In early October of 2016, four young Clemson music entrepreneurs took to the studio to start recording for the budding band: Daddy’s Beemer.
This band is comprised of front man Brady Sklar, a senior audio technology major; bassist Wesley Heaton, a senior audio technology major; guitarist Luke Waldrop, junior graphic communications major, and drummer Dan Fetterolf, recent Clemson chemistry grad.
The four men came together at the persistence of Heaton who had known Fetterolf for a while through numerous past joint-band memberships.
“The first time we jammed together, we weren’t really a set band,” explains Fetterolf. “We were just playing and I was like, this sounds really good. We should keep meeting and practicing, and so we did.”
Although the boys have traveled and performed around the state, Daddy’s Beemer gets a majority of its stage time at Heaton and Fetterolf’s house, which has been dubbed “Pablo.” A self-made music venue, the band plays in the concrete-floored basement that has been converted into a concert venue. For audiences who may have seen the band’s shirts or stickers around campus, or who are just generally interested in local music, here is an introduction to the four stellar members of Daddy’s Beemer.
Wesley Skidmore (WS): How did you get the band name?
Dan Fetterolf (DF): We were running from the cops and needed a car really quick. [laughs] No, just kidding. Wesley and I were playing “Grand Theft Auto,” as we do most of the time, and there was one part where we stole someone’s car to run from the cops. We pulled a girl out of the car and started driving this really fast car.
Wesley Heaton (WH): And we thought: “Oh, that’s daddy’s Beemer.” And it stuck. There is also a certain kind of person that has their father’s BMW gifted to them and we’ve never experienced that.
DF: It’s really a metaphor for a struggle for the American Dream. Everyone wants to achieve the Beem, but we’re not quite there yet.
Brady Sklar: We also did an Instagram thing where we take pictures with people’s Beemers that we find. The last one, we put some bread in the grill.
WS: Why did you do that — was it a “present”?
BS: I think we should start leaving just the whole loaf stuck in the front of their car and then people will wonder who keeps doing it. It can be a Daddy’s Beemer thing.
Who do you draw your inspiration from?
BS: My inspirations start with Mongolian throat singing. One day I’m going to learn the technique. Like take a break from college and go learn how to sing like that.
WH: When I go to a show, I like to have a fun, dance-y time, influencing how I perform on stage. Also, The Strokes, The Beatles and James Jamerson.
DF: I think every band really should start with The Beatles and move up from there. I also really like Steely Dan. He’s really influenced my drumming.
BS: I’d like to go ahead and denounce Steely Dan as an influence for this band. He’s the worst.
Luke Waldrop (LW): For me, it’s Johnny Marr from the Smiths. He is my favorite guitarist. He sounds very jangly.
If you could compare your band to a natural disaster, what would it be?
BS: The basement [of Pablo] gets really hot and the house is really cold. At the last show, a “baby hurricane” was in the stairwell, so maybe that. We’re like a tornado made out of water on the ocean.
WH: Yeah, I agree with the tornado [comparison]. Maybe like a tornado that has just gone through a cotton candy factory and gets all these different colors, just whirling together.
DF: We’re like the warm air front confronting the cold air front of the music world, creating a hurricane type of whirlwind. We also don’t support natural disasters, by the way.
WS: Do you have a pre- or post-show ritual?
BS: One time we meditated before a show and then played terribly.
WH: It really didn’t help as much as I thought it would. So, I guess our pre-show ritual now is to not meditate.
BS: We also eat a lethal amount of Bojangles anytime we go to the studio.
WS: Does the band have any favorite snacks besides Bojangles?
DF: Twizzlers.
LW: I really like Rasinettes. Those are my favorite.
BS: Luke, I have literally never in my life seen you eat a Rasinette.
WS: If you guys had stage names, what would they be?
BS: Can we rename each other?
WS: Sure.
LW: I’m going to start with Wesley.
[Sklar, Waldrop, and Fetterolf huddle together.]
WH: I really want to be Candle Anderson, but they’re not going to pick that.
BH: I’ve always liked the name Clark. I’d like to name my son Clark and I think of Wesley as my son. So, his stage name is Clark.
DF: For Luke, he’s always finding the coolest stuff at Goodwill, so maybe Goodwill Daddy.
BS: I like it, but I think Goodwill Papi rolls off the tongue better.
WH: Brady would be something like Spike. And Dan would be the Lost Boy because he doesn’t know about anything and always loses everything.
DF: I honestly didn’t know about this interview until right before and I don’t really know when any of our shows are.
BS: Wait guys, I don’t want to be Spike. No wait, it’s kind of growing on me. Yeah. I’m Spike.
As for the future, the band is looking forward most to selling out, In Fetterolf’s words, “Music is cool and art is good, but ultimately the goal is to make a lot of money.” Daddy’s Beemer most recently played in Columbia at The Art Bar. Upcoming, they have a show at The Radio Room in Greenville on September 20th with The Artisinals. Also, they have their first album out, available on Spotify for those less-committed or monetarily challenged fans. The band is also hoping to soon start touring up and down the East coast. So become a Beem Boy today and maybe the signed album you get now could be worth thousands in five years.