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The ideology of SideBelt began back in the summer of 1994 when guitarist/piccoloist Cody Mercer bumped into guitarist/cowbellist
Richard Hall, in a ultimate frisbee battle on the beaches of North Myrtle, in South Carolina. They started a project
in late '94 called Heph 'Stache. In early '96 Heph 'Stache parted ways due to differences in band direction. Cody went on
to have a successful solo career in Valdosta, GA while Richard went underground.
During Richard's hiatus, he met Paul White in Athens, GA. Paul was then playing with a few small acts such as "Thats
What She Said", "Lost Trailers", and "Gunther Winthrop". Richard and Paul joined forces in a band called Oxford Blues
in late 1997 and travelled the southeast from college town to college town.
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| Oxford Blues in 1998 |
Cody's solo career was short-lived as he collaborated with Laos-native, Scott Phommochanh ,to form Dutch Oven. They
played small venues in Augusta such as R. Gabriel's until 2001, although they still make rare appearances together at some
of the same venues.
As chance would have it, in March of 2002, Paul and Cody were making solo appearances at a benefit concert in Beech Island,
SC. Paul asked Cody to make a guest appearance with Oxford Blues in Edgefield. Unbeknownst to Paul, Cody and Richard had played
together just 7 years prior. The two reconciled their differences and, with Paul, became SideBelt.
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