Ted Leo and the Pharmacists is a punk rock band, with roots in traditional rock, formed while Leo was living in Washington, DC, but now with members based around the northeast of the United States. Leo originally was raised in Bloomfield, New Jersey.

The band consists of singer/guitarist and songwriter Ted Leo, bassist Dave Lerner and drummer Chris Wilson. After his previous band, Chisel, broke up in the late 1990s, Leo recorded the Tej Leo (–) Rx/Pharmacists album in 1999, followed by the Treble in Trouble EP in 2000. His next album, 2001's The Tyranny of Distance, quickly gained him a cult following and critical praise. Lerner and Wilson became permanent members of the band during the tour that year, as did keyboard player Dorien Garry. The album Hearts of Oak followed in 2003, which also saw the release of the concert film Dirty Old Town and the Tell Balgeary, Balgury is Dead EP. Garry left the band before the recording of 2004's Shake the Sheets, which has led them into their current setup as a power trio. The new record featured fewer obscure references and more overt political content than his previous releases did, though his music has always been known for its engagement with politics. The band tours extensively around North America, and less frequently in Europe, Japan, and Australia. Leo is a strict vegan. His brother Chris Leo is also a singer/songwriter and a member of The Lapse. Leo graduated from the University of Notre Dame in 1994 with a degree in English.