Ted Leo and the Pharmacists / Screaming Females
Tallahassee, Club Downunder
April 3, 2010
…But first, let me tell you about my journey to Tallahassee. It was a beautiful Saturday, I was listening in the car to Michael Palin read his Diaries, and I was just south of my old hometown, Gainesville, when suddenly my car started violently shuddering. Never a good sign, much less at 80 mph. Luckily, I was in the far left lane, so I was able to pull to the side of the Interstate and get out of the way. I’m a paranoid, worried driver at the best of times, and this was certainly not the best of times. I got out of the car, and found a spectacularly blown out front tire on the passenger side. Called AAA for assistance, and when they asked where I was, all I could think of was “I’m between the exits for Jai-Alai and the strip club”. I knew the area but only by its landmarks. The guy soon came and bravely replaced my tire, inches from cars whizzing by. When he was done, I hobbled up the interstate as fast as the crappy spare tire would allow, and made it to Gainesville, where it was replaced with a real one. I’m fortunate, I suppose, that it happened close to a town I knew my way around, which was not in the middle of nowhere. If it had occurred an hour further up the road, around Lake City, I’d have been in trouble. As was, I got to see a couple of old friends, roam around Target, and made it to Tallahassee only three hours behind schedule.
Anyway, on to the rock.
Screaming Females were up first, and I didn’t know anything about them other than that they had a great name. Sho’nuff, they’re led by a singer/guitarist named Marissa, who has long hair that covers her eyes and also she is great. Seriously, her guitar playing was really interesting, and the band were tight, and it was a terrific set. I’ll look them up, you should do the same.
Then came Shorty Award winning Ted Leo, who, along with his Pharmacists, has just released an excellent album called ‘The Brutalist Bricks’. They opened with ‘The Mighty Sparrow’, which, unlike its video, succumbed to the stupid laws of gravity, but only just. Cut to the chase: this band is on fire. When they were done, I felt like it had been a short set, but look at that list: they played 20 songs! And that’s just what I remember two days later. Throwing three singles into the first four songs might be a problem for some bands, but TL/Rx didn’t lose any momentum, and I’m happy to say, the crowd was really into it too – not always a given at Club Downunder. There’s not a lot to say about the performance: they ploughed through great song after great song, and I was struck by how hard Big Steve hits his drums. That guy means it.
I was surprised at how few songs from ‘Living with the Living’ came up, but not too saddened by the emphasis on the new album and ‘Shake the Sheets’. Everything I wanted to hear got played. ‘Bottled In Cork’, the highlight from ‘The Brutalist Bricks’, and one of Ted’s finest ever songs, sounds a lot more muscular live, and it was a goosebumps moment to see Ted, James and Marty Violence all harmonizing “I’m falling in love” as it sped to its conclusion. The only way that ‘Timorous Me’ could ever be improved would be for it to segue into another great song, and that’s what happened. During ‘Walking to Do’, Ted gave a shout-out to The Cowhaus (now the much less cool-sounding Engine Room), the scene of TL/Rx’s first Tallahassee show, many many moons ago. Everyone loved them – even the guy who heckled with “Play some songs!” and Ted stuck around afterwards to shake every hand and be in every photograph. If anyone ever tells you that Ted Leo isn’t the world’s nicest dude, slap them and call them a liar.
The Mighty Sparrow / Heart Problems /Me and Mia /Where Have All the Rude Boys Gone? / Where Was My Brain / I’m a Ghost / One Polaroid A Day / The Stick / Counting Down the Hours / Little Dawn / Even Heroes Have To Die / Bottled In Cork / Colleen / A Bottle of Buckie / Gimme the Wire/The High Party // Fisherman’s Blues / Timorous Me / Walking To Do /Biomusicology
The best of an imperfect world
A drink and some palaver
Fastest Workers - Ted Leo and the Pharmacists
They wrote a song, based on radio listeners' lyrics, in like three hours! And it was a kickass song. And Stereogum linked to me for writing about it. That was nice of them. As if that wasn't enough, young Ted also took a stand against police brutality at the RNC and wrote a song in like two days, sending all proceeds to Foods Not Bombs and Democracy Now! I'm not going to put the song up here - buy it from Touch And Go, ya bums - but here's a live video. Jimmy, Steve, Violence and Ted: you slags are alright.
[download Ted Leo and the Pharmacists - The World Is In the Turlet]
The situation on Muffler Row
I know I talk about The Best Show on WFMU a whole lot on these pages, but even so, I really need to talk about this past week's show. For the last year or so, they've been introducing various candidates for the Newbridge Mayubinatorial Election, a once-every-decade extravaganza. The candidates all got there the same way, by amassing the requisite 37 signatures, and all made their annoucements with some sort of pancake breakfast. It's a very elaborate - and a very funny - thing.
Anyway, this week Tom Scharpling hosted the Mayubintatorial Debates, from the newly constructed Newbridge Debate Pavilion. Two thirds of the episode were taken up with Tom, Jon and Associate Producer Mike putting on a tour-de-force three-man show.
