Theodore Francis Leo is an American singer and musician. He is the frontman and lead guitarist of the rock group
Ted Leo and the Pharmacists
Ted Leo and the Pharmacists (sometimes written Ted Leo/Pharmacists, Ted Leo + Pharmacists, or TL/Rx) are an American rock band formed in 1999 in Washington, D.C. They have released six full-length studio albums and have toured internationally. ...
, and in 2013, he and
Aimee Mann
Aimee Elizabeth Mann (born September 8, 1960) is an American singer-songwriter. Over the course of four decades, she has released more than a dozen albums as a solo artist and with other musicians. She is noted for her sardonic and literate lyr ...
formed the
indie rock
Indie rock is a Music subgenre, subgenre of rock music that originated in the United States, United Kingdom and New Zealand from the 1970s to the 1980s. Originally used to describe independent record labels, the term became associated with the mu ...
duo
The Both
The Both was an American indie rock musical duo consisting of Aimee Mann and Ted Leo. They began collaborating in 2013 and released a self-titled album in April 2014.
Origins
The songwriting collaboration between Aimee Mann and Ted Leo origin ...
.
Early life
Born in
South Bend, Indiana
South Bend is a city in and the county seat of St. Joseph County, Indiana, St. Joseph County, Indiana, on the St. Joseph River (Lake Michigan), St. Joseph River near its southernmost bend, from which it derives its name. As of the 2020 United S ...
, Leo grew up in
Bloomfield, New Jersey
Bloomfield is a township in Essex County, New Jersey, United States. As of the 2020 United States Census, the township's population was 53,105. It surrounds the Bloomfield Green Historic District.
History
The initial patent for the land that w ...
, where his family was from and spent many formative years in the
hardcore punk
Hardcore punk (also known as simply hardcore) is a punk rock music genre and subculture that originated in the late 1970s. It is generally faster, harder, and more aggressive than other forms of punk rock. Its roots can be traced to earlier punk ...
scene of New York City during the 1980s and early 1990s.
He graduated from
Seton Hall Preparatory School
Seton Hall Preparatory School, generally called Seton Hall Prep or "The Prep", is a Roman Catholic all boys' high school located in the suburban community of West Orange in Essex County, New Jersey, operating under the supervision of the Arch ...
in
West Orange in 1988 and the
University of Notre Dame
The University of Notre Dame du Lac, known simply as Notre Dame ( ) or ND, is a private Catholic research university in Notre Dame, Indiana, outside the city of South Bend. French priest Edward Sorin founded the school in 1842. The main campu ...
in the fall of 1993 with a degree in
English
English usually refers to:
* English language
* English people
English may also refer to:
Peoples, culture, and language
* ''English'', an adjective for something of, from, or related to England
** English national ide ...
.
Career
![Ted Leo 2015 Christmas show Brooklyn](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/0/0c/Ted_Leo_2015_Christmas_show_Brooklyn.jpg)
Leo was a founding member of the New York punk band Citizens Arrest in 1989. In the 1990s, Leo played in bands that included
Chisel
A chisel is a tool with a characteristically shaped cutting edge (such that wood chisels have lent part of their name to a particular grind) of blade on its end, for carving or cutting a hard material such as wood, stone, or metal by hand, stru ...
, Puzzlehead, and the Sin-Eaters.
Ted Leo and the Pharmacists
Ted Leo and the Pharmacists (sometimes written Ted Leo/Pharmacists, Ted Leo + Pharmacists, or TL/Rx) are an American rock band formed in 1999 in Washington, D.C. They have released six full-length studio albums and have toured internationally. ...
was formed in 1999 in
Washington, D.C.
)
, image_skyline =
, image_caption = Clockwise from top left: the Washington Monument and Lincoln Memorial on the National Mall, United States Capitol, Logan Circle, Jefferson Memorial, White House, Adams Morgan, ...
The group recorded six studio albums between 1999 and 2010. Leo has also maintained a consistent presence as a solo performer since the 1990s.
In early 2013, Leo and
Aimee Mann
Aimee Elizabeth Mann (born September 8, 1960) is an American singer-songwriter. Over the course of four decades, she has released more than a dozen albums as a solo artist and with other musicians. She is noted for her sardonic and literate lyr ...
formed a duo called
The Both
The Both was an American indie rock musical duo consisting of Aimee Mann and Ted Leo. They began collaborating in 2013 and released a self-titled album in April 2014.
Origins
The songwriting collaboration between Aimee Mann and Ted Leo origin ...
, after Leo had toured with Mann for several months as her supporting act. He and Mann began writing songs together, and in March 2013, the duo performed their first show together as the Both (originally formatted as the
hashtag
A hashtag is a metadata tag that is prefaced by the hash (also known as pound or octothorpe) sign, ''#''. On social media, hashtags are used on microblogging and photo-sharing services such as Twitter or Instagram as a form of user-generated ...
