Pure Pop Radio: In Conversation, Spring 2021, Episode Three: The Legal Matters Talk Chapter, Verse and Chorus

alan headshot from schoolBy Alan Haber – Pure Pop Radio

It goes without saying, you might and probably do say, that the coming together of Andy Reed, Chris Richards and Keith Klingensmith as the Legal Matters was a couldn’t-be-denied fait accomplis. After all, the three musicians have been connected to each other, in one way or another, for a long time–in bands and various other musical pairings and on the level that counts most, friendship.

The groundswell of support and out-and-out love for the trio’s self-titled debut album, released in 2014, may have been surprising to some, but maybe not really to those of us who follow such things, who track the reception of albums carefully created by the best and brightest talents holding court in the world of melodic pop music.

The Legal Matters’ 2016 sophomore release, Conrad, garnered even more praise, which has led to a third long-player, Chapter Three, just released by Keith Klingensmith’s Futureman Records, an independent label that is dependent on an outpouring of love from lovers of melodic pop music, of which there are many.

Join Andy Reed, Chris Richards and Keith Klingensmith as they gather with me to talk about Chapter Three and what makes the Legal Matters tick on an all-new edition of Pure Pop Radio: In Conversation. Presented in See! Hear! Pop!, our finely-tuned, video-riffic sight and sound format, this is another of the can’t-miss kind of in-depth conversations we’re known for. The interview begins below.

After you’ve seen and heard the lively back-and-forth, click on any of the Bandcamp players presented below and listen to a few of the tracks from Chapter Three, all of which I predict you will love and which will propel you to purchase the album on vinyl, CD or as a download. Or vinyl, CD and as a download, because you can never have enough Legal Matters music in your life.

Enjoy.

Chapter Three by The Legal Matters

Chapter Three by The Legal Matters

Chapter Three by The Legal Matters

Where to Get It: The Legal Matters Store, Bandcamp, Amazon, Kool Kat Musik

Pure Pop Radio: In Conversation, hosted by Alan Haber, is the internet’s premier talk show presenting melodic pop music artists talking about their work. New episodes appear here exclusively on the Pure Pop Radio website. Podcast versions of previously-aired episodes are archived here.

Alan Haber’s Pure Pop Radio is the premier website covering the melodic pop scene with in-depth reviews of new and reissued recordings, and a wide variety of features.

Well Foraged, Three Musicians Talk Chapter and Verse (and Chorus) Tomorrow on Pure Pop Radio: In Conversation

alan headshot from school

By Alan Haber – Pure Pop Radio

Emerging from the forest and well foraged, the three musicians who rounded up a bounty of melody and harmony (see here) tell their story to me tomorrow on Pure Pop Radio: In Conversation.

Andy Reed (upper left), Chris Richards (upper right), and Keith Klingensmith: The Legal Matters

At last, their identities can be revealed! Andy Reed, Chris Richards and Keith Klingensmith, appearing in fanciful pose in what can only be called animal press photos gone awry (no matter how cute they may seem), have gotten together in Andy’s cozy Reed Recording studio to wax the next installment in their ongoing search for the perfectly melodic pop song.

It so happens that this trio has scored another bullseye with Chapter Three, the Legal Matters’ third long-player, now out and about, courtesy of Keith’s Futureman Records. Tomorrow, you will be treated to one of our in-depth conversations, recorded in See! Hear! Pop!, our finely-tuned, video-riffic sight and sound format, in which we all find out everything there is to know about how this wonderfully melodic collection came to be. Drenched, as is their wont, in luscious melodies and sumptuous harmonies, these songs are the Matters’ best yet.

Here’s just one example of what the Legal Matters have come up with this third time around:

Chapter Three by The Legal Matters

Tomorrow, then. We’ll see you around 11:45 am ET for my in-depth conversation with the Legal Matters, talking about their new album, Chapter Three.

Where to Get the Legal Matters’ Chapter Three: Futureman Records on Bandcamp

This image has an empty alt attribute; its file name is cropped-current-pp-logo-july-2020-1-1.jpg

Alan Haber’s Pure Pop Radio is the premier website covering the melodic pop scene with in-depth reviews of new and reissued recordings, interviews and a wide variety of features.

