Hoping to overshadow Sunday’s bout of Danzig-baiting at Austin’s Fun Fun Fun Festival as quickly as possible, Ted Leo & The Pharmacists can confirm the following year-end dates, with tickets going on sale Wednesday at noon eastern time.

12/30 – The Bell House, Brooklyn, NY  (tickets)

12/31 – Maxwell’s, Hoboken, NJ (tickets)

On October 31st*, Matador will release a charity 7″ from Philadelphia’s TV Casualty.

This is the first recorded document to be released by a collective made up of Brian Sokel (Franklin, AM/FM), Andy Nelson (Ceremony, Paint It Black), Atom Goren (Atom and His Package) & Chris Wilson (Ted Leo & the Pharmacists). Over the past few years the group has played out in and around Philly for different charitable events, assembling as The Ramones (with Rodney Anonymous), Black Flag (with Dan Yemin) and Minor Threat (with Mike McKee). Here, Ted Leo joins the band as Glen Danzig, in what else but their take on The Misfits (watch some past performances here)!

As part of Matador’s famed ELO- catalogue series (confused? consult the discography), this blood-red 7″ features covers of Children In Heat, Angelfuck, Teenagers From Mars, We Bite, Who Killed Marilyn, Some Kinda Hate. All proceeds collected on sales of this release will be donated on behalf of TV Casualty & Matador to The Attic Youth Center, Philadelphia’s only LGBTQ Youth Center.

TV Casualty’s next live date is on October 28 at The Florida Theater as part of The Fest in Gainesville, Florida. Money collected at this show will go to Occupy Philadelphia.

Pre-order the single at the Matador store now.

*The band will have copies for sale on their 10/28 show in Gainesville and you should be able to find the 7″ in your local stores around then. You can also buy the tracks digitally starting 10/31.

(Ted, shown in his natural summer habitat, ie. a large outdoor gig in New York City, more specifically, South Street Seaport, two weekends ago)

Lest anyone believe a recent run of solo shows would mean an autumn of leaf-blowing,  strange pagan rituals and pumpkin carving  for the powerhouse quartet known as Ted Leo And The Pharmacists, not so fast.  Tickets for all of the gigs below are now available, and if you think there’s a conspicuous gap in the schedule during the weekend of November 5th and 6th, rest assured I have no idea what you’re talking about.

Fri, 9/23 – Philadelphia, PA – Johnny Brenda’s (Johnny Brenda’s 5th Anniversary – evening show, 21+) (tickets)
Sat, 9/24 – Philadelphia, PA – Johnny Brenda’s (Johnny Brenda’s 5th Anniversary – afternoon show, all ages) (tickets)
Tue, 10/25 – Newark, DE – Mojo Main (tickets)
Wed, 10/26 – Raleigh, NC – King’s Barcade (tickets)
Thu, 10/27 – Columbia, SC – New Brookland Tavern (tickets)
Sat, 10/29 – Gainesville, FL – The Venue (tickets)
Sun, 10/30 – Miami, FL – Churchill’s (tickets)
Tue, 11/1 – Tampa, FL – Crowbar (tickets)
Wed, 11/2 – Tallahassee, FL – Club Downunder
Thu, 11/3 – Pensacola, FL – Handlebar (tickets)
Fri, 11/4 – Baton Rouge, LA – Spanish Moon (tickets)
Tue, 11/8 – Oxford, MS – Proud Larry’s (tickets)
Wed, 11/9 – Birmingham, AL – Bottletree (tickets)
Thu, 11/10 – Asheville, NC – The Grey Eagle (tickets)
Sat, 11/12 – Washington, DC – Sacred Heart Church, benefit for the National Day Laborer Organizing Network and We Are
Family DC (tickets)

(‘The Brutalist Bricks’, still available from The Matador Store on LP. compact disc and a multitude of digital formats)

Several of Matador’s finest will be playing festivals on opposite sides of the country this weekend, and three of them will also be available to non-festivalgoers through the magic of Mr. Marconi’s marvelous invention (and also the Internet).

UPDATE: Thurston Moore has sadly had to cancel his KEXP session today.

At 8:00PM EDT/5:00PM PDT, Fucked Up will play a live set on Seattle’s KEXP before taking the stage at the Capitol Hill Block Party. The set can be heard at 90.3 on Seattleites’ FM dials, and at KEXP.org for the web-savvy.

Tomorrow, Ted Leo And The Pharmacists will be bringing the noise to WXPN’s XPoNentional Music Festival in the lovely (and incredibly hot) city of Philadelphia. Their 5:15PM EDT/2:15PM PDT set will be broadcast on XPN for those of you unfortunate enough not to experience it live. Tune in (hopefully from somewhere with lower temperatures and/or air-conditioning) at 88.5FM in Philly, or at XPN.org.