#BOTH). Their self-titled debut album, ''
The Both
The Both was an American indie rock musical duo consisting of Aimee Mann and Ted Leo. They began collaborating in 2013 and released a self-titled album in April 2014.
Origins
The songwriting collaboration between Aimee Mann and Ted Leo origin ...
'', was released in April 2014.
Leo released his debut solo album ''The Hanged Man'' on September 8, 2017.
The album was inspired by several years of career and personal hardships, including the loss of a daughter in 2011 due to a late-term miscarriage in which Leo's wife was forced to go into premature labor.
For the 2019 animated television film ''
Steven Universe: The Movie'', Leo collaborated with
Rebecca Sugar
Rebecca Rea Sugar (born July 9, 1987) is an American animator and screenwriter. She is best known for being the creator of the Cartoon Network series ''Steven Universe'', making her the first non-binary person to independently create a series for ...
and
Stemage
Grant Henry (born April 3, 1979), better known by his stage name Stemage, is an American guitarist and composer. He is known for his video game and television soundtracks, including Cartoon Network's animated series ''Steven Universe''. He is a ...
to write the song "Independent Together". In the film, Leo voiced the role of Steg, a fusion of
Steven Universe
''Steven Universe'' is an American animated series, animated television series created by Rebecca Sugar for Cartoon Network. It tells the coming-of-age story of a young boy, Steven Universe (character), Steven Universe (Zach Callison), who li ...
and Greg Universe. As Steg, Leo performed "Independent Together" alongside
Aimee Mann
Aimee Elizabeth Mann (born September 8, 1960) is an American singer-songwriter. Over the course of four decades, she has released more than a dozen albums as a solo artist and with other musicians. She is noted for her sardonic and literate lyr ...
(who reprised her role as Opal from the ''
Steven Universe
''Steven Universe'' is an American animated series, animated television series created by Rebecca Sugar for Cartoon Network. It tells the coming-of-age story of a young boy, Steven Universe (character), Steven Universe (Zach Callison), who li ...
'' television series) and voice actress
Deedee Magno Hall
Deedee Magno Hall is an American actress and singer. She is best known for her work in the pop group The Party, and as the voice of Pearl in the animated series ''Steven Universe'' and its epilogue series '' Steven Universe Future''.
Early lif ...
(as
Pearl
A pearl is a hard, glistening object produced within the soft tissue (specifically the mantle) of a living shelled mollusk or another animal, such as fossil conulariids. Just like the shell of a mollusk, a pearl is composed of calcium carb ...
).
Family and personal life
Leo grew up in New Jersey before moving to South Bend to attend Notre Dame, where he formed Chisel.
He then moved to D.C., and briefly moved to
Boston
Boston (), officially the City of Boston, is the state capital and most populous city of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, as well as the cultural and financial center of the New England region of the United States. It is the 24th- mo ...
thereafter.
Leo has lived in Rhode Island since 2005,
and he also maintained an apartment in New York City until 2016.
Leo met his wife, musician, and visual artist Jodi Buonanno, in the late 1990s when both were touring in bands.
She is credited with clapping, whistle, and background vocals on the ''
Hearts of Oak
Hearts most commonly refers to:
* Hearts (card game), a trick-taking game
* Hearts (suit), one of the standard four suits of cards
* Heart, an organ
Hearts may also refer to:
Music
* The Hearts, an American girl group closely related to the Jay ...
'' album.
His brothers, Chris and Danny Leo, are also singer-songwriters and have been members of bands such as
Native Nod
Native Nod was an American emo band formed in the early 1990s and based in the New York metropolitan area. During their short stint as a group, they released nine songs, divided amongst three seven-inch EPs, ''Bread'', ''Answers'', and ''Lower G ...
,
the Lapse The Lapse was an American indie band formed in late 1997. The band was first signed to Gern Blandsten, then Southern Records. A larger deal with Matador Records fell through in 2001. The Lapse was the duo of then boyfriend/girlfriend Chris Leo (ex-N ...
,
the Van Pelt
The Van Pelt is an American indie rock band from New York City that were active from 1993 to 1997, and have reformed briefly several times since then.
The band formed in 1993 at New York University, with Chris Leo (formerly of Native Nod and br ...
, Vague Angels, and Holy Childhood.
Leo is a vegan, and has served as a spokesman for
People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals
People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA; , stylized as PeTA) is an American animal rights nonprofit organization based in Norfolk, Virginia, and led by Ingrid Newkirk, its international president. PETA reports that PETA entities have ...
.