Found Foraging for Food in the Forest, Three Musicians Find Melody and Harmony Instead. In Conversation Has the Story

alan headshot from school

By Alan Haber – Pure Pop Radio

It’s a wonder, alright, that in the light of day, covered high above by the outgrowth of trees and clouds overhead, three musicians, looking vaguely familiar, find not food but a selection of melodies, harmonies and songs to pass on to friends and family and lovers of melodic pop music.

It is a story worth telling, and tell it we shall next Tuesday with all three vaguely familiar folks, musicians all, at their respective microphones for a chat about what is finally here, the third chapter in their ongoing story. It is, you will be happy to know, a very special edition of Pure Pop Radio: In Conversation.

Mark your calendars: Next Tuesday, May 4 right here on the Pure Pop Radio website. Three musicians, looking vaguely familiar, talking, and singing sweetly, for you all. Here they are, in fact:








This image has an empty alt attribute; its file name is cropped-current-pp-logo-july-2020-1-1.jpg


Pure Pop Radio: In Conversation, hosted by Alan Haber, is the internet’s premier talk show presenting melodic pop music artists talking about their work. New episodes appear here exclusively on the Pure Pop Radio website. Podcast versions of previously-aired episodes are archived here.

Alan Haber’s Pure Pop Radio is the premier website covering the melodic pop scene with in-depth reviews of new and reissued recordings, and a wide variety of features.

Pure Pop Radio: In Conversation, Spring 2021, Episode Two: Timmy Sean Tells a Tale from the Other Side

alan headshot from schoolBy Alan Haber – Pure Pop Radio

Despite the restrictions imposed on us all during this ongoing pandemic year, it’s been a productive time for Pure Pop Radio favorite Timmy Sean. His online presence increased exponentially after he produced (overnight!) a rocking version of “Agatha After All,” the pivotal song from Disney Plus’s now-iconic television show, WandaVision (Timmy and I talked about the song previously on Pure Pop Radio: In Conversation).

If that weren’t enough, Timmy also wrote and produced a 20-track pop-rock opera–A Tale from the Other Side–writing, arranging, performing, engineering, producing and mixing it all on his own from the confines of his home studio (whew!). Longtime Pure Pop Radio observers will remember our yearlong coverage of Timmy’s 2015 Songs of the Week project; it’s fairly obvious that we like pretty much whatever this dude comes up with.

And so Timmy’s winning streak continues with this wonderful musical triumph. Timmy and I talked about it for this new edition of Pure Pop Radio: In Conversation. Recorded in See! Hear! Pop!, our finely-tuned, video-riffic sight and sound format, our lively and informative conversation is now yours to savor.

Also yours to savor are a few examples of Timmy Sean’s art, appearing below. Listen and head on over to Timmy’s Bandcamp page to add A Tale from the Other Side to your music collection (link below).

Enjoy!

Where to Get It: A Tale from the Other Side
More Timmy Sean: Bandcamp

Pure Pop Radio: In Conversation, hosted by Alan Haber, is the internet’s premier talk show presenting melodic pop music artists talking about their work. New episodes appear here exclusively on the Pure Pop Radio website. Podcast versions of previously-aired episodes are archived here.

Alan Haber’s Pure Pop Radio is the premier website covering the melodic pop scene with in-depth reviews of new and reissued recordings, and a wide variety of features.

Pure Pop Radio: In Conversation, Spring 2021, Episode One: Brian Bringelson and Katy Pearson

alan headshot from schoolBy Alan Haber – Pure Pop Radio

We’ve just happily slid into spring; everything is new again–warmer, sunnier, and full of promise. In Conversation’s spring 2021 season kicks off with a sunny conversation with one of melodic pop’s happy, productive couples whose passion, no matter the season, is music.

Brian Bringelson and Katy Pearson, married and musical, have long been Pure Pop Radio favorites. My love for Brian’s music goes way back to when he was writing and recording under the nom de plume Paul Starling; Brian’s current release, Desperate Days, a superb long player billed as by Brian and Gabe Dulek and released by Keith Klingensmith’s Futureman imprint, is delighting listeners from here to there and back again. Katy, who writes and records as Bearkat, or Miss Bearkat, to be more formal, is a multi-instrumentalist with a lovely voice and lovely songs.

During this ongoing pandemic year, these married music makers have reached out to their fans with performances of various songs captured on video and posted online; behind the scenes, they have thought about and look forward to going back on their local live circuit to delight audiences with in-person performances. Whether on their own, in duo mode, or creating beautiful music with their group, Anchor and Bear, this couple is magical.