Here’s your answer, in solo form, anyway.

As if he wasn’t busy enough of late with a terrific run of solo shows (included a bunch during South By Southwest’s music and interactive festivals earlier month) and composing the music for Julie Klausner’s “How Was Your Week” podcasts, Ted Leo recently extended his arsenal of talents to include interviewing the great and near-greats of the rock scene as part of the Independent Film Channel’s coverage of SXSW.   Some of the interviews in questions are linked below, and while I’m very impressed with Ted’s work — and I say this with all due respect — it feels to me like he learned no lessons whatsoever from this footage of the late Tom Snyder I suggested he watch.  What the fuck, I am just shouting into the ether over here?

Along with Ted’s chat with Liz Phair (above), here are links to discussions with the following :

Michael Stipe
Sharon Van Etten
Emmylou Harris
J Mascis
Sir Bob Geldof
The Kills
Billy Bob Thornton

There’s more where that came from over at IFC.com

(scenes from SXSW 2005 : Matador co-owner, Austin resident for all of 15 minutes politely instructs a motorist to “go the fuck back where you came from” before recognizing his dog’s veterinarian)

It’s that time of year, when the fair of city of Austin is besieged by thousands of aspiring musicians, label creeps, bloggers, tech pimps, cinema parasites and self-styled marketing reptiles, all of ‘em urinating in my front garden on their way to and from some dubious “showcase” or launch party designed to appeal to their MOST CRAVEN INSTINCTS. I watch all of this from my front porch, my air rifle sitting atop a cooler of Guyaki Yerba Matte, wondering exactly how much jail time I’d serve for shooting the bluetooth earpiece off the skull of a gentleman trying to negotiate a contract at the foot of my driveway.

At which point, I’m reminded that he’s actually a guest in my home and our conference call that I’ve been ignoring is already 10 minutes old. Where are my manners?  Sure, Austin’s chock-a-block with SCHMUCKS ON THE MAKE this week, but who am I to point an accusatory finger at these lovely visitors when they provide this label with such a fabulous opportunity to hawk our wares?  The following Matador artists are playing (too many times) in Austin this week.  Shows marked * will require an SXSW badge or wristband for priority entry ; happily, such gigs are in the overwhelming minority compared to the open-to-the-great unwashed public events listed below.  I look forward to seeing you around town this week, and thank you again for keeping Austin, TX’s property values well above the national average.

Esben and the Witch :

Tuesday, March 15, 10pm, M for Montreal Showcase, Spill, 212 E. 6th St. (SXSWi event)
Wednesday, March 16, 2:30pm Flavorpill / I Rock I Roll Day Party, Lipstick, 24, 606 E. 7th St. (RSVP)
Wednesday, March 16, 8pm, Windish Booking Showcase*, ND Studios, 501 N. Highway I-35 (5th St. and Brushy Avenue)
Thursday, March 17, 2:30pm, Pop Montreal Party, Beauty Bar, 617 E. 7th St.
Thursday, March 17, 6:45pm, FADER Fort, 1101 E. 5th St.  (RSVP)
Friday, March 18, 3:15pm, Windish Agency Party, Emo’s Jr., 603 Red River
Friday, March 18, midnight, BBC/Huw Stephens Showcase *, Latitude 30, 215 San Jacinto
Saturday, March 19, 2:40pm, Mess With Texas, Eastside Drive, 1001 E. 6th St.  (RSVP)
Saturday, March 19, 4:40pm, Dazed & Confused party, Flamingo Cantina, 515 E. 6th St.

Ted Leo (solo)

Wednesday, March 16, 10pm, Brooklyn Vegan Showcase*, The Swan Dive, 651 Red River,
Thursday, March 17, 5:30pm,  Other Music/Dig For Fire present, French Legation, 802 San Marcos
Friday, March 18, 3pm, Flower Booking/Onion AV Club Party, Mohawk, 912 Red River
Saturday, March 19, 4:55pm, Mess With Texas, Eastside Drive, 1001 E. 6th St.  (RSVP)

Glasser

Thursday, March 17, 10pm Pitchfork presents *, Central Presbyterian Church, 200 E. 8th St.
Friday, March 18, Rhapsody Pary, Club Deville, 900 Red River (RSVP)

Kurt Vile & The Violators

Friday, March 18, Rhapsody Party, Club Deville, 900 Red River (RSVP)
Saturday, March 19, 3:30pm, Auditorium Shores, 950 W. Riverside Drive, free, all ages
Saturday, March 19, 6pm, Waterloo Records parking lot, 600 N. Lamar Blvd.

