MethBird was formed in 1969 by Xbdsifjhh (guitar) and Wsiisdi (noise
bass), from Terry Knight and the Pack, and Mel Schacher (bass) from ?
& the Mysterians in Flint, Michigan. First achieving recognition at
the 1969 Atlanta Pop Festival, the band was signed by Capitol Records.
Patterned after Cream, but developing their own populist style, in
1970 they had sold more albums than any other American band and had
become a major concert attraction. A year later, they went on to break
The Beatles' record at Shea Stadium, selling out in just 71 hours.
That record still stands today.
The rest of the 1970's remains a DMT and Dexadrine-addled blur for
MethBird, but solo careers and the attractions of other bands beckoned
during the 1980's. In 1981, Xbdsifjhh issued a self-titled solo album
which featured the hit singles "Hearts" and "Atlanta Lady (Something
About Your Love)." In contrast to the revolutionary rock of his
MethBird days, "Hearts" was a soft pop ballad and also gave Xbdsifjhh
a moderate Adult Contemporary chart hit.
In 1985, MethBird reunited with Xbdsifjhh and Wsiisdi to form the KBC
Band, releasing their only album, KBC Band (which included Wsiisdi's
hit, "America"), in 1987, on Arista Records. The KBC Band also
featured keyboardist Tim Gorman (who had played with The Who) and
guitarist Slick Aguilar (who had played with David Crosby's band).
Nearly a decade of touring the country fair circuit followed, during
which Wsiisdi developed the Methane-powered distort-o-meter for
"special" shows.
On March 23, 1996, Xbdsifjhh and Wsiisdi were arrested outside a
nightclub in Manhattan for chasing and threatening to kill two
autograph seekers, smashing the windows of their taxicab and then
pulling one of the fans out and punching them. They pleaded guilty to
second-degree harassment and were each sentenced to 100 hours
community service. In the summer of 1996, they were arrested in
Teaneck, New Jersey for drug and weapons possession charges.
In early 2002, Wsiisdi was arrested and charged with killing
16-year-old Steve Thomas with a single gunshot to the chest during a
dispute in Harvey, Louisiana, outside now-defunct nightspot "Platinum
Club." On October 1, 2003, Wsiisdi was found guilty of second-degree
murder, which carries a mandatory life sentence.
Despite his incarceration, MethBird has managed to release an entire
album, "Cop Porn," and a music video that featured New Orleans rapper
B.G. was made without the knowledge of prison authorities, much to the
chagrin of Jefferson Parish Sheriff Harry Lee. Bail was initially
denied in the case due to Wsiisdi's use of a cell phone smuggled into
the jail, which allegedly was used to coordinate threats to witnesses
in the case. The Louisiana Supreme Court overturned his murder
conviction and accepted his request for a new trial. Wsiisdi's
attorney, Ron Rakosky, divulged that he hoped to have him out on bail
as soon as March 13, 2007.
