WHY? returns to Bozeman w/ upcoming Rialto show
Cincinnati-based indie rock/hip-hop group WHY? is set to kick off its “Moh Lhean Expanded Tour 2018” in February, bringing a show to Bozeman’s newly renovated Rialto theater later this month. The band is touring in continued support of last spring’s Moh Lhean LP and the album’s to be released Expanded set of B-sides.
Consequence of Sound wrote of the original release, “Early Moh Lhean singles ‘This Ole King’ and ‘Proactive Evolution’ (featuring mewithoutYou’s Aaron Weiss) capture Wolf’s willingness to seize life at every turn, no matter its ugliness. Meanwhile other tracks like ‘Easy,’ ‘One Mississippi,’ and even instrumental ‘The Longing Is All’ seem to teach the art and importance of letting go.”
Releasing Feb. 2nd through Joyful Noise Recordings, Moh Lhean Expanded will feature eight of the original tracks reinterpreted by industry peers including Greg Saunier of Deerhoof, Paper Tiger of Doomtree, Kishi Bashi, Baths, Open Mike Eagle, Nick Diamonds of Islands, Ó + Bellows, and Astronautalis.
In anticipation of their upcoming Bozeman performance, The Rolling Zone spoke with WHY? frontman Yoni Wolf to talk making music and the band’s questionable pseudonym.
RZ: Hi Yoni. You’re getting ready to hit the road early next month, visiting us in Bozeman toward the end of the tour. What can WHY? fans, and even those unfamiliar, expect to experience at this show?
YW: Songs, music, lights [laughs]. I think we put on a good show if I do say so myself and I think they’ll be pleased.
RZ: You’re bringing Florist along to open the shows during the back half of the tour. Who are these guys and what inspired you to collaborate?
YW: Florist is awesome. I think they’ll be a two-piece for this tour. They’re sometimes a three-piece, sometimes four, but it’s a gorgeous band. I’m not sure how she heard of them, but my girlfriend started playing them a lot in the house and I just really loved it. When it came time to choose openers, that’s who we reached out to.
RZ: In conjunction with the winter tour launch, WHY? is set to release an expanded edition of last year’s Moh Lhean. What’s your intention behind these, I want to say, repurposed tunes?
YW: It’s a way to breathe another life into the album and see what other possibilities are for the songs. So we put together a master list of who we thought would have fun and do interesting versions. We did it our way, now let’s see what other folks and friends, what their feelings for the songs would be. I think we chose wisely. There’s some good people on there for sure.
RZ: I’ve read the literal meaning of Moh Lhean might be difficult to nail down, so more generally, what does this collection hope to represent? 
YW: I only figure this stuff out in retrospect. I’m not making the album saying, ‘What can the themes be for this?’ It just happens naturally. I can guess at it like you can. Of course, because I wrote them, I maybe have some more insight into my internal thought process. I would say they’re pretty helpful songs and sort of optimistic. They’re definitely about struggling through some stuff but feeling acceptant and coming to terms with things.
RZ: There’s a story behind each of the album’s tracks. Is there one you find particularly noteworthy?
YW: The first that comes to mind is the first song, “This Ole King.” I wrote that at a few different times in a few different settings, but the first part of it is telling the story of [when] we were out one night laying in this soccer field stargazing. It was one of those nights where it was predicted there would be a ton of shooting stars. We went and the field was soaking wet, so we went back to the parking lot and just laid on the asphalt and looked up at the sky. I definitely feel like I had some kind of transcendent and transformative experience. There may or may not have been different kinds of substances consumed. We don’t know! But yeah, I felt that it touched me. It was a definite “feel,” as the kids say.
RZ: The sound of Moh Lhean is a bit of a mixed bag. Did the largely at-home recording and production allow more room for experimentation?
YW: Definitely. When you’re working in a studio, you’re spending a good amount of money every day. So just with the extra time, we were definitely afforded that option.
RZ: You’ve been making records for many years. Have you noticed a certain progression in the music between the earliest albums and this most recent release?
