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WHY STORE BRINGING NO-FRILLS ROCK TO MILL RACE PARK
The Republic
by Brittany Hart bhart@therepublic.com
Chris Shaffer lives out his purpose each night on stage, and he wouldn’t want to do anything else.
“We do have a purpose, you just have to find out what it is, even it if takes your whole life,” Shaffer said.
More than 15 years and 200 original songs later, the songwriter, vocalist and guitarist is the only remaining original member of The Why Store.
The band will open for The BoDeans on Friday at Mill Race Park as part of the Rock the Park concert, organized by Columbus Area Arts Council.
The Why Store, whose members met in the 1980s while attending Ball State University in Muncie, had its biggest hit with “Lack of Water” off its self-titled 1996 release.
Through the band’s split-ups and reunions, the fans have stuck by Shaffer, whether he is putting out a new album from The Why Store or releasing a solo disc.
“The (fans) mean the world to me,” he said. “They’re not fans; they’re friends. They really still believe in me even through all my ups and downs, and so I try to give it back to them with the music.”
The Why Store’s next CD, “Vim,” is set to be released in about two months. It features acoustic rock music and Shaffer’s unmistakable low, raspy vocals on tracks such as “Wake Up.”
Shaffer already has been stopped on the street by fans digging the song, “Beautiful World.”
“And it’s not even released yet. That shows you what the Internet and self-promotion these days can do,” he said. “People seem to like it immediately. They sing it back to you (at shows), so it’s really cool.”
What you make it
“Vim” focuses on Shaffer’s belief that life is what you make it.
“It doesn’t have to be a bad world; you can make changes,” he said.
Although he admits the notion is idealistic and everyone has their struggles, he said you have to start somewhere.
With Shaffer’s deep, contemplative lyrics, comes a fun, joking side — such as when he keeps his band on its toes by never having a set list.
“I like to try to stump the band,” he said.
Shaffer and his band will pack in as many tracks as possible into an hour-long set Friday night, with original and cover requests welcomed from the audience.
“If they want to hear a song, all they have to do is call it out,” he said. “I always try to listen to the fans and give the people what they want.”
Shaffer thrives on being on stage.
“The stage is a sanctuary; that is home; that’s where I’m happiest,” he said. “It’s much better when you have the fans there, and you’re moving off what they’re feeling as well.”
Americana again
A fan and friend of The Bo-Deans, Shaffer said he is excited to see the Americana rock band again.
“I can’t wait to be dancing out in the crowd with them,” he said. As for The Why Store’s largest hit, “Lack of Water,” does Shaffer ever get tired of playing it? “No, never,” he said. “I love playing it every night, so you’ll definitely hear that Friday.”
ON THE ROAD WITH CHRIS SHAFFER
News 4U - Evansville's Shopping, Dining & Entertainment Guide February 2007
by Ashely West-AlbinChris Shaffer, a veteran musician and entertainer, occasionally graces the stage at the Duck Inn, giving Evansville a taste of original music and cultivating new fans every time he plays. His sound ranges from an early 90’s pop/hippie fusion but has progressed to a more somber and earthy rock. His deep throaty voice, paired with the intricate guitar melodies, makes Chris “an electrifying performer,” according to his fans.
In the early 90’s, Shaffer, then a Ball State student formed a band coined The Why Store. Members included vocalist/guitarist Michael David Smith, drummer/bass player Greg Gardner, drummer Charlie Bushor and later keyboard player Jeff Pedersen. From 1993 until 1999, the band turned out albums such as Welcome the Why Store, Inside the Why Store, Two Beasts, and Live at Midnight. The band even enjoyed some fame in 1996, when the single “Lack of Water,” the band’s national breakout song, helped the self-titled album, The Why Store, climb to No. 28 on the Heatseekers Chart (the alternative Billboard chart). A performance on Late Night with Conan O’Brien was followed by a video starring Beverly D'Angelo. After that, members from The Why Store went their separate ways but lead vocalist/guitarist Chris Shaffer has made a career and life journey out of his music. I got a chance to catch up with Chris on his latest tour.N4U: I see from your MySpace you are on tour right now. How is that tour going for you?
Chris: Touring is constant. I am always playing, that is my career and life. I love playing my songs, and there is no other feeling like it when you connect with the people.What do you love about music? Who are your influences and inspirations?
I love how music strikes a chord with people. I love how it affects me, and others. It is my therapy, my religion. I was inspired by Led Zeppelin, the doors, Aerosmith, AC/DC, Jimi Hendrix, Cat Stevens, Jim Croce, the Beatles, and many others.How long have you been playing? How did you get your start?
I have been playing for about twenty years. I started in College at Ball State.Do you write your own music? If so, what are your influences in writing?
I write my own music, and collaborate with my band and friends.I understand you played with The Why Store in the 90's and now market yourself as a solo artist. How is that different for you? Do you miss being in a band?
I have complete control as a solo artist. I answer to no one. I do not miss being in a band at all. I have the best musicians in the country, Troy Seele on guitar, Dan Hunt on bass, and Paul Karaffa on drums.I know you had a few songs nationally played songs in the 90's such as “Lack of Water and “When You’re High.” How does it feel to be a national selling artist? Did it change your perspective as a musician and for your career?
Having my music go worldwide is a dream come true. I just had a guy in France contact me about my new CD, VIM, wanting to add it to his play list along with the Why Store songs he is playing on his station. What an honor it is to be driving down the road and here yourself on the radio. YEAH!Every time I meet up with musicians and bands they always have crazy road stories to share. What’s your favorite?
I left my boots in a limo after playing Red Rocks in Colorado. I remember the dressing rooms are cut into the rock behind the stage. There was a full moon and all the hippies were dancing and having a blast. Barefoot in Colorado.Where and when can your fans catch up with you next in Evansville? What is your favorite part about the River City and how does it differ from other venues/cities you've played in?
The Duck Inn March 16 for a CD release party! The hospitality at the Duck is great. Brian and the people there really appreciate my music and dream. E-Ville has been very, very good to me. People are real, and love to have fun. I really love river towns.What are your goals and ideally where would your career be at this point or in the future?
My goal is to keep making and playing music from my heart and soul.If you aren’t already a devoted Chris Shaffer fan, check out what you are missing on http://www.myspace.com/chrisshafferband or just visit the Chris Shaffer web page at chrisshaffer.com
Second time around
Chris Shaffer is fired up about his new album
Indianapolis Star February 7, 2007
by David Lindquist
Former Why Store vocalist Chris Shaffer spent much of 2006 in Los Angeles making "Vim," his second album as a solo artist.
Shaffer -- one of the most popular rock musicians to emerge from Indiana since John Mellencamp -- made "Vim" with Rusty Anderson, who's played guitar in Paul McCartney's band for the past six years.
Shaffer said Anderson agreed to produce the project after the two met when Shaffer provided entertainment for the 18th birthday party of a record executive's son.
Anderson plays guitar throughout "Vim," and he co-wrote six of the songs with Shaffer.
The singer credits the coastal environment for setting an energetic tone for the album. "California inspired me to realize that people like (Anderson) took an interest in my ability," said Shaffer, who sold 200,000 albums in the 1990s as a member of the Why Store. "It really lifted my spirits and rejuvenated my career."
Shaffer will mark the release of "Vim" with several local appearances. On Thursday, he'll play a free solo show at Subterra Lounge, 250 S. Meridian St. Shaffer and band, which includes former Ma Kelly and Sindacato guitarist Troy Seele, will perform Feb. 15 at Spin nightclub, 6308 N. Guilford Ave., and Feb. 17 at Joe's Grill 2, 8928 E. 96th St.
Visit www.chrisshaffer.com.
Falling Together Again
Chris Shaffer's new friends and rekindled spirit
whatzup January 18, 2007
by Michele DeVinney
Fort Wayne music fans have a warm spot in their collective hearts for native son and former Why Store frontman, Chris Shaffer. Now, ten years removed from the band’s heyday, Shaffer continues to forge ahead, making his way in music with new bands (in 2002 he released No Way Back with his group Shaffer Street) while still maintaining his distinctive voice and style.
As 2007 dawns, Shaffer is back again, this time with a new CD, Vim, that figures to take him in a new and exciting direction. Featuring a band of highly regarded studio musicians, Vim was recorded in Los Angeles, and is produced by Rusty Anderson. Anderson, who has recorded extensively himself and appears as producer and songwriter with a lengthy list of famed colleagues, spends significant time with Paul McCartney’s band, touring the United States early last year and perhaps joining the former Beatle on a European tour later this year. Those familiar with many of McCartney’s recent DVD concert performances, particularly the shows recorded in Russia’s Red Square, are no doubt readily familiar with Anderson’s work.
This year, however, Anderson’s best known effort, as far as Indiana residents will be concerned, will be Vim, a project that was perhaps a piece of serendipity, the result of a meeting between Shaffer and Anderson at a 2005 Christmas party. Not long after, around March of last year, Vim was being recorded in Anderson’s Glendale studio. A top notch team was assembled for the effort, including engineer Greg Collins (a Grammy winner for U2’s How to Dismantle an Atomic Bomb), drummer Scott Coogin, bass player John Pierce, and Anderson himself on guitar. In letting Anderson run the show, Shaffer yielded control for the first time in a decade—and wasn’t entirely sure at first that he liked it.
“In using Rusty, I gave up the reins for the first time in 10 years,” says Shaffer. “We went through 30 to 40 of my songs and picked the best 11, plus one of Rusty’s songs. Eventually it was liberating, but for awhile I was physically nauseous. It was a horrifying experience at first, but now I know it’s the best thing I’ve ever done in my life.”
Having always “fought and fought and picked my battles” with the Why Store recordings, Shaffer was able to let Anderson’s strengths complement his own and feels like he learned a lot in the process.
“I learned how to put a song together,” he says. “And I learned a lot about smoke and mirrors and the whole LA world, that things are not always as they seem.”
Shaffer emphatically believes that Vim is his crowning achievement to this point and is anxious to share the outcome with his fans.
“It was a magical experience, definitely the best thing I’ve ever done. And I owe it all to Rusty’s foresight in putting the four of us together. I just found a camera that I thought I’d lost, and I can’t wait to get the film developed so I can remember everything that went on during that time.”
Of course, as magical as the experience was in California, Shaffer has his own band right here in Indiana, and he was concerned at first about how he would translate the new material to live performance, where Shaffer is used to excelling. But he says now, with his usual rhythm section of Dan Hunt on bass and Paul Karaffa on drums, along with his new guitarist Troy Seele (formerly of Ma Kelley), that he needn’t have worried.
“At first I was telling Rusty everyday ‘I’ll never be able to play this live,’” he says, admitting he feared the studio band and the live band might not be completely compatible. “It was a huge concern at first. But I have faith in Paul and Dan, and with Troy coming into the fold, I just think there’s a lot of energy, and I have no fears about it.”
Seele’s own background actually enhances the likelihood of success in that area since he’s a Rusty Anderson fan of longstanding and can easily mimic the chords and licks that Anderson used on Vim. He’s also happy to travel and help Shaffer promote the CD, as are Hunt and Karaffa, which is exactly what Shaffer wants to hear.
“I want to get out there with a band that’s willing to travel,” he says, admitting that that issue was at the heart of Why Store’s demise. “With this band, the crowd, the fans are seeing it, they’re seeing a huge difference in my level of energy. I’ve already played five or six of the songs on the new CD, and they’ve gotten a great response from the crowd. Not just polite applause, but whoops and hollers like we used to get in the early days of the Why Store. People are excited about this new CD, and it’s nice to have a product to promote again.”
While the basic tracks for Vim were down in three days time, the overall process, including mixing and various breaks for outside projects, took closer to nine months and with mastering done and artwork almost ready, Shaffer hopes to have the CD out by the end of January, hopefully even in time for his Fort Wayne performance at Kaysan’s 5th Down on Sataurday, January 27. Although he has looked over the art for the CD, which is the primary effort that remains incomplete, he says it’s not his favorite aspect of the creative process.
“I hate it, it’s the worst part for me. I just can’t keep looking at the font and trying to decide. But what I’ve seen is great. There’s a pretty neat photo album, with pictures taken by a great photographer. And I have a great marketing team and some great art direction. It’s a cool package, something I’m really proud of. It’s a really cool thing.”
With his solo career continuing to make progress and high profile friends like Rusty Anderson joining the growing legions of Chris Shaffer fans and supporters, it’s still tempting to wonder if there remains a chance of any future Why Store reunions like the one featured at the 2005 Three Rivers Festival. Although Shaffer closes no doors, he seems ready to look ahead rather than behind and, in the process, see what he can do without the boundaries of an established band.
“I never say never,” he says. “But when someone of such stature as Rusty Anderson believes in me, it makes me really believe in myself even more. I’m not rooted in the Why Store anymore. I love my Why Store days, but it’s a ghost that I thought would keep haunting me, and it doesn’t anymore. I want to move on.”
SPINS
Chris Shaffer Vim
whatzup January 18, 2007
by DM JonesYou’re probably already familiar with Indianapolis-based Chris Shaffer’s saga – boy pays dues, band gets hit record, band sours on major label experience, boy leaves band, boy goes back to his roots – it’s a textbook “behind the Music” episode with one little difference: it ain’t over yet.
Shaffer’s new disc, Vim, reaffirms what made Shaffer and his old vehicle, The Why Store, formidable rock contenders in the first place, but with enough new wrinkles to set the singer/songwriter’s new material apart. The driving swagger of “What the Hell” is bolstered by some arena-ready Edge-cum-“Alternative Nation” riff-rock guitars and lots of effects on Shaffers voice. And let’s face it, the voice is the thing here. Equal parts rumbling Lou Rawls baritone and weathered Joe Cocker with plenty of emotional Vedder thrown in, Shaffer’s voice is the bedrock of the anthem (and this is certainly not a disparagement to the other players, who provide stellar accompaniment that never flags).
Vim offers quite a bit of what drew listeners to Shaffer in the first place. The Midwestern groove of “Run Around Wasted” is full of Aerosmith-styled funk and streamlined rock hooks, while a pulsing bass propels “Sooner Than Later,” a tune full of several tiny explosions and a measured chorus that would’ve fit comfortably on a Why Store release – as would the pumping groove underpinning the moody/cranky “Stone Cold Sober.” Shaffer also brings the rock with the quiet/loud dynamic of “I Want More.”
But obvious departures from Shaffer’s old unit lie in some of the new disks best songs, like the bouncing, ELO-fied “Again,” which crams hooks and harmonies galore into a solid radio-rock song, and the spare, haunting, Bob Seger-meets-Vic-Chestnut vibe of “Departure.” Though there’s plenty of muscular music throughout Vim, the lyrical tone and subtle sonic mist in this song is more indicative of the Album’s direction.
A clear, fairly dry mix lets all of the album’s instrumental flourishes shine through, especially the refreshingly earthy guitar tones. The production also serves to shine a light on every aspect of Shaffer’s voice. During the closing song, “Share The Stage,” you can hear every pit and crag in his weary vocal cords as he sings an evocative eulogy to what was and what could have been. It’s an emotional capper to he first day of the rest of Chris Shaffer’s musical life.Copyright 2007 Ad Media Inc.
Local TV program wins award
Battle Creek Enquirer June 6, 2006A local television program produced by Access Vision has been chosen to receive a national video award. Out of nearly 1,400 entries, "The Why Store: Live," was selected as a winner in the local performances — professional category of the 2006 Hometown Video Festival. Produced by Jason Augenstein through Access Vision, the program documents a live performance by former MCA recording artists The Why Store. Encore presentations of the program can be seen at 6 p.m. June 23 and 7 p.m. June 29 on Access Vision, channel 11. For more information, visit http://accessvision.tv.
