The Legal Matters

The Legal Matters isn't just a band, it's a meeting of the minds of three notable figures on the Midwest power pop scene -- Keith Klingensmith was a member of Hippodrome and the Phenomenal Cats and runs the indie pop label Futureman Records, Andy Reed was the leader of the group An American Underdog, and Chris Richards was Klingensmith's bandmate in Hippodrome and the Phenomenal Cats, and led his own group, Chris Richards & the Subtractions. The trio made an impressive debut with their self-titled first album in 2014, and sounded even stronger and more ambitious on 2016's Conrad and 2021's Chapter Three. The Legal Matters first came together in early 2013, when Richards & the Subtractions cut an EP of covers titled That Covers That 2: Electric Boogaloo. Reed took part in the That Covers That sessions, and when Klingensmith and Richards began blocking out plans for a new Phenomenal Cats record, they invited Reed to join them in the studio. The three songwriters began exchanging demos, and since they all lived in different cities in Michigan, most of the collaborating and pre-production was done by phone or online. By the time Klingensmith, Reed, and Richards gathered at Reed's studio, Reed Recording Company, the three realized that with Reed's extensive input, this music was a different animal than that of the Phenomenal Cats, and with this in mind, the new trio adopted a new name, the Legal Matters, based on their shared love of the Who. With help from their friends and fellow musicians Cody Marecek and Nick Piunti, the Legal Matters recorded their debut album in just six days during the coldest and snowiest winter in Michigan's history; the self-titled album was released by Klingensmith's Futureman label in May 2014. The debut album won enthusiastic reviews in the indie music press, and the Legal Matters caught the ear of the well-respected independent label Omnivore Recordings. The band struck a deal with the label, and Omnivore released the second Legal Matters album, Conrad, in October 2016. The trio kept themselves busy with individual projects over the next four years, but returned to Reed's studio in 2020 to begin work on a third album. 2021's Chapter Three saw Klingensmith, Reed, and Richards joined by drummer Donny Brown, best known for his work with the Verve Pipe.
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