Cathy Bauer
Ted Leo
Nice guy indie rocker By T. Cole RachelClassic rock hooks, hyper-literate lyrics and punk energy.
Few names in the world of indie rock immediately engender as much goodwill as that of Ted Leo. Though he'd served time playing in various NYC hardcore bands, Leo didn't gain much notoriety until he moved to DC in 1990 and founded Chisel, an ahead-of-its-time punk outfit that effortlessly channeled the great British Invasion rock of the '60s. After the demise of Chisel, Leo drifted from project to project (he briefly formed a band with his brother and played guitar in The Spinanes) before releasing his peculiar, experimental solo debut, Rx / Pharmacists, in 1999. Having gotten that quirky blend of dub reggae and bedroom electronica out of his system, Leo recruited a sympathetic new band, the Pharmacists, and began a succession of pitch-perfect guitar pop albums showcasing his uncanny knack for joining classic rock hooks with the frenetic energy of punk rock. After years of label-hopping, Leo signed with Matador in 2009 and announced the release of his sixth album, The Brutalist Bricks, in spring 2010.
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