YW: I don’t hear it in that same way. Since I lived through the albums, I hear them each as having their own personal identity, their individual traits, for better or worse. When I listen back to some of the older ones, some things make me cringe a little maybe, but I appreciate it nonetheless. It was a period in time in my life and that’s sort of how they feel when I listen to them.
RZ: Going way way back, why did you originally settle on WHY? as this band’s moniker?
YW: It was my graffiti name when I was a teenager. When I started rapping in the mid to late-90s, that’s just what I went by because that’s what I was going by already. If I were to start over now, maybe I would just use my name or whatever, but I lucked out because I can be a little more free with it. Other people got involved, so it’s become more of a project and stopped being “my name.” Having a moniker allowed that to happen and I like it. It’s a pretty broad word. One, it’s an open question. And two, if my band was called ‘Wheelbarrow,’ that’s what you’d think of whenever you thought of the band, even if we never put a wheelbarrow on our album cover. The word ‘why’ doesn’t have that visual association.
RZ: You’ve got your own taste for music. What are you listening to right now?
YW: Right right now, I’m listening to a song I’m mixing by a band called The Ophelias. They’re a great, very young band out of Cincinnati. They’re doing really well. This is their second album, but first on a label. As far as other stuff I’ve been listening to, definitely a lot of Florist, and a lot of mellow music — stuff so I don’t get so depressed in the wintertime. That’s pretty much where I’m at right now, just trying to hang in there.
RZ: While in Bozeman, you’ll be performing at The Rialto, an awesome new venue that opened with the objective to really embrace the experience of live entertainment. Over the course of your career, how have you noticed the digital takeover has affected the listener experience?
YW: I’m guilty as the next person of streaming on Spotify, [using] the speaker on my phone because it’s convenient. Of course, if I really want to listen to something, I go down into my studio and listen to it on the real system. I don’t think digital is bad. I think digital is good in a lot of ways. It sort of wastes less stuff, something my girlfriend’s pretty adamant about. I do feel that angle for sure — less shit to manufacture and whatnot. The drawbacks, I would say, are perhaps because of the digitalization, maybe streaming or the availability of [affordable] recording equipment, whatever it is, music has become extremely ubiquitous. That’s not a bad thing, but it’s become almost disposable. [An artist] can work on something for five years, and even if somebody likes it a lot, they may listen to it once or twice, then move on to the next thing. That’s kind of the world we live in at the moment, and that I don’t like.
RZ: How do you compare the live experience with listening to recorded music at home?
YW: If you have a decent way to listen, if you listen well at home, whether using good headphones or a nice stereo, I think that can be an important experience — sometimes even more than being at a live show. But when you see a live show, it definitely adds a whole other layer because you’re experiencing the performance as opposed to somebody’s “Photoshopped” version. [Artists] can spend five years on records, just tweaking what they’ve done. The live performance should have an energy to it that you can’t necessarily capture on a recording. If it’s angry, it should feel angry. That should permeate the room. If it’s joyful, the room should fill with joy. And if it’s somewhere in between, it’s somewhere in between. I think the live performance has the potential to be really transformative.
RZ: Moh Lhean released less than a year ago, and though the expanded edition may tide them over, can WHY? fans look forward to any new material on the horizon?
YW: We go on tour after I finish the Ophelias album, but when I get home that’s what I’m working on. I can’t say when it’ll be done, but I definitely have the itch.
RZ: Thanks Yoni. Can’t wait for the show!
YW: It’s been a long time, I think 2012, since we’ve been there. It’s a beautiful part of the country and we’re looking forward to coming back.
WHY? takes the stage Monday, February 26th at the Rialto beginning at 8:30pm. Advance tickets to this all ages show are $18 at www.rialtobozeman.com. Tickets are also available at Cactus Records. Doors at 7:30pm.
“Proactive Evolution (Nick Diamonds Remix)” and “Easy (Baths Remix),” as well as 2017’s Moh Lhean are available for download now. Moh Lhean Expanded will be released February 2nd.
WHY? is Yoni Wolf, Josiah Wolf, Doug McDiarmid and Matt Meldon. Check out the band at www.whywithaquestionmark.com or find them on Facebook, @whywithaquestionmark. •
