After the breakup of his mod-leaning punk band Chisel in the late-'90s, Ted Leo turned to poppier and more indie-rock-leaning sounds on his records with the Pharmacists, but he never let listeners forget about his punk roots. His latest lineup of the band includes guitarist James Canty, a veteran of D.C. bands including Nation of Ulysses and The Make-Up. Canty's gnarled, concise guitars come across particularly on the band's 2010 album The Brutalist Bricks, a tougher, leaner and more rock-minded follow-up to Ted Leo and the Pharmacists' wide-ranging 2007 album, Living With the Living.
Ted Leo and the Pharmacists w/ Tweak Bird and Call Me Lightning
Tonight @ Turner Hall Ballroom, 8 p.m.