He has made frequent radio appearances as a contributor to programs on
WFMU
WFMU is a listener-supported, independent community radio station, licensed to East Orange, New Jersey. Since 1998 its studios and operating facilities have been headquartered in Jersey City, New Jersey. It broadcasts locally at 91.1 Mhz FM, in ...
, such as ''
The Best Show with Tom Scharpling
''The Best Show with Tom Scharpling'' (formerly ''The Best Show on WFMU'') is a combination music, call-in, and comedy Internet radio show/podcast hosted independently by Tom Scharpling since 2014, which previously aired on New Jersey-based radi ...
''.
Discography
Citizens Arrest
*''Citizens Arrest'' cassette EP (1989, Lifetime Records)
*''Soaked in Others Blood'' 7-inch EP (2012, Painkiller Records)
Puzzlehead
*''See Thru'' 7-inch EP (1991, Next Generation Records)
Animal Crackers
*''Animal Crackers/Whipped'' split 7-inch EP with Whipped (1991, Sound Pollution Records)
*''Animal Crackers'' 7-inch EP (1993, Thrashing Mad Records)
Chisel
* ''Chisel'' 7-inch single (1991, Assembly Records)
* ''Sunburn'' 7-inch EP (1994,
Gern Blandsten
Gern Blandsten Records is an independent record label based in Paramus, New Jersey.
The label's acts have included The World/Inferno Friendship Society, Canyon, Chisel, the Van Pelt, Radio 4, The Flesh, Weston, Native Nod and Rye Coalition. ...
)
* ''Nothing New'' 12-inch EP (1995, Gern Blandsten)
* ''8 A.M. All Day'' (1996, Gern Blandsten)
* ''Set You Free'' (1997, Gern Blandsten)
Hell No
*''Hell No'' 7-inch EP (1991, Wardance)
*''Skin Job'' (1992, Wardance)
Ted Leo and the Pharmacists
*''
Guitar for Jodi'' 7-inch EP (1999, Persona Records)
*''
tej leo(?), Rx / pharmacists
''tej leo(?), Rx / pharmacists'' is the debut album by the Washington, D.C. rock band Ted Leo and the Pharmacists, released in 1999 by Gern Blandsten Records. Though considered the band's first album, it is actually a solo effort by Ted Leo wi ...
'' (1999, Gern Blandsten)
*''
Treble in Trouble
''Treble in Trouble'' is an EP by the Washington, D.C. rock band Ted Leo and the Pharmacists, released in 2000 by Ace Fu Records. It was the group's first release as a full band, following a debut album which had essentially been a Ted Leo sol ...
'' (September 2000,
Ace Fu Records
Ace Fu Records is an independent record label founded in 1998 by Eric Speck. It is located in Williamsburg, Brooklyn. The label went on indefinite hiatus in 2007.
Roster
*Acid Mothers Temple
* Annuals
* An Albatross
* Aqui
*The Dears
* Devotch ...
)
*''
The Tyranny of Distance'' (June 2001,
Lookout! Records
Lookout Records (stylized as Lookout! Records) was an independent record label, initially based in Laytonville, California and later in Berkeley, focusing on punk rock. Established in 1987, the label is best known for having released Operation ...
)
*''
Hearts of Oak
Hearts most commonly refers to:
* Hearts (card game), a trick-taking game
* Hearts (suit), one of the standard four suits of cards
* Heart, an organ
Hearts may also refer to:
Music
* The Hearts, an American girl group closely related to the Jay ...
'' (February 2003, Lookout! Records)
*''
Tell Balgeary, Balgury Is Dead
''Tell Balgeary, Balgury Is Dead'' is an EP released in 2003 by Ted Leo and the Pharmacists, although it mostly comprises Ted Leo's solo work. The title track is carried over from the band's previous album, Hearts of Oak, as is "The High Part ...
'' EP (October 2003, Lookout! Records)
*''
Shake the Sheets
''Shake the Sheets'' is the fourth album by the Washington, D.C. rock band Ted Leo and the Pharmacists, released in 2004 by Lookout! Records. It was the band's last album for the Lookout! label. A music video was filmed for the single " Me and M ...
'' (October 2004, Lookout! Records)
*''
Sharkbite Sessions
''Sharkbite Sessions'' is an EP released in 2005 by Ted Leo and the Pharmacists. During their late 2004 tour promoting the ''Shake the Sheets'' album, the band stopped over at Sharkbite Studios in Oakland, CA. There, the band—along with Ryan Ma ...
'' EP (February 2005, Lookout! Records)
*''
Living with the Living'' (March 2007,
Touch & Go Records
Touch and Go Records is an American independent record label based in Chicago, Illinois. After its genesis as a handmade fanzine in 1979, it grew into one of the key record labels in the American 1980s underground and alternative rock scenes. ...
