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Out of the deeps emerged...
Something She Said. That's where John's and Ty's mutual future-history changed. Just one more dorm band in the mess of things in happenin' Eugene, Oregon.
John and bassist Kurt had already been writing when they found Ty wandering aimlessly in the musician's dormitory in the spring of 1991. In a matter of two weeks, they crammed those songs down Ty's throat in order to make a good showing at the University's Battle of the Bands- which they did, embarrassing all the other bands and spending their prize money on beer and pizza for three weeks straight. (<---- not an entirely true statement)
The press was ready for this band though, with such remarks as, 'Something She Said is definitely your "I'm out of my parent's realm, living on my own, so now I'm changing my music taste and getting into ALTERNATIVE music" kind of feel to it.' (Snipehunt, Spring '92, #11)
The band jumped right into the scene, however, booking shows in Eugene and Portland, and plopped their first studio effort, the full-length cassette 'Fluke', on record store shelves throughout the Northwest. Aptly titled, this highly sought-after debut still adorns record stores all over the Northwest. (<---- not an entirely true statement)
Something She Said gained notoriety through such local radio hits as "Bowling Pants" and "S`just Like You." Said one paper, 'The lyrics range from comical to almost sincere and musically, the group pulls off every sound just right [sic]. They'd be a good bar band to see.' (Snipehunt, Spring '92, #11)
The thing about these boyz was, they... really liked the way they played. The writing, though. Hmmm. As so many bands find, the future direction of the band became an issue. Enuff said. Ty and John moved on alone.
So, the summer of 1992 found the two in an oven of a practice space (where they suffer to this day) in the upstairs bedroom of an uninsulated house. They worked at finding their 'sound'- oh, that ever elusive 'sound'. Eventually the duo hooked up with clarinetist (and eager bassist), Ellen.
The following months passed in a whirl as the Betmars crus... 'WAIT! STOP EVERYTHING! What about the name?' 'Where did that name come from anyway?' 'So what is a Betmar?' hoo boy.
OK- here's the best answer we can give for this insistent question: John's ex's mom (from Georgia), back when SHE was in high school, always wanted a band to call themselves 'the Betmars'. Now the problem is, this story seemingly has a mind of its own- changing colors at will, shall we say.
[From this point in the tale, one of these might be true: 1) she thought of the name herself, 2) she heard of the name and wanted it to be used for a band, 3) there *was* a band at her school called that, or 4) she's a raving drunk and can't remember which story she's told us. So there you have it. We've also heard there's a Betmar hat company back east (Hello Mr. CEO of Betmar Hat's- please don't sue us.)]
Now, where were we? Ah, yes. The following months passed in a whirl as
the Betmars crusaded across the Northwest. In the summer of '93, the Betmars took the plunge and recorded a CD EP, 'Kick Me'- sublimely successful in the underground scene, with reviews in at least four regional fanzines.
In spite of a productive two seasons following the release of 'Kick Me,' change was in the air. In the late winter of 1994 'twas clearly the time for Ty and John to move on, and Ellen departed.
And what a time that was when Nick jumped in to cover their skins. A percussionist by trade, Nick proved himself to be one hairball bassist. John and Ty still agree that Nick is primarily responsible for kicking life into a flailing Betmars. With his relentless energy in the practice pad and on stage, he showed those two what it meant to 'rawk'.
Anxious to capitalize on this new-found potential, the Betmars 2.0 jumped into the studio with a handful of tunes. Never officially released, the 'Make it Loud Demo' (as it came to be called), proved to those who acquired it that the Betmars were becoming a force to be reckoned with.
Oh, but we're getting a little ahead of ourselves, aren't we? Just before this, the Betmars chanced to catch the Wonder Stuff just before they broke up, and received some excellent advice from drummer Martin Gilks after the show. He said, 'No matter what- just focus on writing great songs.' Oh sure, he said a lot of other things (like, 'hmmm- you have good taste in song titles i see,' referring to "Swell" off of the 'Kick Me' EP which he held in his hands...), but suddenly, finding that 'ever-elusive sound' became not so important anymore. Now the Betmars had a real purpose.
Things continued to roll and the Betmars' name began to be seen up next to bigger and better bands, such as Black Happy and the Poster Children. And THEN, fate stepped in and brought together the American Girls, 'Eugene's newest pop sensation' with the Betmars, 'Eugene's loudest pop sensation'. These 'girls from the Bay Area turned out to be a bunch of guys with whom the Betmars are now proud to be sisters in rock.
On the evening of January 26 1995, the 'Girls and the 'mars met up in a local tavern for a night of glorious pop. Eric nearly jumped on Ty who, wearing his favorite Stuffies hat (now unfortunately lost), personified a chap with excellent taste in music. From there all the boys (and 'girls) drank, laughed and took pictures together as if they'd known each other for years. Thus began a mutually stimulating friendship.
Eric enjoys comparing the American Girls and the Betmars (i.e. their pasts, how their paths crossed, etc.) to the Stuffies and the Poppies- listening to the two, you wouldn't really guess that they're chums; but if you really know what they're all about, you couldn't imagine one without the other. They like it that way.
Bass trouble
Shortly after this meeting of the Sisters, Nick was forced to bow out due to a rigorous schedule (being primarily a classical percussionist, remember?). In the first of many examples of the 'Girls watching out for their fellow popsters, their roomy, Nate, was encouraged to fill in until his planned move back to New York three months down the road.
As luck would have it, Nate was perfect for the job. And then he had to leave- but not before he was dragged into the studio for a much needed new recording. The multi-talented Nate laid down his bass and mandolin tracks like a pro, and then in three weeks he was gone.
BUT- an amazing change was about to take place. For weeks Eric and the 'Girls had been talking about the arrival of their guitarist friend, Adam, and his need of a band. No more than two weeks after Nate left did Adam become a full-fledged Betmar. Adam provided a new melodic polish undreamed of by John or Ty to the recording in progress. If Nick taught the Betmars how to 'rawk', Adam taught them how to 'ralk'. Now if only they had a bassist...
So what happened next? Like a gift from above, Eric picked up Aaron's bass and jumped in with both feet to cover the Betmars' butts. They knew that Eric's two-timing could only last for so long, but Eric delivered the goods while they continued searching for a full-timer.
In the meantime, the Betmars kept busy with the final stages of their first official release in two years, 'Natural Born Consumers,' and shortly after teamed up with their manager Sara.
Stay tuned as we gear up to bring you up to speed with this last year...
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