Ted Leo

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April 24, 2013 | 9:00 AM | By

Tonight’s Concert Picks: XPN welcomes Aimee Mann & Ted Leo to World Cafe Live at The Queen, Sparks at The Trocadero, Modern Baseball at The Barbary

aimee

XPN welcomes Aimee Mann and Ted Leo to World Cafe Live at The Queen tonight.  After sharing a bill last fall while Mann was promoting her latest Charmer LP, the singer-songwriter and Ted Leo teamed up for a proper collaboration called #BOTH earlier this year.  The pair will return to their usual roles for this tour, however, with Leo filling in the support slot and probably reprising songs from the discography of his band The Pharmacists, as well as possibly (and hopefully) previewing songs from a new album he’s been working on.  Tickets and information for the Wilmington, DE show can be found here.  Below, watch Aimee Mann perform “Labrador” on Conan with help from Ted Leo.

Sparks headline The Trocadero tonight.  The LA synthpop duo got its start in the early 70s, subsequently making their mark with over 20 albums.  Their quirky stage presence is reflective of their quirky songwriting style, as the band of brothers Ron and Russell Mael have become known for their witty lyrics and cultural references.  Sparks latest studio release was 2009′s The Seduction of Ingmar Bergman and they put out their first ever live recording, titled Two Hands One Mouth, last month.  Tickets and information for the all-ages show can be found here.  Below, watch the band perform “This Town Ain’t Big Enough For Both of Us.”

Local band Modern Baseball play The Barbary tonight.  Recent headlines for the punk / pop four-piece have made references to their signing with Run for Cover Records, a reissue of their wildly popular Sports debut, a Valentine’s Day split for highly-regarded label Topshelf records and their ability to draw a crowd when they play a show.  Currently on tour along the East Coast, Modern Baseball will help out fellow Philadelphians The Wonder Years with their record release show in May (more information here).  Tickets and information for tonight’s show with Light Years and Safe can be found here.  Below, watch Modern Baseball perform “Broken Cash Machine” for Maggot House Records‘ Piss Couch Sessions.

FILED UNDER: Artists, Concert Previews, Events, Aimee Mann, Lilght Years, Modern Baseball, Safe, Sparks, Ted Leo, The Barbary, The Trocadero, World Cafe Live at The Queen
April 8, 2013 | 1:17 PM | By

Just Announced: Ted Leo and the Pharmacists playing Morgan’s Pier on July 31st

Ted Leo at the XPoNential Music Festival 2011

Ted Leo at the XPoNential Music Festival 2011

While righteous indie-punk torchbearer Ted Leo has been making the tour rounds sans-Pharmacists lately (either solo basement shows, like we saw at Nacho House back in November, or solo theater gigs opening for Aimee Mann), a round of full band shows has been announced today via Matador Records, and it includes a date at Morgan’s Pier on July 31st.

While this also answers a question that’s been on our minds as summer approaches (Q “Will Morgan’s Pier be hosting live music again?” A “Yes, evidently!”), it’s not clear as of yet whether this is a free show (as all of last summer’s were) or a ticketed gig. [UPDATE 4/18: It is a free show. Woohoo!] Either way, Ted and the RX always slay in concert, so this one’s bound to be a treat. Below, check out a video (dang near ten years old) of the band playing “Mia and Mia” in the First Unitarian Church basement.

FILED UNDER: Artists, Concert Previews, Events, News, Morgan's Pier, Ted Leo, Ted Leo and the Pharmacists
November 29, 2012 | 1:34 PM | By

Hear echoes of loneliness and outer space in Radiator Hospital’s new EP, Some Distant Moon

Earlier this month lo-fi / pop artist Radiator Hospital (offstage name: Sam Cook-Parrott) released his new EP, Some Distant Moon. This latest effort is his eighth release since January of 2010 and shows a newfound, straightforward pop approach. More of a exploration into the loneliness in love than his other works, Some Distant Moon tosses Cook-Parrott’s grainy and passionate voice over catchy indie riffs. The singer/songwriter, who recently took up residence in Philadelphia, played at Nacho House on Sunday, November 25th supporting Ted Leo. He also maintains a sizable collection of music videos and session footage recorded in his home. His love of The X-Files, Blade Runner and other sci-fi staples are evident in the imagery his songs evoke. His sparse screams echo through the vast reaches of space but his message never quite seems to arrive to those for whom it is intended. It is the tragic admittance of denial coupled with sweet, looming melodies which allows this EP to command the attention of anyone who has been lonely, removed and forgotten. Listen to this latest release from Radiator Hospital below, or download it at Bandcamp. The 7″ can be purchased from the Minneapolis indie label, Forward Records.