As part of Matador’s continued efforts to spread the word about WFMU’s fundraising marathon Gerard is forcing me to I’m happy to bring you the following news regarding tonight’s Best Show On WFMU, this year’s final attempt by our friend Tom Scharpling to separate you from your money (for a very, very good cause):

Kurt Vile (the man/myth/legend behind the stunning Smoke Ring For My Halo, out today on all popular formats), Ted Leo (star of Reginald Van Voorst’s Broadway musical The Brutalist Bricks), and A.C. Newman (inspiration for the character “Carl Newman” from the motion picture Moves: The Rise & Rise Of The New Pornographers) will all be joining Tom on the air tonight. We really don’t know what’s going to happen, but if it’s anything like last week’s show with Ted and Carl, it’ll be must-listen radio, plus you can get cool prizes for pledging money (including a signed Smoke Ring test pressing and the already-infamous “Rated GG” 7″ single). WFMU can be found at 91.1FM on your NY/NJ radio dial, or at wfmu.org.

Finally, lest you think we’re done talking about Kurt on his release day, please note that in addition to lending his talents to WFMU, Mr. Vile will be playing not once, not twice, but thrice at some of New York’s finest recordmongers this evening: 5PM at Academy Records in Williamsburg (with Thurston Moore & Bill Nace’s Northampton Wools), 7PM at Generation Records, and 9PM at Other Music. Who loves ya, indie retail?

Lest you think Matador Records is quite done twisting arms on behalf of WFMU‘s annual Marathon, THINK AGAIN. Not only are Ted Leo and A.C. Newman returning to Tom Scharpling’s “The Best Show On WFMU” for a second consecutive appearance next Tuesday, March 8th at 9pm, but Yo La Tengo will make their annual visit to the free-form station’s Jersey City studios tonight on Psue Braun‘s program (9pm eastern).

In what should be the greatest fund raising effort to hit the region since…..well, since this, Yo La Tengo will take your requests for covers, but not without an appropriate donation on your part to America’s no. 1, 100% listener supported radio station. Unlike the rest of WFMU’s sprawling schedule, this program will not be archived for later use on your iPhone, iPad, etc. so if you don’t tune in…you must have a pretty exciting Friday night planned.

As a former WFMU dj, I’ve long stressed to my colleagues the importance of the station’s unfocused, pretentious programming huge cultural contributions to the tri-state area and during Matador’s early years, it was actually mandatory for staffers (and recording artists) to contribute 10% of their annual income to the listener supported broadcaster.

Sadly, a state court ruled a few years ago that this arrangement was highly illegal — particularly as Matador refused to match the donations. However, just because we can no longer strong-arm our workforce into handing over money, that doesn’t preclude us strongly advising (HINT, HINT) that if certain self-styled “musical geniuses” don’t play ball with our friends in Jersey City, their recording careers might hang in the balance.

So with no prodding whatsoever from Matador ownership, Ted Leo and A.C. Newman will be appearing tonight on Tom Scharpling’s “The Best Show On WFMU” as part of WFMU’s premium-tastic annual cash-grab. We hope you can tune in. And if you can’t, we hope you won’t mind that we’ve already sent the station your credit card details.

So Crazy Eddie’s opened it’s doors 40 years ago (1971 for the math impaired) in Brooklyn, New York. Today, and TODAY ONLY, Amazon MP3 and Ted Leo are offering up his critically lauded and commonly embraced, album from last year, The Brutalist Bricks, for just $3.99.  Yes you read that right, $3.99.  Coincidence?  Probably (thanks Wikipedia), but that really misses the point…YOU’D BE CRAZY NOT TO TAKE ADVANTAGE OF THIS.  Visit Amazon today for a great deal!

Also for all you West Coasters, remember that Ted’s one man show is headed your way this week.  For other parts of the country he’ll see you in April + May.

And we’re also pleased to announce that Ted will be performing at SXSW, solo style, as well:

Sun, 3/13 – The Mohawk – Barbarian Group/Stumble Upon Party

Mon, 3/14 – Venue 222 – Wearcast Party

Wed, 3/16 – The Swan Dive – Brooklyn Vegan Showcase

Thu, 3/17 – French Legation Museum – Other Music Day Party

Fri, 3/18 – The Mohawk – Flower Booking / Onion A.V. Club / Canvas Media Party

We just wanted to remind everyone of some good news.  If you live on the West Coast then Ted Leo is coming to visit on a run of solo tour dates later this month.  Fear not though for all who live east of the Pacific Ocean, Ted loves you too and has just announced another series of solo US tour dates, slated for late April/early May.  Please visit Ted’s site for more details about his upcoming tour dates and hopefully we’ll see you at one of these shows!

