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"Ted Leo and the Pharmacists is a punk-influenced indie rock band with roots in traditional rock. It was formed while Leo was living in Washington, D.C., but members are now based around the northeast of the United States. The band consists of singer/guitarist and songwriter Ted Leo, bassist Dave Lerner and drummer Chris Wilson . After Leo's previous band, Chisel, broke up in the late 1990s, he recorded the Tej Leo (?) Rx/Pharmacists album in 1999. This album was experimental, with songs interspersed between experiments in dub and sound collages. Next came a more traditional release, the Treble in Trouble EP in 2000. Its overtly political punk rock songs, such as 'Abner Louima v. Gov. Pete Wilson' and 'Treble in Trouble,' showed the band's new direction.
In 2001, he released his breakthrough album, The Tyranny of Distance, which gained him a cult following and critical praise. The album drew from a number of styles from Celtic ('Timorous Me') to folky acoustic ballads ('The Gold Finch and the Red Oak Tree') to extended jamming ('Stove by a Whale') to shimmering pop rock ('Biomusicology'). Lerner and Wilson became permanent members of the band during that year's tour, as did keyboard player Dorien Garry.
Dorien Garry left the band before the recording of 2004's Shake the Sheets, which has led them to their current setup as a power trio. The new record was released just prior to the presidential election and was even more overtly political than previous releases. Songs dealt with topics such as eating disorders (Me and Mia), the Iraq war (The One Who Got Us Out, The Angels' Share), health care (Heart Problems) and the life in America under the Bush administration (Little Dawn, Shake the Sheets). This was also the band's most direct and accessible record for a larger audience. Ted continued the political trend with his 2005 release the 'Sharkbite Sessions', named after Sharkebite Studios, in which it was recorded. This was a three song release available through iTunes. The session included covers of the 'Suspect Device' by the Irish punk band Stiff Little Fingers, 'Six Months in a Leaky Boat' by Split Enz and original 'Loyal to My Sorrowful Country'.
When the Pharmacists' label, Lookout! Records, declared bankruptcy in 2006, Ted and the band moved to the Chicago label Touch and Go Records. The band has continued to gain popularity, playing larger venues with Death Cab for Cutie as well as the Coachella and Pitchfork Music festivals in 2006. Ted gained press for bleeding on stage at the Pitchfork Music festival in July 2006 after hitting himself on the head with a tambourine during a spirited version of the song "Ballad of the Sin Eater"."
[reproduced or excerpted from the Wikipedia article "Ted Leo and the Pharmacists" and its use is thus licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License]
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