Ted Leo

I went to see Ted Leo and the Pharmacists at the Grog Shop with Mike. I think it bought me a little hand in convincing him to go to shows with me as Ted and the gang did not disappoint. I met Mikey at Panini's for a beer. He was there with two of his cousins, Danny and Maura. Maura plays in the famous Beardo Bandini who I saw January of last year at a free show also at the Grog Shop with Hot Cha Cha and the Dreadful Yawns. Beardo Bandini were great. They were a little DIY, a little art school, and little chaotic, but also cute. Maura is also in a band that was formed through the Beachland's Lottery League 2010. They're called World War V and will be playing at the Beachland for "The Big Show" on Saturday, April 10. Danny is cool too. We're starting a band called World War VI.

A band called Title Tracks opened. They sounded just like Ted Leo and the Pharmacists. This is not a bad thing, but when you're opening for Ted Leo and the Pharmacists it might be, but hey, you're on tour opening for Ted Leo and the Pharmacists what do you care - good for them.

Ted Leo and the Pharmacists rocked song and after song to a packed crowd. Favorites "Me & Mia" and "Where Have All the Rude Boys Gone?" especially got the crowd singing along. I had heard these songs before, maybe on the radio or MTVU, but had never really paid them much attention or really gotten into their back catalogue. Then, a few months ago, I was on Matablog and read that TL/Rx signed with Matador to put out their new record The Brutalist Bricks. Something compelled me to listen to "Where Was My Brain?" - a new song that was going to be on the record. I ended up listening to that song on repeat for hours day after day, but somehow never checked out the rest of their catalogue. Why? I have no idea. Looking back it makes no sense. I have been aware of this band since their days on Lookout! records, yet I've never checked them out. Perhaps the title of the one song I finally listened to, and ending up loving by them, fittingly asks the same question I asked myself when wondering why I hadn't checked them out sooner. Despite only really knowing one song and having only heard a few others from time to time, I knew it was going to be a great show and it turned out I was right. Ted and the band rocked. He hit every note, the band played tight, I shared a few PBR tall boys with Mike and Danny, and I went nuts when they played "Where Was My Brain?" I couldn't have asked for more. They even covered "Dirty Deeds" by AC/DC with a young fellow from the audience as their lead singer. Upon further investigation, I discovered this is not an uncommon practice for the band. They have a karaoke songlist that they occasionally tap into during live sets. Some Songs include "Rise Above" by Black Flag and "Merchandise" by Fugazi. Why didn't I know about this? Again, Ted Leo and Pharmacists were being awesome and I was completely unaware of it. Thankfully, I picked up a copy of their new record after the show in hopes to finally fall in love with all of their songs, not just one.