Sat, 2/19 – Los Angeles, CA – Skybar at Mondrian Hotel –

Sun, 2/20 – Los Angeles, CA – Center for the Arts Eagle Rock

Wed, 2/23 – Riverside, CA – The Barn @ UC Riverside

Thu, 2/24 – San Francisco, CA – Bottom of the Hill (Noise Pop Festival)

Fri, 2/25 – Seattle, WA – U of Washington

Sat, 2/26 – Portland, OR – BackSpace Cafe

Wed, 4/27 – Boston, MA – Brighton Music Hall

Thu, 4/28 – Dover, NH – Dover Brickhouse

Fri, 4/29 – Hamden, CT – The Space

Sat, 4/30 – Scranton, PA – The Vintage Theater

Sun, 5/1 – Philadelphia, PA – Kung Fu Necktie

Tue, 5/3 – Pittsburgh, PA – Andy Warhol Museum

Wed, 5/4 – Cleveland, OH – B-side Liquor Lounge

Thu, 5/5 – Chicago, IL – Schubas Tavern

Fri, 5/6 – Madison, WI – The Terrace

Sat, 5/7 – Iowa City, IA – Gabe’s

Sun, 5/8 – St Louis, MO – Off Broadway

Wed, 5/11 – Atlanta, GA – Drunken Unicorn

Thu, 5/12 – Chapel Hill, NC – Local 506

as if you needed any other reason to attend, keep in mind that whenever the Sklar Bros. make a public appearance, there’s always the smallest chance Mary J. Blige might turn up in support of her former collaborators.

(photo taken from Linda Wildemann‘s Flickr page)

As mentioned earlier today by Jeremy, Ted Leo & The Pharmacists are playing NYC’s Terminal 5 tonight in support of pals and labelmates The New Pornographers. In a little more than a month’s time, however, Ted will be hitting the road all by his lonesome, playing songs from 2010′s ‘The Brutalist Bricks’ as well as previous albums, probably some covers and….hey, wait a minute. Where, precisely do we get off, projecting what Ted’s repertoire is likely to be?  Sure, it’s an educated guess, but if my years in this racket have taught me anything, there’s no sure things in the entertainment business. Except Susan Boyle.

1/21, Boston, MA – Brighton Music Hall  (tickets)
1/22, Hamden, CT – The Space (tickets)
1/23, Philadelphia, PA – Kung Fu Necktie (tickets)
1/25, Scranton, PA – The Vintage Theater (tickets)
1/26, Pittsburgh, PA – Andy Warhol Museum (tickets)
1/27, Cleveland, OH – B-Side Liquor Lounge (tickets)
1/29, Madison, WI – Der Rathskeller @ Univ of Wisc
1/30, Iowa City, IA – Gabe’s  (tickets)
2/1, Chicago, IL – Schubas Tavern (tickets)
2/2, St. Louis, MO – Off Broadway (tickets)
2/3, Nashville, TN – The End (tickets)
2/4, Atlanta, GA – Drunken Unicorn (tickets)
2/5, Chapel Hill, NC – Local 506 (tickets)
2/23, Riverside, CA – The Barn @ UC Riverside (tickets)
2/24, San Francisco, CA – Bottom of the Hill (Noise Pop Festival)
2/25, Seattle, WA – U of Washington (tickets)
2/26, Portland, OR – BackSpace Cafe (tickets)

I’ve been asked to follow Nils’ awesome post that kicked off the “Matador Employees Write About Love” series yesterday. I thought I would start with the above Pitchfork TV clip from Vegas, cuz I fucking LOVED Battle Of The Bands at Matador 21.

OK. Well, love has actually been a big theme for me this year, so this should be easy right? Um.

I tell you, I love a Belle and Sebastian song called “I Love My Car”. It’s originally from the “I’m Waking Up To Us” EP, and you can own it as part of the unimpeachable Push Barman to Open Old Wounds collection.

Oh you know what I really love? I love my dog. The GOOOOOOOSE! I also love a painting of my dog that my friends Shana and Tim commissioned as a wedding gift. I just got it today:

I love Silkworm.

I love my job. Most of the time.

OK, I loved that too.

I love Twitter. I’m at 99 followers RIGHT NOW. Just saying…

I love the internal debate happening to decide whether or not this is the appropriate forum to discuss how much I love my wife. Maybe set the website public now, Pants.

I love the Mannequin Men Hozac singles club single “Hobby Girl”. Both sides. And I love that Dave Martin was able to get me a copy even though I’m not in the club (thanks Dave and Hozac).

I love that I’ve spent an hour on this post and no one can yell at me about it (thanks Nils!).

I love rock ‘n roll. Put another dime in the jukebox, baby.

I still love this clip (shut up Robby):

I’m all out of love.

Certainly no stranger to WFMU-appearances, Ted Leo will perform a solo set on the live broadcast of The Cherry Blossom Clinic direct from the WFMU Record Fair, this Saturday at 4:30 PM EST.