Chris Shaffer - Born Performer
Jammed Online
by Shawn Brockway
Chris Shaffer has written over 130 songs, released 10 cds, (2 of them for a major label), scored a Billboard Top 20 hit, appeared on Late Night with Conan O’Brien, and has shared the stage with such prominent musicians as Ben Harper, Widespread Panic, George Clinton’s P-Funk All-Stars, John Mellencamp, Cowboy Mouth and many more. So how come you haven’t heard of him?
Well, maybe you weren’t paying attention back in 1996 when Shaffer and his band The Why Store first charged onto the national scene. Buoyed by the support of legions of rabid fans from their Midwest base, The Why Store was signed by MCA’s Way Cool Record label and had soon produced 3 major radio hits and a heavily rotated music video for MTV. Disagreements with the label about the band’s future eventually led to their separation from MCA and, a few years later, the dissolution of The Why Store.Chris Shaffer is a born performer, though and nothing has been able to stem the flow of fantastic songs from this prolific songwriter. His brand of American Roots/Jam Rock has the ring of honesty, and he delivers the musical goods with an amazing stage presence and a gritty vocal quality that defies description. He continues to build his Midwestern fan base, touring constantly and releasing new cds every couple of years.
Shaffer is now poised to return to the national scene. He has a deal in the works with Surfdog Records (home to Brian Setzer and Butthole Surfers among others), and a recording date with Rusty Anderson set for late March. Wait, did your forehead wrinkle again? Who’s Rusty Anderson? Rusty Anderson is a veteran record producer, but maybe you’d know him better as the man who has been Paul McCartney’s guitar player on tour for the last 4 years and on Sir Paul’s most recent studio recording. In other words, Anderson’s got credibility with some pretty major players and he’s chosen to work with Chris Shaffer as his next project.
No release date has been set yet for Shaffer’s newest effort, but you can be sure that when it drops, Jammed Online will be there to review it.
Chris Shaffer ready to rock out Friday
Marion Chronicle-Tribune October 21, 2005
by Randy SetterChris Shaffer is feeling on top of his game, and he's going to let everyone know about it. The Indiana rock veteran and his band play at 9 p.m. Friday at Beatniks Cafe, 141 E. Third St. ($5). Since releasing his self-titled album in 2003, Shaffer said he is enjoying the increased attention from his audiences. "I think my musicianship and writing is better than ever," he said. "I am truly at my best." The CD, he said, is being looked at by Surfdog Records. He is flying to California soon to showcase the music for the Encinatas, Calif.-based recording company, which counts veterans Brian Setzer and Gary Hoey among its artists but also has a bevy of up-and-coming acts. He still does his share of Why Store reunion gigs -- including Q95's 27th anniversary show. Still, his heart and his hopes are with his current band. "I love my legacy with the Why Store and have immense respect for my brothers in that band, but my new band gives me life, and they have given me more than I could ever ask for. They are my road dogs," Shaffer said. "Kenny Taylor, Dan Hunt, and Paul Karaffa are going to see the world with me one day, and I cannot wait to give them their just rewards."
These 17 Hoosiers helped make VWMC great
Indianapolis Star April 24, 2005
“We played Deer Creek-sized venues in other parts of the country,” said Michael Smith of The Why Store, “but there’s nothing like playing in front of your hometown fans.”In honor of Verizon Wireless Music Center’s 17th anniversary as central Indiana’s premier music venue, here are profiles of 17 of the most famous Hoosiers ever to grace its stage.
The Why Store
In the ’90s, it seemed you couldn’t go anywhere in Indiana without hearing The Why Store somewhere. The band –– Chris Shaffer, Michael David Smith, Greg Gardner and Charlie Bushor –– formed at Ball State University and originally made their name on the college and club circuit before being snapped up by an MCA Records subsidiary. They began playing larger venues, but according to Smith, nothing compared to when they stepped out on stage at Deer Creek Music Center.
“Our first gig there, we opened up for Foreigner,” Smith said. “We had a lot of hype; Bob and Tom were really thumping our record. Walking out there in front of 16,000 hometown fans, it was a feeling like I’d never had.”
The Why Store played the venue about six times, as an opening act, part of a festival or as the headliner. They could always count on their fans being there.
“It was mayhem whenever we played,” Smith said. “Our fans were really rabid, huge supporters. They were all music lovers; there weren’t a lot of passive listeners. Whenever we played, they went nuts.”
The rest of the list:
John Mellencamp, Bob and Tom, Axl Rose and Izzy Stradlin, David Lee Roth, Mick Mars, Shannon Hoon, Chris Botti, Red Skelton, Kyle Cook, Henry Lee Summer, Jerry Horton, Sandi Patty, Brett Anderson, John Hiatt, Janet Jackson, Kenny Aronoff
Taylor: The man of 1,000 voices
NUVO
Show Review
by Steve Hammer
Guitarist Kenny Taylor is not only one of the most respected and talented axmen in the area, he’s also a chameleon, able to change his musical colors at will.As a founding member of the Blue Moon Boys, Taylor has toured Europe and the States playing rockabilly for the masses. More recently, as part of Chris Shaffer’s touring band, he’s provided soaring guitar solos and helmed Shaff’s jam-band excursions.
So what should listeners expect this Thursday night, when he starts a once-a-month solo gig at The Front Page?
“Beats the hell out of me,” Taylor says. “It’s hard to explain what it is that I do, because I don’t even understand it myself.”
Definitely on the set list will be oddball cover songs Taylor’s learned in a lifetime of gigging with bands and teaching guitar. “I’ve been the lineman for the county a couple times,” he says, referring to the 1960s Glen Campbell hit. “I can do Elvis Costello songs, but the problem with that is nobody wants to hear them.”
He’s working on a mixture of the Hollies’ “The Air That I Breathe” and Radiohead’s “Creep.” “They’re basically the same song, so you start playing one and it just turns into the other,” he says.
“Teaching guitar over the years, I basically learned every song that I liked so I could show them,” he says. “I kind of have a weird voice for doing impressions, which means I can do three out of the four Beatles. If the mood hits me, I might do my Karen Carpenter impression, but that doesn’t hit me too often.”
In his solo performances, he prefers the wildly diverse material of Johnny Cash, Al Green and Stevie Wonder. “And I know way too many Beatles songs for my own good,” he says.
Not that he’s not busy with Shaffer’s band. In addition to performing frequently in the Indianapolis area (next date: Feb. 12 at Joe’s Grille), the band has developed a following in the Chicago area, landing gigs at the House of Blues Hotel and other spots.
“Things seem to really be taking off for him [Chris Shaffer] in these other markets,” Taylor says. “My role in that band is to make the frontman look good and give im what he needs. Chris has pushed me to be much more of a soloist in the jam-band sense.”
His role was different in the Blue Moon Boys, a band with five albums still in print internationally. The group performs twice a year in Ireland, a place where authentic American rockabilly bands are hard to find.
Playing American bars is an entirely different ballgame than just a few years ago, though, he says. “A lot of bars that used to have music have gone out of business,” he says. “There are a lot of touring bands that aren’t touring anymore. There was a thinning of the herd some time ago. Every city had a punk rock bar and you could book minor shows in between major shows. The Melody Inn still does it; but Fort Wayne or Evansville never really did.”
He says, “I think the kind of touring that the Blue Moon Boys did in the ’90s would be impossible now. We were playing 250 shows a year. We’d just stay on the road. We’d have one day off a week. Maybe. And we’d usually find a show to play that day. But now, it’s not the same; there aren’t as many places to play.”
As a songwriter, Taylor has had his songs performed by rockabilly legend Ronnie Dawson, among others; but the songwriting has taken a back seat as a member of Shaffer’s band.
“Shaff doesn’t need any help songwriting,” he says, although Taylor wrote one song and co-wrote two others on Shaffer’s last CD, which will shortly be remixed and reissued with different cover art.
Future plans include more recording and touring with Shaffer, although no timetable has been set for a new album.
Taylor has never brought his solo show to Indianapolis before, although he’s been performing it for around 10 years. “Hopefully, people will enjoy it,” he says. “I’m just a crazy guy with an ear for mimicry."