Brian and Katy are quite simply terrific music folk, big favorites of mine, and my guests on this new edition of Pure Pop Radio: In Conversation. During this charming half-hour talk, recorded in See! Hear! Pop!, our finely-tuned, video-riffic sight and sound format, we cover all manner of subject from their separate and together musical work to Brian’s ongoing search for the best vinyl pressings available. And that, as one might say, barely scratches the surface.

After you watch and listen to this latest In Conversation offering, you are invited to click on the videos below to hear some of the music that Brian and Katy have been making, after which I would bet you will be off and running to your local online retailer for the purpose of adding some of that music to your own collections (purchase links below).

But now, here we go with our latest back-and-forth. Enjoy.

And now, some magical music you will enjoy:

Where to get it: Brian Bringelson: Bandcamp (Desperate Days), Bandcamp (Paul Starling), Bandcamp (Anchor and Bear)
Katy Pearson (Bearkat): Amazon, Bandcamp

Pure Pop Radio: In Conversation, hosted by Alan Haber, is the internet’s premier talk show presenting melodic pop music artists talking about their work. New episodes appear here exclusively on the Pure Pop Radio website. Podcast versions of previously-aired episodes are archived here.

Alan Haber’s Pure Pop Radio is the premier website covering the melodic pop scene with in-depth reviews of new and reissued recordings, and a wide variety of features.

Pure Pop Radio: In Conversation, Winter 2021, Episode Six: Exclusive: Timmy Sean Rocks WandaVision!

alan headshot from schoolBy Alan Haber – Pure Pop Radio

(This story doesn’t really contain any spoilers, but if you haven’t seen WandaVision–particularly the seventh episode–you might want to avert your eyes!)

Timmy Sean rocks WandaVision!

What happens when indie musician Timmy Sean gets blown away by the instantly iconic and revelatory song “Agatha All Along,” played during the seventh episode of Disney+’s iconic Marvel Studios television show, WandaVision? 

In a general sense, you get a rocking version of Kristen Anderson-Lopez and Robert Lopez’s minute-long, instantly-memorable tune that has of this very moment scored 232,009 views on YouTube and countless mentions–including the online version of the New York Times–across the internet skies.

For all of the very nifty details about how Timmy Sean was moved to arrange, record and post to the internet his version of “Agatha All Along” in record time, you should direct your mouse to the play button for the interview that appears below. Other than telling you that Timmy saw the seventh episode of WandaVision at midnight west-coast-of-the-USA-time and arranged, played, sang and posted his version of the song online in around six or seven hours, I must remain mum. Because the details are rather exciting!

My exclusive, timely interview with Timmy Sean, the sixth in the current series of Pure Pop Radio: In Conversation shows, recorded in See! Hear! Pop!, our finely-tuned, video-riffic sight and sound format, appears below. And below that, you can experience Timmy’s wondrous rocking version of “Agatha All Along.” (But that’s not all: A very cool Agatha-riffic meeting of musical minds between Timmy and trap/hip-hop master Leland Philpot also appears below.)

Musicians and Marvel fans will dig Timmy’s detailed tour of his overnight arranging and recording session. Timmy will be back on In Conversation soon to talk about his just-released, so-very-excellent power pop-rock opera, A Tale from the Other Side.

For now, though, join Timmy Sean and yours truly for a very special Pure Pop Radio: In Conversation chat.

Enjoy.

Pure Pop Radio: In Conversation, hosted by Alan Haber, is the internet’s premier talk show presenting melodic pop music artists talking about their work. New episodes appear here exclusively on the Pure Pop Radio website. Podcast versions of previously-aired episodes are archived here.

Alan Haber’s Pure Pop Radio is the premier website covering the melodic pop scene with in-depth reviews of new and reissued recordings, and a wide variety of features.

Pure Pop Radio: In Conversation, Winter 2021, Episode Five: Dropkick’s Andrew Taylor

alan headshot from schoolBy Alan Haber – Pure Pop Radio

Andrew Taylor

Up in Scotland, even as this pandemic year rolls on, musicians, kind of heart and pure of soul, look for ways to connect with listeners; Andrew Taylor, singer, songwriter and leader of Dropkick, in his garage, guitars and equipment surrounding him, plays during scheduled lockdown concerts of a sort, just him, seated and secure, strumming and singing, one song after another a gem polished to a fault and delivered as signed, sealed and delivered panacea.