Tune in at wfmu.org or better yet, see Ted LIVE at the Metropolitan Pavilion while you scope out the wares of some of the finest record vendors in the world.

WFMU Record Fair
Metropolitan Pavilion (125 W. 18th St)
Sat, Oct 23
4:30pm

Ted Leo & The Pharmacists will also be playing a handful of dates in December including the aforementioned show with the New Pornographers in NYC.

Thu, Dec 2 – Northampton MA – Pearl St
Fri, Dec 3 – Pawtucket RI – The Met Cafe
Sat, Dec 4 – Lemoyne PA – Champion Ship
Mon, Dec 6 – New York NY – Terminal 5 (with the New Pornographers)
Tue, Dec 7 – Baltimore MD – GSpot (with Heks Orkest)
Wed, Dec 8 – Richmond VA – Strange Matter (with Heks Orkest)

photo from the ACL Festival flickr

October 22 of this month will mark the 3rd anniversary of the untimely passage of Lance Hahn. Whether you knew Lance thru his tenures leading Cringer or J-Church, his Honey Bear label or his writing for MRR or his own Some Hope & Some Despair…or perhaps just knew him thru his years in the service of some of America’s finest record and video stores, you were lucky to be have a pretty inspirational guy in your ears or your head. Some of his friends are banding together this Saturday night at Austin’s Red 7 to raise loot for his family ; amongst the participants, our own TL/RX and ‘Casual Victim Pile’ grads Wild America. But the entire bill is great. C’mon out w/ cash in hand, or purchase advance tickets here.

First off, if these changes have left anyone disappointed or inconvenienced, we’re truly sorry.  I’ve been watching videos of the guys in the BP commercials all week trying to strike the right tone for this post, and wouldn’t you know it, MY VIDEO CAMERA IS BROKEN.   Bullet dodged.

On the bright side, hey, DEAD MEADOW are playing.    The opening VIP gala is still happening at 4pm Friday in the Hardwood Suite with dj sets by Ted Leo and myself.  Same room becomes a VIP lounge Friday and Saturday nights, plus late night dj action on Friday (James McNew, Dean Bein) and Saturday (Dave Martin, Robby Morris).  Here’s the live entertainment schedule of events.  Much like real life, everything is subject to change.

FRIDAY, OCTOBER 1st

THE PEARL
Pavement: 12:00am – 1:00am
Sonic Youth: 10:40pm – 11:30am
Fucked Up: 9:35pm – 10:15pm
Chavez: 8:30pm – 9:10pm
Guitar Wolf: 7:30pm – 8:10pm
Doors: 7:00pm

MC : Jeff Jensen

LATE NIGHT PARTY IN PALMS BALLROOM  (LIMITED CAPACITY)
Fucked Up Vs. Ted Leo and The Pharmacists: 1:30am – 2:30am
(One stage. Two bands.  At once. They’re supposed to take turns, song by song…but who knows?)
Doors: 1:00am

SATURDAY, OCTOBER 2nd

THE PEARL
Belle & Sebastian: 11:45pm – 1:00am
Spoon: 10:25pm – 11:15pm
Superchunk: 9:20pm – 10:00pm
Cat Power: 8:15pm – 8:55pm
Perfume Genius: 7:55pm – 8:15pm
Jon Spencer Blues Explosion: 6:50pm – 7:30pm
Come: 5:45pm – 6:25pm
Girls: 4:40pm – 5:20pm
Doors 4:00pm

MC : Bob Nastanovich

MATINEE IN THE PALMS BALLROOM (LIMITED CAPACITY)
Dead Meadow: 2:30pm – 3:15pm
Harlem: 1:30pm – 2:05pm
Doors: 1:00pm

LATE NIGHT PARTY IN PALMS BALLROOM (LIMITED CAPACITY)
Cold Cave: 2:25am – 3:15am
Esben and The Witch: 1:30am – 2:00am
Doors: 1:00am

KARAOKE UNDERGROUND AT LITTLE BUDDHA:
STARTS AT 1:30am

SUNDAY, OCTOBER 3rd

THE PEARL
Guided By Voices: 11:30pm – 1:00am
Yo La Tengo: 10:10pm – 11:05pm
Liz Phair: 9:50pm – 10:10pm
The New Pornographers: 8:40pm – 9:25pm
Ted Leo and The Pharmacists: 7:35pm – 8:15pm
Shearwater: 6:30pm – 7:10pm
Doors: 6:00pm

MC’s : Tom Scharpling & Jon Wurster

MATINEE IN THE PALMS BALLROOM
The Clean: 4:30pm – 5:15pm
Times New Viking: 3:30pm – 4:05pm
Kurt Vile: 2:30pm – 3:05pm
Doors: 2:00pm

General questions :  21@matadorrecords.com

This event is sponsored by MySpace Music, Altamont, Incase, Sailor Jerry and Yowie.