Hoosier musicians work it out in the studio
Indianapolis Star October 15, 2004
by David Lindquist
Here's a roundup of current recordings from Indiana-based artists:
Chris Shaffer, "Chris Shaffer."
If you're Chris Shaffer, what do you do after the Why Store -- your band and the biggest rock group to emerge from Indianapolis in recent memory -- has called it quits?
You continue to crank out new music, and you apparently do it on your own stubborn terms. "Chris Shaffer" is the first release credited solely to the singer-songwriter, and it follows a pair of albums made by a post-Why Store band called Shaffer Street.
The new recording includes about five more songs than it needs, and it's packaged in the kind of dated and corny artwork that Shaffer has OK'd for years.
But beneath a hippie aesthetic and a tendency to overindulge, Shaffer conjures the cleanest and most modern sounds of his career. Memorable melodies surge during the album's first half.
"Don't Turn It Around on Me" is likely his best candidate for radio airplay since Why Store smash "Lack of Water." The giddy-up tune presses forward with lyrics that can be described as accusatory but not bitter.
Hard-luck story "Again" -- with its "Just couldn't give you what you wanted" chorus -- is another infectious gem.
The demise of a relationship casts a long shadow on "Chris Shaffer," which ends with a restrained and reflective ballad called "Heaven's Gate." Accompanied only by an electric guitar, Shaffer proves he's at his best when he doesn't go too far.
Chris Shaffer is scheduled to perform tonight at the Rathskeller, 401 E. Michigan St. For more information, visit www.chris shaffer.com.
Songwriter Chris Shaffer content to let guitars do the talking
The Post-Crescent March 25, 2004
by Jim Lundstrom
Post-Crescent staff writer
Chris Shaffer was 14 years old when he first saw guitarist Kenny Taylor play in their hometown of Fort Wayne, Indiana.
“I remember watching his band and thinking, ‘Wow, what an amazing musician,’” Shaffer said. “Here it is 22 years later and I’m playing with the guy.”
Taylor is a featured voice in Shaffer’s band, which plays Tom’s Garage in Appleton tonight. Area music fans will remember Taylor as the guitarist who was able to express his unique voice despite the incendiary antics of frontman/vocalist Nick Roulette in the white-hot rockabilly band known as the Blue Moon Boys.
Through the 1990s Shaffer was in The Why Store, an Indiana band that had a grasp on the brass ring when signed to MCA.
But The Why Store became a victim of the great recording industry merger of the late 1990s that led to a purging of the scores of regional bands that had been signed to major labels.
“The Why Store quit touring in ’99,” Shaffer said. “Basically, we just couldn’t keep the machine going. We parted ways with MCA in ’99 and shopped for a record deal and didn’t get one. It took about six months to disband. The guys just gave up and decided to get real jobs to support their families.”
Not Shaffer, though. He still had music to make.
“To me, driving 10 hours to play a show for five people is still a dream come true,” he said, without irony. “Kenny calls it the ‘Wolfman’s Curse.’ We’re bitten and we gotta do it. I’m not going to lie to you. There’s been many times when I said, ‘God, why am I doing this?’ Then there’s that one person who comes up and says something that keeps you going. It’s not the money or the fame, but touching that one soul.”
Shaffer and Taylor met on the road with the unlikely convergence of modern rockers The Why Store and retro rockers the Blue Moon Boys.
“We got along real well and kept in contact,” Taylor said. “He got ahold of me when he needed a guitar player to play up in Marquette, which is a town the Blue Moon Boys know, too.”
Taylor joined Shaffer on that trip to the U.P. and they found their styles meshed.
“There was a really good chemistry between us,” Taylor said.
Just as Shaffer and Taylor were getting to know each other musically, the Blue Moon Boys were going through some changes.
“Nick was wanting to move to Nashville,” Taylor said. “We were having trouble keeping a rhythm section together, so we decided to slow the Blue Moon boys down a little bit.”
At the same time, Shaffer was going into the studio to record, and Taylor was suddenly available.
The result is simply titled “Chris Shaffer,” a 15-song CD of songs written mostly by Shaffer, though Taylor is co-author of a couple tunes and sole author of the closer, “Heaven’s Gate.”
“I’ve never played so much guitar in my life,” Taylor said of working with Shaffer. “I’ve been playing a lot of different styles of guitar than I’m used to. It’s like the stuff I was playing when I was 15 or 16.”
But, he might have added, with the professional’s tasty chops backing up that teenage rebelliousness.
“I brought a lot of hillbilly out of Chris and he brought a lot of Jimmy Page out of me,” Taylor said.
“I definitely agree with that,” Shaffer said. “We both brought something out of each other.”
Taylor’s guitar really does shine on the album.
“Chris gave me a lot of freedom as to how I would interpret the songs — Why Store songs or any of his material,” he said. “That’s kind of controversial because The Why Store guys are very well thought of, very lauded people. But Chris wanted me to approach everything like it was new. He wanted me to put my stamp on it.”
“That’s the beauty of finding someone like Kenny Taylor,” Shaffer said. “I’ve learned so much from him.”
And what of the Blue Moon Boys?
Not to worry, Taylor said.
“Nick is doing some new stuff in Nashville, but we’ll continue, especially when Chris takes a week or two off,” he said. “We’re playing six dates in Ireland the end of April and the first of May. That’s going to be a blast. We’ll be back to your area sometime.”
CD Review: Chris Shaffer
ALL ACCESS
by Ben Kreider
Chris Shaffer - one time singer/chief songwriter for The Why Store and Shaffer Street - has dropped his self-titled debut solo album, and fans of his previous projects won't be disappointed. Don't Turn It Around on Me has some terrific guitar work that makes it the jam track of the disc. The band gets just a little bit country with some steel guitar prominent on Again. Selling My Love Back to You - which lyrically seems like it could be a depressed, forlorn track - comes of as a jubilant kiss-off cut thanks to the tone of the music and Shaffer's vocal work. Lyrically, there is a theme (at least on most of the first eight tracks): The bad break-up. From Just Over You ("I'm jaded, I'm faded from loving you / I'm not happy, not mad, not sad / Just over you") to Book on the Shelf ("You put the book on the shelf / Put the pictures somewhere else / Cause everything has gone to hell") to Selling My Love Back to You, those relationship blues are evident. Shaffer also laments the state of the things on Save Me and My Cruel World as well as exploring other ideas through the rest of the disc. If you're a fan of The Why Store and Shaffer Street, Chris Shaffer would be a nice addition to the collection.
CD Review: Chris Shaffer
whatzup - Heartland Art, Entertainment & Recreation 12/11/03
by Jason HoffmanWith no warning the very first song, "Just Over You" kicks in with full band and Chris Shaffer's distinctive, raspy voice singing "Everything's weird and I don't know why." Although backed by a band of incredibly talented musicians, this ex-The Why Store frontman knows that the linchpin of this self-titled debut solo release is his unique voice.
And he isn't afraid to utilize this gift to reach his audience.Shaffer's songwriting skills have developed nicely over the years, but as he was the main songwriter for The Why Store, there is definitely an element of that band to be found here. The aforementioned "Just Over You" is a perfect radio song with hooks everywhere. The steady subdued beat of the verse will bring in the ladies while the frenzied, urgent, distorted guitar of the bridge has enough meat to catch the attention of the fellows.
"Don't Turn It Around On Me" is a modern rock song at its best with ratty, muscular guitars backing a memorable melody that, at times, is enhanced with delicious melodies. Melodic shades of The Guess Who are found in the cynically sweet "Selling My Love Back To You," a catchy, upbeat song sure to stick in your head for weeks. You can tell someone loves their wah-pedal on songs such as the funky "Roll Like Thunder," where the effect is used with such gleeful abandon that even the drummer surely has one hooked to his hi-hat.
Local favorite Kenny Taylor masterfully holds down a majority of the guitar playing on this album, and his country-rock background shows through with slide guitar on the relaxed "Again" and the foot-moving country rock of "So Slow to Rise." "I Like To Sleep" has a cool, watery-sounding guitar solo that appeals to the ear like a soft bed, and tracks like "Save Me" and "My Cruel World" tread murky and intense waters with lots of burning tension brought to a boil by Shaffer's deep, throaty voice. The album ends with the stark "Heaven's Gate," a song comprised simply of a lone distorted guitar and two harmonized voices asking the compelling, eternal question: "If God grades on a curve / What do I deserve?"
With songwriting in top form, astounding production and excellent musicianship all around, adoring fans of Shaffer's dreamy voice and eyes will find much to enjoy with this release. Available at shows and at www.chrisshaffer.com.
Copyright 2003 Ad Media Inc.
Chris Shaffer
whatzup - Heartland Art, Entertainment & Recreation - 2003
by Mark HunterWhen I walked into Edgewater, a restaurant/bar on Lake James just outside Angola, to meet with Chris Shaffer, I expected to find a brooding, angry freak short on words and long on cynicism. After all, Shaffer, ex-lead singer of the defunct 1990's band the Why Store, had just released a brooding, angry album dealing mainly with the breakup of his second marriage and the aftermath of the breakup of his former band.
I found Shaffer and his bassist, Alan Pickard, sitting at a two-top bar-height table working on dinner. Shaffer sliced off bits of a grilled pork chop, and Pickard, a native Frenchman now living in Indianapolis, worked through a pile of pasta. I introduced myself.
Shaffer grabbed my hand and shook it and told me to pull up a chair. He talked excitedly about an impromptu duet with a woman in the bar moments before I arrived. "She said she had to leave before we started and wanted to hear me do a song, so we did 'Garden Party,' that Ricky Nelson tune." Then Shaffer made a joke about Pickard's accent and how, when he ordered the dish called "Pasta on the Edge," it came out "passed out on the edge." Shaffer laughed, tossed his head back, and stabbed a piece of pork chop.
Clearly my expectations of Shaffer as a sulky "artiste" were way off. I had been wrong on all counts. Except for the freak part.
The first time I saw Shaffer perform, in 2000 at the Grass Roots Festival at Buck Lake Ranch, he had already moved on from his days with Why Store and hit the road with a new band as Shaffer Street. The new lineup featured his wife, Heather, on vocals. Even from my vantage point at the Mad Anthony beer tent a quarter mile away I could see that Shaffer had something special about him. He sang with force. He jumped around. He'd thrust a hand in the air then drop it and slash away at his guitar. He looked and acted like a rock star, which, to a degree that far surpassed any one else from this tiny part of the country, he had been.
The Why Store formed in the late 80s at Ball State University in Muncie where Shaffer, a 1984 Northup High School graduate, had earned a degree in marketing. The band moved to Indy, released a couple of CDs, developed a local following and eventually caught the ear of MCA and signed with that company's Way Cool label. In 1996, The Why Store came out, and the single "Lack of Water" propelled the band to national recognition. The Why Store and Shaffer soon found themselves on the bill with the likes of John Mellencamp, Ben Harper, The Samples, Widespread Panic and a host of other bands.
Then the wheels began to fall off. Way Cool/MCA weren't jazzed about the new material Shaffer was writing.
"The president of MCA sat me in a room and stuck in a Blink-182 tape," Shaffer said. "He said 'This is what you should write.'" Shaffer said that was the breaking point. The label had already told the band members to cut their hair. Everyone but Shaffer complied, which is why on the cover of their MCA debut Shaffer is the only freak. "We all had long hair when we started. We looked like an 80s hair band."
The band voted unanimously to break from MCA. Not much later, things broke completely. The rest of the band got regular jobs. Shaffer got a new band. Apart from a brief reunion a while back, the Why Store are gone. Shaffer Street, too, are history. Heather, Shaffer's ex-wife, decided to head to California to find her fortune. Shaffer retreated to his head and looked to his emotions to find his relief.
What came out and landed on disc is a group of songs that fairly bristle with anger and sorrow and hope and redemption and spite. Shaffer lays bare his heart in all of its pounding glory.
If he had been depressed when writing the songs for the self-titled CD, it certainly didn't show at Edgewater. He seemed like the happiest guy alive. When the rest of the band showed up, Paul Karafa on drums and the irrepressible Kenny Taylor on guitar, the reason for Shaffer's ebullience was made clear. Taylor, whose brilliant playing has kept him busy on numerous projects of late, may seem like an odd choice to join Shaffer. Taylor, after all, is best known as a hungry hillbilly with an insatiable appetite for rockabilly and Americana and early rock n' roll, stuff he's played with Blue Moon Boys for the past decade. But Taylor is a wizard. His work on Shaffer's CD is sublime.
Shaffer and Taylor first crossed paths a few years ago when Shaffer and the Blue Moon Boys were on the lineup for an event set up by a member of Johnny Socko. Shortly thereafter, Shaffer's guitar player quit abruptly before a gig in Marquette, Michigan. Shaffer called Taylor and asked him to play the gig. He complied. The show rocked. "On the way home," Shaffer said, "we kind of looked at each other, and I knew he was thinking the same thing I was: 'How are we going to do this?'" With the Blue Moon Boys' schedule slowed to a trickle, Taylor found the time to play with Shaffer, on the CD and at gigs. The pairing works. "He's like a mentor to me," Shaffer said. "I remember sneaking into bars to hear him play with The Feel. He shows me his licks. A lot of guys won't show you anything. It's like some big secret. But Kenny is generous."
For his part, Taylor is enjoying Shaffer's talent for songwriting. "His songwriting is getting better all the time," Taylor said. "The songs with Shaffer Street are strong songs. The new ones are even better."
Taylor said working with Shaffer's well of some 110 original tunes keeps him on his toes.
Talk is one thing. But such mutual admiration society banter pales when set against their communication onstage. Their set opened with Shaffer and Taylor on acoustic guitars. Taylor played this Washburn classical - a relatively new acquisition, he said - like he' d been born with it in his hands. And Shaffer, well, he belongs on stage.
Early response to Chris Shaffer has been encouraging. When Shaffer and the Why Store were still with MCA, their follow-up albums to The Why Store didn't provide executives with any hits. After listening to this CD, Shaffer's former label head, Mike Jacobs, told him he heard four A-side singles. Doc West, longtime Fort Wayne rock radio authority, told Shaffer the same thing.
The night I saw them, Shaffer, Taylor, Karafa and Pickard played for three hours, rarely stopping between songs. They rolled through most, if not all, of the new album. They played Why Store and Shaffer Street songs. They played "Suspicious Minds," "Raindrops Keep Falling on My Head" and "Between the Devil and the Deep Blue Sea." They played "Hey Joe." Taylor's hands roamed over every centimeter of his guitars. Shaffer's voice growled and howled. His eyes rolled back in his head. His Sideshow Bob hair moved in slow motion. It was a great show.
In college, Shaffer said, a professor asked his marketing class what they wanted to do after graduation. The answers were typical for a bunch of business students: entrepreneur; CPA; mid-level manager for a middle-sized manufacturing company; CEO.
Shaffer's answer was different. "I want to play music," he said.Read CD review here.
Copyright 2003 Ad Media Inc.
Chris Shaffer moves on
Former Why Store singer gets angry and personal on new album
NUVO November 12, 2003
by Steve Hammer
After being in arguably the most successful Indiana band of recent times, and going through a bitter divorce, the former Why Store singer gets angry and personal on new album. Chris Shaffer has just started a set of new music with his potent new band at Kilroy’s in Bloomington. After finishing his first number, an attractive brunette college student approaches the stage with a request.“Do ‘Lack of Water,’” she says, referring to the FM hit of 1996 Shaffer did with the Why Store, his former band.
Shaffer blanches. He’s not trying to escape his past successes, or even necessarily exceed them, but even this is a bit too much.
“Do you mind if we play a few more songs, hon, before we get to that one, or do you want to hear it now?” he asks into the mic.
The woman says she’ll wait and the band continues playing songs from Shaffer’s upcoming self-titled CD. A few songs later, instead of “Lack of Water,” he plays Rick Nelson’s “Garden Party,” a song about a musician running into the brick wall of his audience’s expectations.
“I’ve learned my lesson well,” he sings. “If you can’t please everybody, you’d better please yourself.”
That’s exactly what Shaffer is trying to do. After being part of arguably the most successful Hoosier band of the 1990s and tasting success on a national scale, he’s rebuilding his career from the ground up and getting rid of the past.
In the process, he’s made some of the best music of his life. His gravelly, whiskey-stained voice is more expressive now and his new songs, recorded in collaboration with Paul Mahern and Blue Moon Boys guitarist Kenny Taylor, take fierce looks back at his life, as well as outlining a manifesto for his future.
In a song that sounds like it could be addressed either to his former band or to his ex-wife, Shaffer sings, “I couldn’t give you what you wanted, again,” and tries to make peace with that fact.
The music is harder-driving than the Why Store’s laid-back indie-pop groove. It’s crisp, with a different kind of energy than his previous work and takes him into new territory. The addition of Taylor gives the band a sound that’s modern yet rooted in the past and moves Shaffer beyond the Why Store and into the 21st century.
It’s almost a concept album about the dissolution of a relationship, with each song picking up on the theme. “Sellin’ My Love Back To You,” “Save Me” and “Just Over You” directly address this relationship. Other songs, such as “I Like To Sleep” and “Roll Like Thunder,” sound more like the Shaffer of old.
“There are strange, brief moments where the music sounds like some strange mix of Crazy Horse and [proto-punkers] Television,” Taylor says of Shaffer’s current sound. “It’s quite exciting.”
The Why Store is gone and probably never coming back, Shaffer says. The other band members have moved on to their own careers, although Why Store drummer Charlie Bushor appears on the new disc.
Shaffer’s not especially eager to discuss the past, especially the band’s breakup, in detail, but the story boils down to this: After becoming an Indiana phenomenon in the early 1990s, the band was signed to MCA Records, supposedly the dream of every local band. After their first MCA album yielded a minor hit in “Lack of Water,” the group was dispatched to open shows for national artists at amphitheaters around the country.
When the second album failed to yield other radio hits, MCA started pressuring the band to change. They wanted Shaffer to cut his hair and for the band to sound more like Blink-182. Failing that, MCA released the band from its contract in 1999.
Shaffer says that not only did the band not become rich from all of their hard work, they left owing MCA several hundred thousand dollars. For a man with a college degree in marketing, “I don’t know shit about business,” he says, laughing.
The band returned home to find things had changed and broke up as a full-time unit when the other members took day jobs and drifted away from Shaffer. His next group, Shaffer Street, flourished for a while but disintegrated along with his marriage. He took some time off to write new songs and rediscover what it was he loved about doing music. We sat down with Shaffer for a brief discussion of his past and his present.
NUVO: After the bottom fell out of the Why Store, did you ever feel like some of the other guys in the band and maybe consider quitting music?
Shaffer: I never, ever considered getting out, no matter how much money I’ve lost. No matter how much I’ve spent. Never, ever.
It’s been a growth period for me. Whatever I’m doing now is because of where I’ve been. But I think I’m a much better songwriter. I’m much more mature in what I do than I was before. With the Why Store, I was kind of embryonic. I was just learning my craft. It’s been a natural growth. When I write now, it’s more like, “Here I am,” and you can take it or leave it.
But even if I had to busk, I’d do it.
Being a father has changed the way I write, too. My daughter is so innocent in what she brings to me, it makes me look at things totally differently. I look at things from a 7-year-old’s point of view. She’s so innocent and so pure. She’s not jaded. She’s not turned around with craziness. It makes me want to write songs from her subjective opinion.
NUVO: What was the best part of the Why Store years? Was it the touring, the fame, the money or what?
Shaffer: This might sound corny, but the best part of being in the Why Store was the chemistry of the band. No matter if someone liked us, or didn’t like us, they had to give us the fact that we gelled. I saw this band the other night, Jet, from Australia. They had chemistry. The Why Store had it. For me, that was the best part. There was a show at Red Rocks that was a dream come true. Full moon. It was a wonderful venue we played with the Samples and Ben Harper. It was a great night. Just magic.
NUVO: So is the Why Store officially over as a band?
Shaffer: Well, I just got sick of them wanting to play one show every six months. I know some bands do that, but I’m a career musician. If something’s not growing and there’s no potential for growth there, I’m not with it. When the Why Store began, we rehearsed five nights a week. From the time we got off work until 2 in the morning. Then we’d go to work, come home and do it again. That was the work ethic we had.
And then when we quit, and the band was done, I was the only one doing this for a living. It kind of rubs me the wrong way to think about us getting together and playing once in a while. I feel that unless we play and rehearse all the time, there’s no way we could be better. I feel like we’d be cheating the fans by getting up there and being mediocre. I feel like we should be the best we can be.
I mean, I practice every day and I write every day. When I’m on stage, I try to give it 110 percent. I try to do a better show every time. And I don’t see the Why Store being able to do that playing once in a while. I feel like I really need to move forward.
NUVO: The new album takes on a lot of emotional issues that some people wouldn’t write about. It’s very personal and intense.
Shaffer: It’s very autobiographical. It’s a moment in time. That’s the beauty of it. It’s a period of my life that a few people know about. It’s a timepiece. It was therapy to record the songs and get them out of me. It’s an angry rock record about what I was going through at the time. The stuff I’m writing now is even harder, even further along those lines.
But, yeah, if you go on my Web site and look at the message board, fans there call it the “divorce album.” I don’t know if I’d go that far, but that’s what they say.
I went through a lot of pain when I was recording the album. I don’t know if I would want to do it again. We blasted it out in two days. It was a lot of pain, and it was hard to get through, but I also felt better after it was done.
And working with Kenny has really changed my music. He came in and became my mentor and the big brother I never had. He’s not afraid of showing me his tricks, and I’ve learned so much from him. The chemistry and the interplay between the two of us is wonderful. We kind of get into each other’s heads on stage. There’s a hillbilly aspect that he brings to our sound, but it’s also a rockin’ thing he brings as well. It’s not alt-country, that’s for sure. I don’t think he realized he’d get me back rocking again and get me to kick it up a couple notches.
NUVO: “Again” is a very strong, almost angry song where you’re talking about breaking up.
Shaffer: I remember the night I wrote that. I’d just had a little tiff with the ex-wife, and I was trying to chill out. I always use my writing as a therapy. It only took a half hour to write it. I knew we were getting close to being at the end of the relationship. But then again, there’s a little bit of hope in it. At the end, when I say, “Someone came over and wiped the tears from my eyes,” it becomes a song of hope. Kinda. I remember I tried to play it for her, and it just broke the poor girl’s heart. But I knew then that it was a powerful and emotional song because of the power that it had. It’s a very personal song about me trying to deal with the fact that I tend to fuck up everything. [Laughs]
The album is a little story unto itself. I didn’t really mean it to be that way. At the end, there’s “Heaven’s Gate,” about letting life go and trying to live again.
NUVO: And then there’s the song “Selling My Love Back (To You).”
Shaffer: That’s like saying, hey, you know what? I gave you everything I had and now, if you want it back, I’m going to sell it to your ass. You’re going to have to buy it. I gave you everything I had and you won’t be able to get it for free this time. [Laughs]
NUVO: Do you think the hard-core Why Store fans will like the album?
Shaffer: I liken this to the Life On Planet Six Ball album we did in 2000. If they liked that one, they’re really going to dig this. This is rockin’, it’s got a lot of emotion and has some really good jingly-jangly sounds to it.
