Big day for us. Not only is there a new WHY? song out called Story of My Life (featuring kitty ray) with a sick video which is being premiered by Flood Magazine, we also just surprise-released the entire second half of our new album, Oh Golly / Yes Lord. The Yes Lord side if you will.

As such, I (Yoni) am going live on yoniwolf.substack.com TODAY (Sept 2) at 6pm Eastern / 3pm Pacific / 11pm GMT. Bring questions about Story of My Life (the song or the video), Yes Lord songs, etc. etc. Anything really.

You can preorder the new album here.

And don’t miss us on our North American tour November / December.

Okay, for Wet Paint subscribers, here’s a little peek into some of the voice memos and early iterations of Story of My Life.

Love,

Yoni

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Another exclusive demo song is up on my Wet Paint substack. Subscribe to listen.

Are you listening to and watching the new WHY? song In Spirit? Have you gotten a ticket for the fall tour yet? Have you preordered the new album, Oh Golly / Yes Lord?

Today for Wet Paint subscribers, something completely different. I’m giving you a glance at a totally different side of my work. On rare occasions I am asked to contribute music to an ad campaign. It is a really good paycheck when it works out but the odds of your (my) work being chosen are low. I actually really enjoy flexing the purely craft muscle and making this kind of work.

Okay, for Wet Paint subscribers, here’s a little peek into my commercial life.

Love,

Yoni

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Directed, filmed, and edited by Evan Cutler Wattles

Movement created and performed by Julia Wasilewski

Movement directed by morgaine ann de leonardis

Gaffer: Eric Tankel

1st AC: Ethan Tankel

Grip: Melissa Waltimyer

On-Set Medic: Dr. Samantha Pirok

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Another exclusive demo song is up on my Wet Paint substack. Subscribe to listen.

Sup y’all,

We just turned everything in for the new WHY? album. It always feels strange to step away from a thing I’ve been creating. Now we move onto making music videos with some friends and getting the whole rollout planned and all that. I really hope you all like the album. It’s a strange thing to work so hard for so long on something and then finally step away and be like, well it’s done and it’s of the highest quality we could muster, every word and second of it carefully considered… but is it good? I think so. I hope so. I have no idea. It’s what I needed to say at this time. I guess that’s how it works for me, I write whatever I’m living. So albums become these periodic records like layers in sedimentary rock or whatever. If nothing else, it’s helpful for me to make sense of things.

Some of you may have heard the demo of ‘Size Ten’ from back in the AEC days. This final form version I’m sharing today was recorded up in Wisconsin by Brian Joseph and features Josiah Wolf, Doug McDiarmid, Andrew Broder and Jeremy Boettcher on instruments with Mol Sullivan doing some back up vocals. Josh Berg helped me with the mix. I love how cottagey this recording sounds. Feels very wooden and cozy to me.

Okay, without further ado, for Wet Paint subscribers, here is an exclusive sneak peek of the final (unmastered) version of ‘Size Ten’.

Love,

Yoni

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Another exclusive demo song is up on my Wet Paint substack. Subscribe to listen.

Hello world,

We are deep in the midst of finishing up the ninth WHY? full length. And the Tenth album is also very much in the works. Going to be a very active next couple of years. I feel really good about all of it. I feel like I’ve hit a new stride, like some blockages have been cleared up or something. Hard to explain but it’s a very good thing.

‘Hare’ was very much a collaboration. It started with a beat from Andrew Broder intended for a different (new) project I’m part of. I wrote the initial lyrics and melodies and then got together with Adam Drucker (doseone) who helped me revise the chorus lyrics and did some background vocals (that’s him). It was later decided that it sounded more like a WHY? song than the other project, so I took control of it and passed it to my friend Nate Mercereau to do more production on it. He passed it back to me and I did even more production and mixed it. I am VERY happy with the results.

Okay, without further ado, for Wet Paint subscribers, here is an exclusive sneak peek of the final (unmastered) version of ‘Hare’.

Love,

Yoni

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Another exclusive demo song is up on my Wet Paint substack. Subscribe to listen.

Sup,

I’ve been back in Cincy for a week after a nice long trip to southern Cali and headed now to Minneapolis to work on some WHY? music with my good pal Andrew Broder. Exciting.