As it happens, and as a wonderful respite full of delight, Andrew has corralled 30 quite gorgeous examples of Dropkick’s beauty from across the group’s catalog; that grouping, The Best of Dropkick, contained within a quite beautiful package designed and crafted by Alan Lennon, packs the purest punch on vinyl with an additional 20 examples of Dropkick’s musical art included on CDs, but any way you pick up the package increases the joy you will experience hearing Andrew and the band do their thing.

Andrew and I got together for a fun and informative chat for the latest in the current series of exclusive Pure Pop Radio: In Conversation shows, all recorded in See! Hear! Pop!, our finely-tuned, video-riffic sight and sound format; our half-hour get-together is now yours to savor.

After you’ve seen and heard the two of us warble, you should spend some minutes delighting yourself with a few of the songs included on The Best of Dropkick (including a lovely, brand-new song, “Into the Background”). I predict you will love what you hear.

Enjoy.

Where to Get It: Bandcamp

The Best of Dropkick by Dropkick

The Best of Dropkick by Dropkick

The Best of Dropkick by Dropkick

Pure Pop Radio: In Conversation, hosted by Alan Haber, is the internet’s premier talk show presenting melodic pop music artists talking about their work. New episodes appear here exclusively on the Pure Pop Radio website. Podcast versions of previously-aired episodes are archived here.

Alan Haber’s Pure Pop Radio is the premier website covering the melodic pop scene with in-depth reviews of new and reissued recordings, and a wide variety of features.

Pure Pop Radio: In Conversation, Winter 2021, Episode Four: Coke Belda

alan headshot from schoolBy Alan Haber – Pure Pop Radio

Eight years ago, a Facebook post by ex-Merrymaker David Myhr, now a successful, and rightly so, solo artist of the melodic pop variety, compelled me to check out the music of one Coke Belda, whom David suggested was terrific.

David was right.

Coke Belda, melodically charged

Eight years later, five albums and 10 single track covers from a wide variety of genres into a career marked by excellence in the art of melodic pop writing and performing, Coke Belda was on my mind, as he often is, because, for one thing, he is my good friend, and for another, he has amassed a body of work that always rises to the top of the heap. Because? Because he is just that good, and consistently so.

Because I no longer operate my Pure Pop Radio station, where I played Coke’s music for people who would have no recourse other than to love and enjoy it, I must now employ other means to get the word out, which I do within these pages and on my Pure Pop Radio: In Conversation shows, where Coke answers my questions and we all get to find out things we didn’t previously know about him.

It was this particular road map that I had in mind when Coke and I sat across from each other (well, side by side on a Zoom screen, which is the way the world communicates in this pandemic year) and talked about his latest release, the second containing nothing but joyous covers of Bee Gees songs, and his albums of original songs, mostly played from A to Z by Coke who can strum, keyboard and percuss at least as well as the best of them, if not more so.

We talked about a lot more, too–about songwriting, designing an arrangement for a particular song, recording, and so on. It was one of Pure Pop Radio: In Conversation’s patented deep dive chats, where time was not an object but detail certainly was. The back-and-forth was capped by a live, acoustic performance by Coke of his song “1968,” which appeared on Coke Belda 4. Now, that’s the way to serve up a moment.

You can see, and hear, for yourself by clicking on the video interview below, presented in See! Hear! Pop!, Pure Pop Radio’s finely-tuned, video-riffic sight and sound format. Coke is on the left; I am on the right, and always the twain met, for about 80 warm moments.

After you’ve enjoyed our interview and Coke’s lovely acoustic performance, feel free to click on the links below to listen to some of the songs we talked about. You will enjoy them all, I believe, like I do.

Where to Get Coke Belda’s Music: Bandcamp

Pure Pop Radio: In Conversation, hosted by Alan Haber, is the internet’s premier talk show presenting melodic pop music artists talking about their work. New episodes appear here exclusively on the Pure Pop Radio website. Podcast versions of previously-aired episodes are archived here.

Alan Haber’s Pure Pop Radio is the premier website covering the melodic pop scene with in-depth reviews of new and reissued recordings, and a wide variety of features.

