Tribute to the Past: Betty Sneetch

Guest Post: By Todd Mathis (American Gun)

With American Guns re-release of their latest album “The Means and The Machine” in record stores August 19th and with a show at Art Bar this Saturday we decided it was a perfect time to reflect back on Todd Mathis’ and Kevin Kimbrell’s first band. Here it is from Todd’s point of view.

I met Kevin Kimbrell in 1995 when he was in a history class of mine at USC Spartanburg. He had on a Pearl Jam sweatshirt so I figured he must be an ok guy. I struck up a conversation with him towards the beginning of the semester but we didn’t talk much after that. He was more interested in talking with a couple of the girls in the back of the classroom. Hell, I can’t say I blame him. The next semester on the first day of Music Appreciation class in strolled Mr. Kimbrell who waved and took a seat next to me. I had no idea that this would be the start of a long friendship that lasts until today.

Kevin and I had a lot in common and turns out he played guitar and bass. I had been playing guitar for a while and desperately wanted to start a band. We both planned to move to Columbia to attend USC proper and we did just that in 1996. Kevin had a place at Bates West on campus and I had a place at the University Commons with some rowdy high school friends. The first night at the Commons, Kevin came over for a party and we met my neighbors Matt Hammond, Jeffrey Stringer and Aaron Smith. Turns out they were music afficinados like Kevin and myself and Mr. Hammond claimed to be one hell of a drummer. So, we asked him to join the band. A band that didn’t yet exist much less have any songs or anything to play.

Over the next few months we plotted and messed around with writing a few songs and coming up with covers that would be fun to play. Matt also played guitar and sang a bit so we signed up for a USC talent show under the name I-235 West which referred to our respective living quarters. We did the 2 acoustic guitar and bass and also hit a few open mics, most notably the Village Idiot. I had terrible stage fright and would basically puke my guts out before every performance.

Over the Christmas break of 1996 Matt, Kevin and I met at my parent’s house and Matt brought his drum set. This was actually the first time we’d heard Matt play the drums. Good thing he was good… After jamming out to a couple of originals and covers we decided to search for a singer when we got back to school. So, we rented a place at Sumter Street Storage, put an ad in the Free Times and auditioned a few folks. One guy was a Dave Matthews rip off acoustic dude, another guy came straight from the 80’s and touched his hair everytime he sang and another guy was an ex Army guy that auditioned with a Three Dog Night song. Then came Larry Lowe. He basically came in with a beat up acoustic, blew us away with his voice and told us he was joining the band. That’s how it all started…or at least how I remember it. We decided to call ourselves “The Sneetches” after the Dr. Seuss book. Larry often read from the book at shows to mock the sorority girls.

We went on to play for the next few years traveling around South Carolina, North Carolina and Georgia. We recorded an album financed by Dark Corner Records, which was a label started just for us by our friends Jeffrey and Aaron. They recruited 2 other investors Tripp and Chris, and gave us $4,000. We recorded a pretty good album at the Jam Room but Jay Matheson swears we ruined it with the mastering job we got. I really don’t know because I don’t think I have an unmastered copy of the music. Maybe I do somewhere. I do remember we had a double CD release party for two nights and the CDs didn’t arrive in time. Rookie band mistake… We played at Jillian’s for the first night and they kicked us out before we finished the second set and tried to get out of paying us the full guarantee. They didn’t like our attitudes our something. And we didn’t tuck in our shirts I guess.

Other memories include:

-A bar fight breaking out in Rock Hill and us going into Sometimes Salvation by the Black Crowes.

-Our trip to Atlanta to play Slabfest where we saw Felonious Swank the night before with Vic, lead singer, puking on stage.

-Larry stripping down to his undies during our rendition of Let’s Get It On…this happened on various occasions.

-Getting really drunk during a show on my birthday and not being able to continue playing and also trying to convince everyone that we could play the entire 1965 album by the Afghan Whigs even though we hadn’t rehearsed any of the songs.

-The Art Bar show where there was a huge storm and water all over the floor. Larry proceeded to jump from the stage and splash the few people in the audience causing them to leave. We later received a check from the Art Bar for a percentage of bar sales from that night…I guess we ran most people to the bar. I think this was Larry’s birthday.

-Our first show ever, in which we were The Sneetches, at New Brookland Tavern long before they had a stage and proper sound system. We were apparently the biggest crowd they’d ever had for music. We brought almost everyone we knew in Columbia and opened up for the Spanish Tony’s. On a side note, we changed our name from The Sneetches because there was already a band by that name out of Ohio or somewhere.

-Playing Rockafella’s, the famed Columbia club, and never having to pay door admission to a show there again…wonder why that place went under?

-Winning the Battle of the Bands in Gaffney, SC in which we all wore Star Trek outfits.

Overall I learned a lot from being in Betty Sneetch. Most of all that being in a band is a labor of love in which a lot of sacrifices have to be made and egos have to be put aside if you hope for any success. But in the end it’s a lot of fun.