09.13 Brooklyn, NY: Music Hall
Read More09.14 Philadelphia, PA: Union Transfer 09.15 Durham, NC: Motorco Music Hall 09.16 Asheville, NC: Grey Eagle 09.17 Atlanta, GA: The Earl 09.18 Nashville, TN: Mercy Lounge 10.05 Düsseldorf, Ger: New Fall Festival 10.06 Evreux, France: L'Abordage 10.07 Paris, France: Maroquinerie 10.08 Brighton, England: Old Market 10.09 London, England: Electric Ballroom 10.10 Manchester, Eng: Central Methodist 10.11 Bristol, England: Fleece 10.12 Glasgow, Scotland: SWG3 10.13 Oxford, England: The Bullingdon 10.15 Berlin, Ger: Volksbühne 10.18 Cincinnati, OH Lois & Richard 10.20 Pittsburgh, PA Altar 10.24 Richmond, VA Canal Club 10.25 Athens, GA 40 Watt 10.26 Jacksonville, FL Jack Rabbits 10.27 Orlando, FL The Social 10.28 Tampa, FL Crowbar 10.29 Tallahassee, FL Club Downunder 10.30 Mobile, AL Alabama Music Box 10.31 Baton Rouge, LA Spanish Moon 11.01 Houston, TX Walter's 11.02 Dallas, TX Sons of Hermann Hall 11.03 Austin, TX Fun Fun Fun Fest 11.05 St. Louis, MO Luminary Arts The Cincinatti based indie trio will be releasing Sod in the Seed EP on August 14th via Anticon (City Slang in the UK). Their new LP, ,i>Mumps, etc. will follow…
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It’s not until recently that I realized WHY? have five albums (one in the making)! I remember really liking 2008’s Alopecia, yet for some reason, I never checked out anything else by Yoni Wolf and the band. So I guess you could call me a casual when it comes to WHY?. I really shouldn’t be, from what I witnessed at their show at the Cedar Cultural Center in Minneapolis. For those of you who are not familiar with WHY?, they are an alternative hip-hop band from Cincinnati, Ohio (originally Berkley, California). Their catalogue spans, four EP’s, four full length albums with one on the way (Mumps, etc., due out October 9th.)
I got to the Cedar a bit late that night, since I was not sure about the openers. Seems that the show started late anyway, I caught the last of Serengeti's set and he was actually pretty humorous. I really loved the song, I later learned was, “Dennehy.” A song about a guy who loves his Chicago sports, hot dogs , O'Doul's, and his wife Juelz. Then came a bizarre set from former WHY?’s personal friend, Doseone. It was so ridiculous, I found myself with a goofy smile when it was over. It can only be described as Anti-hip-hop.
This is all why I think that I didn’t go to a concert, I went to the experience. It was as if someone had painfully crafted an event, step by step. From getting there late, to only catching the last of Serengeti’s set, to experiencing Doseone’s bizzaro-anti-hip-hop. It was definitely a bizarre trip crafted from the insane mind of a man like, Yoni Wolf, the band's protagonist.
Funny enough, he wasn’t even on stage when they started out with an intro to “Dirty Glass” that sounded like a heavenly choir of angels backed by the Dirty Projectors. The WHY? band crafted a hauntingly beautiful tune, then came in Yoni. He was in the zone. His stage presence godlike as, the crowd of college and post-college adults, and some high schoolers, sang along with him religiously. Along with showmanship, Yoni has flow, and a pleasant voice and hilarious lyrics. And from then on, with that, he kept the momentum up the whole show. Even through the unfamiliar material of their new jam, Mumps, etc. I liked that they seemed to re-interpret songs, and how they mixed their old and new in so well. Especially the cuts from their album Alopecia.
They ended their set with “Paper Hearts” and dutifully delivered a show-stopping encore. And that is 'why', the fans stay and only multiply.
I got to the Cedar a bit late that night, since I was not sure about the openers. Seems that the show started late anyway, I caught the last of Serengeti's set and he was actually pretty humorous. I really loved the song, I later learned was, “Dennehy.” A song about a guy who loves his Chicago sports, hot dogs , O'Doul's, and his wife Juelz. Then came a bizarre set from former WHY?’s personal friend, Doseone. It was so ridiculous, I found myself with a goofy smile when it was over. It can only be described as Anti-hip-hop.
This is all why I think that I didn’t go to a concert, I went to the experience. It was as if someone had painfully crafted an event, step by step. From getting there late, to only catching the last of Serengeti’s set, to experiencing Doseone’s bizzaro-anti-hip-hop. It was definitely a bizarre trip crafted from the insane mind of a man like, Yoni Wolf, the band's protagonist.
Funny enough, he wasn’t even on stage when they started out with an intro to “Dirty Glass” that sounded like a heavenly choir of angels backed by the Dirty Projectors. The WHY? band crafted a hauntingly beautiful tune, then came in Yoni. He was in the zone. His stage presence godlike as, the crowd of college and post-college adults, and some high schoolers, sang along with him religiously. Along with showmanship, Yoni has flow, and a pleasant voice and hilarious lyrics. And from then on, with that, he kept the momentum up the whole show. Even through the unfamiliar material of their new jam, Mumps, etc. I liked that they seemed to re-interpret songs, and how they mixed their old and new in so well. Especially the cuts from their album Alopecia.
They ended their set with “Paper Hearts” and dutifully delivered a show-stopping encore. And that is 'why', the fans stay and only multiply.
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WHY? at the Cedar Cultural Center, Minneapolis (09/08/12) |
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