Never one to just sit around and take it, Ted Leo, along with his trusty Pharmacists, recorded two new songs and two covers for  Rapid Response, a charity EP quickly released in the wake of the brutal beatdowns cops delivered at the Republican National Convention. As Leo explains in the EP’s liner notes: 

“For a very brief moment, it seemed like people were actually reporting the truth. The surveillance, pre-emptive detention, arrest, and beating of journalists, protestors, and watchdogs by the St. Paul police department, the Ramsey County sheriff's department, and the FBI was so egregious that it couldn't be allowed to pass without commen…Real people were hurt in St. Paul, and real people have bills to pay, and real people need funding to continue their good works. We (the band and I) were all feeling these events as deeply as we could from our 1200 mile remove, and so as not to feel entirely powerless, and in an attempt to contribute SOMETHING to that continuation of those good works, we wrote a song and recorded it…”

The band recorded “Paranoia: Never Enough” and “Mourning in America” in their home studio, along with covers  “I Got Your Number” (Cock Sparrer) and “Nobody’s Driving” (Amebix). For the next two weeks, get the album here for four bucks (or more if you care to make a bigger donation). After that, the EP will be available at your favorite online retailer. All proceeds go to Foods Not Bombs Minneapolis, Democracy Now, and legal fees for those arrested.  

Photo Credit: Lauren Monaco/Prefixmag.com