The demo for this song, Parks Tour, was like the second substack demo I put up back a couple years ago. The version I’m offering today is the final version (though the mix may change a bit) of the song, which will go on the next WHY? album. I had some help on this one. Stephen Patota played the guitars, Josiah Wolf played the vibraphone and Kitty did the backup vocals.

I hope you like it. I feel good about it. I wanted it to have a really woody roomy sound. I did the vocals in the same bathroom where I recorded the guitars in the same stereo mic pair to try to illicit the illusion that it was just a group of folks in a room playing live. I think it sounds that way right?

The song, which we have performed at a handful of shows now, is about being in beautiful placed with no one to share the experience with. That’s a simple way of putting it. Outdoors active isolation. Difficulty in reaching out and connecting in a meaningful way. Convening with nature from a place of aloneness. Being alone in a crowd of people even. And other such universal feelings.

Okay, without further ado, for Wet Paint subscribers, here is an exclusive sneak peek of the final version of ‘Parks Tour’.

Love,

Yoni

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Another exclusive demo song is up on my Wet Paint substack. Subscribe to listen.

Hi y’all,

Crazy terrible shit is going on in the world. It’s scary. Who knows what could happen next. Seems like one atrocity after another. But it’s spring—in the northern hemisphere anyway—and I’m taking some joy from my walks with my dog Marty every day. And I’m grateful for the creative life I have. It certainly has its ups and downs and isn’t the most secure kind of life, but it’s exploratory and real and it suits me. It’s who I am. There are so many other things I could say about inequities and the upside down priorities of our culture and whatever whatever but you’ve heard it all before. I’m just trying to find my place in this world like all of you and sometimes that’s tough but we keep trying.

Okay, without further ado, for Wet Paint subscribers, here is my new exclusive demo (not really a demo, it’s the finished version), ‘Shine’. Love,

Yoni

P.S. Shoutout to my friend Stephen Patota who played on this song!

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Another exclusive demo song is up on my Wet Paint substack. Subscribe to listen.

Here’s another freebie sneak peak at the type of stuff I’m doing on my substack these days.

My substack, which is called Wet Paint is where all WHY? songs go directly after creation, sometimes years before they are released widely. Some are simple demos just for me to get a sense of what the song is but many, like this one, are fully produced and pretty much ready for release. And some of them will never be released widely. If you like WHY?, subscribing to this substack is probably the best way to support. Only five dollars, which is literally a cup of coffee.

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For Wet Paint subscribers, below are some more intimate thoughts about the song, the lyrics, a drawing and a video of me talking about it.

I love you all,

Yoni

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Another exclusive demo song is up on my Wet Paint substack. Subscribe to listen.

Hi y’all,

Thanks to everyone who came out to our little tour this past week/weekend. It was really nice. It always takes me a few days after a tour— even a short tour, to reacclimate to home life. I don’t sleep well on tour, so I’ve been catching up on sleep. Just now getting back in the saddle.

‘Northern Lights’ is a song that has been in the works for several years. I believe this is its final form, though I think there are still a few additions to be made. The first iteration of this song, which some of you may remember from AEC, felt a little too frenetic or something. This one feels right I think. But let me know! Planning on putting it on an EP that should be out in several months.

Okay, without further adieu, for Wet Paint subscribers, here is my new exclusive demo (not really a demo, more like just not totally finished), ‘Northern Lights’.

Love,

Yoni

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-y

Jan 28 Wed

Indianapolis, IN, HI-FI @ 7:00 PM, Tickets RSVP

Jan 29 Thurs

Chicago, IL, Sleeping Village @ 8:00 PM, Tickets RSVP

Jan 30 Fri

Paw Paw, MI, The Lucky Wolf Theater @ 7:00 PM, Tickets RSVP

Jan 31 Sat

Pittsburgh, PA, Spirit @ 7:00 PM, Tickets RSVP

Jan 28 Wed

Indianapolis, IN, HI-FI @ 7:00 PM, Tickets RSVP

Jan 29 Thurs

Chicago, IL, Sleeping Village @ 8:00 PM, Tickets RSVP

Jan 30 Fri

Paw Paw, MI, The Lucky Wolf Theater @ 7:00 PM, Tickets RSVP

Jan 31 Sat

Pittsburgh, PA, Spirit @ 7:00 PM, Tickets RSVP

Another exclusive demo song is up on my Wet Paint substack. Subscribe to listen.

