Ted Leo & The Pharmacists

'For over ten years, Ted Leo has been one of the most progressive forces in East Coast independent music, with a unique combination of punk and folk, soul and hardcore, and tradition and experimentation.' (all music guide)

Currently touring in support of their new album, Ted Leo and the Pharmacists hit Ithaca, NY last night. The report from my brother is that they rocked to a sold out crowd at Cornell University . Whoever books the shows up there has good taste. It was less than a month ago that Arcade Fire played in the same room. That's pretty good for a town that gets skipped by 99% of touring bands.

My brother, who loved the show, was amazed at how much Ted reminded him of Aaron Scott, the vocalist of another band he likes called Marathon. (listen to Marathon here)

Like Aaron Scott who now lives in NY, Ted Leo is from New Jersey. That would be the reason the NY Post named their article on Ted in today's paper, Jersey Boy.

"It's a little distasteful to me the way 'The O.C.' makes and breaks band. It feels cheap," Leo says.

Read the rest of that article here.

And as the article points out, Ted will play Bowery Ballroom in NYC on December 11th and 12th. The 11th is sold out, but tickets are still available for the 12th.

Are Ted Leo and the Pharmacists really the greatest band in American today? Reviews of Shake the Streets are mixed. Bloggers love it. So does Tiny Mix Tapes, Splendid, and POPMatters. Pitchfork, cokemachineglow, and Stylus Magazine on the other hand, think it's good, but doesn't live up to the hype.

Before seeing them live and deciding for yourself, you can download and listen at the following locations:

Lots of mp3s at Ted's official site.

MP3's @ Lookout Records (their record label)

Stream Ted's NYC KEXP Performance

Ted Leo @ Download.com

A Video @ MTV.com

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