The Why Store is an American rock band, formed in the late 1980s in

Muncie, Indiana Muncie ( ) is an incorporated city and the county seat, seat of Delaware County, Indiana, Delaware County, Indiana. Previously known as Buckongahelas Town, named after the legendary Delaware Chief.http://www.delawarecountyhistory.org/history/docs ...

, United States, when bassist Greg Gardner and guitarist Michael David Smith, both

Ball State University Ball State University (Ball State, State or BSU) is a public university, public research university in Muncie, Indiana. It has two satellite facilities in Fishers, Indiana, Fishers and Indianapolis. On July 25, 1917, the Ball brothers, indust ...

students, met up with

Indianapolis Indianapolis (), colloquially known as Indy, is the state capital and most populous city of the U.S. state of Indiana and the seat of Marion County. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the consolidated population of Indianapolis and Marion ...

drummer (Graig) Omar Adams.

History

After being joined a couple months later by lead singer

Chris Shaffer Chris Shaffer is a singer/songwriter from Indiana who is best known as the frontman of The Why Store and their biggest single, "Lack of Water." Shaffer performed with The Why Store until it split in 2000 and was among the members who reunited in ...

, also a Ball State student, the band played a few gigs as Emerald City. Adams left Emerald City in 1991 and was replaced by drummer Charlie Bushor in 1992. That same year, the band switched to a new name, The Why Store, the name of a former Muncie

haberdashery In British English, a haberdasher is a business or person who sells small articles for sewing, dressmaking and knitting, such as buttons, ribbons, and zippers; in the United States, the term refers instead to a retailer who sells men's clothing, ...

.''The Why Store headlines Saturday at the Indiana State Fair
', Daily News (August 14, 2017). In 1993, the band independently recorded ''Welcome to the Why Store''. One year later the band recorded ''Inside the Why Store''. Both albums were huge regional successes, and The Why Store began getting attention from record labels. At this time, touring keyboard player Jeff Pedersen was made an official member of the group, and in 1995 The Why Store signed to MCA's subsidiary Way Cool Music for their first major–label effort, a self–titled LP, which was released in 1996. The song "Lack of Water", the band's most successful single, received steady airplay on

Alternative Radio Modern rock is an umbrella term used to describe rock music that is found on college rock radio stations. Some radio stations use this term to distinguish themselves from classic rock, which is based in 1960s–1980s rock music. Radio format Mod ...

and reached #1 for two weeks on the Billboard AAA charts. In 1997, The Why Store toured the country opening for

John Mellencamp John J. Mellencamp (born October 7, 1951), previously known as Johnny Cougar, John Cougar, and John Cougar Mellencamp, is an American singer-songwriter. He is known for his catchy brand of heartland rock, which emphasizes traditional instrument ...

's successful "Mr. Happy Go Lucky" tour, and made an appearance on ''

Late Night with Conan O'Brien ''Late Night with Conan O'Brien'' is an American late-night talk show hosted by Conan O'Brien. NBC aired 2,725 episodes from September 13, 1993, to February 20, 2009. The show featured varied comedic material, celebrity interviews, and music ...

''. The band released ''Two Beasts'' in June 1998, and in 1999 released the double–disc concert set ''Live at Midnight''. The Why Store split up in 2000 citing creative differences, though each member has continued onto different projects. Chris Shaffer recorded several solo discs as well as recording with his first post-Why Store band, Shaffer Street. Michael David Smith recorded with his new project with Gregory Gardner and Charlie Bushor, Lost in Lodi, releasing the CD "Elvador" in 2001. Jeff Pedersen continued his education, eventually receiving a PhD in Education Curriculum Design and operates Connecting Learning Assures Successful Students as V.P. of Operations. The band reunited in April 2005 to play a handful of reunions shows, which were well received by fans and critics alike. The band played their last gig together on December 31, 2005 before separating again. In 2007 Shaffer resurrected the band name, billing his own group first as "Chris Shaffer's Why Store," then simply as "The Why Store" at various venues around the region. In 2011 Greg Gardner will release a solo album under the name "Gregory Shock". Michael David Smith eventually moved to Meridian, Mississippi to take the role of Product Development Manager for

Peavey Electronics Peavey Electronics Corporation is an American company that designs, develops, manufactures and markets professional audio equipment. One of the largest audio equipment manufacturers in the world, it is headquartered in Meridian, Mississippi. H ...

Corporation's Mississippi division. Omar Adams now owns and operates a recording studio in Indianapolis called "The Purple Room." In 2016, Live at The Slippery Noodle was released, featuring six previously unreleased songs. In 2021, Charlie Bushor rejoined Shaffer in The Why Store, and the band is active playing in the Midwest.

Members

– Lead Vocals/Guitar (1988–present) *

Troy Seele Iced Earth is an American heavy metal band formed in Tampa, Florida and currently based in Columbus, Indiana. They were formed in 1984 under the name the Rose, then Purgatory, by guitarist and main songwriter Jon Schaffer and original drummer ...

– Lead Guitar (2005–2008, 2015–present) *Michael David Smith – Guitar (1988–2005) *Gregory(Gardner) Shock – Bass/Background Vocals (1988–2005) *Charlie Bushor – Drums (1992–2005, 2021-present) *Jeff Pedersen – Keyboards (1994–2005) *(Graigory)Omar Adams- Drummer (1988–1992) *John Gray- Drums and background vocals (2014–2016) *Dan Hunt – Bass/Background Vocals (2005–present) *Benito Dibartoli – Lead Guitar (2007–2010) *Harvey Moesteller – Lead Guitar (2010–2013) *Mikie Mo – Merchandise (1992–2005) *Jerome Rieskamp (2005–2014, 2016–2021) *Deric Rush (2008–2009, 2013–2016)

Discography

Studio albums

* ''Welcome to the Why Store'', 1993 * ''Inside the Why Store'', 1994 * ''The Why Store'', 1996 * ''Two Beasts'', 1998 * ''Life on Planet Six Ball'', 2000 * ''VIM'', 2011

Live albums

* ''Live at Midnight'', 1999 * ''Live at The Slippery Noodle,'' 2016

Singles

* ''Lack Of Water'', 1996 (#27 Mainstream Rock Tracks, #37 Alternative Rock Tracks) * ''Father'', 1996 (#32 Mainstream Rock Tracks)

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Why Store, The Musical groups from Indiana 1988 establishments in Indiana Rock music groups from Indiana Muncie, Indiana MCA Records artists