I always did like the Beach Boys, post- and pre- Pet Sounds, and The Legal Matters are of a piece with that. Fans of the Boys might want to check out the Legal Matters for that reason alone. The band debuted in 2014, though all were veterans of the Midwest scene. Their new album, Lost At Sea, is their fourth.
Keith Klingensmith, Andy Reed, and Chris Richards of the band were kind enough to team answer a few questions for me.
Andrea Weiss: For those who don’t know you, could you give a short history of the band?
The Legal Matters: Chris and Keith had been playing and recording together for years. We’d been hearing about a young upstart who ran his own studio in Bay City, Michigan, so we decided to give him a shot to record a song we needed to get done. Those sessions couldn’t have gone any better, and over drinks that night we decided to join forces. The Legal Matters were the result.
AW: Is your name taken from The Who’s “A Legal Matter?”
TLM: It is! Like most bands we had a hard time coming up with a name, everything sounds so weird at first. But Andy suggested it as we were brainstorming, and it just felt immediately right.
AW: Who is in the band?
TLM: Andy Reed, who has his own thing going with An American Underdog and solo recordings. Chris Richards, who has led Chris Richards and the Subtractions for years, and Keith Klingensmith, who runs the indie label Futureman Records.
AW: Who are your influences?
TLM: Lots! Beatles, Beach Boys, Badfinger, Big Star, Elliot Smith, Teenage Fanclub, Kinks, Zombies, Hollies, Bee Gees, XTC, could go on and on!
AW: I like your Beach Boys-type harmonies in some of your songs. Are they an influence?
TLM: Short of The Beatles, who are an absolute constant, I think The Beach Boys would probably be a pretty solid #2. We talk about how they approached certain harmonies a lot.
AW: I like that these songs are emotional without overdoing it. Was that something you wanted to come through in your lyrics?
TLM: I think that’s fair for sure. I don’t think any of us are big “lyrics” people. We love melodies and arrangements and harmonies, so thought does go into the lyrics but it would probably be last on the list!
AW: Your songs, like “Get The Message,” do seem to be message songs. Do you like to write that way?
TLM: It’s tough to ignore the state of the country, so that is going to bleed into things. We have a couple on this record, as I think “Marching On” counts as well. We definitely aren’t preachy, but the constant dismal news we’re all struggling with is going to trickle in.
AW: Do you plan to play any shows?
TLM: Eh, I think we’re all in agreement that those days are behind us. We played a few shows for our 2nd album, Conrad, but that was almost 10 years ago. Ultimately, we’re just old guys who love recording and making records at this point and we’re happy to keep doing just that.
