Ted Leo

[hammersavage]

Is there anyone better in music? I submit that there is not.

Not only was I jacked to get Pearl Jam tickets, then I saw Ted Leo and the Pharmacists were opening and June 25th became the most anticipated day in my life.

Please tell me i'm not the only fan around these parts. If I am, get with it people.

[marky2bucks]

I love his stuff

shake the sheets is my favorite

[Furtherman]

Never heard of him... or is it them? Any suggestions on where to start with his music? I am seeing them open up for Pearl Jam as well.

[Bay Ridge Tim]

I've been listening to Ted Leo going back to Chisel. The guy has never put out a bad CD. He's a terrific songwriter and, most importantly, JERSEY REPRESENT!!

Me & Mia (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LsuC_dB77PI)
Stove By a Whale (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f5trEfSQEVs)

[green_bay_jake]

ted leo is the man! he even makes kelly clarkson songs sound good.

[grlNIN]

Depends on the song.

Way too poppy for me and somewhat of an annoying voice.

[hammersavage]

Really? I love his voice.

Best songs to start off with would be Me and Mia, Counting Down the Hours, Timorous Me, Sons of Cain.

Just an amazing songwriter and fuck yeah, jersey's own bitch!!!

[grlNIN]

Definitely a little whiny sometimes.

[TheMojoPin]

Ted Leo is amaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaazing, either with the Pharmacists or back when he was with Chisel.

If you're new to him, start with Hearts of Oak or Tyranny of Distance. The only thing you need to avoid is the Tej Leo(?), RX/Pharmacists (yes, that's the title) album. It's an abomination.

[Knowledged_one]

gotta say i have never even heard of him, and i also heard that in concerts that Pearl Jam (who i really dont care for) doesnt even play their hits? Is that true?

and amazing i think is Citizen Cope that guy is good

[weekapaugjz]

big fan of ted leo. i saw him live about 2 years ago and he was fucking awesome. shake the streets is one of my favorite cds. hearts of oak is really good as well.

[Stankfoot]

I [heart] Ted!

"2nd ave, 11am"

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[hammersavage]

The only thing you need to avoid is the Tej Leo(?), RX/Pharmacists (yes, that's the title) album. It's an abomination.

Agreed BUT, despite most of the album sounding like shit, you should listen to the song (None). If that was recorded better it could be his best song, very good even though it sounds terrible.

i know it shouldn't matter and i shouldn't care but why can't Ted Leo be played every day on the radio instead of Nickleback. I hate America's taste in music.

[hammersavage]

He's America's Joe Strummer. Heres the lyrics to 'Timorous Me', maybe his best.

"Me and Johnny sittin' in the green grass -
I don’t remember too much from that far back in the past,
But man, oh man, was Johnathan a laugh
In those days.
Apparently he was my very best friend -
We spent warm summer days wishing they would never end -
But I only know from photographs I look at
Every now and again.

And J-J-Johnny -
Ooh, ooh, all he left us was an apple tree,
And ooh, where'd he go, and ooh, why'd he leave,
And ooh, why do I grieve?

Now I don’t ever see Johnathan no more,
But my life rolls on just like it did before,
And I only wonder what it is
That I even miss him for.

Me and Timory holdin' hands -
I was shakin' hers, ‘cause she said she was a fan,
There was an awkward pause, and something that should’ve began
Just passed us by.
But I watched her sing along with every word,
In the prettiest voice that I never heard,
And I still see her dancing, wearin' my shirt:
Right there.

And t-t-timorous me -
All Timory left me was a memory.
And ooh, I was blind, and ooh, now I find
That I can’t see.

Now me and Jodi spend a lot of our time
Just sittin' in silence, driving late at night,
And maybe even wonderin' what’s on each other’s mind
This time.
But I know she’s like me, so I let it ride -
She’s dwelling in that quiet space left behind,
Where only peace can answer why,
And you abide
The birds must fly."

[evolution5v1]

i also heard that in concerts that Pearl Jam (who i really dont care for) doesnt even play their hits? Is that true?

no

[hammersavage]

considering "Rearviewmirror" had about 30 hits and coulda argued for 10-15 others, its impossible for them to play all their hits.

but they do a great job of playing a bunch of hits, obscure stuff, covers...just perfect live shows...

[EffMeBoobs]

He's Teddy Rockstar.

[hammersavage]

I just saw this on brooklynvegan an my heart broke.

http://www.brooklynvegan.com/img/music2/karaoke-returns-again.jpg

Why did god just torture me with this? I had no idea this was going on. I pray that today is groundhog day and when I go to bed, ill have a chance to live today over and ill make sure I'm at this show.

[dryerdoor]

Ted Leo is amaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaazing, either with the Pharmacists or back when he was with Chisel.

If you're new to him, start with Hearts of Oak or Tyranny of Distance. The only thing you need to avoid is the Tej Leo(?), RX/Pharmacists (yes, that's the title) album. It's an abomination.

Fuck yeah, Tyrannay of Distance is fucking amazing. Biomusicology is such an amazing song.

I've seen him live at least 6 times (3 times at the South Street Seaport Music Festival and 3 times at other places in the city). The best being (personally) at the Knitting Factory, with Les Aus, The Duke Spirit and Ted Leo & Rx. Ted had a sore throat and had his parents up in the balcony so he had different people in the crowd sing his songs. Possibly one of the most enjoyable concerts I've ever been too.

Also, his cover of Stiff Little Fingers "Suspect Device" is amazing.

[dryerdoor]

He's America's Joe Strummer. Heres the lyrics to 'Timorous Me', maybe his best.

"Me and Johnny sittin' in the green grass -
I don’t remember too much from that far back in the past,
But man, oh man, was Johnathan a laugh
In those days.
Apparently he was my very best friend -
We spent warm summer days wishing they would never end -
But I only know from photographs I look at
Every now and again.

And J-J-Johnny -
Ooh, ooh, all he left us was an apple tree,
And ooh, where'd he go, and ooh, why'd he leave,
And ooh, why do I grieve?

Now I don’t ever see Johnathan no more,
But my life rolls on just like it did before,
And I only wonder what it is
That I even miss him for.

Me and Timory holdin' hands -
I was shakin' hers, ‘cause she said she was a fan,
There was an awkward pause, and something that should’ve began
Just passed us by.
But I watched her sing along with every word,
In the prettiest voice that I never heard,
And I still see her dancing, wearin' my shirt:
Right there.

And t-t-timorous me -
All Timory left me was a memory.
And ooh, I was blind, and ooh, now I find
That I can’t see.

Now me and Jodi spend a lot of our time
Just sittin' in silence, driving late at night,
And maybe even wonderin' what’s on each other’s mind
This time.
But I know she’s like me, so I let it ride -
She’s dwelling in that quiet space left behind,
Where only peace can answer why,
And you abide
The birds must fly."

Preach on brother.

Did you ever get his DVD?

[paulisded]

Preach on brother.

Did you ever get his DVD?

I did, but I still haven't gotten around to watching it.

[dryerdoor]

I did, but I still haven't gotten around to watching it.

Personally, it's the 2nd best music DVD trailing Sigur Ros "Heima".

[SuperKarateMonkeyDeathFez]

Also, his cover of Stiff Little Fingers "Suspect Device" is amazing.

His cover of Split Enz' "6 Months in a Leaky Boat" is pretty great, too.

[dryerdoor]

His cover of Split Enz' "6 Months in a Leaky Boat" is pretty great, too.

Tell Balgeary, Balgury Is Dead version or from the Sharkbite Sessions? The Balgeary, Balgury version is better (imo).

[SuperKarateMonkeyDeathFez]

Tell Balgeary, Balgury Is Dead version or from the Sharkbite Sessions? The Balgeary, Balgury version is better (imo).

I only have that one.

[dryerdoor]

I only have that one.

Good album too. Sharkbite was something released over on ITunes and amazon. It was a 3 song ep with the full band. They did 'Six Months in a Leaky Boat', 'Loyal to my Sorrowful Country' and 'Suspect Device'.

[hammersavage]

Ted just added a show to his tour:

Ted Leo / Pharmacists plus Titus Andronicus

Sunday, Jun 21, 2009 7:00 PM EDT
at Kearny Irish American Association in Kearny, New Jersey.

Yeah, the Kearny Irish American Association. Sounds small.

Tickets on sale here. (http://www.ticketweb.com/t3/sale/SaleEventDetail?dispatch=loadSelectionData&eventId=1319204&REFERRAL_ID=tmfeedbuyatbrooklynvegan)


I just got mine :smile:

[hammersavage]

He also added a show. He'll be at Maxwell's in Hoboken the day after Kearny. The 22nd.

I'll be at both.

[Furtherman]

He also added a show. He'll be at Maxwell's in Hoboken the day after Kearny. The 22nd.

I'll be at both.

Oh no, you'll be creeping out my town.

[hammersavage]

Oh no, you'll be creeping out my town.

It's a free country. I can be a creep where I please. Except 100 yards from an elementary school.

[Furtherman]

It's a free country. I can be a creep where I please. Except 100 yards from an elementary school.

Hoboken isn't that big. You may want to check with your parole officer.

[jessicaduh]

gotta say i have never even heard of him, and i also heard that in concerts that Pearl Jam (who i really dont care for) doesnt even play their hits? Is that true?

and amazing i think is Citizen Cope that guy is good

a) pearl jam has a gigantic catalog.

b) 99.99999% of pearl jam fans could give a shit about hearing the hits. jeremy and last kiss were their two largest radio hits, and are pretty much the songs i'd BY FAR least want to hear in concert.

it's not a top 40 crowd. and..

c)pearl jam fans listen to their albums, bootlegs, etc. so frequently that it's all pretty much hits, radio play or not.

i like ted leo.

[hammersavage]

Then see him for free when you can!!! :wallbash:

[jessicaduh]

Then see him for free when you can!!! :wallbash:

suck it, grandma.

[hammersavage]

The fucking Maxwell's show sold out. I really didn't think that would happen so I didn't get tickets. Now, I can only see him once. wtf, world?

[spoon]

The fucking Maxwell's show sold out. I really didn't think that would happen so I didn't get tickets. Now, I can only see him once. wtf, world?

Hammer, Maxwells is tiny and a great venue that you almost always have to act quickly with. Oh and the day of shows u can usually get tix there. I wouldn't give up so quickly.

[JerseyRich]

Tis a classic room.

Nirvana played there.


As well as JerseyRich.

[hammersavage]

Hammer, Maxwells is tiny and a great venue that you almost always have to act quickly with. Oh and the day of shows u can usually get tix there. I wouldn't give up so quickly.

Yea, I think I saw 2U there once. I was shocked there would be a show there, but I still figured I could get tickets. I'll check it out day of though. Thanks

[TheMojoPin]

Does he have a new album due out this year? It's been at least two since the last one.

[hammersavage]

Does he have a new album due out this year? It's been at least two since the last one.

He's been playing a few new things on recent shows. Last studio album was March '07.

He says:

Yo! "New" demo in the MEDIA section of the site - it's the one in bold, called "Where Was my Brain?" I say "new," in quotes, because the song's actually more than a few months old, but as I said in the description posted with the song, it's been a while since there was anything new recorded and we're still writing and figuring out what we're going to do with all that, so it's gonna be a little bit more time yet before a new album arrives, and I figured I'd just put this out there for anyone who's interested!

It's on his site, pretty good.

[spoon]

I've seen Ours, Lucero, Julianna Theory, Jimmy Grecco (Ours lead singer) acoustic, Julianna Hatfield, Eisley, Cracker and a bunch of lesser known bands at Maxwells. I love that place.

[bradleyjerome]

The fucking Maxwell's show sold out. I really didn't think that would happen so I didn't get tickets. Now, I can only see him once. wtf, world?
he's also doing a free show in July at Pier 54:

http://riverrocksnyc.com/RR2.html

[Kublakhan61]

Depends on the song.

Way too poppy for me and somewhat of an annoying voice.

10-4 on that. I don't get what's so super awesome about him. I only ever like him when he's on The Best Show on WFMU, which means he's talking not singing.

[KnoxHarrington]

10-4 on that. I don't get what's so super awesome about him. I only ever like him when he's on The Best Show on WFMU, which means he's talking not singing.

I did like "The World is in the Terlet", the song that was written and recorded in the space of an episode of The Best Show, using lyrics viewers called in.

[Kublakhan61]

I did like "The World is in the Terlet", the song that was written and recorded in the space of an episode of The Best Show, using lyrics viewers called in.

I'll give him that cause Tom was involved. Can't get enough Best Show.

[hammersavage]

Ted was fucking amazing tonight. The guy puts everything he has into his shows. I will follow that man til the day I die. He's brilliant and down to Earth and an amazing song writer/performer.


Played for 2 hours, almost every song I wanted to hear. 5 new songs (so getting close to a new album) that were all great especially a song called 'Bottled in Cork'.

A couple covers. Dirty Old Town (which he always does) and Fisherman's Blues by The Waterboys which I lost my mind for.

I'll try to go to the show in Hoboken tomorrow.

[RoseBlood]

I will follow that man til the day I die.

Scarey.

[hammersavage]

Easy donkey

[JerseyRich]

meh.

He's no Blind Man Drive. :smoke:

How was the place he was playing in Kearny? Honestly, Kearny is the last place I'd expect to see an act like that.
Hope you can get into Maxwell's tonight. That's a cool club to see bands.

[hammersavage]

The place was this tiny, Irish American place. A normal bar in the front with pool tables and a couple lounges.

Then the back room (held 217 according to the fire safety notice) in the back with a giant painting of Kennedy on the wall.

Its like my Heaven.

[JerseyRich]

The place was this tiny, Irish American place. A normal bar in the front with pool tables and a couple lounges.

Then the back room (held 217 according to the fire safety notice) in the back with a giant painting of Kennedy on the wall.

Its like my Heaven.

It sounds like my Hell.

