The Ball State Daily News
Welcome back everyone.Unfortunately I have some very saddening news. After 10 years in the business, The Why Store is closing its doors. The band comprised of Chris Shaffer, Greg Gardner, Michael D. Smith, Jeff Pederson, and Charlie Buschor has decided to call it quits because of personal obligations and responsibilities.
I can still remember my first The Why Store concert, Saturday, Aug. 1, 1998 at Deer Creek. After countless
and precious hours of “pre-concert festivities” my friends and I embarked on one great adventure. It
turned out to be the best concert I’ve ever been to. The Why Store completely electrified the crowd, it was
great to hear the songs live.
As bad as the news may seem, don’t hang your head just yet. The Why Store is planning on one last farewell tour The tour is scheduled to begin at the end of this month and continue through early March. So for those of you who can, send The Why Store out in style on Jan. 29, at Dill Street Bar and Grill. This tour is expected to coincide with The Why Store’s sixth album, “Life on Planet Six Ball.”
It’s hard to believe the band is breaking up. It doesn’t seem like it was that long ago that The Why Store was a new thing. The band met in Muncie a little more than 10 years ago. They quickly became one of the most popular bands at Headliner’s in the Village. Shortly thereafter, The Why Store released its first album, “Welcome to The Why Store.” A year later the band had built enough fan support to release their second album, “Inside The Why Store,” in 1994.
The band began touring constantly in the early ‘90s and became a hit for music lovers who loved to sway and sing along. Radio stations around the state began to play the bands songs. The crowd favorites, “When You’re High,” and “Lack of Water,” became the center of attention surrounding The Why Store.
Most importantly, the band members never forgot where they came from, Ball State University. The Why Store scheduled regular appearances around the campus, appreciating the fan support from all the Whomheads out there. Looking to boost support, the band played at campus bars, Emens Auditorium, and Watermelon Bust.
In 1996 the band followed up "Welcome to The Why Store,” and released their self-titled album, “The Why Store.” Two years later, the band was still rocking, so they released their fourth album, “Two Beasts.” The album has quickly become one of my personal favorites, mainly because the songs were being played all around campus, everyone was starting to really enjoy The Why Store. I don’t think there is a bad song on the album.
This brings us to the fifth album, “Live at Midnight,” a sassy mix of songs from the band. The songs, mainly from the earlier days of The Why Store, were recorded live at different venues.
This brings us up to date in The Why Store history. With this news surrounding the band’s break up, many fans have been left in a state of shock. I remember reading the e-mail from the fan list, I didn’t want to believe the band was throwing in the towel. I gave my friend, the biggest Whomhead I know, a call to relay the news. He didn’t believe me until I showed him the message andeven then he didn’t believe it completely.
Now that reality has set in, I plan to bid the band farewell. Next time you hear the tracks of “Father,” “Everybody Holds the Future,” “ Is She Cold, Sunrise,” “ Who Is Your Love?” “Lack of Water” or the famous “When You’re High,” remember the band who made life easier and more pleasant.
I’ll leave all the Whomheads out there a final quote to ponder. From “When You’re High.”
“I know sometimes life can get you down, You need something or someone to pick you up off the ground, Well the Why Store’s got got what it takes to get everybody high.”
After all, The Why Store’s made us expect the unexpected.
Write to Scott at scottswain1@hotmail.com
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