In a couple of weeks, at the beginning of December, veteran indie-punk troubadour Ted Leo and his band, The Pharmacists, will be doing a very short tour to promote their latest album, The Brutalist Bricks (Matador Records, 2010). On the final date of that tour, they'll be stopping right here in Richmond to play an all-ages show at Strange Matter. There are only six shows in this tour, and Richmond is the farthest south they'll be playing, so we're lucky to be getting them at all. It may be years before they make it back, too, so this is a rare opportunity that we'd all do best to take advantage of.
Here are the details, in handy-dandy bullet point form:
WHAT: Ted Leo And The Pharmacists take over Richmond
WHEN: Wednesday, December 8th, 7:30 PM
WHO: Ted Leo And The Pharmacists, plus special guests Hex Orkest
WHERE: Strange Matter (929 W. Grace St.)
ADMISSION: $12 in advance, $14 at the door (Tickets are available at Strange Matter and at Steady Sounds Records, 322 W. Broad St.)
For those who are not yet familiar with Ted Leo And The Pharmacists, or who just can't get enough of their excellent, tuneful music, here's a hilarious video they recently made for their song "Bottled In Cork," also from The Brutalist Bricks, in collaboration with funnyordie.com. It features Paul F. Tompkins in a hilarious role as a musical theatre producer, and... I really shouldn't say any more. Just watch it.
Opening act Heks Orkest have significant credentials of their own--the band features former Action Patrol vocalist David Grant, guitarists Jonathan Fuller (Engine Down, Sleepytime Trio) and Cam DiNunzio (LazyCain, Denali), bassist Keeley Davis (Engine Down, Sparta), and drummer Ed Trask (Avail, Holy Rollers, Kepone). While Ted Leo and company are undoubtedly worth the price of admission on their own, it's safe to say that we can expect great things from this collection of musicians as well.
In conclusion, this is a show you just do not want to miss. Plenty of tickets are still available as of right now, but as the event draws closer, that will undoubtedly change. Don't miss out--get yours now.