Ted Leo and the Pharmacists
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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. Though the group's lineup has fluctuated throughout their career, singer/guitarist
Ted Leo 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, and in 2013, he and Aimee Mann formed the indie rock duo The Both. Early life Born in South Bend, I ...
has remained the band's main songwriter, creative force, and only constant member. The group's music combines elements of punk rock,
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 ...
,
art punk Art punk is a subgenre of punk rock in which artists go beyond the genre's rudimentary garage rock and are considered more sophisticated than their peers. These groups still generated punk's aesthetic of being simple, offensive, and free-spiri ...
, traditional rock, and occasionally
folk music Folk music is a music genre that includes traditional folk music and the contemporary genre that evolved from the former during the 20th-century folk revival. Some types of folk music may be called world music. Traditional folk music has b ...
and
dub reggae Dub is an electronic musical style that grew out of reggae in the late 1960s and early 1970s. It is commonly considered a subgenre of reggae, though it has developed to extend beyond that style.Dub: soundscapes and shattered songs in Jamaican re ...
. Their most recent album, ''
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 ...
'', was released on March 9, 2010.


Band history


Formation

Ted Leo started the Pharmacists essentially as a solo project in 1999. His previous band
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 ...
had broken up in the late 1990s, after which he spent time with
the Spinanes The Spinanes were an American indie rock band, primarily active during the 1990s. The band was founded by and consisted only of singer-songwriter/guitarist Rebecca Gates and drummer Scott Plouf. They released three albums on the Sub Pop label be ...
and the Sin Eaters and acted as producer for the Secret Stars. In 1999, he recorded the album ''
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 ...
'', a solo effort which was highly experimental and mixed elements of punk rock,
reggae Reggae () is a music genre that originated in Jamaica in the late 1960s. The term also denotes the modern popular music of Jamaica and its diaspora. A 1968 single by Toots and the Maytals, " Do the Reggay" was the first popular song to use ...
, dub and audio experimentation. In 2000, Leo expanded the project to a full band including
James Canty James Canty is a Brooklyn, New York-based multi-instrumentalist musician from Washington, D.C. Canty is currently known for playing guitar in the band Ted Leo and the Pharmacists, and guitar and keyboard with The Make-Up. Before forming The Ma ...
on guitar, Jodi V.B. on bass and
Amy Farina Amy Farina is a musician living in Washington, D.C. As of 2001, Farina has played drums and sings in the Indie rock duo The Evens, which includes her husband, Ian MacKaye. Career Farina has played in The Warmers (which included Ian's younger bro ...
on drums. He named the backing band the Pharmacists, and the group released the EP ''
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 ...
''. The EP moved away from many of the experimental elements of ''tej leo'' by relying on more traditional rock structures and instrumentation, though it still explored some non-traditional characteristics.


Lookout! Records years

The band signed to
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 ...
in 2001 and experienced more lineup changes as V.B. and Farina left the group. For the album '' The Tyranny of Distance'', Leo and Canty utilized a number of in-studio backing musicians. The album incorporated multiple styles including Celtic rock, acoustic
folk Folk or Folks may refer to: Sociology *Nation *People * Folklore ** Folk art ** Folk dance ** Folk hero ** Folk music *** Folk metal *** Folk punk *** Folk rock ** Folk religion * Folk taxonomy Arts, entertainment, and media * Folk Plus or Fo ...
balladry and
pop rock Pop rock (also typeset as pop/rock) is a fusion genre with an emphasis on professional songwriting and recording craft, and less emphasis on attitude than rock music. Originating in the late 1950s as an alternative to normal rock and roll, earl ...
. During the supporting tours for ''The Tyranny of Distance'', bassist Dave Lerner, drummer Chris Wilson and keyboardist Dorien Garry became permanent members of the band. The group's next album, 2003's '' Hearts of Oak'', drew from punk rock and new wave influences. The EP ''
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 ...
'' soon followed and featured a number of Leo's solo songs and covers. The band's video documentary ''
Dirty Old Town "Dirty Old Town" is a song written by Ewan MacColl in 1949 that was made popular by The Dubliners and The Pogues. History The song was written about Salford, Lancashire, England, the city where MacColl was born and brought up. It was original ...
'' was released the same year. Prior to the recording of 2004's ''
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 ...
'', Garry and Canty left the band, reducing the group to a trio. The album explored social and political topics and experienced some success with the single "Me and Mia". The
iTunes iTunes () is a software program that acts as a media player, media library, mobile device management utility, and the client app for the iTunes Store. Developed by Apple Inc., it is used to purchase, play, download, and organize digital mul ...
-exclusive EP ''
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 ...
'' followed in 2005.