Sup y’all,

Fuck it, here’s an example of the kind of stuff I’m doing on here these days. Consider this one on the house. Going to put it on a WHY? album or EP later this year I think. Please let me know if you like it, if it’s not up to snuff or if you’d like to see it develop more or differently. As my Substack’s name (Wet Paint) suggests, the recording is still in the works and subject to change. This one is definitely a different approach for me. Trying to get loose and have fun with it again.

If you like this, please consider becoming a paid subscriber. There aren’t many income streams left for a recording artist that tech hasn’t snatched from us. And touring has become more and more expensive. I’m not trying to be flashy on tiktok with some viral shit. I’m trying to make work that has depth and feeling and might take a few listens to sink in. I would say when I’m in my flow, I achieve that. But I can only flow if I can pay my bills. So if you value what I do, it’s only five bucks a month. That’s one parking session in a midwest city, or one coffee, or half a pint of fancy icecream, or two pints of shitty icecream.

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For Wet Paint subscribers, below are some more intimate thoughts about my creative process, a drawing and a video of me yammering on.

I love you all,

Yoni

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Another exclusive demo song is up on my Wet Paint substack. Subscribe to listen.

Hi y’all,

I’m really not sure what to say here. Winter is kind of difficult for me. I’m solar powered like 2021 lorde lol. I’ve mostly been solitary (with my faithful squire Marty Mars (dog)) hanging in my studio and taking our obligatory one walk a day. I did a little rehearsal yesterday with some awesome Cincy friends (Alexis Marsh of Dyan, Curt Kiser of Carriers and Stephen Patota of many many projects). We are going to play a few songs tomorrow night at this little bar called Motr. A couple cover songs and one of my songs (unreleased). I like the covers a lot— Low “Plastic Cup” and Cameron Winter “Try As I May”— and am going to try to record them in the next week or so if I can get everyone together.

I have a lot of music in the works but am having trouble pulling the trigger on releasing new things. I don’t know, maybe I’m not meant for this era with my rampant self-assessment and perfectionism. This seems more like the era of ‘throw something out there and let God sort it out later’. I’m trying to be less precious but I have to really feel something deep down to want to release it broadly, ya know? Gotta be able to stand behind the product. But maybe that’s antiquated thinking. I’ll try to get some things to a finished state very soon. Thank you for your patience.

WHY? has a short midwest tour coming up in late January. Get some tickets, come in out of the cold and get with some great people (we have The Best fans), come hang.

Jan 28 Wed

HI-FI @ 7:00 PM

Indianapolis, IN, United States

Tickets RSVP

Jan 29 Thurs

Sleeping Village @ 8:00 PM

Chicago, IL, United States

Tickets RSVP

Jan 30 Fri

The Lucky Wolf Theater @ 7:00 PM

Paw Paw, MI, United States

Tickets RSVP

Jan 31 Sat

Spirit @ 7:00 PM

Pittsburgh, PA, United States

Tickets RSVP

All WHY? merch here.

Okay, without further adieu, for Wet Paint subscribers, here is my new exclusive demo, ‘Décembre 16th’.

Love,

Yoni

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It’s Black Friday. For the next week you can get a full year subscription to Wet Paint— my songwriting blog— for just 45 bucks. That comes out to $3.75 a month. 93 cents a week.

Much love,

Yoni

Hi you guys!

We had a couple of really fun shows out in Cali late Oct, early Nov. Thanks to those of you who made it out. I stayed out there for an extra couple weeks to hang with people and work on a couple collaborative things. I met some new friends who I’m working with. Great trip. Can’t wait to go back. Hopefully Februaryish. Before that we are doing a little run in the midwest. Only date that’s been announced is Chicago on Jan 29 at Sleeping Village but we are doing like 4 or 5 shows total. Keep an eye out.