Pure Pop Radio: In Conversation, Winter 2021, Episode Three: The Boys with the Perpetual Nervousness (Andrew Taylor and Gonzalo Marcos)

alan headshot from schoolBy Alan Haber – Pure Pop Radio

The Boys with the Perpetual Nervousness, the wonderfully-named band bringing together the considerable talents of Dropkick’s Andrew Taylor and El Palacio de Linares’s Gonzalo Marcos, has just released their second collection of virtually peerless harmony-infused melodic pop songs, Songs from Another Life, a title which seems to be as apt as apt can be during this continuing pandemic year.

Songs from Another Life delivers on the promise of 2019’s Dead Calm with 10 uptempo, earworm-worthy nuggets, all crafted with care by two masters of melody. Injecting some Cars-esque magic into these proceedings, the Boys with the Perpetual Nervousness are really not all that nervous; they are, in fact, engaged in a perpetual run of fun, which you will undoubtedly want to be a part of.

The Boys with the Perpetual Nervousness are named after the opening song on the Feelies’ debut 1980 album, Crazy Rhythms, but not, as it turns out, after Grahame Caveney’s same-named novel from 2017. Songs from Another Life, the band’s sophomore release, is the kind of album that shoots to the top of best-of-the-year lists with ease; sample a few of the songs below and see if you agree.

Andrew Taylor
Gonzalo Marcos

I connected with Andrew Taylor and Gonzalo Marcos for a spirited and informative discussion of the world of the Boys with the Perpetual Nervousness as the third in the current series of Pure Pop Radio: In Conversation episodes. Brought to you in See! Hear! Pop!, Pure Pop Radio’s finely-tuned, video-riffic sight and sound format, it’s a half-hour of joy, no doubt.

And now, on with the show.

Songs From Another Life by The Boys With The Perpetual Nervousness

Songs From Another Life by The Boys With The Perpetual Nervousness

Songs From Another Life by The Boys With The Perpetual Nervousness

Where to Get It: Bandcamp, Kool Kat Musik, Amazon. Listen on Spotify

Pure Pop Radio: In Conversation, hosted by Alan Haber, is the internet’s premier talk show presenting melodic pop music artists talking about their work. New episodes appear here exclusively on the Pure Pop Radio website. Podcast versions of previously-aired episodes are archived here.

Alan Haber’s Pure Pop Radio is the premier website covering the melodic pop scene with in-depth reviews of new and reissued recordings, and a wide variety of features.

Pure Pop Radio: In Conversation, Winter 2021, Episode Two: Terry Draper on Getting Lost

alan headshot from schoolBy Alan Haber – Pure Pop Radio

Terry Draper and I, after innumerable back-and-forths broadcast over the years on Pure Pop Radio: In Conversation, find ourselves back together again chatting about Terry’s new album Lost, his best yet and, any way you look at it, one of the best melodic pop albums in recent memory.

You can see that we enjoy talking with each other, whether the topic of consideration is Klaatu, for which Terry kept the beat, imbued with spirit, or any of the 17 solo releases Terry has recorded in his 20-year solo career. This time around, Lost is on the table, so to speak, and we talk about the inspiration behind several of its songs.

Plus a whole lot of other stuff including songwriting process, whether Klaatu was a prog band (it wasn’t; try symphonic pop), the Peter Gabriel version of Genesis versus the one helmed by Phil Collins, and the importance of wearing different shirts for multiple video shoots (an important point).

You can see and hear it all below; it’s a lively conversation, just over a half-hour long. We smile and laugh a lot, and you will too. This edition of Pure Pop Radio: In Conversation is presented in See! Hear! Pop!, Pure Pop Radio’s finely-tuned, video-riffic sight and sound format. And below the interview, you can experience some of the joys of Lost by watching videos for a few of our favorite songs.

Enjoy.

Where to Get Lost: terrydraper.comAmazonApple MusicBandcamp

Pure Pop Radio: In Conversation, hosted by Alan Haber, is the internet’s premier talk show presenting melodic pop music artists talking about their work. New episodes appear here exclusively on the Pure Pop Radio website. Podcast versions of previously-aired episodes are archived here.

Alan Haber’s Pure Pop Radio is the premier website covering the melodic pop scene with in-depth reviews of new and reissued recordings, and a wide variety of features.