I’m grateful, I really am, that people have enjoyed my music and I’ve been able to do this for a living for 15 years. I can be down and someone can say something nice and it’ll make my day. So I hope they like it, but there’s also an attitude of take it like it is, or don’t come if you don’t want to. I hope that doesn’t sound mean, but that’s just the way it is, you know?Again
Again, again, just couldn’t give you what you wanted
Again, again, just couldn’t give you what you wanted
See myself all by myself
No rhyme or reason, no reason to rhyme
Poured my heart into this open wound
Well, I poured it just a little too soon
Again, again, just couldn’t give you what you wanted
Again, again, just couldn’t give you what you wanted
the time has come and I must move on
But moving seems to take so long
And I’m running fast, and I’m running free
Gonna go make a fortune off you and me
Again, again, just couldn’t give you what you wanted
Again, again, just couldn’t give you what you wanted
I don’t care about your open books
I don’t care about the French you took
I don’t care about the dreams you made with me
Fortune laid a hand on us
Showed me something we both should trust
No two nor one, they will ever know
The way we feel, or the way it’s going to go
I saw myself all by myself
I looked at that lonely old boy and I cried
save yourself, oh, from yourself
Somebody came over and wiped the tears from my eyes
Again, again, just couldn’t give you what you wanted
Again, again, just couldn’t give you what you wanted
Words and music by Chris Shaffer ©2003
Rock show allows Vogue to celebrate living history
Indianapolis Star July 11, 2003
by David LindquistFor its "25-Year All-Star Jam," Broad Ripple's Vogue nightclub is planning an evening that should deliver hit after hit.
Scores of bands won't parade to the stage, assembling and then dismantling their equipment on Thursday.
Instead, a single backing outfit will boast players who paid their dues with some of the biggest names of Indiana rock 'n' roll lore.
Rick Benick (Roadmaster, Henry Lee Summer's band) will play guitar. Toby Myers (John Mellencamp's band, Roadmaster) will play bass. Michael "Bone" Read (Roadmaster, Summer's band) will play keyboards. Matt Thompson (the Hammerheads, Summer's band) will play drums.
To prepare for the show that will benefit the Marion County Children's Guardian Home, the one-night-only band is learning more than 20 songs.
Chris Shaffer, former vocalist for the Why Store, says the quartet represents a dream lineup.
"They're the cats who can do it," he says. "They can pull it off."
The Vogue, 6259 N. College Ave., was a movie theater before opening as a concert hall on Dec. 31, 1977. The All-Star Jam will celebrate Hoosier notables who have graced the venue's stage during the last quarter-century.
Shaffer, whose Why Store scored a national No. 1 single at Adult Album Alternative radio stations in 1996, plans to sing "Lack of Water," "When You're High," "Surround Me" and "Everybody Holds the Future."
Other vocalists on the All-Star Jam schedule include Carl Storie, who sang the 1979 hit "Dancin' Shoes" with Faith Band, and Jim Ryser, who released an album on major-label Arista Records in 1990.
Frank Bradford will sing selections by Roadmaster, which recorded two albums for Mercury Records in the late 1970s. Jimi V will handle tunes he popularized with the Hammerheads.
Female vocal group the Starlettes and long-running party band Johnny Socko also will appear.
Shaffer considers Storie, who maintains an active performance schedule, to be one of his early-career mentors.
"He said, 'Hey, you've got something. Keep doing this,' " Shaffer says. "He helped me to believe in myself and in my songwriting."
Since the Why Store's demise in 2000, Shaffer has released two albums under the banner of his Shaffer Street project. But after a recent divorce from Shaffer Street co-vocalist Heather Shaffer (now a singer-songwriter in San Diego), Chris Shaffer is operating fully as a solo artist.
His self-titled debut album is scheduled for release this fall.
"It's more rock 'n' roll," Shaffer says. "Of anything I've done before, I'd liken it to the very first Why Store CD (1994's "Welcome to the Why Store"). It's raw, with very few overdubs. I'd say 'raw' is the right word."
He says retired music executive Mike Jacobs, who signed the Why Store to his MCA Records subsidiary in the mid-'90s, has agreed to pitch the recording to current movers and shakers in the industry.
At the same time, Shaffer isn't banking on being hailed as the new Dave Matthews/John Mayer/Jack Johnson.
"It's hard out there," the singer says. "I'm very proud to say I'm still doing this for a living. This is my main source of income. I'm very lucky to have a few clubs across the country and in the Midwest that are hiring me.
"I'm going to keep doing it until I die, like I've always said I would."
Former Why Store singer puts stock in a solo project
Kalamazoo Gazette June 6, 2003
by Nick StephensonChris Shaffer wears his heart on his sleeve. Whether he's at home with his 6-year-old daughter or on stage in front of thousands, he admits he's not a man who can hide his emotions.
At his recent Detroit show, a fan even asked him afterward what was bothering him while he was playing, proving that not only does he have extrememly loyal fans, but that he can't just push through the obstacles and pitfalls of being a career musician without showing some wear and tear.
"I wasn't angry or anything," the former Why Store singer said about the comment after the Detroit show. "I even told her, I was just like, 'Everything's cool. I'm just really into my music.'"
But since The Why Store amicably disbanded in 2000, Shaffer said he has gone through some rough times. Aside from his recent divorce, he's struggled at times to remain a career musician while fighting off a Why Store reunion, even though the money would be there.
His next project called Shaffer Street also disbanded because he couldn't find people who were committed.
"It's very hard to keep people with you - that's why I just call it Chris Shaffer," he said of his new self-titled solo album, which he will be putting the finishing touches on next week. "Since three years ago when The Why Store broke up, I've gone through probably 19 different musicians."
Luckily for him, Shaffer's career choice is also an emotional release, which might explain the Detroit woman's concern. Music writing is therapy, Shaffer said. "I'm able to use it, and make a living off of it, so knock on wood."
Shaffer's Web site (www.shafferstreet.com) has a message board loaded with fan reviews, comments and questions. Unlike most message boards though, Shaffer himself has quite a few postings. It's surprising to see how loyal some of his fans are. Some travel across the country just to see him play. Shaffer said this is because he sees them more as friends than fans.
"I take pride and I go out after every show and meet with everybody and talk to everyone," he said. "I try to stay available. I try not to be like some artists and hide in the dressing room." In addition to this post-show routine, Shaffer also leaves his telephone number and e-mail address on the front page of his Web site.
Having "friends" in the crowd also helps Shaffer on stage. "I do feed off the crowd, for sure," he said. "I just go with the flow with the crowd. At any moment it could turn into a jam scene. We'll have a blast if the crowd is having a blast, and just kind of chill out if everyone's introspective."
Instead of playing the same 10 to 15 songs night after night, he said he has about 100 songs he wrote and about 10 covers available.
Shaffer plays about four shows a week, down slightly from the 260 a year he played with The Why Store. While radio success was never a goal of any of his bands, Shaffer admits it was a nice perk. "Radio was very good to us for a long time," he said. "But to be a musiciain as a career was our goal, and has always been my goal. Now I have to do some shows I don't like to do, but I'm proud of it."
Shaffer is playing at the Club Soda tonight with local bands Bodega and Willamena. He said the show would be a preview of his upcoming solo album. "I'm back to a harder edge rock and roll kind of sound...leaning towards more electric stuff."
The album is definitely his album, simply because he was tired of hearing other opinions. "Democracy doesn't work in rock and roll," he said. And don't be surprised if you see some of his troubles bleeding through the lyrics or guitar lines.
"I went through a lot of stuff lately, and I wrote about it," he said bluntly. He even joked that maybe later in his life he can become an old blues man, since he's also been dabbling in the blues. But with only one ex-wfie, he admits he probably isn't that grizzled.
Why Not?
The Why Store get back in business
NUVO June 5, 2002
by Jeff NapierWhen The Why Store play their first show in Indy in two years Thursday at the Vogue, they will be doing something that many say they shouldn"t. There are no new songs, no album, no compelling call for a reunion from their fans. Furthermore, the fans and band members themselves have been successfully pursuing new musical projects and personal projects.
Don't tell me nothing, "cause nothing ever changes.
Don't tell me nothing, "cause nothing ever changes
Around here.
-"Don't Tell Me Nothing,"
The Why Store (1993)
Yeah, one day it"s going to take me away from here.One day it"s going to kill me.
But I keep doing it anyway.
