Cuff the Duke is a

Canadian Canadians () are people identified with the country of Canada. This connection may be residential, legal, historical or cultural. For most Canadians, many (or all) of these connections exist and are collectively the source of their being ''C ...

alt-country Alternative country (commonly abbreviated to alt-country; also known as alternative country rock, insurgent country, Americana, or y'allternative) is a loosely defined subgenre of country music and/or country rock that includes acts that diffe ...

band from

Oshawa Oshawa is a city in Ontario, Canada, on the Lake Ontario shoreline. It lies in Southern Ontario, approximately east of downtown Toronto. It is commonly viewed as the eastern anchor of the Greater Toronto Area and of the Golden Horseshoe. It ...

Ontario Ontario is the southernmost Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Canada. Located in Central Canada, Ontario is the Population of Canada by province and territory, country's most populous province. As of the 2021 Canadian census, it ...

. They play a blend of traditional

country A country is a distinct part of the world, such as a state, nation, or other political entity. When referring to a specific polity, the term "country" may refer to a sovereign state, state with limited recognition, constituent country, ...

and

folk Folk or Folks may refer to: Sociology *Nation *People * Folklore ** Folk art ** Folk dance ** Folk hero ** Folk horror ** Folk music *** Folk metal *** Folk punk *** Folk rock ** Folk religion * Folk taxonomy Arts, entertainment, and media * Fo ...

music with

indie rock Indie rock is a Music subgenre, subgenre of rock music that originated in the United Kingdom, United States and New Zealand in the early to mid-1980s. Although the term was originally used to describe rock music released through independent reco ...

influences.

History

Cuff the Duke formed in

, drawing their name from a shirt purchased by front-man Wayne Petti at a secondhand shop. Starting as a duo consisting of Petti and Jeff Peers, the band later expanded to include bass player Paul Lowman and drummer Brad Fudge. In 2002 they released their first album, '' Life Stories for Minimum Wage'' on Three Gut Records. They spent the next few years touring with Hayden, acting as his backing band. In 2005 they released their second album, '' Cuff the Duke'' on Hardwood Records. The line-up for Cuff the Duke has evolved, with the consistent members thus far being Wayne Petti and Paul Lowman. With Dale Murray now in Cuff the Duke, the band has taken on a more polished tone, due to his pedal steel and guitar playing. Patrick Conan (who temporarily filled in for Matt Faris who has been side-lined from playing live due to wrist surgery) has been a steady drummer and has filled Matt Faris' shoes well. Paul Aucoin of the Hylozoists also occasionally performs live with Cuff the Duke playing vibraphone, glockenspiel, and percussion. Paul also produced Cuff the Duke's self-titled album in 2005. Since June 2007, Corey Wood has taken on the role of Cuff the Duke's drummer and is now an official member of the band. Cuff the Duke utilizes a wide range of instruments, of these the more notable instruments are bells,

Moog synthesizer The Moog synthesizer ( ) is a modular synthesizer invented by the American engineer Robert Moog in 1964. Moog's company, R. A. Moog Co., produced numerous models from 1965 to 1981, and again from 2014. It was the first commercial synthesizer ...

s, wind organs,

Hammond organ The Hammond organ is an electric organ invented by Laurens Hammond and John M. Hanert, first manufactured in 1935. Multiple models have been produced, most of which use sliding #Drawbars, drawbars to vary sounds. Until 1975, sound was created ...

s and

lap steel The lap steel guitar, also known as a Hawaiian guitar or lap slide guitar, is a type of steel guitar without pedals that is typically played with the instrument in a horizontal position across the performer's lap. Unlike the usual manner of play ...

. On March 16, 2007, a Cuff the Duke recording was released on '' The Secret Sessions'', a tribute album to the Rheostatics. The band recorded a version of "Claire", which was originally released on the Rheostatics' '' Introducing Happiness''. ''The Secret Sessions'' is available from Canadian digital indie label Zunior. On October 23, 2007 Cuff the Duke's album '' Sidelines of the City'' was released. Following the tour to support their 2012 album '' Union'', the band effectively took a hiatus for several years. They returned in 2018 with a vinyl reissue of their debut album, supported by select concert dates, and announced in early 2019 that they had begun work on a new album."Cuff the Duke reunites, ready to crank it up at the Rivoli"
''

Toronto Star The ''Toronto Star'' is a Canadian English-language broadsheet daily newspaper. It is owned by Toronto Star Newspapers Limited, a subsidiary of Torstar Corporation and part of Torstar's Daily News Brands (Torstar), Daily News Brands division. ...

