Why? (U.S. band)

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Why?
Why? performing a live show at a small venue in Columbus, Ohio
Why? performing a live show at a small venue in Columbus, Ohio
Background information
Origin Berkeley, California, USA
Genre(s) Indie rock
Psychedelic pop
Alternative rock
Abstract hip hop
Years active 1997 – present
Label(s) anticon.
Website Why?
Members
Jonathan "Yoni" Wolf
Josiah Wolf
Doug McDiarmid
Former members
Matt Meldon
For the British band of the same name, see Why? (U.K. band).

Why? is originally the moniker of Berkeley hip hop and indie rock artist Jonathan "Yoni" Wolf. Why? became a full band before their 2005 release Elephant Eyelash, with Doug McDiarmid and Matt Meldon, as well as Yoni's older brother Josiah Wolf.

Why? is one of the founding groups of the anticon. collective of Oakland, California. Most recently Matt Meldon left the band, making Why? a three-piece with Yoni as the primary song writer and an additional keyboardist at live concerts. Why? leans more towards folk and indie rock as opposed to the more anti-pop hip hop styling of their label mates.

Contents

[edit] Biography

Yoni Wolf was born in Cincinnati, Ohio. Before his first year at High School, Wolf discovered an old 4-track in his father's synagogue and began to experiment musically. His forays into rapping, drumming, and poetry followed.

In 1997, while attending an "Art of Sex" class at the University of Cincinnati, Wolf met fellow student Adam Drucker — better known as Doseone —. At the semifinals of the 1997 Scribble Jam, Doseone and Wolf formed the live improvisational group Apogee along with Yoni's brother Josiah and DJ Mr. Dibbs. The partnership of Wolf and Doseone continued for many years, under many guises including cLOUDDEAD and Greenthink.

In 2005 Why? released Elephant Eyelash, which deviated considerably from their previous full length Oaklandazulasylum, primarily as less of an independent solo-project to the sound of a full indie rock band. To accomplish this sound, Yoni enlisted the help of his brother on drums, Matt Meldon on guitar and Doug McDiarmid as a random-task member. The group toured much of 2005 in support of the album as a four piece; however, by the time of their May 2006 tour with Islands, the group had become a three piece because Matt Meldon moved to an island off the coast of Seattle to live with his girlfriend.[1]

Why?'s discography consists of three full lengths, four EPs, a number of singles and a handful of limited edition CD-Rs. Further collaborative work has been done with a number of groups: Hymie's Basement, Miss Ohio's Nameless, Object Beings and Reaching Quiet.

For their third LP, Alopecia, Why? asked fans to contribute photographs of their palms (hands) for the album's artwork. The album was released March 11, 2008, to positive reviews. The first single was "The Hollows." Two different European and US versions of the single were released, featuring remixes and covers by Boards of Canada, Xiu Xiu (pronounced "Shoe-Shoe"), Dntel, Half-Handed Cloud, Dump and Islands on their respective issues.

[edit] Discography

[edit] Solo

[edit] With band

[edit] With cLOUDDEAD

  • Apt. A 10" Single (Mush Records, 2000)
  • And All You Can Do Is Laugh 10" Single (Mush Records, 2000)
  • I Promise To Never Get Paint On My Glasses Again 10" Single (Mush Records, 2001)
  • Jimmybreeze 10" Single (Mush Records, 2001)
  • (Cloud Dead #5) 10" Single (Mush Records, 2001)
  • Bike 10" Single (Mush Records, 2001)
  • cLOUDDEAD (Mush Records, 2001)
  • The Peel Session 10" EP (Mush Records, 2001)
  • The Sound of a Handshake / This About the City 10" Single (Mush Records, 2002)
  • Dead Dogs Two 12" Single (Mush Records, 2004)
  • Ten (Mush Records, 2004)

[edit] With Odd Nosdam

A collaboration between Why? and Odd Nosdam (David Madson) released a split under their own names on anticon., and LP on Mush Records under the name Reaching Quiet, as well as being featured on a compilation album.

[edit] With other musicians/acts

[edit] External links