I have so much music in the works it’s kind of annoying. I want to try to figure out a more fluid way to finish and release work. I get clogged up at the post production/mix phase. I’m a perfectionist. Been that way all my life. I think it’s a blessing and a curse. They shoulda kept me on 8track tape where options are super limited and I embrace that dirty sloppy vibe. But I do a lot of computer work where possibilities are endless and I can tinker at infinitum trying to get the sound that’s just around the next bend. I’m working on it though. Trying to be more loose. In fact, a lot of these demos that I release here are going to make their way onto WHY? albums (particularly the one after next) with just a bit of a spruce up but kept quite raw. Also, as we move forward, I’m excited to collaborate more on production with various friends. I think that will not only help speed up the finishing process but also whenever I collaborate with anyone, be it musicians, singer, producers, engineers or whoever, it always adds a whole new dimension to the work.

I’m just kind of using this as my diary today ahah. I don’t know if that stuff is of interest to anyone, but I’m trying to be more open with ya’ll and I feel so weird opening up on social media. Always feel free to holler at me on here if you have any questions or ideas.

All WHY? merch here. I’m told the Elephant Eyelash reissue vinyls will get to y’all in January. They are currently in the manufacturing process.

Okay, without further adieu, for Wet Paint subscribers, here is my new exclusive demo, ‘Leave Me Behind’.

Love,

Yoni

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I found an old notebook from 2003-2004. It has a bunch of the original song lyrics from Elephant Eyelash and the surrounding EPs, as well as this page which had my considerations for possible album titles. I guess a strong contender was “Cowlicky”? I don’t hate it honestly.

Here are a few pages that became Gemini (Birthday Song):

and part of Yo Yo Bye Bye:

Pre-orders for the Elephant Eyelash deluxe gatefold edition 2xLP are now available! First disc is the album and second disc is The Sanddollars EP, Dumb Hummer 7”, and a sort of unreleased song from the era called Bangs.

Or get the straight up reissue of the album on “patience mountain” color vinyl.

We are also dropping a limited edition Elephant Eyelash t-shirt.

Thanks y’all!

Love,

yoni

Hi you guys!

It is very much fall here in Cincy and I’m kinda loving it. Taking crisp walks with my dog Marty and sleeping cold (which I prefer)— haven’t turned the heat on yet. We have been working hard on new things to release for y’all. Feeling good about it. Our Cincinnati orchestra show last month went really well. We are trying to sort out a way to do that in a couple other cities. Stay tuned. We have a couple shows in Cali coming up and hope to see you there:

Oct 31- LA at Scribble

Nov 1st - Oakland at The Fox (opening for Carseat Headrest)

All WHY? merch here including preorder for Elephant Eyelash reissue.

Okay, without further adieu, for Wet Paint subscribers, here is my new exclusive demo, ‘My Rock’.

Love,

Yoni

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So in 2005 for our Elephant Eyelash album press photos— shot by Jessica Miller, we decided to have fun with it and do a few cosplay scenarios.

We hit ‘em with the pageant photos, which actually ended up getting used in the Sand Dollars EP art. Shot at the Stork Club in Oakland.

Then of course, with four dudes in our twenties, we had to do some dorm room shots, which we somehow did in the CCAC dorms in Oakland.

And then there was the infamous rap-rock band shoot, which we shot around my cottage in North Berkeley I believe? But it looks like we went to a studio… or maybe we just had a big sheet of construction paper? Memories are hazy. After all, it’s been 20 years!

Pre-orders for the Elephant Eyelash deluxe gatefold edition 2xLP are now available! First disc is the album and second disc is The Sanddollars EP, Dumb Hummer 7”, and a sort of unreleased song from the era called Bangs.

Or get the straight up reissue of the album on “patience mountain” color vinyl.

We are also dropping a limited edition Elephant Eyelash t-shirt.

Thanks y’all!

Love,

yoni

It’s kind of haunting in a European perfume campaign kind of way, but ultimately doesn’t look anything like the album sounds.

Also, the cover of the previous album (Oaklandazulasylum) was already someone floating in a swimming pool. Duhh. So we went for the collagey crooked rain vibe instead and the rest is history. I think what we ended up going with suits the music perfectly.

🐬🐬

Pre-orders for the Elephant Eyelash deluxe gatefold edition 2xLP are now available! First disc is the album and second disc is The Sanddollars EP, Dumb Hummer 7”, and a sort of unreleased song from the era called Bangs.

Or get the straight up reissue of the album on “patience mountain” color vinyl.

We are also dropping a limited edition Elephant Eyelash t-shirt.

Thanks y’all!

Love,

yoni