'', January 8, 2019. Petti and Murray have also released solo albums. On April 22, 2008 Cuff the Duke performed with

Greg Keelor James Gregory Keelor, (born Francis McIntyre; August 29, 1954) is a Canadian singer-songwriter and musician. He is best known as a member of the band Blue Rodeo, where he shares song writing and vocal duties with Jim Cuddy. Keelor has also rele ...

Blue Rodeo Blue Rodeo is a Canadian rock band formed in 1984 in Toronto, Ontario. They have released 16 full-length studio albums, four live recordings, one greatest hits album, and two video/DVDs, along with multiple solo albums, side projects, and colla ...

at a taping of the

CBC Radio CBC Radio is the English-language radio operations of the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation. The CBC operates a number of radio networks serving different audiences and programming niches, all of which (regardless of language) are outlined below ...

show '' Fuse'' at CBC's Studio 40 in

Ottawa Ottawa is the capital city of Canada. It is located in the southern Ontario, southern portion of the province of Ontario, at the confluence of the Ottawa River and the Rideau River. Ottawa borders Gatineau, Gatineau, Quebec, and forms the cor ...

. On September 8, 2009, they released the album ''Way Down Here'', which was produced by Keelor.

Band members

Current members

* Wayne Petti – vocals, guitars, keyboards, harmonica, bass (2001–present) * Paul Lowman – bass, fiddle, keyboards, backing vocals, mandolin, guitars, lap steel (2001–present) *François Turenne - guitars, keyboards, backing vocals (2009–present) *AJ Johnson - drums, percussion, backing vocals (2011–present) *Thom Hammerton - keyboards (2011–present)

Past members

*Jeff Peers – guitar, keyboards, percussion (2001–2005) *Brad Fudge – drums, percussion (2001–2003) *Steve Krecklo – lead guitar, lap steel, keyboards, organ, percussion, backing vocals (2002, for ''Life Stories for Minimum Wage'') *Matt Faris – drums, percussion (2003–2006) *Dale Murray – guitar, pedal steel, backing vocals (2005–2011) *Patrick Conan – live drums, percussion (2006) *Paul Aucoin – live keyboards, percussion (2005–2006) *Christopher Sandes – live keyboards (2007–2008) *Corey Wood – drums, percussion (2006-2010) *Jordan Howard - lead guitar (live) (2012)

Discography

Albums

*'' Life Stories for Minimum Wage'' (2002 on Three Gut Records, re-released 2007 on Outside Music) *'' Cuff the Duke'' (2005 on Hardwood Records) *'' Sidelines of the City'' (2007 on Hardwood Records) *'' Way Down Here'' (September 8, 2009 on Noble Recording Co.) *'' Morning Comes'' (October 4, 2011 on

Paper Bag Records Paper Bag Records is a Canadian independent record label, artist management company, and music publishing company founded in 2002 and based in Toronto. History The label was created to focus on the Toronto-area indie rock music scene. Initial si ...

) *'' Union'' (October 2, 2012 on

) *''Breaking Dawn'' (September 6, 2024 on Cardinal Records)

EPs

*''

In Our Time In Our Time may refer to: * ''In Our Time'' (1944 film), a film starring Ida Lupino and Paul Henreid * ''In Our Time'' (1982 film), a Taiwanese anthology film featuring director Edward Yang; considered the beginning of the "New Taiwan Cinema" * ''In ...

'' (April 12, 2012 on

) *''In Our Time, Part II'' (2013)

Non-album tracks

*"Deciding on Luther" (''Life Stories for Minimum Wage'' outtake) *" Words (between the lines of age)" ('' Borrowed Tunes II: A Tribute to Neil Young'', 2007) *"Claire" ('' The Secret Sessions'', 2007) *"North Window" ('' Have Not Been the Same, Vol. 1: Too Cool to Live, Too Smart to Die'', 2011) *"

Star A star is a luminous spheroid of plasma (physics), plasma held together by Self-gravitation, self-gravity. The List of nearest stars and brown dwarfs, nearest star to Earth is the Sun. Many other stars are visible to the naked eye at night sk ...

" (''Paper Bag Records vs. The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders from Mars'', 2012)

References

External links

Cuff the Duke
{{Authority control Musical groups established in 2001 Canadian indie rock groups Canadian alternative country groups Musical groups from Oshawa Paper Bag Records artists 2001 establishments in Ontario Canadian country rock groups