:smoke:

[hammersavage]

It sounds like my Hell.

:smoke:

Probably. There were an inordinate amount of hot chicks there.

[JerseyRich]

Probably. There were an inordinate amount of hot chicks there.


eww. Gross.

[Justice4all]

Ummm....I knew Ted in High school....we graduated together.

Good guy. not surprised at all he is doing well in music.

here is a list of upcoming performce dates in this area


Hoboken, NJ - Monday - 06/22/2009 @ Maxwells | SOLD OUT! THANK YOU! w/ Titus Andronicus. Doors: 8pm; Show: 9pm. $15. All ages.

Hampton, NH - Thursday - 07/09/2009 @ Hampton Beach Casino | w/ State Radio. Doors: 6PM; Show: 8PM. $21 in advance; $26 day of show. All ages.

Asbury Park, NJ - Friday - 07/10/2009 @ Stone Pony Summerstage | w/ State Radio. Doors: 6:30PM; Show: 7PM. $20 in advance; $25 day of show. All ages.

Baltimore, MD - Saturday - 07/11/2009 @ Ram’s Head Live! | w/ State Radio. Doors: 7PM; Show: 8PM. $17. All ages.

New York City, NY - Thursday - 07/23/2009 @ Pier 54 | Hudson River Parks River Rocks w/ Radio 4 and Extra Golden. Doors: 6PM; show: 7PM. FREE! All Ages.

We might try to catch a show.

[hammersavage]

Ummm....I knew Ted in High school....we graduated together.

Good guy. not surprised at all he is doing well in music.

here is a list of upcoming performce dates in this area


Hoboken, NJ - Monday - 06/22/2009 @ Maxwells | SOLD OUT! THANK YOU! w/ Titus Andronicus. Doors: 8pm; Show: 9pm. $15. All ages.

Hampton, NH - Thursday - 07/09/2009 @ Hampton Beach Casino | w/ State Radio. Doors: 6PM; Show: 8PM. $21 in advance; $26 day of show. All ages.

Asbury Park, NJ - Friday - 07/10/2009 @ Stone Pony Summerstage | w/ State Radio. Doors: 6:30PM; Show: 7PM. $20 in advance; $25 day of show. All ages.

Baltimore, MD - Saturday - 07/11/2009 @ Ram’s Head Live! | w/ State Radio. Doors: 7PM; Show: 8PM. $17. All ages.

New York City, NY - Thursday - 07/23/2009 @ Pier 54 | Hudson River Parks River Rocks w/ Radio 4 and Extra Golden. Doors: 6PM; show: 7PM. FREE! All Ages.

We might try to catch a show.

Do it. He puts everything into his performances. They tour constantly and he's a tiny little guy but he's a force on the stage. And they sound fantastic.

Maxwells has no answer. I'll definitely be at that free show in NYC next month.

[Justice4all]

Do it. He puts everything into his performances. They tour constantly and he's a tiny little guy but he's a force on the stage. And they sound fantastic.

Maxwells has no answer. I'll definitely be at that free show in NYC next month.

tell you what, if we go we'll let you know. and I'm gonna try to see if we can hang with Ted for a little bit when he's done with his set. Don't know if he'll remember me that well, but it's worth a shot isn't it?

[hammersavage]

Oh, its worth a shot. I spoke to him and he responded last night. So were practically family.

I wish I saw this show a couple years ago:
http://someliesistole.files.wordpress.com/2009/05/tedleo.jpg



And I wish he played The High Party but oh well...

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[Justice4all]

well me and the woman are planning on going to bonnaroo next year. And if he plays there again that would be a double whammy.

we'll (you and I) talk more about this when we (she and I) get back from vacation

[hammersavage]

So Ted was supposed to open for Pearl Jam in Toronto last week. Well, for some reason he got stuck at customs and couldn't make it across the border.

When Ted Leo of Ted Leo and the Pharmacists couldn't make it across the border to open up for Pearl Jam in Toronto, Eddie and the boys decided to improvise on the opening act part. For us, that meant we got to see Eddie solo, Mike solo, Stone solo, Eddie and Jeff together, the Pharmacists playing without a lead singer and then Eddie and Mike playing with the Pharmacists!

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[hammersavage]

Finally...

http://cdn.pitchfork.com/media/leo.jpg

On March 9, Matador will release Ted Leo and the Pharmacists' The Brutalist Bricks, as the Matablog announced this morning. Leo and the Pharmacists recorded the follow-up to 2007's Living With the Living in Brooklyn this year. That's the criminally yellow cover above

[hammersavage]

His new album is out next Tuesday. I've given it a full listen already and I adore it. But the man can do no wrong in my eyes.

Here's my favorite song the first time thru, best version I can find for now:

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