![](\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/img204.imageshack.us\/img204\/6311\/rvur35showstedleo1zc4.jpg?w=900\")
<\/p>\nTed Leo and the Pharmacists<\/b> @ The Epicenter, 4\/10\/2007
\nstory and pics by Natalie Kardos<\/i><\/p>\n
Goaded by Pitchfork\u2019s claim that \u201cno rock band currently touring puts on a better live show than the Pharmacists,\u201d I decided to brave the journey up to Mira Mesa and the first all-ages venue that I\u2019ve been inside of since last July. This being my first visit to the Epicenter, I wasn\u2019t quite sure what to expect \u2013 I just knew that I was hoping for something better than Soma. And I was pleasantly surprised. The venue was quite intimate, reminding me of the Casbah. With the exception of a bar, of course. And it seemed to me that the crowd was a little more respectful than those usually in attendance at Soma.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
Due to a slight illness and the early start of the show, I unfortunately missed the opening band Love of Diagrams. I arrived during set change and didn\u2019t have long to wait before Ted Leo and his band took the stage. They started things off with a bang by playing a roaring version of \u201cSons of Cain,\u201d off of their new album Living with the Living. Then, three songs into the set, he pulled out the ever popular \u201cMe and Mia,\u201d to the delight of the mixed crowd of young punks and older hipsters. In between songs, he mocked the crowd – and himself – with some traditional East Coast sarcasm. He called out the crowd for being too quiet (\u201cI was just noticing, that\u2019s all.\u201d) and himself for trying to be a comedian when he was paid to be a musician.<\/p>\n
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<\/p>\n
All told, the band ripped out a set of about 20 songs, all defying classification into a single genre. \u201cThe Unwanted Things\u201d comes off as reggae-tinged, \u201cBottle of Buckie\u201d has a bit of an Irish flavor to it (and the penny whistle riff on the album version was nicely translated live into a guitar riff), and \u201cWalking to Do\u201d and \u201cMe and Mia\u201d are quintessential pop songs. The one thing that all of Ted Leo\u2019s songs do have in common, however, is that their bright sound and upbeat melody belie the (often) political nature of his lyrics. Call it a sniper attack on his young fans, if you will. They find themselves singing along to songs like \u201cArmy Bound,\u201d then realizing that laid over the catchy guitar hooks are lyrics such as \u201cin every cradle there\u2019s a grave now\/in every owner there\u2019s a slave now.\u201d Lyrics that describe how the army mainly recruits poorer folk who have no other means to better their situation. His music attempts to raise our social and political consciousness, and I appreciate that someone out there is finding the voice to do so.<\/p>\n
Walking out of the show, a British friend who wasn\u2019t very familiar with Ted Leo\u2019s music remarked that it seemed rather \u201cAmerican\u201d to him, and then proceeded to draw a comparison to Ben Folds. I won\u2019t claim that either of those thoughts had occurred to me before, but I could see exactly what he was getting at. Both Ted Leo and Ben Folds make music that stubbornly refuses to fit into a single, neat genre. As soon as you think you have it nailed down, they throw a curveball your way. Their music stems from a melting pot of influences, and that, I think, is what makes it American. And well, they both kick-ass live. I doubt that there was an inch of the stage that hadn\u2019t been stomped on, jumped on, or rocked out by the end of the set. And that, in the end, is what will always keep me coming back for more.
\nTed Leo<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Ted Leo and the Pharmacists @ The Epicenter, 4\/10\/2007 story and pics by Natalie Kardos Goaded by Pitchfork\u2019s claim that \u201cno rock band currently touring puts on a better live show than the Pharmacists,\u201d I decided to brave the journey up to Mira Mesa and the first all-ages venue that I\u2019ve been inside of since last July. This being my […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":false,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[1],"tags":[470],"class_list":["post-287","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-archive","tag-ted-leo-at-epicanter"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_likes_enabled":true,"jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":292,"url":"http:\/\/reviewermag.com\/press\/2007\/05\/18\/show-reviews-by-natalie-kardos\/","url_meta":{"origin":287,"position":0},"title":"Show Reviews by Natalie Kardos","author":"admin","date":"May 18, 2007","format":false,"excerpt":"All these shows were in San Diego, CA. Bright Eyes @ Soma, 5-8-07 Damien Rice @ SDSU Open Air Theater, 5\/1\/07 Mono @ Casbah 4\/29\/2007 Explosions in the Sky @ Epicenter, 4\/27\/2007 Show reviews and pics by Natalie Kardos Bright Eyes @ Soma, 5-8-07 I have to admit, I was\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "archive"","block_context":{"text":"archive","link":"http:\/\/reviewermag.com\/press\/category\/archive\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":2583,"url":"http:\/\/reviewermag.com\/press\/2010\/07\/05\/matador-vegas-roadtrip-action\/","url_meta":{"origin":287,"position":1},"title":"Matador Vegas Roadtrip Action","author":"admin","date":"July 5, 2010","format":false,"excerpt":"Matador Celebrates Its 21st Birthday With A Vegas BlowoutFrom laist.com Ready for a road trip? Indie super label Matador is turning 21 this year. And what would any right-minded individual do to celebrate that milestone birthday? Head to Vegas of course. 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