Why? (American band)
| Why? | |
|---|---|
 Why? at a gig in Columbus (Ohio) |
|
| General information | |
| Genre (s) | Indie rock , alternative rock , hip-hop , folk |
| founding | 2003 as a solo project, 2005 as a band |
| Website | whywithaquestionmark.com |
| Founding members | |
| Jonathan "Yoni" Wolf | |
| Current occupation | |
| Jonathan "Yoni" Wolf | |
| Josiah Wolf | |
| Doug McDiarmid | |
| Austin Brown (since 2008) | |
| former members | |
| Matt Meldon (2005-2006) | |
Why? is an American indie rock band with hip hop and folk influences from Berkeley , California .
The name Why? singer Jonathan "Yoni" Wolf first used it in 2001. In 2003 he released an EP and an album solo under this name. Only since the release of the second album in 2005 does Why? as a complete band.
history
Beginnings
In 1997 , Yoni Wolf, originally from Cincinnati , Ohio , met Adam Drucker, later known as Doseone , at a hip-hop festival . Together with Wolf's brother Josiah and the DJ Mr. Dibbs , they founded the improvisation group Apogee . The two were significantly involved in founding the indie record label Anticon , and later they also founded the hip-hop bands Greenthink and cLOUDDEAD . The latter released various singles on Mush Records and the album Ten , which reached number 129 in the UK album charts. Wolf and David P. Madson alias Odd Nosdam from cLOUDDEAD also released the LP In the Shadow of the Living Room as Reaching Quiet in 2002 and in 2001 under the name Why? and Odd Nosdam a split EP .
Foundation of Why?
Yoni Wolf published in June 2003 under the pseudonym Why? Solo the album Oaklandazulasylum on the label Anticon The EP Early Whitney , which was released four months later, was also a solo project by Wolf. He only received live support from later members of the band. In May 2005 the EP Sanddollars was released , four months later the album Elephant Eyelash , which was recorded for the first time with the entire band. The band included Yoni's brother Josiah Wolf, his school friend Doug McDiarmid and Matt Meldon on guitar .
Further career progression
During a joint tour with the Canadian band Islands in May 2006, Matt Meldon left the band to retreat into private life. In 2008 bassist Austin Brown joined the band. In March 2008 the album Alopecia and the single The Hollows were released . For the artwork, Why? the fans to send them recordings of their hands which then appeared on the cover. Alopecia reached number 28 on the Billboard Top Heatseekers chart . In September 2009, the fourth studio album Eskimo Snow was released , the ten pieces were recorded during the recording of Alopecia .
There were also various collaborations with bands such as Fog , Themselves , 13 & God , Thee More Shallows , Subtle and Xiu Xiu .
Discography
Albums
- Oaklandazulasylum (Anticon, 2003, solo project by Y. Wolf)
- Elephant Eyelash (Anticon, 2005)
- Alopecia (Anticon / Tomlab , 2008)
- Eskimo Snow (Anticon / Tomlab, 2009)
- Mumps, etc. (Anticon / City Slang, 2012)
- Moh Lhean (Joyful Noise, 2017)
- Aokohio (Joyful Noise, 2019)
EPs and singles
- Why? & Odd Nosdam - The Split EP! (Split EP by Y. Wolf as Why? And Odd Nosdam , Anticon, 2001)
- Early Whitney (EP, Anticon, 2003, solo project by Y. Wolf)
- Sand dollars (EP, Anticon, 2005)
- Whispers Into The Other (Promo single, Anticon, 2005)
- Rubber Traits (EP, Anticon, 2005)
- Dumb Hummer (7 ”single, Anticon, 2006)
- The Hollows (12 ”single, Anticon / Tomlab, 2007)
- A Sky for Shoeing Horses Under (Promo single, Anticon / Tomlab, 2008)
- Fatalist Palmistry (promo single, Anticon / Tomlab, 2008)
live
- Almost Live From Anna's Cabin (Limited Tour Release, 2003)
- Almost Live from Eli's Room (Limited Tour Release, 2008)