Ted Sablay | |
|---|---|
 Ted Sablay, 2023 | |
| Background information | |
| Born | (1976-04-18)April 18, 1976 (age 48) Fond du Lac, Wisconsin, US |
| Genres | Rock |
| Occupation(s) | Musician, guitarist |
| Instrument(s) | Guitar, vocals, keyboards, piano, bass guitar |
| Years active | 1994–present |
| Website | tedsablay |
Theodore Sablay (born April 18, 1976) is an American musician,musical director and songwriter. He has been a touring guitarist and keyboardist forThe Killers[1] since 2006 and musical director for the band's live concerts since 2022.[2]
Sablay was born in 1976 inFond du Lac, Wisconsin, the son of Maureen and Nonito Sablay, a doctor.[3] His father also played piano and while his mother loved pop music.[3] Sablay studied classical piano for four years as a child and switched to guitar at age 12.[3] As a teenager, Sablay became interested in live music after seeing concerts byINXS,Steve Winwood,David Bowie andTom Petty and the Heartbreakers and decided to become a performer after seeingU2 andPaul McCartney.[3] Educated at theUniversity of Nevada Las Vegas, Sablay played in various local bands while in college during the 1990s, including Attaboy Skip with Killers drummerRonnie Vannucci andNeon Trees bassistBranden Campbell and Expert On October with Vannucci and fellow Killers touring guitarist Taylor Milne.[3] Sablay graduated from UNLV with a dual B.A. inAnthropology andAsian Studies and master's degree inaccounting.[3]
Sablay played piano on "Romeo and Juliet" on the band'scompilation albumSawdust, engineered sessions for the Killers' 2008 albumDay & Age, worked as a music consultant onFlamingo, the 2010 solo album by Killers singerBrandon Flowers, and played lead guitar on "Dustland," the 2021 Killers collaboration withBruce Springsteen.[4]
Sablay contributed bass to Vannucci's side projectBig Talk[5] and Flowers' second solo album,The Desired Effect. In 2017, Sablay was picked to fill in forDave Keuning on lead guitar during live dates supporting the Killers' album,Wonderful Wonderful.[6] In 2022, Sablay became The Killersmusic director, supervising musical arrangements for live concerts.[3] He currently switches between lead and rhythm guitar during Killers concerts.[3]
In 2021, while remaining a touring musician for the Killers, Sablay began his solo career, releasing the singles "Just Out of Reach" and "Fall Out of Love."[7][8] In 2022, Sablay released his first solo album,You'll Be Back Here Soon, amassing over 500,000 Spotify streams as of October 2022.[9][10]
Las Vegas Weekly wrote that the album is “an impressive debut that warrants immediate, repeated plays” and the song "I Only Care About You" as one of its favorite local songs of the year.[11][12] FV Music Blog described Sablay as "an outstanding talent," while Divide and Conquer Magazine gave the "You'll Be Back Here Soon" 4.2 out of 5 stars, describing the album as being "everything a rock record should be: well-constructed songs, accessible melodies, shifting textures and tones.".[13][14]
In 2023, Sablay began touring throughout the United States, opening a number of dates for The Killers, The Wallflowers and Chris Isaak.[15][16][17]
According to an official FAQ, Sablay's influences includeThe Beatles,The Rolling Stones,Paul McCartney,John Lennon,U2,The Smiths,Johnny Marr,Oasis,Noel Gallagher,The Kinks,Tom Petty,The Wallflowers,Sade,Paul Simon,Tom Waits,Talking Heads,David Byrne,Mark Knopfler,The War On Drugs andSupergrass.[3]
| Studio albums | |
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| Compilation albums | |
| Live albums | |
| Extended plays | |
| Singles |
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| Other songs | |
| Christmas songs | |
| Concert tours | |
| Related articles | |
