Erin Bode seeking funds for "legal defense"

Fans of singer Erin Bode who subscribe to her email list got a rather cryptic message this week along with Bode's gig schedule for August:

"I am sad to tell you that the future of the Erin Bode Group is in jeopardy. We have added to our website a link for contributions to our legal defense fund. As soon as I am allowed to give you more details, I will. Until then, if you care to help today you can go to the link and donate. Any amount will be greatly appreciated."

A similar message is posted on the home page of Bode's Web site, along with a PayPal link to a page labeled "Erin Bode Legal Support Fund". And another similar, but slightly different, message appears on her MySpace page, notable because it includes an additional sentence stating, "I know that a lot of musicians find themselves in this very situation but it doesn't make it any easier."

So what's going on here? I tried to reach Bode by phone, but the number I used when I interviewed her last year for the Riverfront Times apparently is no good anymore, and there's no listed number in her name or the name of her husband and bass player Syd Rodway. I also was unable to reach anyone at MAXJAZZ, the St. Louis-based independent record label that has released two CDs of Bode's music. While I plan to pursue the story further, without any further public statements by Bode or her label, it seems unlikely that there will be any more information forthcoming until the start of the new work week on Monday, at the earliest.

So, what's left is trying to parse the meaning of her public statement. First off, though I'm not a lawyer, it seems to me that the wording suggests that it refers to to a civil matter, as opposed to a criminal case of some sort. (Besides, wouldn't a criminal bust of Bode or one of her band members have made the news, at least locally here in St. Louis?)

This in turn raises the question: What sort of civil matter could threaten the future of a musical group? Lawsuits resulting from disagreements among band members, or between bands and their management firms or record labels are certainly not unusual in the music business. In some cases, musicians have found themselves losing the rights to a band name or to their back catalog of recordings. Either one of those outcomes certainly could threaten a band's future.

Since, as best as I can tell, the personnel of the Erin Bode group remains unchanged, and Bode is still married to Rodway, an intramural dispute among band members seems unlikely.

Other possibilities could theoretically include anything from some sort of liability issue (for example, if a fan were to be injured while attending a concert) to a plagiarism suit contesting the authorship of a particular song or songs. However, it seems to me that these kinds of legal actions, while costly to fight in court or to settle, wouldn't necessarily shut down a band's career. Moreover, the plaintiffs in such cases often tend to seek public attention, to boost their standing in the so-called court of public opinion.

So, by process of elimination, the scant information available so far suggests that it could be a good old-fashioned contract dispute. But absent further details from Bode, this is all speculation and conjecture. StLJN will continue to pursue the story, and if more information becomes available, or if Bode releases another public statement, we'll have it for you right here.