Touch and Go Records years

In 2006, Ted Leo and the Pharmacists left Lookout! amidst financial crises within the label, and signed a new contract with
Chicago (''City in a Garden''); I Will , image_map = , map_caption = Interactive Map of Chicago , coordinates = , coordinates_footnotes = , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name ...
-based
Touch and 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. ...
. The band's popularity continued to expand through constant touring and performances at large festivals such as the
Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival The Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival (commonly called the Coachella Festival or simply Coachella) is an annual music and arts festival held at the Empire Polo Club in Indio, California, in the Coachella Valley in the Colorado Desert. ...
and the
Pitchfork Music Festival The Pitchfork Music Festival is an annual summer music festival organized by ''Pitchfork Media'' and held in Union Park in Chicago, Illinois. Starting in 2011, the festival announced a branch staged in Paris at Grande halle de la Villette. The fe ...
. Their fourth full-band album, '' Living with the Living'', was released on March 20, 2007. First-run copies of the album also included the ''
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. Former guitarist Canty rejoined them for touring in support of ''Living with the Living''. Bassist Lerner played his last show with the band at
McCarren Park McCarren Park is a public park in Brooklyn, New York City. It is located on the border of Williamsburg and Greenpoint and is bordered by Nassau Avenue, Bayard Street, Lorimer Street and North 12th Street. The park contains facilities for recrea ...
Pool in Brooklyn, NY on August 12, 2007. Marty "Violence" Key of the
(Young) Pioneers (Young) Pioneers (alternately stylized as Young Pioneers or The (Young) Pioneers) was an American folk punk band from Richmond, Virginia, active from 1993 to 1999. Composed of members of such influential bands as Born Against, Avail and Ted ...
replaced him on tour,. In April 2008, the band recorded a performance for the ''
Beautiful Noise ''Beautiful Noise'' is the tenth album by Neil Diamond and his third with Columbia Records, released in 1976. "Dry Your Eyes" was performed with The Band at their farewell show and is featured in Martin Scorsese's ''The Last Waltz''. Overvi ...
'' concert series in Toronto. They then performed as openers for six dates of
Pearl Jam Pearl Jam is an American rock band formed in Seattle, Washington, in 1990. The band's lineup consists of founding members Jeff Ament (bass guitar), Stone Gossard (rhythm guitar), Mike McCready (lead guitar), and Eddie Vedder (lead vocals, guita ...
's 2008 U.S. tour in June. They toured with
Against Me! Against Me! is an American punk rock band formed in 1997 in Naples, Florida, by singer and guitarist Laura Jane Grace. That same year, Grace moved to Gainesville, Florida, which is considered the band's hometown. Since 2001, the band's lineup ...
and
Future of the Left Future of the Left are a Welsh alternative rock band based in Cardiff. The group consists of former Mclusky members Andrew Falkous (vocals, guitar) and Jack Egglestone (drums) and former Million Dead bassist Julia Ruzicka. History Beginnings F ...
in September and October 2008. On September 15, 2008, the band released a surprise digital EP, '' Rapid Response'', in response to the violence at the 2008 Republican National Convention in St. Paul, Minnesota. The EP was made available on the Touch and Go website for a choice of prices with all proceeds going to ''
Democracy Now! ''Democracy Now!'' is an hour-long American TV, radio, and Internet news program hosted by journalists Amy Goodman (who also acts as the show's executive producer), Juan González, and Nermeen Shaikh. The show, which airs live each weekday at ...
'' and Food Not Bombs of St. Paul. The Pharmacists' most recent album, ''
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 ...
'', was released on March 9, 2010, followed by a tour of the United States and Europe. In September 2011, Key left the band to open a record store. The band has continued as a trio with Canty taking over on bass. In a 2012 interview, Leo alluded to a new album to be released that summer, which has yet to be issued. In 2017, Leo released '' The Hanged Man'' under his own name. On March 4, 2022, Ted Leo released a new EP titled "Andy, Come Out" on his Bandcamp, featuring two new songs and a cover of the song "Ping Pong" by
Stereolab Stereolab are an Anglo- French avant-pop band formed in London in 1990. Led by the songwriting team of Tim Gane and Lætitia Sadier, the group's music combines influences from krautrock, lounge and 1960s pop music, often incorporating a repetit ...
that Ted had played live the night before. This was followed up by "The Old 200 EP" on April 1.


Band members


Current members

*
Ted Leo 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, and in 2013, he and Aimee Mann formed the indie rock duo The Both. Early life Born in South Bend, I ...
– vocals, guitar, piano *
James Canty James Canty is a Brooklyn, New York-based multi-instrumentalist musician from Washington, D.C. Canty is currently known for playing guitar in the band Ted Leo and the Pharmacists, and guitar and keyboard with The Make-Up. Before forming The Ma ...
– guitar, keyboard, backing vocals *Chris Wilson – drums *Marty Key – bass, backing vocals *Adrienne Berry – saxophone, percussion, keyboard, backing vocals *Ralph Darden – guitar, backing vocals


Past members

*Jodi V.B – bass (1999–2001) *
Amy Farina Amy Farina is a musician living in Washington, D.C. As of 2001, Farina has played drums and sings in the Indie rock duo The Evens, which includes her husband, Ian MacKaye. Career Farina has played in The Warmers (which included Ian's younger bro ...
– drums (2000–2001) *Dorien Garry – keyboards (2002–2004) *Dave Lerner – bass, backing vocals (2002–2007)


Discography


Studio albums


EPs


Singles


Non-album tracks


Videography


Music videos


Video releases


References


External links

*
Ted Leo and the Pharmacists collection
at the
Internet Archive The Internet Archive is an American digital library with the stated mission of "universal access to all knowledge". It provides free public access to collections of digitized materials, including websites, software applications/games, music, ...
's live music archive {{DEFAULTSORT:Leo, Ted and the Pharmacists Musical groups established in 1999 Touch and Go Records artists Indie rock musical groups from Washington, D.C. Punk rock groups from Washington, D.C. 1999 establishments in Washington, D.C.