Artist Biography

Cuff the Duke's debut Life Stories for Minimum Wage was released on Toronto-indie Three Gut Records in October 2002 to rave reviews. Critics heralded their efforts as 'intense' and 'timeless.' Emphasis was placed on the mature aspect of the album...a surprise considering the members (all originally from Oshawa) were only 21.

July 2005 saw the sophomore release of the self-titled Cuff the Duke on Hayden's Hardwood imprint (a first besides Hayden himself), distributed by Universal Music Canada. A favourite of the fans, college radio and critics alike, they wowed audiences with their live show wherever they played! 'Saturday - and all of the Hillside Festival, for my money, was stolen by Cuff the Duke' Ben Rayner Toronto Star

Early in 2006, Halifax's Dale Murray joined Cuff the Duke to play electric and steel guitar, followed shortly thereafter by then Montreal-based drummer Corey Wood. With founding members Wayne Petti and Paul Lowman, the band embarked on additional extensive North American touring. Somewhere amidst all of that and several van breakdowns, Cuff the Duke managed to be part of an exciting, primarily instrumental band called The Hylozoists, led by producer/musician Paul Aucoin, who's La Fin Du Monde came out spring '06 on Boompa/EMI.

This year saw the re-release of Cuff the Duke's 2002 debut Life Stories for Minimum Wage, Wayne Petti's solo debut City Lights Align, while the band entered the studio to begin recording their new album for Hardwood at the end of February. Full of gritty alt-country, Sidelines of the City is their finest, most confident effort to date. It will be released Oct. 23rd.