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Ted Leo & the Pharmacists: "Me and Mia" Video

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Ted Leo & the Pharmacists:
Created: 07/19/2005
Video description: Ted Leo is a unique artist for these times. He provides a near perfect combination of politics, art, punk values and humor in his songwriting and the combination is resonating with people all over the world. Having toiled for years in the punk underground with both his former band Chisel and his solo effort Ted Leo/Pharmacists, 2004 is definitely the year Ted Leo is primed to break out into the mainstream. In February 2003, Lookout Records released the critically acclaimed "Hearts Of Oak," a gem of a record that received accolades from Spin, Rolling Stone, Magnet, the New York Times, MTV. Touring and promotion in support of "Hearts" was massive and included 5 US tours, a run in Japan and the UK and an appearance on "Late Night With Conan O'Brien." A brief respite from touring was required mid-way through his second US run, when his vocal chords became enflamed due to the rigorous schedule of radio station visits, in store performances and nightly gigs. Ted began a new regimen of vocal warm ups, fewer shows in a row and a dram less Irish Whisky and found his voice to be stronger than ever. In early 2004, in between some short tours, Ted began to write his fourth solo album. Motivated to keep pushing himself as a songwriter, performer and cultural critic, he shut himself in the basement of his childhood home in New Jersey and began to write. The songs that resulted in "Shake The Sheets" are fresh, smart, and passionate. Producer Chris Shaw proved to be the perfect partner for Ted and his sonic vision for the album. Well known for his work in producing the last 2 Bob Dylan albums, Shaw has also worked on many other diverse projects, from Dashboard Confessional, to Bell Biv De Voe to the classic Public Enemy album, "It Takes a Nation Of Millions to Hold Us Back." A perfect combination for Ted! Ted Leo is an artist who is well poised for a career with no limits. He will continue to write pop rock gems and work hard on the road to connect with his fans who continue to grow with him as he connects with more and more people. Do not be surprised if in 25 years you are dusting off your album jackets and along with Joe Jackson, Nick Lowe, Paul Weller you throw on Ted Leo to change your mood for the day.

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# We started back in 1998 from the ashes of other previous hardcore/punk bands in our hometown, Jerez in South Spain. We rehearsed a lot and recorded a couple of demos. We managed to support Randy in their spanish tour of ?99 and after that Slide Chorus made us an offer to release our first album ?Proud to be nothing?. # Once the album was released we toured non - stop, and we played in every place possible in Spain, including the Islands. In summer ?00 we toured europe for the first time with our friends PPM. then, back to spain we managed to play big shows with bands like No Fun at All or Undeclinable. # In early 2001, we toured Europe again in the well known ?Stronger than Metal tour?, which led us to meet great bands on the road as the Donots, Against time or 5 days off. Later that year, we toured Spain with Adhesive and right after we flied to the Uk to rock along 10 days with Twofold. Then we played at the Deconstruction Tour in Portugal. # In June ?01, New Horizon Records released ?Proud to be nothing? in north america. In summer ?01 the band their basement to create ?The True Charm of Bourgeoisie?. We signed to Wild Punk Records to release the album in Spain. In september ?01 we went to ?Pig Studios? in Granda, Spain (same as for ?Proud to be Nothing?) and we repeated with Javi PPM as the producer. # In march ?02 we toured Canada. We did 10 shows in the states of Quebec and Ontario with a successful result. Then, in october ?02 we did a 21 dates european tour along 9 different european countries to present the latest album. It was the best tour ever for us! # In 2003 we signed to BCore Disc, and we worked hard to finally record "Dialectics" in September '03. The album was produced by Paco Loco (Australian Blonde, Steve Wynn...) at Odds Studios in El Puerto, very near our hometown Jerez. # "Dialectics" is no doubt the finest workpiece we've ever done, a very own soundfield where we feel really confortable. As always our touring plans this time are definitively serious, so watch out there!

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