The Why Store traces its roots back to the campus of Ball State University in Muncie, Indiana. Chris Shaffer(vocals/guitar), Greg Gardner (bass/vocals) and Michael David Smith (lead guitar)each started playing in neophyte cover bands. The Muncie music scene was so small that they all knew each other well, and in January of 1991, Shaffer, Gardner and Smith got together and started writing and performing their own material. Eventually they decided to recruit keyboardist Jeff Pedersen and the best drummer they knew, Charlie Bushor. The group cites a performance at the "Rock The Ripple" music festival in Indianapolis in 1992 as a turning point. During the New Music Seminar-type festival featuring regional talent, The Why Store played to thousands and stole the show. Until then, they had just been getting by, playing small clubs like Chubby's and J.C. Bistro.

Over the course of about four years, The Why Store endlessly toured the Midwest, releasing two independent albums and were invited to play a show on the 1993 H.O.R.D.E. Festival. Their debut LP, Welcome to The Why Store, was hailed with high praise by Indianapolis radio station WFBQ and its popular morning team of Bob and Tom. Through years of touring and building up a mailing list of diehard fans, the album sold more than 30,000 copies. This momentum carried on with the release of the band's second album, Inside The Why Store, and a string of successful gigs in Chicago, St. Louis, Memphis, Columbus and New York City.

By this time, several record companies were calling, and the band ended up choosing Way Cool Music/MCA. They soon entered Echo Park Studios in Bloomington, Indiana to record the album with producer Mike Wanchic (Bob Dylan, John Mellencamp, James McMurtry). Says Bushor, "Whatever was needed to make each song shine, be it mandolin here or bells and whistles there, we went for it."

"We've always stuck to our guns," Shaffer continues. "We all have friends in other bands who'll see that Green Day is hot, write a song similar to theirs, and shop it around. With us, it's not a matter of sounding or looking like whatever's in style at the moment. We've always felt that we'd make it just by doing what we do best."
Why Store Bio courtesy of MCA Records, Inc.