FILED UNDER: Album Reviews, Artist Profiles, Artists, Recordings, Scene, forward records, Grand Rapids, phialdelphia, radiator hospital, Ted Leo
October 26, 2012 | 9:28 AM | By

Tonight’s Concert Picks: Silencio at World Cafe Live, Aimee Mann and Ted Leo at Union Transfer, Brandi Carlile at the Merriam and Grandchildren at PhilaMOCA

The haunting, surrealist movies by filmmaker David Lynch always have the perfect moody musical accompaniment – and Pittsburgh ensemble Silencio picks up on that big time. The group plays World Cafe Live tonight, performing a selection of musical moments from Erasherhead to Mullholland Drive, from which the group borrowed its name. The giant red curtain at the back up the upstairs stage will probably make more than a few audience members think of Twin Peaks. Tickets to the show are $15 and available here; below, watch Silencio perform Eraserhead‘s “In Heaven.”

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FILED UNDER: Artists, Concert Previews, Events, Aimee Mann, Brandi Carlile, David Lynch, Grandchildren, Merriam Theater, PhilaMOCA, Silencio, Ted Leo, Union Transfer, World Cafe Live
July 25, 2011 | 11:45 AM | By

Photo Recap: XPoNential Music Festival Day 2 (Booker T. And The M.G.’s, Ted Leo, Keb’ Mo’, Dar Williams, Givers)

For photos (and audio + video) of local artists performing at this year’s XPoNential Music Festival—including Clap Your Hands Say Yeah, Jukebox The Ghost, Sun Airway, Matt Duke, Kuf Knotz, Nicos Gun, and more—take a look at our Local Spotlight posts.

FILED UNDER: Concert Photos + Videos, Events, Booker T. And The M.G.'s, Dar Williams, Givers, Keb Mo, Ted Leo, XPoNential
November 1, 2010 | 2:19 PM | By

Snooze Alarm: Your late-arriving, Philly-representing link roundup, 11/1/10

Philadelphia’s music scene doesn’t get up early enough for a morning roundup. While the rest of the world is sipping on their lattes and reading about international affairs, we’re nursing our hangovers and trying to shake the ringing out of our ears. But that doesn’t mean we don’t like to (eventually) stay informed. Snooze Alarm presents Philly’s most important local-music-related news, whenever the scene finally gets around to making it (and the rest of us are ready to read it).

Is That The Sound Of … Philadelphia? Is That The Sweet Philly Soul? “Philadelphia music was well represented at the Jon Stewart-Stephen Colbert Rally To Restore Sanity And/Or Fear on the National Mall in Washington on Saturday. The Roots were the house band, and the Philadelphia hip-hop collective kicked off the festivities with a set with U Penn grad John Legend that drew from their new old school soul album Wake Up!” (In The Mix)

Ted Leo, My Morning Jacket, !!!, Yeah Yeah Yeahs, MGMT, Jack White Go All Out for Halloween “Last year, Ted Leo celebrated Halloween by teaming up with some friends in Philadelphia to play an entire show as the horror-punk legends Misfits. Judging by all YouTubed evidence, it was awesome. This year, Leo repeated the trick, once again playing an entire Misfits set with tribute band TV Casualty in Philadelphia on Thursday night. And judging by the YouTube evidence below, it was, once again, awesome. This is a nascent annual tradition we can get behind.” (Pitchfork)

The 9th Annual First Person Festival Starts in Just One Week! “It’s that time again! The 9th Annual First Person Festival of Memoir and Documentary Art is just around the corner. From November 8-14 choose from thirty events including documentary film premieres, author readings, workshops and live performances all inspired by real life experience. Check out the East coast premiere of the hit one-man show, The Real Americans, and the ‘Best Storyteller in Philadelphia.’” (Uwishunu)

Like A Man Smoking At A Gas Station, Meek Mill’s About To Blow Up (Says MTV) “Well, for what it’s worth MTV (taking a break from plotting the next season of Jersey Shore, no doubt) seems to think Philly’s own Meek Mill — who wowed ‘em the other week at the Power 99 Powerhouse show at the Wells Fargo Center — is the next hot-shit rapper to emerge from the 215. Hard to argue with that. They ran a nice lil’ Meek profile the other day; here’s an excerpt” (Make Major Moves)

FILED UNDER: News, First Person Festival, John Legend, Jon Stewart, Meek Mill, Stephen Colbert, Ted Leo, The Roots