Ted Leo | |
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Background information | |
Birth name | Theodore Francis Leo |
Born | South Bend, Indiana, U.S. | September 11, 1970
Genres | Punk rock, hardcore punk, power pop, indie rock |
Occupation(s) | Singer, songwriter, musician |
Instruments | Vocals, guitar, piano |
Years active | 1989–present |
Member of | Ted Leo and the Pharmacists |
Formerly of | Citizens Arrest, Chisel, Puzzlehead, The Sin-Eaters, The Both |
Website | tedleo |
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. [1]
Born in South Bend, Indiana, Leo grew up in Bloomfield, New Jersey, where his family was from and spent many formative years in the hardcore punk scene of New York City during the 1980s and early 1990s. [2] [3] He graduated from Seton Hall Preparatory School in West Orange in 1988 and the University of Notre Dame in the fall of 1993 with a degree in English. [4]
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, Puzzlehead, and the Sin-Eaters.
Ted Leo and the Pharmacists was formed in 1999 in Washington, D.C. The group recorded six studio albums between 1999 and 2010. Leo has also maintained a consistent presence as a solo performer since the 1990s. [5]
In early 2013, Leo and Aimee Mann formed a duo called The Both, 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 #BOTH). Their self-titled debut album, The Both , was released in April 2014.
Leo released his debut solo album The Hanged Man on September 8, 2017. [1] [6] 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. [1] [7]
For the 2019 animated television film Steven Universe: The Movie , Leo collaborated with Rebecca Sugar and Stemage to write the song "Independent Together". In the film, Leo voiced the role of Steg, a fusion of Steven Universe and Greg Universe. As Steg, Leo performed "Independent Together" alongside Aimee Mann (who reprised her role as Opal from the Steven Universe television series) and voice actress Deedee Magno Hall (as Pearl). [8]
Leo grew up in New Jersey before moving to South Bend to attend Notre Dame, where he formed Chisel. [9] He then moved to D.C., and briefly moved to Boston thereafter. [9] Leo has lived in Rhode Island since 2005, [10] and he also maintained an apartment in New York City until 2016. [9] [1]
Leo met his wife, musician, and visual artist Jodi Buonanno, in the late 1990s when both were touring in bands. [1] [10] She is credited with clapping, whistle, and background vocals on the Hearts of Oak album.
His brothers, Chris and Danny Leo, are also singer-songwriters and have been members of bands such as Native Nod, the Lapse, the Van Pelt, Vague Angels, and Holy Childhood.
Leo is a vegan, and has served as a spokesman for People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals. [11] [12] He has made frequent radio appearances as a contributor to programs on WFMU, such as The Best Show with Tom Scharpling .
Radio 4 were an American punk band based in Brooklyn, New York. Formed in 1999, they claimed their music is "made in New York, is about New York, and sounds like New York".
Aimee Elizabeth Mann 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 lyrics about dark subjects. Mann's work with the producer Jon Brion in the 1990s was influential on American alternative rock.
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 Ivy’s only album, Energy, and Green Day's first two albums, 39/Smooth and Kerplunk.
Operation Ivy was an American punk rock band from Berkeley, California, formed in May 1987. They were critical to the emergence of Lookout Records and the so-called "East Bay Sound."
Ted Leo and the Pharmacists 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 has remained the band's main songwriter, creative force, and only constant member. The group's music combines elements of punk rock, indie rock, art punk, traditional rock, and occasionally folk music and dub reggae. Their most recent album, The Brutalist Bricks, was released on March 9, 2010.
Shake the Sheets is the fourth studio 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 Mia", a song about a friend of frontman Ted Leo who's battled an eating disorder.
The Tyranny of Distance is the second album by American rock band Ted Leo and the Pharmacists, released in 2001 by Lookout! Records. It was the group's first album as a full band, as their previous album tej leo(?), Rx / pharmacists had been a solo effort by singer/guitarist Ted Leo. The album's title comes from a lyric in the Split Enz song "Six Months in a Leaky Boat", which the band later covered twice: first as a Leo solo on the EP Tell Balgeary, Balgury Is Dead in 2003, and again as a full band on 2005's Sharkbite Sessions.
