One of the more indie rock acts on the usually hip-hop-leaning label Anticon, the indefinable Why? come from the Oakland Bay area. The genre-blending band came to the revered label because of main man Yoni Wolf's college friendship with Anticon artist Doseone. The enigmatic Split was their first release for the label in 2002 and was followed a year later by Oaklandazulasylum. Both the Sanddollars EP and the full-length Elephant Eyelash appeared in 2005. The following year the Rubber Traits EP came out, and in 2008, Alopecia hit shelves. Eskimo Snow followed in 2009 and featured Mark Erickson along with Fog's Andrew Broder. The title for their 2012 effort Mumps, Etc. was inspired by contracting the disease while in Europe, along with other "on tour" calamities. In 2013 the conceptual Golden Tickets EP materialized, a seven song collection of personalized tracks crafted by Wolf for seven individual Why? fans he'd internet stalked over the course of several months.
David Jeffries
AllMusic.com
