Ted Leo & The Pharmacists

Since the early 1990s Ted Leo has ranked among the most forward-thinking figures on the East Coast independent circuit, blending punk with folk, soul with hardcore, and longstanding tradition with fresh experimentation. He first drew modest attention in the late-1980s New York hardcore community through stints in Citizen's Arrest and Animal Crackers before relocating to Washington, D.C., in 1990, where he formed and led Chisel, an early mod/punk revival group that achieved nationwide visibility. Serving as Chisel's chief songwriter and vocalist, Leo guided the band through two full-length albums issued by Gern Blandsten in the mid-1990s and steered them across numerous brief tours. The material echoed the melodic craft of Brit rock legends the Kinks, while the driving rhythms recalled the anthemic force of the Who and the Clash.

Following the release of Chisel's widely praised second album, Set You Free, the group dissolved in 1997. Although their stature grew afterward, and despite later mod-inflected indie acts such as the Mooney Suzuki and the Delta 72 riding similar retro currents, Chisel's impact stayed largely overlooked. Leo pursued several projects, among them two years of sporadic touring as guitarist for the Spinanes and the short-lived Sin Eaters, which he assembled with drummer Danny Leo and former Van Pelt bassist Sean Greene. Between 1997 and 1998 the Sin Eaters' progressive, politically charged, punk-infused rock and all-star New York lineup made waves in the underground until Danny Leo departed to focus on solo work and later established the Holy Childhood.

After the Sin Eaters ended without releasing any recordings in 1998, Ted Leo began performing and recording on his own. He stayed busy producing the Secret Stars' debut Geneologies and playing solo shows along the East Coast and into the Midwest. In 1999 he issued a self-titled album on his longtime label Gern Blandsten with a new backing unit, the Pharmacists, whose members included various Secret Stars associates such as Jodi Buonanno. The record reflected a clear shift toward the songwriting approaches of Billy Bragg and Alex Chilton. Later that year Ted Leo & the Pharmacists teamed with the One AM Radio for a split released jointly by Gern Blansten and Garbage Czar.

Spring 2000 brought the more aggressive and romantic sophomore set Treble in Trouble on New Jersey's Ace Fu Records. In early summer 2001 Leo delivered the polished studio album The Tyranny of Distance on Lookout Records, a strong candidate for that year's top release. It was succeeded by the equally potent Hearts of Oak in 2003. Shake the Sheets, issued in 2004, marked his final outing for the then-struggling Lookout before he joined Chicago's Touch and Go in February 2006. A March tour followed, supported by the Duke Spirit and Les Aus. Throughout the rest of 2006 he maintained a busy schedule of festival appearances, including Coachella, and headlining shows while developing fresh material. Ted Leo & the Pharmacists returned in March 2007 with their fifth full-length, Living with the Living. Leo moved to Matador in 2009 and issued his first album for the label, The Brutalist Bricks, the next year.