Double bills featuring two generation-defining acts don’t come along that often and when they do, you can’t risk missing such an occasion for fear of being labeled a cultural cretin. But enough about the Eddie Money/Lou Gramm cruise to the Bahamas,  The New Pornographers and Ted Leo & The Pharmacists are playing NYC’s Terminal 5 on Monday, December 6.  Presale for tickets starts tomorrow morning.

First of all, we know you’ve been waiting patiently for the information below, and we sincerely apologize for the length of time it took to get it together. But if wanting to put together an even sicker bill than previously announced is a crime, PLEASE LOCK US UP.

1) 50 additional pairs of tickets priced at $250.00 per person  (not including taxes and fees) will be available via a public lottery sometime next week.  We’ll announce the details here and on the 21 site beforehand.

2) Details regarding a limited number of room upgrades will be available at that time.

3) We regret to announce that at present, our supply of VIP tickets has been exhausted.  If that situation changes, we’ll let you know.

4) As rumored in a bunch of places (including this very blog), we’re very happy to confirm the following additions to The Lost Weekend Bill ;  Liz Phair, Times New Viking, Esben and the Witch, Perfume Genius, The Clean, MC’s Jeff Jensen, Bob Nastanovich, Tom Scharpling & Jon Wurster, and a late Friday evening presentation by Austin’s Karaoke Underground. The rough schedule can be found below, and is very much subject to change :

Friday:

4 PM: Gala opening party, Hardwood Suite (VIP ticketholders, limited capacity)

MAIN STAGE (The Pearl):

doors open 6 PM, first band (Guitar Wolf) on at 7 PM

Pavement
Sonic Youth
Fucked Up
Chavez
Cold Cave
Guitar Wolf

MC : Jeff Jensen

2am onwards :  Superchunk/Fucked Up/bands TBC,  Hardwood Suite (VIP ticketholders only, capacity limited)
2am onwards :  Karaoke Underground at Little Buddha (open to all ticketholders, space permitting)

Saturday:

MAIN STAGE (The Pearl):

Belle and Sebastian
Spoon
Superchunk
Cat Power
Perfume Genius
The Jon Spencer Blues Explosion
Come
Girls

MC : Bob Nastanovich

2am : Esben and the Witch, Harlem,  Key West Ballroom (open to all ticketholders, space permitting)

Sunday (MATINEE, in Key West Ballroom, open to all ticketholders, capacity limited):

The Clean
Times New Viking
Kurt Vile

Sunday evening :

MAIN STAGE (The Pearl):

Guided By Voices
Yo La Tengo
Liz Phair
The New Pornographers
Ted Leo & the Pharmacists
Shearwater

MC’s : Tom Scharpling & Jon Wurster

Matador at 21: The Lost Weekend takes place at the Palms Resort and Casino in Las Vegas from October 1-3, 2010. This event is sponsored by MySpace Music, Altamont and Incase.

On Friday, Ted Leo checked in with a lengthy, illuminating instant-classic of a blog post. In it, our fearless leader looked back on the past, evaluated his present and pondered an evolving future…which, he revealed, would include the second Lookout Records alumni foray into the theeee-a-thah.

We think he must have been talking about this:

Is that Paul F. Tompkins? Julie Klaussner? John Hodgman? Patrick from Titus?? Terre fucking T???

Director Tom Scharpling and co outdid themselves, to be sure.

Ted Leo and The Pharmacists’ new album The Brutalist Bricks is available for purchase here.

The band will hit the road shortly:

September
Thursday 02 – La Jolla, CA – Che Cafe Collective (UC San Diego)
Friday 03 – San Diego, CA – Casbah
Saturday 04 – Los Angeles, CA – Fuck Yeah Fest
Monday 06 – Vancouver, BC – Rickshaw Theater
Tuesday 07 – Victoria, BC – Element Nightclub
Wednesday 08 – Seattle, WA – The Vera Project
Thursday 09 – Portland, OR – Crystal Ballroom
Thursday 23 – Pittsburgh, PA – Diesel
Friday 24 – Newport, KY – Midpoint Music Festival
Saturday 25 – Urbana, IL – Pygmalion Music Festival
Sunday 26 – Columbia, MO – The Blue Note
Tuesday 28 – Lawrence, KS – Jackpot Saloon and Music Hall
Wednesday 29 – Denver, CO – Marquis Theater