)
*''
Mo' Living
''Mo' Living'' is an Extended play, EP by the Washington, D.C. Rock music, rock band Ted Leo and the Pharmacists, released in 2007 by Touch and Go Records. It is a bonus EP that was included with first run pressings of the band's album ''Living wi ...
'' EP (March 2007, Touch & Go Records)
*''
Rapid Response'' EP (September 2008, Touch & Go Records)
*''
The Brutalist Bricks
''The Brutalist Bricks'' is the sixth album by the northeast American punk band Ted Leo and the Pharmacists. It was released March 9, 2010Gerard"Ted Leo & The Pharmacists – New Album, New MP3, New (Global) Dates" Matador Records Blog, November 3 ...
'' (March 2010,
Matador Records
Matador Records is an independent record label, with a roster of mainly indie rock, but also punk rock, experimental rock, alternative rock, and electronic acts.
History
Matador was created in 1989 by Chris Lombardi in his New York City apart ...
)
U.S. No. 114
The Both
*''
The Both
The Both was an American indie rock musical duo consisting of Aimee Mann and Ted Leo. They began collaborating in 2013 and released a self-titled album in April 2014.
Origins
The songwriting collaboration between Aimee Mann and Ted Leo origin ...
'' (April 2014, SuperEgo Records)
Ted Leo
*''The Hanged Man'' (September 2017, self-released)
Collaborations
*"Oh, Death" (co-written with
Scott Miller) on the
Game Theory
Game theory is the study of mathematical models of strategic interactions among rational agents. Myerson, Roger B. (1991). ''Game Theory: Analysis of Conflict,'' Harvard University Press, p.&nbs1 Chapter-preview links, ppvii–xi It has appli ...
album ''
Supercalifragile
''Supercalifragile'' is the sixth and final studio album by Game Theory, a California power pop band founded in 1982 by guitarist and singer-songwriter Scott Miller. At the time of his death in 2013, Miller had started work on the recording, whic ...
'' (2017)
*"Independent Together" (performed with
Deedee Magno Hall
Deedee Magno Hall is an American actress and singer. She is best known for her work in the pop group The Party, and as the voice of Pearl in the animated series ''Steven Universe'' and its epilogue series '' Steven Universe Future''.
Early lif ...
and
Aimee Mann
Aimee Elizabeth Mann (born September 8, 1960) is an American singer-songwriter. Over the course of four decades, she has released more than a dozen albums as a solo artist and with other musicians. She is noted for her sardonic and literate lyr ...
) in ''
Steven Universe: The Movie'' (2019)
Compilation appearances
*"
I'm Looking Through You
"I'm Looking Through You" is a song by the English rock band the Beatles from their 1965 album ''Rubber Soul''. It was written by Paul McCartney and credited to Lennon–McCartney. McCartney wrote the song about English actress Jane Asher, his ...
" on ''
'' (2005,
Razor & Tie
Razor & Tie was an American entertainment company that consisted of a record label and a music publishing company. It was established in 1990 by Craig Balsam and Cliff Chenfeld. Based in New York City (with additional offices in Los Angeles an ...
)
*"
Heroes
Heroes or Héroes may refer to:
* Hero, one who displays courage and self-sacrifice for the greater good
Film
* ''Heroes'' (1977 film), an American drama
* ''Heroes'' (2008 film), an Indian Hindi film
Gaming
* ''Heroes of Might and Magic'' ...
" on ''Let All the Children Boogie: A Tribute to
David Bowie
David Robert Jones (8 January 194710 January 2016), known professionally as David Bowie ( ), was an English singer-songwriter and actor. A leading figure in the music industry, he is regarded as one of the most influential musicians of the ...
'' (2016, Spare the Rock Records)
*"In the Mean Times" as part of
Kickstarter
Kickstarter is an American public benefit corporation based in Brooklyn, New York, that maintains a global crowdfunding platform focused on creativity. The company's stated mission is to "help bring creative projects to life". As of July 2021, ...
's "Election Issues" project
References
External links
Ted Leo and the Pharmacists official website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Leo, Ted
1970 births
Living people
Musicians from South Bend, Indiana
Singers from Rhode Island
People from Narragansett, Rhode Island
Rhythm guitarists
American indie rock musicians
Singers from New Jersey
People from Bloomfield, New Jersey
Writers from South Bend, Indiana
Seton Hall Preparatory School alumni
University of Notre Dame alumni
American punk rock singers
American punk rock guitarists
Ted Leo and the Pharmacists members
The Both members
Guitarists from Indiana
Guitarists from Rhode Island
Guitarists from New Jersey
American male guitarists
21st-century American singers
21st-century American guitarists
21st-century American male singers