Theodore Francis Leo (born September 11, 1970) is an American singer and musician. He is the frontman and lead guitarist of the rock group Ted Leo and the Pharmacists, and in 2013, he and Aimee Mann formed the

indie rock Indie rock is a Music subgenre, subgenre of rock music that originated in the United Kingdom, United States and New Zealand in the early to mid-1980s. Although the term was originally used to describe rock music released through independent reco ...

duo The Both.

Early life

Born in South Bend, Indiana, Leo grew up in Bloomfield, New Jersey, where his family was from and spent many formative years in the

hardcore punk Hardcore punk (commonly abbreviated to hardcore or hXc) is a punk rock music genre#subtypes, subgenre and subculture that originated in the late 1970s. It is generally faster, harder, and more aggressive than other forms of punk rock. Its roots ...

scene of New York City during the 1980s and early 1990s. He graduated from Seton Hall Preparatory School in West Orange in 1988 and the University of Notre Dame in the fall of 1993 with a degree in English.

Career

Leo was a founding member of the New York punk band Citizens Arrest in 1989. In the 1990s, Leo played in bands that included Chisel, Puzzlehead, and the Sin-Eaters. Ted Leo and the Pharmacists was formed in 1999 in Washington, D.C. The group recorded six studio albums between 1999 and 2010. Leo has also maintained a consistent presence as a solo performer since the 1990s. In 2011, Leo joined TV Casualty, a Misfits tribute band. They released a self-titled 7" with proceeds going to the Attic Youth Center in Philadelphia. In early 2013, Leo and Aimee Mann formed a duo called The Both, after Leo had toured with Mann for several months as her supporting act. He and Mann began writing songs together, and in March 2013, the duo performed their first show together as the Both (originally formatted as #BOTH). Their self-titled debut album, '' The Both'', was released in April 2014. Leo released his debut solo album ''The Hanged Man'' on September 8, 2017. The album was inspired by several years of career and personal hardships, including the loss of a daughter in 2011 due to a late-term miscarriage in which Leo's wife was forced to go into premature labor. For the 2019 animated television film '' Steven Universe: The Movie'', Leo collaborated with Rebecca Sugar and Stemage to write the song "Independent Together". In the film, Leo voiced the role of Steg, a fusion of Steven Universe and Greg Universe. As Steg, Leo performed "Independent Together" alongside Aimee Mann (who reprised her role as Opal from the '' Steven Universe'' television series) and voice actress

Deedee Magno Hall Deedee Magno Hall (born April 2, 1975) is an American actress. She is best known for her work in the pop group The Party (band), The Party, and as the voice of Pearl (Steven Universe), Pearl in the ''Steven Universe'' franchise. Early life Magn ...

(as Pearl). In January 2025, Leo was announced as the guitarist for Gang of Four on the band's "Long Goodbye" farewell tour.

Family and personal life

Leo grew up in New Jersey before moving to South Bend to attend Notre Dame, where he formed Chisel. He then moved to D.C., and briefly moved to

Boston Boston is the capital and most populous city in the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Massachusetts in the United States. The city serves as the cultural and Financial centre, financial center of New England, a region of the Northeas ...

thereafter. Leo has lived in Rhode Island since 2005, and he also maintained an apartment in New York City until 2016. Leo met his wife, musician, and visual artist Jodi Buonanno, in the late 1990s when both were touring in bands. She is credited with clapping, whistle, and background vocals on the '' Hearts of Oak'' album, as well as bass on ''The Tyranny of Distance''. His brothers, Chris and Danny Leo, are also musicians and have been members of bands such as Native Nod, The Lapse, The Van Pelt, The Vague Angels, and The Holy Childhood. Leo is a vegan, and has served as a spokesman for People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals. He has made frequent radio appearances as a contributor to programs on WFMU, such as '' The Best Show with Tom Scharpling''.

