Composing with Americana eloquence, playing with uncontainable rock ‘n’ roll spirit, and singing with the soul of a seasoned troubadour, Ted Sablay writes the kind of tunes you can’t wait to share with friends and family or turn up all the way in the car.
The singer, songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, and producer balances gritty delivery and elevated songcraft, asserting himself as a dynamic presence. After spending the better part of the last two decades as a touring musician with The Killers, the Wisconsin-born and Las Vegas-based multi-hyphenate introduces himself as a solo artist on his independent full-length debut album, You’ll Be Back Here Soon, in 2022.
“The idea was to make tuneful songs you want to listen to,” he explains. “I tried to showcase my songwriting and singing. When you hear this, I just want you to get a good listen. This is music you can hopefully road trip to.”
Growing up in the tiny town of Fond du Lac, he “disappeared into music.” Of half-Filipino and half-Irish descent, he was the youngest of six siblings and absorbed the musical inclinations of his older brothers and sisters. He went from watching their bootlegs of The Beatles on The Ed Sullivan Show to spinning seminal records from The Police, REM, U2, The Smiths, Guns N’ Roses, The Doors, and The Rolling Stones. When his anesthesiologist father retired, Ted moved to Las Vegas with his parents. He cut his teeth in numerous junior high and high school bands. Along the way, he met the future members of The Killers— Ronnie Vannucci, Jr., Dave Keuning, Mark Stoermer and Brandon Flowers—in the local scene.
Gearing up to tour in support of the platinum-selling chart-topping Sam’s Town, The Killers “needed someone who could play guitar and keyboards,” so Ted got the call...
Out of hundreds of shows, he joined the band for performances alongside the likes of Sir Paul McCartney, Sir Elton John and Bruce Springsteen and even at The White House for President Barack Obama. He has graced the stages of the most hallowed venues in the world such as Madison Square Garden, Staples Center, and Wembley Stadium in addition to over a dozen high-profile television appearances, including Saturday Night Live, Jimmy Kimmel! Live, The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon, and more. During 2022, the band even chose him as its Musical Director on the road.
Throughout this whirlwind, Ted played on Sawdust and served as a recording engineer for a handful of tracks on Day And Age for The Killers. He contributed guitar and bass to select songs from Brandon’s solo album, The Desired Effect, and bass to Ronnie’s solo debut, Big Talk. He also co-wrote “We’re Going To Hell” by The [RED] Pack (The Killers, Bono, Jimmy Kimmel, Julia Roberts, Kristen Bell, DJ Khaled, Channing Tatum, Neil Patrick Harris, and Halsey). Not to mention, he held down lead guitar for “Dustland” as recorded by The Killers and Bruce Springsteen.
At the onset of the Global Pandemic, Ted started to fulfill a longtime ambition and pen his proper debut. He dove into songwriting like never before, creating at a feverish pace.
“I needed to finally give it a shot,” he recalls. “I took advantage of the downtime. In the past, I was always busy. To write, you need to be mentally free—and I was. Between the desire and the space, it finally happened. I made music I would want to hear. It came from a pure place.”
Ted personally performed guitar, bass, keys, vocals, and production on You’ll Be Back Here Soon. He tapped Chris Dugan [Green Day, The Wallflowers], Austin Asvanonda [The War On Drugs] and Matt Breunig [The Killers] to mix. He set the stage for the album with the title track “You’ll Be Back Here Soon,” gathering over 105K Spotify streams right out of the gate.
Meanwhile, the single “Let Me In” hinges on a sultry beat punctuated by airy keys. His voice echoes in an unabashedly lustful plea punctuated by a vibe-y guitar lead.
“It’s a relationship song about two people who are totally connecting,” he explains. “‘Let Me In’ is ultimately sexual rock ‘n’ roll in the simplest sense.”
Elsewhere, “Admit It Now” builds towards an anthemic refrain charged up by an evocative guitar melody and ethereal sonic accents.
“Two individuals used to be close, but they’re not anymore,” he explains. “It’s almost like the relationship is running its course. So, the song is about admitting that.”
Then, there’s “Fall Out Of Love” where he processes a real-life tragedy. “My father-in-law died during COVID,” he recalls. “I was witnessing the pain of losing someone in the family. Since you love this person, it hurts so bad.”
Piano underlines an evocative and emotionally charged vocal performance on the album closer “All That I Say.”
“It’s definitely a love song,” he reveals. “I wrote it specifically to end the record. It’s an autobiographical moment.”
In the end, Ted is finally telling his story now, and it’s impossible to turn away.
“Aside from being a husband, I’ve realized I’m a songwriter after making this record,” he leaves off. “I never thought of myself in that way before, but now it’s part of who I am. I’m excited to create my own individual artistic identity while I play with The Killers. It’s a great balance.”
