Ted Leo and the Pharmacists performed at Tralf Music Hall Wednesday, June 17, their second Buffalo show in less than a year.

The audience varied widely in age, but shared the same laid-back vibe.

Local band Paul’s Grandfather took the stage at 8:45 for a show slated to begin at eight. Scheduled opener, Titus Andronicus did not make the gig.

Paul’s Grandfather played a wide range of folksy self-written songs including, Jailbirdy, from their new EP, No Home. Vocalist Becca Ryskalczyk said that The EP “just came in the mail today.”

Band founders Becca Ryskalczyk, Katie Preston and Karrah Teague share vocal duties and an impressive array of instruments, from guitar and bass to harmonica and percussion.

The women of Paul’s Grandfather met at Fredonia State and began performing together. The most recent additions to the band are Bobby Frisk on percussion and Paul Swenson on cello.

The mellow crowd remained seated throughout the hour long set, the dance floor a twenty foot gap between the audience and the stage.

When the roadies began resetting the stage for Ted Leo and the Pharmacists ten pm set, the crowd came to life, jostling for position in front of the stage.

Ted Leo played many older familiar tunes like Me and Mia from the 2004 album Shake the Sheets, probably their best known song and the moderately successful Colleen from 2007’s Living with the Living.

Newer songs included Even Heroes have to Die and a number that Ted Leo called “the newest of the new.”  After flubbing the intro, he quipped, “I forgot how it starts, it’s that new.”

Ted Leo and the Pharmacists played a solid set, powering through song after song, Ted strumming the guitar at an astonishing speed, with no need for flash or showmanship.

An alternative band with punk flair and a political bent, Ted Leo and the Pharmacists have been performing since 1999. Vocalist Ted Leo is the only member who has been with the band since inception, percussionist Chris Wilson and guitarist James Canty joined the band several years later.

Contact The Tralf at 716-852-2860 or see their website at www.tralfmusichall.com for information on future shows.

Originally appeared in buffalo.com