June 22, 2010 – LSR – 8PM – TED LEO & THE PHARMACISTS + SCREAMING FEMALES

TED LEO AND THE PHARMACISTS

Ted Leo and the Pharmacists are an indie/punk band, with roots in traditional rock. They formed while Leo was living in Washington, DC, but now have members based around the northeast United States. Leo came from Bloomfield, New Jersey.

The band consists of singer-songwriter and guitarist Ted Leo, guitarist James Canty, bassist Marty ‘Violence’ Key, and drummer Chris Wilson. After his previous band, Chisel, broke up in the late 1990s, Ted recorded the Tej Leo(?) Rx Pharmacists album in 1999, followed by the Treble in Trouble EP in 2000.

His next album, 2001’s The Tyranny of Distance, quickly gained him a cult following and critical praise. Dave Lerner and Chris Wilson became permanent members of the band during the tour that year, as did keyboard player Dorien Garry. James Canty (ex-Nation of Ulysses, Make-Up, etc.) also played with the band during this time.

The album Hearts of Oak followed in 2003, which also saw the release of the concert film Dirty Old Town and the Tell Balgeary, Balgury is Dead EP. Garry left the band before the recording of 2004’s Shake the Sheets, which has led them into their current setup as a power trio. The new record featured fewer obscure references and more overt political content than his previous releases did, though his music has always been known for its engagement with politics.

In 2007, the band recorded their fourth long album Living with the Living. James Canty would re-join them for touring in support of Living with the Living.à

Their last album The Brutalist Bricks was released on Matador Records on March, 2010.

http://www.tedleo.com/
http://www.myspace.com/tedleo

SCREAMING FEMALES

Formed in 2006, New Jersey’s Screaming Females combine scorching guitars with a firmly D.I.Y. approach to create their own brand of indie rock. Mixing equal parts Dinosaur Jr. and Sleater-Kinney, the Brunswick trio of Marissa Paternoster (guitar/vocals), Mike Rickenbacker (bass), and Jarrett Dougherty (drums) strives to embody the spirit of indie rock in its purest form; Screaming Females book their own shows and release their own records to bring their guitar-driven rock to the people. In 2007 the band fired its opening shot, self-releasing its debut full-length, Baby Teeth, as well as the Arm Over Arm/Zoo of Death 7”. The band quickly followed up with its sophomore album, What If Someone Is Watching Their T.V.?, which was self-released and later reissued by Don Giovanni Records. The band focused on collaborative releases in 2008, including a split 7” with Full of Fancy on Let’s Pretend Records and another split 7”, this one consisting of Neil Young covers, with Hunchback. The Females got some more exposure in 2009 after a series of jaw-dropping performances at New York’s CMJ and a tour with Dead Weather. That same year the band made the jump to a label, releasing Power Move through Don Giovanni.

http://screamingfemales.blogspot.com/
http://www.myspace.com/screamingfe/males