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)