Ted Sablay

Ted Sablay
Ted Sablay, 2023
Ted Sablay, 2023
Background information
Born (1976-04-18) April 18, 1976 (age 50)
Fond du Lac, Wisconsin, US
GenreRock
OccupationsMusician, guitarist
InstrumentsGuitar, vocals, keyboards, piano, bass guitar
Years active1994–present
Websitetedsablay.com

Theodore Sablay (born April 18, 1976) is an American musician, musical director and songwriter. He has been a touring guitarist and keyboardist for The Killers since 2006 and musical director for the band's live concerts since 2022.

Early life

Sablay was born in 1976 in Fond du Lac, Wisconsin, the son of Nonito Sablay, a physician, and Maureen Sablay, a nurse and homemaker. His father also played piano and while his mother and siblings loved pop music. Sablay studied classical piano for four years as a child and switched to guitar at age 12. As a teenager, Sablay became interested in live music after seeing concerts by INXS, Steve Winwood, David Bowie and Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers and decided to become a performer after seeing U2 and Paul McCartney. Educated at the University of Nevada Las Vegas, Sablay played in various local bands while in college during the 1990s, including Attaboy Skip with Killers drummer Ronnie Vannucci and Neon Trees bassist Branden Campbell and Expert On October with Vannucci and fellow Killers touring guitarist Taylor Milne. Sablay graduated from UNLV with a dual B.A. in Anthropology and Asian Studies and master's degree in accounting.

Music career

The Killers

Sablay played piano on "Romeo and Juliet" on the band's compilation album Sawdust, engineered sessions for the Killers' 2008 album Day & Age, worked as a music consultant on Flamingo, the 2010 solo album by Killers singer Brandon Flowers, and played lead guitar on "Dustland," the 2021 Killers collaboration with Bruce Springsteen.

Sablay contributed bass to Vannucci's side project Big Talk and Flowers' second solo album, The Desired Effect. In 2017, Sablay was picked to fill in for Dave Keuning on lead guitar during live dates supporting the Killers' album, Wonderful Wonderful. In 2022, Sablay became The Killers music director, supervising musical arrangements for live concerts. He currently switches between lead and rhythm guitar during Killers concerts when the band's main guitarist Dave Keuning is absent.

Solo career

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." In 2022, Sablay released his first solo album, You'll Be Back Here Soon, amassing over 500,000 Spotify streams as of October 2022.

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. 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.".

In 2023, Sablay began touring throughout the United States, opening a number of dates for The Killers, The Wallflowers and Chris Isaak.

In September 2026, Sablay released his second solo album, State & Motion. The record features drummer Pete Thomas of Elvis Costello's backing band The Attractions and bassist Whynot Jansveld, with contributions from about a dozen other musicians. Glide Magazine premiered the album in full ahead of its September 25 release. The Las Vegas Review-Journal called it "a searching, big-hearted record," and Las Vegas Weekly wrote that "every lyric has a job to do and every melody counts." Writing in Rock and Roll Globe, Ron Hart described the record as being "about the difference between bearing something and choosing something."

Sablay has said the album originated at a December 2023 show opening for Chris Isaak, at which he debuted the song "Baby I Need You."

Personal life

Sablay married Sheena Mercier in 2017 and lives in Las Vegas, Nevada. Their daughter Georgia Sablay was born on February 13, 2026.

Musical influences

According to an official FAQ, Sablay's influences include The 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 and Supergrass.

References

  1. ↑ Ted Sablay of The Killers Archived May 8, 2012, at the Wayback Machine Voxmusic.com. Retrieved 2012-05-02.
  2. ↑ "About". Ted Sablay. Retrieved October 23, 2023.
  3. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 "FAQ". Ted Sablay. Retrieved March 28, 2024.
  4. ↑ Archived at Ghostarchive and the Wayback Machine: "The Killers - Dustland (Official Music Video) ft. Bruce Springsteen". YouTube.
  5. ↑ Weiss, David. Ronnie Vannucci of The Killers Masters Solo Album “Big Talk” with Emily Lazar, Joe LaPorta at The Lodge SonicScoop
  6. ↑ "Killers Guitarist Dave Keuning Announces Touring Break". Spin. August 28, 2017. Retrieved September 3, 2017.
  7. ↑ @Ted_Sablay (March 23, 2021). ""Just Out Of Reach" is out now on @spotify @applemusic and @amazon. Link in bio to listen. #tedsablay…" (Tweet) – via Twitter.
  8. ↑ @Ted_Sablay (May 28, 2021). "Out now on Spotify" (Tweet) – via Twitter.
  9. ↑ @Ted_Sablay (February 22, 2022). ""You'll Be Back Here Soon" is now available 2.22.22 in Australia and New Zealand and will be out in Europe in a few hours on all streaming platforms. Order a vinyl and/or CD copy at the link in bio & receive a free mp3 download tomorrow... #tedsablay…" (Tweet) – via Twitter.
  10. ↑ Spotify stats
  11. ↑ "Local spin: New music from Ted Sablay, Ted Rader and more - Las Vegas Weekly". March 31, 2022.
  12. ↑ "2022 in Review: The Weekly's favorite local songs - Las Vegas Weekly". lasvegasweekly.com. December 22, 2022. Retrieved October 23, 2023.
  13. ↑ "Ted Sablay - 'You'll be Back Here Soon' Album Release". April 2022.
  14. ↑ "Ted Sablay - You'll Be Back Here Soon'". June 3, 2022.
  15. ↑ Sablay, Ted [@Ted_Sablay] (March 21, 2023). "Had a blast opening for @thekillers in Pittsburgh last night" (Tweet). Retrieved March 28, 2024 – via Twitter.
  16. ↑ Ted Sablay - Austin TX Full Concert 10.12.2023 (Supporting The Wallflowers), retrieved October 23, 2023
  17. ↑ Sablay, Ted [@Ted_Sablay] (December 8, 2023). "Very excited to be opening for @chrisisaak tonight" (Tweet). Retrieved March 28, 2024 – via X (formerly Twitter).
  18. 1 2 3 Bracelin, Jason (September 23, 2026). "Veteran Vegas musician Ted Sablay drops stirring new solo album". Las Vegas Review-Journal.
  19. 1 2 3 Sampson, Amber (October 8, 2026). "Killer Comeback". Las Vegas Weekly. p. 32.
  20. ↑ "Full Album Premiere: The Killers' Musical Director Ted Sablay Steps Into His Own With Vibrant Power Pop Album 'State & Motion'". Glide Magazine. September 22, 2026. Retrieved October 10, 2026.
  21. ↑ Hart, Ron (July 30, 2026). "Ted Sablay Shares 'Invisible Weight'". Rock and Roll Globe. Retrieved October 10, 2026.
  22. ↑ "Ted Sablay and Sheenna Mercier on Honeyfund.com". Honeyfund. Retrieved February 15, 2026.
  23. ↑ "Instagram". www.instagram.com. Retrieved February 15, 2026.

References: