

What he'll be doing is anyone's guess.

Funny that when I searched for a photo of Toad the Wet Sprocket, to illustrate the fact that they're playing the Keswick Theatre in May, most of the choices came up in black and white. 

This band is a blast from my ancient past.

I loved them in high school. Loved. I remember I had one of those two-hour Maxell blank tapes filled with Toad songs, and I used to play it in my room every night when I did my homework.

If you didn't know Toad had enough songs to fill a two-hour mix tape, you probably won't be hitting up Ticketmaster.com tomorrow morning at 10 a.m. to get tickets to the May 26 show. But I am always in the mood for some good old-fashioned nostalgia, and I had a great time when I saw Toad play the TLA as part of their "P.S." reunion tour back in 2003 (with Wheat and Bleu, two other very good acts).

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Pepi Ginsberg released her new album "East is East" earlier this week. And to celebrate she will be having a record release party this Saturday (February 6th) at Johnny Brenda's in Fishtown.

Ginsberg wrote most of her first album while attending the University of Pennsylvania here in Philadelphia. On her new album, Ginsberg goes in a different direction and strives for innovative arrangements and new sounds with the use of a fuller band.

Check out the video above for her first single called "Shake This." It features a Los Angeles high-school dance crew called The Ranger$. It's good stuff.

The show on Saturday night begins at 9:00 pm and costs $10. The Armchairs and Exit Clov are also on the bill.

"The Big Game" features New Orleans vs. Indy. Face it, not many of us have a dog in this fight.

So where better to watch a game not too many local football fans have a vested interest in (provided you didn't lay down five large on the game) than smack dab in the middle of Eagles/Giants/Jets country: Princeton.

Princeton's Chauncey Lounge is throwing a touchdown of a Super Bowl party on Sunday, where Eagles, Giants, and Jets fans can commiserate together - if only for one night.

For $15 you get the game on the big screen, nachos, franks in the blanket, chips, pretzels, suicidal, honey stung and bourbon barbecue chicken wings, six-foot Italian hoagies with fresh cut chips, pulled pork sandwiches on sour dough rolls with mustard slaw, great desserts and more! And don't worry, The Chauncey will have plenty of drink specials, from kickoff until the final whistle blows.

Check out the Chauncey's Web site for directions and more info or call 609-921-3600.

I know, I know...we were all sad when Icelandic band Sigur Ros announced that they were scrapping all work on their new album and taking an indefinite hiatus due to band members having babies (damn babies).

But there is a silver lining.

Front man Jónsi Birgisson will be releasing his solo album called "Go" in just a few short months on April 6th and he will also be making his way to Philadelphia in May.

Yes, Birgisson will be playing at the Electric Factory on May 3. And his stage show seems to be shaping up to be something special.

The musician has teamed up with 59 Productions to create a set that will combine the "worlds of theatre and music." And the mock-ups look promising.

No announcement yet on when we can buy tickets, so keep you eyes peeled. This is BIG.

Triumph Brewing Company of New Hope presents Frontier Ruckus, this Saturday February 6th. Frontier Ruckus is an American folk-rock band from Michigan. In the beginning of 2007, shortly after the release of I Am The Water You Are Pumping, Frontier Ruckus began to receive attention in Michigan, with Metro Times considering the band "already one of the very best sounds to come out of Michigan this entire decade.” The band released its debut full-length record, The Orion Songbook, in November 2008. Way Upstate & the Crippled Summer, pt. 1 was released in 2009. In 2008, Frontier Ruckus was named "Best Folk Group" in Detroit by Real Detroit Weekly. Show starts at 10pm.

I don't know about you, but I am already making my concert plans for the next couple of months. If you want to get in to see some big-name acts, then you'd better get your tickets early.

That's why I'm giving you the heads-up on what tickets will be going on sale this week. Plan ahead, people.

On sale February 5th:

Snoop Dog will be doing his thing at the Theather of the Living Arts a little bit later this month. I'm sure he'll rip it up at the 18+ show on February 28th.

You can also grab tickets to go see the Drive-By Truckers with Lucero and Langhorne Slim at the Electric Factory on April 3rd. Or if you don't want to wait, jump on the pre-sale action right now by entering in the phrase "THEBIGTODO." Not my cup of tea, but worth a mention anyhow.

If you want to do something a little more indie-approved, check out Mat Kearney & Ingrid Michaelson at The Electric Factory on March 19. I can never get the Michelson-iTunes-commerical-song out of my head. It's catchy.

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