-"Dying pt.2,"
Shaffer Street (2002)
A brief history
Sometime at the dawn of the '90s, lead vocalist Chris Shaffer, guitarist Mike Smith and bassist Greg Gardner got together at Ball State University and decided to move to Indianapolis and take their musical ideas to the people. They picked up Charlie Bushor, and started a Wednesday night gig at Chubby's Club Lasalle during the month of January.Bucking the glut of cover bands that dominated the city's top clubs at the time, The Why Store continued to play and, eventually, on the strength of Shaffer"s sparkling original compositions and their eccentric and electric live performances, they were packing numerous clubs in the city.
After a couple of well-received self-released albums, Welcome to The Why Store and Inside The Why Store, the band signed with Way Cool/MCA and put out two more albums, The Why Store and Two Beasts. Touring, steak and champagne, groupies and debauchery, million-dollar videos with name directors and, soon, burnout followed.
By the time the label realized it didn"t know how to sell the band, The Why Store were effectively out of business. They released two more albums, the obligatory live chronicle Live at Midnight and the wretched, final album, Life on Planet Six Ball, and promptly broke up.
Bittersweet sadness
Talking to Charlie Bushor, Chris Shaffer and Michael David Smith today, there continues to be a lingering sense of bittersweet sadness that comes from the demise of the band.
"I never wanted to stop," Shaffer tells me. "But some of the guys had bills to pay and families to raise and in the end we just decided to stop it. I had even drawn up a last ditch business plan but at that point not everybody had it in them to keep going. It left me in a deep, dark depression, fueled by drugs and alcohol that I'm just now beginning to come out of."
He goes on to say, "The Why Store went through the whole rock and roll cliche of record label nightmares. Every single negative thing that could be done to a band by a label happened to us and we faced it, and either overcame it, became it or succumbed to it ... But, now, I believe there is nothing that can cross the table that we aren't prepared to deal with."
Indeed, Shaffer"s post-Why Store band, Shaffer Street, has been gelling into a formidable presence on the Indianapolis music scene. No Way Back, their most recent album, is probably the strongest local album released this year. With the combo of Paul Mahern"s production, Shaffer"s impeccable songcraft and a band including Chris" wife, Heather, on vocals, drummer Gonzo Dies, guitarist Keith Skooglund and, now, Charlie Bushor on bass, Shaffer Street are looking down a bright road.
Guitarist Mike Smith has taken a more laid-back approach to his life since the breakup, forming Lost in Lodi to play once-a-month gigs and releasing a so-so debut. He has left any notions about rock stardom behind in order to take care of his family by any means necessary, including painting houses and working construction.
"We had built up such a big machine," Smith recalls. "It took so much effort to keep that machine rolling. So much effort, people to please, families to feed. It was just very tiring. Coming off the road, I thought was going to be relaxing. But within a week I was working hard, I did physical labor for a year and a half to make a living.
"I guess there's something to be said about clearing your head, but I missed the guys. Last Sunday we got together and played for a long time and then after we got done playing we stood outside and talked for an hour and a half. It made me realize how long it had been and how communication had broken down on the road, where we were so tired and worn out from our experiences with the label that we just didn't sit down and talk anymore. Now we have this opportunity again."
Blame Charlie
It was Charlie, the same Charlie Bushor whose powerful drum kit propelled and kept The Why Store from limp frat-rockdom, who got The Why Store back together. "I think that in the end, everybody was just tired," Bushor says. "When we broke up, I made the mistake - not that I didn't enjoy playing with Gene - of playing with Gene Deer that next weekend. So I never really got a break. I played with Gene for about a year, until it got to the point where I said screw music and then I went and worked on race cars for a year."
However, Bushor recently got the music bug, and, after a gig with Shaffer Street, he was on the wire getting everybody together to play Why Store music. A Sunday jam session quickly led to the decision to see if there was any interest, and the next day The Why Store had gigs booked and were back in business. To hear Bushor tell it, it was a noble quest to reassemble the band a la The Blues Brothers, with a loftier reason behind it.
"I didn't keep track of any of my friends from high school," he explains, "and I haven't kept track of anyone I grew up with. So The Why Store is kinda like my hometown, as it were. These are my buddies that I basically grew up with. I mean, I joined the band in my early 20s, and these are my homies, the guys from my hometown. We know each other way too well. All five of us can finish each other's sentences. So, that brotherhood is just the best thing that I've gotten from The Why Store."
The other guys in the group have similar feelings. Smith explains, "We play things at the same time that we didn't talk about; there are dynamics that happened that weren"t planned ... We seem to have a subliminal communication that is there that you can't make happen, you can't formulate or hire people to make it happen. You can't even describe it."
Some way back, after all
Shaffer seems to have the least to gain from the reunion. He's currently negotiating a personal management deal with Monterey Peninsula artists to represent him and his songs. Shaffer Street also haven't really slowed down any of their bookings either, moving full steam ahead with a full plate in support of No Way Back.
But, according to Shaffer, "For me it was really magical, because I have continued to play Why Store songs with my own band, and I've allowed the guys in Shaffer Street to basically have their way with them. Then when we do them they sound far differently then the way The Why Store plays them. So to go back and do these songs with the guys, it just felt like home. Nothing against Shaffer Street, but we worked really hard on these songs, we arranged them and we really dedicated our lives to these songs. It just really is the way these songs should be played; I've learned that from this experience. These songs have a home and it's definitely with The Why Store."
Whether this is just a one-time thing or a full-fledged post re-hab Aerosmith-esque comeback remains to be seen. For right now, the band is just taking it day by day, step by step. Treading turbulent waters with utmost care.
"Well, what I'm looking forward to is when we go into an improvisational section where we start jamming," Bushor says. "Everybody's been playing with different musical outlets getting different musical information in their heads, so when we go into an improv there are new ideas flying around.
"Back in the day, we had improv sections, but we kinda had them hashed out, we kinda knew where we were going with them day after day. Now we can't do that because we can't remember them. So the improv's going to be completely new. And that was the funnest thing about this band was the feeling of "Here we go!""
Bushor pauses for a moment, musing. "Where are we going? I don"t know, but here we go anyway."
Tickets for Thursday"s Why Store show are available through Ticketmaster, 239-5151, or at the Vogue box office.
No Way Back
Shaffer Street
whatzup - Heartland Art, Entertainment & Recreation 2002
by Michele DeVinney
For my money, Chris Shaffer’s voice was always the best thing about the Why Store. The songs were good, the band was talented, but it was Shaffer who really provided the sound that made it all work. I was always pretty certain that whatever he decided to do without the band that put him on the map would have to be at least as good as what he did with them since he was the driving force and biggest draw for me, anyway. But then again, I thought the same thing about Lionel Richie.
Fortunately, this time I was right. No Way Back is an engaging collection of songs, all of which nicely showcase the earthy, almost sonorous Shaffer vocals. The opening title track alone is an excellent example of what he has to offer, so good that I feared he’d used his best track first. I needn’t have worried. Turns out the CD is fairly loaded. And “No Way Back” might not even be the best performance. “Lazy River” and “Ballad of Lightning” are songs that wouldn’t allow me to use them as background music. The latter, particularly, made me stop in my tracks, in fact.
What really distinguishes Shaffer Street from the Why Store, and adds to the appeal, is the featured vocals of Heather Shaffer, Chris’s wife and a pretty great singer in her own right. Her background vocals on several of the cuts, especially “Got That On Me,” give a great counterpoint to Shaffer’s lead vocals, complementing them and providing a distinctiveness, as well. Where she really shines is on the songs where she shares lead vocals with her husband. “Brace Me” and “Extra Mile” perfectly allow the couple show off their seamless, bluesy blend.
As usual, Shaffer writes songs that never overpower the vocals — understated without being simplistic. And Why Store fans will be happy to know that a couple of the cuts – “”Love Breaks Down” and “Walking Shoes” – are each cowritten with one of his former compatriots. Of course, they may be happy enough to know that the Why Store are performing again and with any luck will record again someday, too. But as long as there’s Shaffer Street, I think Chris Shaffer will be in pretty good shape. He’s going to produce some good stuff with or without the Why Store. I do think he should hang on to the wife, though.
Copyright 2002 Ad Media Inc.
