Former Chisel Ted Leo's sound owes equal allegiance to punk and Squeeze
by John Sewell
Sometimes things can get topsy-turvy, even in the regimented world of subculture genre tagging. This is especially true in the punk scene, where groups are under constant criticism for retaining a hard-edged sonic style that masks pop sentiments and an unabashed desire for material success and the trappings of the rock star life. (See Blink 182, Green Day and, heck, The Clash.)
Longtime indie scenester Ted Leo has taken the musical path from manic, buzzsaw power-pop-punk to thoughtfully crafted pop, which isn't necessarily that out of the ordinary. But instead of capitulating to the demands and constraints of the pop marketplace, Leo seems to become more strident in his demands for creative autonomy and DIY ethics while his music becomes more listener friendly.
Leo's first blip on the punk radar came with a couple of NYC area hardcore bands in the late '80s. But the attention found more focus as he became the primary songwriter in the band Chisel. Chisel was at its peak capability amid the post-Nirvana gold rush era—back when every vaguely punkish "alternative" band was getting signed left and right.
"With Chisel, we had a lot of offers and I was actually exploring the idea [of signing with a major label]," says Leo. "People kept coming around and it seemed like everybody was getting signed. I even had a lawyer, but I dropped him. And from there, people in the music industry began to get the idea that I wasn't interested in signing, and they quit calling."
After the demise of Chisel (who incidentally played their last show at Knoxville's late, lamented Mercury Theatre) Leo did some rethinking and retooling, eventually resurfacing as a solo artist. His debut solo longplayer, The Tyranny of Distance (Lookout Records), sounds as pure pop as you can get. Though there are lots of audible cameo appearances from members of Washington DC's esteemed Dischord set, the album sounds like the more upbeat songs of Elliott Smith, a modern-day Brian Wilson or Squeeze.
"There's been a real evolution in my songwriting," says Leo. "I'm six years older and I've gone six years down the line stylistically. In Chisel we were trying to cram as much information as possible into each and every song, whereas now I'm not that focused on abrasive, angry punk kind of stuff. But I do try to keep that spark and fire—at least philosophically."
Actually Leo has become known as something of a purist of the DIY philosophy. A signpost of his ascendance as a subcultural leader came with the inclusion of a rather lengthy conversation in Punk Planet's interview compilation, We Owe You Nothing. In the interview, Leo takes an ironclad stance against affiliation with the mainstream entertainment industry.
Almost two years after the interview, Leo hasn't budged one iota. "I've pretty much got the same opinions as I did back then," he says. "Oh yeah—no question about that. I mean, I haven't actually read that in quite a while. But I'm not pulling back on anything I said."
Despite his iconoclastic stance, Leo's public profile has probably reached its acme of late. Leo's music is simply too good to be denied, and what makes it work is the mix of intelligent lyrics and a keen melodic sense with honesty and passion—something anyone could relate to.
"At this point, I probably do have the most name recognition I've had since I've been playing music," says Leo. "I've been doing the solo thing for quite a while now and a lot of people have heard about it. But when I was with Chisel, all of the record labels were looking to sign the new pop-punk thing. These days, literally everyone is in a band. And in this year I've only been approached by a couple of people from the majors: I mean literally two."
An intensely personal album, The Tyranny of Distance features Leo playing almost all of the instruments. Now Leo seems to be moving back toward a group effort: a group with himself at the helm, that is. He's been abetted by his backing band, the Pharmacists, for over a year.
"The last album was all stuff I'd written and arranged by myself," says Leo. "I even played most of the instruments on that album. But with my new stuff, I'm trying to bring the other guys into the process. And I'm really looking forward to getting that new stuff recorded."
Though Leo eschews labeling his music, he admits that some kind of a description is helpful for the uninitiated. "Somebody wrote this one thing about my music that I liked, so I've been using it for a while to describe my music," says Leo. "It's somewhere between Big Star and Crass. I know that sounds ridiculous, and my music doesn't really sound anything like Crass. But you can at least see where I'm coming from with that."
February 28, 2002 * Vol. 12, No. 9
© 2002 Metro Pulse
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