Why – July/Aug 2008
Contact: whymusic@ whytheband.com
Power. Passion. Purpose. Those three words describe the music of Winnipeg’s WHY, a four-piece rock act formed in 1995 by lead singer Brian Cook.
Cook and bandmates Derek James (drums), Stephan Makarewicz (guitar), and Greg Barre (bass) have created a sound that draws heavily from the European school, which is not at all surprising considering Cook cites U2′s Bono and Boomtown Rats’ founder Bob Geldof as two of his heroes.
The band began to take shape in 1995 when Cook decided it was time to take the musical ideas that were percolating in his head to the next level and rounded up some of the best players the local scene had to offer.
The first album to come from that union, The Naked Soul, generated some buzz.
The Rise and Fall of the Question Mark, released in 2002, built on that buzz, which was further fuelled by the excitement of some electrically-charged live shows.
Things were looking good, but advancing the band was not Cook’s sole reason for being. Inspired by Bono and Geldof, he began to devote more and more time to Make Poverty History. At this point in time Cook still believes strongly in music as a tool to bring about social change and is supported by his mates in championing a number of worthy causes.
Musically they are more focused than ever before, as evidenced by the band’s most recent offering, Red, a powerful record with both a big sound and a big message.
A suitable follow-up to the last project, The Lazarus Effect, Red boasts some of the best songwriting yet from this quartet.
Two tracks in particular have earned accolades. “The Surface†was named one of the top 10 rock tracks of 2007 by the Winnipeg Free Press and “Red†was named single of the year by Winnipeg’s 92.9 KICK FM. It charted on a number of other stations as well.
This is a band with tremendous potential.
Listen to The Surface