Discography

with Citizens Arrest

*''Citizens Arrest'' cassette EP (1989, Lifetime Records) *''Soaked in Others Blood'' 7-inch EP (2012, Painkiller Records)

with Puzzlehead

*''See Thru'' 7-inch EP (1991, Next Generation Records)

with Animal Crackers

*''Animal Crackers/Whipped'' split 7-inch EP with Whipped (1991, Sound Pollution Records) *''Animal Crackers'' 7-inch EP (1993, Thrashing Mad Records)

with Chisel

* ''Chisel'' 7-inch single (1991, Assembly Records) * ''Sunburn'' 7-inch EP (1994, Gern Blandsten) * ''Nothing New'' 12-inch EP (1995, Gern Blandsten) * ''8 A.M. All Day'' (1996, Gern Blandsten) * ''Set You Free'' (1997, Gern Blandsten)

with Hell No

*''Hell No'' 7-inch EP (1991, Wardance) *''Skin Job'' (1992, Wardance)

with Trendinista 5000

* ''Trendinista 5000'' (1992, Sudden Shame Records)

with Water

* ''Aliens Born to Human Parents'' (1993)

with Ely Parker and the CIAs

* ''Live 1993'' (2015, recorded in 1993) * ''Practice Demos'' (2015, recorded in 1993)

with The Sin-Eaters

* ''Demo'' (1997)

with Ted Leo and the Pharmacists

*'' Guitar for Jodi'' 7-inch EP (1999, Persona Records) *'' tej leo(?), Rx / pharmacists'' (1999, Gern Blandsten) *'' Treble in Trouble'' (2000, Ace Fu Records) *'' The Tyranny of Distance'' (2001, Lookout! Records) *'' Hearts of Oak'' (2003, Lookout! Records) *'' Tell Balgeary, Balgury Is Dead'' EP (2003, Lookout! Records) *'' Shake the Sheets'' (2004, Lookout! Records) *'' Sharkbite Sessions'' EP (2005, Lookout! Records) *'' Living with the Living'' (2007, Touch & Go Records) *'' Mo' Living'' EP (2007, Touch & Go Records) *'' Rapid Response'' EP (2008, Touch & Go Records) *'' The Brutalist Bricks'' (2010, Matador Records)

with TV Casualty

* ''TV Casualty'' (2011, Matador Records)

with The Both

*'' The Both'' (April 2014, SuperEgo Records)

with The Foreign Correspondents

* "Lovin' You Ain't Easy/We're Dancin' ('til it Blows Over)" (2024, Outer Battery)

Solo

*''The Hanged Man'' (September 2017, self-released)

Collaborations

*"Oh, Death" (co-written with Scott Miller) on the

Game Theory Game theory is the study of mathematical models of strategic interactions. It has applications in many fields of social science, and is used extensively in economics, logic, systems science and computer science. Initially, game theory addressed ...

album '' Supercalifragile'' (2017) *"Independent Together" (performed with

and Aimee Mann) in '' Steven Universe: The Movie'' (2019)

Compilation appearances

*" I'm Looking Through You" on '' This Bird Has Flown – A 40th Anniversary Tribute to the Beatles' Rubber Soul'' (2005, Razor & Tie) *" Heroes" on ''Let All the Children Boogie: A Tribute to

David Bowie David Robert Jones (8 January 194710 January 2016), known as David Bowie ( ), was an English singer, songwriter and actor. Regarded as one of the most influential musicians of the 20th century, Bowie was acclaimed by critics and musicians, pa ...

'' (2016, Spare the Rock Records) *"In the Mean Times" as part of Kickstarter's "Election Issues" project

References

External links

Ted Leo and the Pharmacists official website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Leo, Ted 1970 births Living people Musicians from South Bend, Indiana Singers from Rhode Island People from Narragansett, Rhode Island American rhythm guitarists American indie rock musicians Singers from New Jersey People from Bloomfield, New Jersey Writers from South Bend, Indiana Seton Hall Preparatory School alumni University of Notre Dame alumni American punk rock singers American punk rock guitarists Ted Leo and the Pharmacists members The Both members Guitarists from Indiana Guitarists from Rhode Island Guitarists from New Jersey American male guitarists 21st-century American singers 21st-century American guitarists 21st-century American male singers Gern Blandsten Records artists Musicians from Essex County, New Jersey