The World/Inferno Friendship Society was an American band from Brooklyn, New York. Its style merged punk, soul, klezmer and jazz, while its collective membership featured horns, piano and guitar and had a membership of about 40 players, of whom only about seven to ten active members usually performed at a time. The group was led by singer Jack Terricloth, who was the only constant during the group's history. Terricloth was known for his pointed commentary during shows; his monologues touched on politics and his transformation from the "old school."
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 solo release. Following that album Leo assembled a backing band called The Pharmacists and recorded this EP, which was much less experimental than his solo releases and structured more in punk rock and indie rock. It includes versions of two songs Leo had written with his previous band, the Sin Eaters. It was also the first release Brendan Canty of Fugazi would be producing releases of theirs.
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 with some contributions by Jodi Buonanno of The Secret Stars. The following year Leo would assemble a backing band including Buonanno, which he named The Pharmacists. The album blends rock music with elements of dub reggae, with many instrumental tracks, samples, and audio experimentation. This is exemplified in the various tracks entitled "(version:)," which are versions and remixes of "Release Form," a song originally written by Buonanno for The Secret Stars. The track "(version: to decline to take a shower)," for example, consists of Leo singing the song while showering. In other instances, Leo samples himself, such as "Walking Through," which contains a sample of "Congressional Dubcision," and "Out of Step '88!," which samples a radio interview that Leo did for campus radio station WFVI at the University of Notre Dame.
The Lapse was an American indie band formed in late 1997.
Chisel is an American punk rock band from the United States. In their original run, the group released two full-length albums and a compilation of early recordings on Gern Blandsten. In 2022, their music began being reissued by The Numero Group. Later that year, they reunited to play the Numero Twenty festival and a series of shows around the US.
Gern Blandsten Records is an independent record label based in Paramus, New Jersey.
Weston is a punk rock band hailing from Bethlehem, Pennsylvania. Founded in 1990, they took their name from singer Dave Weston's family, since his parents allowed them to practice in their basement. The band never found mainstream success but their energetic and irreverent live shows earned them legendary status amongst their peers as well as their fans. Following their major label debut, the band split up. It was announced on October 17, 2006, that Weston would be reuniting for three shows in late December. This led to even more reunion shows in following years and a live album released December 2009.
Native Nod was an American post-hardcore band formed in the early 1990s and based in the New Jersey/New York metropolitan area. During their short stint as a group, they released a handful of songs, spread across a demo, three EPs, and appearances on compilations between 1991 and 1995. Many of these songs would later be collected and released as Today Puberty, Tomorrow The World in 1995.
Rye Coalition is a post-hardcore band based in Jersey City, New Jersey, United States. The band has released four albums, three EPs, a split 12-inch with Karp, and several singles.
The Van Pelt is an American indie rock band from New York City that were active from 1993 to 1997, and have reformed several times since.
Victory at Sea was an America indie rock band formed in 1996, from members of bands the Swirlies and Spore, in the Boston, Massachusetts region. It consisted of vocalist/guitarist Mona Elliott, bassist Mel Lederman and drummer Christina Files. Their most recent albums Memories Fade and All Your Things Are Gone were released by the independent record label Gern Blandsten Records in 2004 and 2006 respectively. On September 6, 2007, the band announced on their Myspace page that they had disbanded, though they stated that all of the members have new musical endeavors. Barney later played with former Metal Hearts member Anar Badalov as Travels, now disbanded.
1.6 Band was an American hardcore punk band consisting of Kevin Egan, Lance Jaeger, Vin Novara, and Mike Yanicelli.
The Both is 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.
Bloomfield, Leo's hometown, is just west of New York City and just north of Newark.
It's virtually impossible to figure out how Ted Leo became, you know, Ted Leo. Born in Bloomfield, New Jersey, Leo graduated from Seton Hall Prep and received a degree in English from Notre Dame. He is now a strict vegan and plays socially conscious punk music.
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