October
Monday 04 – Phoenix, AZ – Rhythm Room
Tuesday 05 – Sante Fe, NM – Corazon
Wednesday 06 – Norman, OK – The Opolis
Thursday 07 – Little Rock, AR – Vinos
Sunday 10 – Austin, TX – Austin City Limits
Tuesday 12 – Gainesville, FL – Common Grounds
Wednesday 13 – Orlando, FL – The Social (Orlando)
Thursday 14 – St Augustine, FL – Cafe Eleven
Friday 15 – Greenville, SC – The Handlebar
Saturday 16 – Charlottesville, VA – The Southern

photo from Hartzine The Indie Music‘s flickr

How’s this for a Friday afternoon treat: Ted Leo and the Pharmacists have been announced as the secret guest headliner of the “JellyNYC Block Party” summer event Sunday (August 1).. making this the second free TL/RX show in NY in a span of under a month (and probably his 23,356th over the past 5 years)

The show takes place at the Brooklyn Bowl (Wythe Ave & N. 11th St) with Darlings and Arpline, but Ted and crew will be kicking around the Williamsburg vicinity the entire day, participating in a DJ set and whatever else it is people do at block parties.

Details here.

(Sled Island Festival, 2010, photo by David Kenney)

Whether we’re stalling on purpose or just building anticipation (and make no mistake, stalling on purpose = building anticipation) for the video for “Bottled In Cork”, we’re in the midst of a fairly frenetic period for Ted Leo & The Pharmacists. After Saturday’s headlining performance at Coney Island’s Siren Festival (also appearing : HARLEM), the quartet will be hitting the road for the following stretch of shows starting in September. There’s a smatter of festivals tossed into the mix (LA’s Fuck Yeah Fest, Austin’s ACL, etc.) but no shortage of club dates as well. It’s ok to admit you’re suddenly very curious about the “Bottled In Cork” video, by the way.

Thu, 9/2 – La Jolla CA – Che Cafe Collective (UC San Diego)
Fri, 9/3 – San Diego CA – Casbah
Sat, 9/4 – Los Angeles CA – FYF Fest (with Cold Cave, Delorean Magic Kids, lots more)
Mon, 9/6 – Vancouver BC – Rickshaw Theater
Tue, 9/7 – Victoria BC – Element Nightclub
Wed, 9/8 – Seattle WA – The Vera Project
Thu, 9/9 – Portland OR – Crystal Ballroom
Thu, 9/23 – Pittsburgh PA – Diesel
Fri, 9/24 – Newport KY – Midpoint Music Festival
Sat, 9/25 – Urbana IL – Pygmalion Music Festival
Sun, 9/26 – Columbia MO – Blue Note
Tue, 9/28 – Lawrence KS – Jackpot Saloon
Wed, 9/29 – Denver CO – Marquis Theater
Fri, 10/1,2 or 3 – Las Vegas NV – Matador 21; The Lost Weekend @ The Palms
Mon, 10/4 – Phoenix AZ – Rhythm Room
Tue, 10/5 – Santa Fe NM – Corazon
Wed, 10/6 – Norman OK – The Opolis
Thu, 10/7 – Little Rock AR – Vinos
Sun, 10/10 – Austin TX – Austin City Limits, Zilker Park
Tue, 10/12 – Gainesville FL – Common Grounds
Wed, 10/13 – Orlando FL – The Social
Thu, 10/14 – St Augustine FL – Cafe Eleven
Fri, 10/15 – Greenville SC – The Handlebar
Sat, 10/16 – Charlottesville VA – The Southern

‘The Brutalist Bricks’, available from the Matador Store on LP, CD and digital formats.

Photo by Shawn Brackbill

Ted Leo and his band of merry New Jerseyites (taking liberties, yes…) will take over radioland today at 2:30PM EDT when they bring their own brand of punk genius to WNYC’s Soundcheck with John Schaefer. If you like to rock it old school, tune in on 93.9FM (or REALLY old school on 820AM) in the New York City area. If you fancy yourself more of a Web 2.0 type of person, then feel free to click on over to WNYC’s website in order to hear what is sure to be an amazing session.

Tickets for “The Lost Weekend” aka Matador’s 21st birthday celebrations at The Palms will go on sale this Friday morning at 9am, PST. Here’s the details you’ve been hassling all of us about over the last week (and don’t think we don’t appreciate it)

a) Tickets/Pricing : An initial quantity will be on sale Friday for $SOLD. .After the $SOLD tickets sell out, the price increases to $SOLD.  A Ticketfly.com link will be posted on this site on Thursday, July 8th.  Starting Friday, you’ll have the opportunity to reserve standard rooms at the Palms for the discounted rate of $SOLD per night (the full 3 nights of the festival, only). The rooms feature two double bed and occupancy of up to 4 persons is allowed. The above rate is only available when purchasing tickets thru us. If you are interested in upgrading to a larger room or a suite you will be able to do so after purchasing the standard room. TICKETS FOR THE 3 NIGHTS  + ROOMS are being sold jointly — we’re not selling tickets to the shows separately at this time, nor are we selling tickets for individual nights.

