|
The Reason Why was formed on 30th September 1999 when Mike Ferguson
replied to an e-mail from John Fallon by saying 'Now that's the best
suggestion yet'. Fallon's suggestion had been that they call themselves
'The Reason Why'. The band was to be a duo, performing their own songs with
acoustic accompaniment. The groundwork for the band had been done in the
previous years when the two had individually written a host of songs with
subject matter ranging from the popular to the personal, the descriptive to
the obscure, the spontaneous to the intended, and the interesting to the
banal (who wrote this?). Their performing experience had been gained in their
early twenties when they played regularly in front of a variety of audiences
while living in Bradford in the North of
England.
The two protagonists met in Bradford
in the Spring of 1990 (is the Beehive still there anyone?) when they played
in a successful University folk band set up by students to offer alternative
entertainment for fellow students. Between them, from the Spring of 1988
(Ferguson joined while Fallon was away on work placement) to the early months
of 1994, although playing only cover versions, they gained extensive
performing experience at the various beer and wine festivals at the
University, in the student bars of the University and in many pubs and clubs
around Bradford (i.e. anywhere that sold alcohol). The numerous great nights
and days of entertainment provided by the band are fondly remembered by many
of the Bradford Alumni of those years. Why did it have to end?
From their mid teens Fallon and Ferguson
had been writing material of a popular style, albeit untested on the outside
world. Ferguson
in particular liked complete tracking - adding extra instruments to the
voice-over and guitar, while Fallon concentrated on the simple melody with
guitar accompaniment and harmony.
In late 1993 and the early months of 1994, before the break up of the
folk band, they began to practice their own original music, as a four and
five piece rock outfit, with the idea of calling themselves 'The Quiet
River', translated from the French film of the same name. By then, however,
Fallon had had enough and was on the move south to London, to make his fortune. The new band
hadn't played any gigs. After finishing his degree later that year Ferguson too made his way to London, but it wasn't until 1996 that the
two began to play music together again. In that year 'The Quiet River',
finally, and now a two piece semi acoustic band, gently graced the legendary
stages of The Rock Garden in Central London, the Mean Fiddler in Harlsden,
and Mike's (no relation) Bar at the old King's College London Chelsea campus
(a hostelry patronised by the unlikely combination of scientists from King's
College London and artists from The Chelsea College of Art and Design -
there's a movie script in there somewhere). Unable to maintain momentum, and
unable to juggle between the demands of creative art and everyday life, the
two stars, later that summer, again hung up their performing plectrums, but
continued to write new material. It wasn't until late 1998 that Fallon found
his vocal chords to be once again 'calling him on', to modify a phrase used
by Robbie Williams. He began to record on 4-track many of the songs which had
until now remained only in the memory, and to distribute them at random among
the great and the good. Ferguson
too longed for a return to the bright lights and exhilaration of the live performance.
From August '99 The Reason Why played many gigs and floorspots in Central and
North London venues. Fallon moved to Dublin,
Ireland, in 2001, and then to Chapel Hill, North Carolina, USA in 2005, but
the band lives on through the internet and through their CD 'Live @ The
Virtually Acoustic Club London', available from CDBaby and associated digital
distributors (including itunes). Fallon has continued to write and perform,
particularly at open mikes, and many of his recordings are available on the
internet via links from the Two One
Two Music Website. Ferguson too has
maintained his interest through the revival, in London, of his old school ensemble 'The
Incredible 1967 Grass Band'.
The song from which The Reason Why take their name was written by
Fallon while briefly living in Harringey, North London,
in the summer of 1991. Harringey, indeed, has featured prominently in the
lives of our two heroes, both having lived there for many years in the 1990s.
Musical influences for the band include parents, family, friends,
experiences, the pop charts, the indie charts, artists on the fringe, and the
odd established artist. A once written description of the band's music at a
gigging venue was 'REMy melodic rock'.
Fallon, from Ireland,
and Ferguson, from Northern Ireland (UK), form a unique
combination of musical strength, whose individual creative and performing
competence is magnified by their combined charisma. The Reason Why have no
illusions about what they can or cannot achieve, only the knowledge that the
ultimate satisfaction lies with the music.
Motto
We
only talk to Geffen (who?)
Nicknames
Mike
'fingers' Ferguson
John
'tunes' Fallon
Ambition
To
succeed and enjoy
Return to Home Page
|
|