Some of the candidates:
- Hammerhead: A hardcore enthusiast who now lobbies to get more plastic into breakfast cereal and wants more violent pits at local rock shows.
- Zachary Brimstead, Esq: A 400lb barbershop singer and hates Newbridge. (You can listen to his first ever appearance, from back in 2000, here)
- Timmy von Trimble: Who is two inches tall and a white supremacist. Why?
- Marky Ramone: Drummer for the Ramones, condom salesperson, author of 'Hey Ho! Let's A Drummer's Life'. Big in Brazil.
- "Philly Boy" Roy Ziegler: Screenwriter, sandwich artist, Pencil salesman, Philadelphia Enthusiast
- Tor Halversom: Nefarious chocolatier who seems to strike fear into the heart of all the other candidates. Has a fat son.
- Bishop Pablo Fontana: The Pop Culture Pontiff. Is more likely to talk about David Gordon Green than religion.
What I'm saying is: If you haven't picked up on my many hints, you really need to start listening to the Best Show. Catch the latest archive here. Subscribe to the podcast on iTunes. Just listen to it already, you jerks.
Here's the Newbridge National Anthem, sung by Barry Dworkin, singer in America's Beatles, the Gas Station Dogs. If you've never heard their song, you need to click this at once.
[download Barry Dworkin - Newbridge is Just What You Needed] zshare link
I'm sawdust in a sandpaper suit
As regular readers may be aware, I'm often bemoaning the lack of bands that come to my hometown of Gainesville, Florida. Plenty of bands do come, of course, but rarely are these bands from the top drawer. For once, though, there's a gig coming up that I am legitimately jazzed about. Headlining are Against Me! about whom I'll admit, I don't know anything except that they're Gainesville-based, recently signed to a major label, and are pretty popular. First on will be Future of the Left about whom I again know very little. Except that the band came out of the ashes of Mclusky, sorely missed Welsh punk badasses. I'll be looking into them, too.
Most excitingly for me, though, is the filling in the sandwich. Jersey's finest and friend of AYGH - Mr Ted Leo and (his) Pharmacists will be coming along! I've not seen the band in a few years, certainly not since 'Living with the Living' came out, so it'll be great to see them again. Also, there's a certain 'World is in the Turlet' to be played now.
I'm going to go out on a limb here, and predict this: It'll probably be a sweaty evening.
Full tour dates are on Pitchfork.
[download Mclusky - There Ain't No Ferguson]
[download Ted Leo and the Pharmacists - Who Do You Love?]
New Ted Leo/Rx - The World is in the Turlet
Holy Jesus!
On tonight's Best Show, Tommy Thunder took lyric suggestions from listeners. And Ted Leo and the Pharmacists MADE A SONG OUT OF THEM. One line rhymes "palaver" with "cadaver". And there's a full band introduction, even Count Violence. It's about the end of the world, fifteen years from now, and it is rock heaven. It really is.
Can't put it up just yet, but run your ass to the Best Show archives, find tonight's episode, and forward about 2.40 into the show. Or, you know. click here.
THE PROOF IS IN THE PUDDING.
We spraypaint honky-lips on their garage door
As you probably know, I talk about The Best Show on WFMU a lot on these pages. So, it was very nice to see that sites far more popular than mine gave the WFMU marathon some coverage today. I asked you to pledge a few days ago, and there's still time, people!
The show had Ted Leo, Patton Oswalt and Ben Gibbard (Death Cab for Postal Service) in the house, and they brought the noise. Patton's "Famous Flamer from Fresno" had me laughing so hard, I almost woke up a housemate.
There were cover versions. Watch videos here.
I made an mp3. It's below. Enjoy. And pledge, you creeps!
[download Ted Leo, Ben Gibbard, Tom Scharpling and Patton Oswalt - Take A Chance on Me]
[download Ted Leo - Chain Fight Tonight] - BONUS COVER OF THE GORCH. HOW'S ABOUT IT!
They've got cars big as bars
Festive cover of the year: Ted Leo - Fairytale of New York
Teddy Rockstar (and his missus) stopped by WFMU last night to keep Tom Scharpling (and his missus) Christmas-night company. They discussed nudity, gifts, and how you shouldn't shop at Kohl's if you're pro-Christmas. Then, at the end of the show, TL busted out the tunes. In addition to 'Feliz Navidad', my least favourite Christmas December Wishes Song, he did an a cappella old Christmas song that was terrifying, and after Tom prohibited him from playing 'Colleen', closed out the show with the best December Wishes song of all, helpfully taking out all the toilet mouth and making it more radio friendly.
Happy Boxing Day!
[download Ted Leo - Fairytale of New York] - new link, should work!
Also, here's a video of the song from '88 with Kirsty, Joe Strummer and David Byrne.
[Ted Leo and the Pharmacists myspace / official site]
[The Best Show on WFMU]
