Ted Leo and Rx play festivals, Whirlyball

Atlanta’s adult Whirlyball league players, if they exist (please), will have to take a night off from pretending they’re in a Will Ferrell semi-sport comedy when Ted Leo and the Pharmacists play their battlefield, Whirlyball Atlanta, in August. If you’re unfamiliar with Whirlyball, it’s essentially bumper car lacross. Or “the hottest party in town,” according to the venue’s website, which offers a section on “Whirlyball Tips and Secrets.” There are two: “Dragging,” a defensive maneuver whereby one “turns their crank slightly into the oppositions' rear bumper” and “scooping,” a method of grabbing the wiffle ball with your jai alai implement. And there you have it, the secrets are out, uncovered from deep within the WhirlyBallAtlanta.com menus.

What were we talking about?

Mr. Leo is a delightfully witty man, so surely he will have more to say on the topic. The band has three months of regular-ol, non-Whirlyball dates, including stops at Lollapalooza, Sonic Muse Festival, Athens Popfest and Bumbersoot. Hopefully each of those dates will become the hottest parties in their own respective towns. Ted Leo and Rx’s most recent album, Living with the Living came about though making up songs and recording them, and was released in March 2007 on Touch and Go Records.

Get em while they’re hot!

August:
1 - Cleveland, Ohio @ Beachland Ballroom
3 - Chicago, Ill. @ Grant Park (Lollapalooza)
5 - Covington, Ky. @ Madison Theater (Sonic Muse Festival)
6 - Nashville, Tenn. @ Exit/In
7 - Birmingham, Ala. @ Bottletree
8 - Roswell, GA @ WhirlyBall Atlanta
9 - Athens, Ga. @ 40 Watt Club (Athens Popfest)
10 - Carrboro, N.C. @ Cat's Cradle
11 - Towson, Md. @ Recher Theatre
12 - Brooklyn, N.Y. @ McCarren Park Pool (JELLYNYC pool party)

September:
1 - Oakland, Calif. @ Art & Soul Festival
3 Seattle, Wash. @ Bumbershoot Festival

October:
5 - Montreal, Quebec @ Main Hall (Pop Montreal)
6 - Ottawa, Ontario @ Barrymore
7 - Toronto, Ontario @ The Mod Club
26 - San Francisco, Calif. @ Great American Music Hall
27 - Claremont, Calif. @ Pomona College (students only)
28 - Anaheim, Calif. @ House of Blues
30 - Los Angeles, Calif. @ El Rey Theatre
31 - Los Angeles, Calif. @ The Wiltern LG