Photo by Mindy Tucker
Take away the noisy excesses of the best Ted Leo and the Pharmacists material, and you've got top-notch rock 'n' roll songwriting with a steely lyrical edge. Since 1999, the group, which includes Steady Sounds record shop owner Marty Key on bass, has excelled in blasting out a new wave-styled roar informed by leader Leo's sardonic (and often political) wit.
After a duet project with Richmond native Aimee Mann called “The Both,” Leo’s brand-new “The Hanged Man” release is his first in seven years, and his first without the Pharmacists (he played all the instruments). The band will back him, though, when he brings the new songs to Strange Matter on Oct. 23 at 8 p.m.
$15. 929 W. Grace St.
804-447-4763 or strangematterrva.com