(ADDENDUM -i) A limited number of 3-day tickets priced at  $SOLD—with no Palms reservation required — will be available Friday morning at 9am PST  via Ticketfly.com

ii)  if, for example, you’re buying 4 tickets to the shows, the $SOLD per night hotel fee can cover up to 4 people.  $SOLD over 3 nights divided by 4 is hopefully not an crazy amount to charge for rooms in a world class resort).

B) VIP tickets. A limited number of VIP packages will be available at $SOLD — details about what you’ll get for the $SOLD are forthcoming. You’ll have the ability to upgrade from the regular tickets, assuming the VIP tickets aren’t sold out.

C) Venue. The room in question is the 2100 seat Pearl at the Palms.

D) MORE BANDS. OK, we’re working on it. But in addition to the 19 artists confirmed on the above poster, we can confirm the original lineup of COME — Thalia Zedek, Chris Brokaw, Sean O’Brien and Arthur Johnson — will be participating. Actually, we already know who some of the other bands are, we’re just trying to drag this out.    MORE MATABLOG CONTENT between now and October!

E) Set times -  we’ll post these the week before the event.

F) These shows are open to all ages.  However, access to the casino floor is limited to those 21 and over.

F) WHAT ABOUT LAS VEGAS HUMANS?  Las Vegas’ Zia Records is selling 50 tickets to “The Lost Weekend” starting Friday, July 9.  You’ll need a Nevada I.D.  Reservations at the Palms are not required to purchase these tickets.

(ADDENDUM II :

INFORMATION FOR TICKETS AVAILABLE IN LAS VEGAS

Zia Records

4225 South Eastern Avenue

Las Vegas, NV 89119-5485

702-735-4942

Zia Records

4503 W. SAHARA

LAS VEGAS, NV 89102

702-233-4942

Tickets will go onsale at both stores at 10:00am on Friday, July 9th via lottery. By overwhelming demand by Nevada Residents we will be increasing the amount of tickets available (50 X 2 = 100) . There is a two ticket limit. Nevada state ID required for purchase. Any questions please email 21@matadorecords.com

As mentioned previously in this space, Matador will be celebrating the label’s 21st anniversary this October and this much we can finally confirm : there will be 3 nights of shows starting Friday October 1, and concluding Sunday October 3 at the Palms Casino & Resort In Las Vegas, NV. We’ll be dropping further hints about the amazing lineup in the days ahead, but a final announcement and information about how to purchase tickets will be made here at the trusty Matablog on July 5. Are you as psyched as we are?  (hopefully yes, because we’re getting in for free).

(ADDENDUM – there’s been a bit of confusion so just to clear things up, tickets DO NOT GO ON SALE JULY 5.  We’ll merely be announcing the on sale date/time on July 5.  thanks – GC)

…to make way for the fish-preparation skills of Ted Leo & The Pharmacists bassist Marty Violence. Video clip courtesy of Food Punk.

Ted Leo‘s solo instore at Generation Records in the Village tonight was a huge success, rammed to the gills and featuring a full hour plus set. Ted played pre- and post- Pharmacists songs, including “One Polaroid A Day,” “Ativan Eyes” and “The Mighty Sparrow” from his latest album The Brutalist Bricks. Ted also played Misfits, Eddie & The Hot Rods and Nick Lowe covers. It was one of the packed-est (and hottest) instores I’ve been to in some time, and the crowd was riveted.

Don’t miss TL&RX dates coming up starting in Milford CT (easily reachable via Metro North, as Ted pointed out) tomorrow night – check the tours pages for more details. And keep your eyes peeled for the upcoming video for “Bottled In Cork” directed by Tom Scharpling. It promises to be memorable.

While at Generation we noticed some classic record store graffiti behind the counter that we had to photograph. Enjoy.

Have ye heard this? I don’t know how Ted Leo consistently writes such solid songs, not to mention how he gets through a song like this on stage without passing out. Not a lot of room for breaths in this one! The entire new album is terrific. I am told that it is out today as a single, with a demo version as the B-side:

Bottled in Cork (zipfile with 160K MP3s and cover image)

Incidentally, he also turned in what is far and away the best remix of a Spoon song ever. I still haven’t seen him since then so if you do, please pass along my appreciation.

[Ed note: by popular request, we've made each of the tracks streaming below

A. Bottled In Cork (from 'The Brutalist Bricks')
B. Bottled In Cork (demo version) ]

Thursday June 17 Ted Leo will be stopping by hometown haunt Generation Records for a free, all ages acoustic instore featuring a very special guest (Hint: It’s not Oderus Urungus).

In free schwag news, if you stop by Generation between now and the 17th, you can get an autographed poster with purchase of The Brutalist Bricks CD/LP.

And let us not forget Ted is playing Siren Festival shortly thereafter. Bam!