About The Band
The Tufted Puffins is a re-emergence of musicians from numerous local bands of note in the volatile 80's and 90's Cleveland / Kent / Akron scene. It was a time when Devo, The Dead Boys, The Pagans, Tin Huey, and Pere Ubu were local bar bands. The music is a high energy blending of Garage, Punk, and blistering Rock and Roll. Having been through it all before, the Puffins are in the perfect space to focus on the music and ignore the BS. As a part of the burgeoning Cleveland music scene we're surrounded by great bands and venues and audiences that other towns would kill for. It's a band of seasoned musicians who just want to play for the pure joy of raucous music.
The Tufted Puffins take the stage with a fierceness that only veteran rockers understand. Forged in the fires of the Cleveland hard, fast rock tradition; angry aggression mixed with sarcastic goofiness; the Puffins bring a fresh new sound along with true authenticity. Jagged hooks, screaming guitars, pounding drums, all mix with a new sense of melody and tricky song writing that gives the Tufted Puffins their own unique sound.
Make no mistake. The point of a Tufted Puffins show is big sweaty aggressive fun. We leave it all on the stage every show. The audience sweats as much as the band. That's the Cleveland way to do it!
Mike Baker - Vocals / Guitar
The creator of notorious Cleveland bands Sleazy Jesus and the Splatter Pigs and Hucklebuck, Mike has been a thorn in the side of the establishment for decades. Older and maybe wiser, he can still write a wickedly hooky song and lay it all out on stage.
A fearless and engaging front man, Baker has developed a fully charged stage presence that explodes right out of the gate and keeps the energy surging till the very last note.
Tom Huff - Guitar
Tom formerly played in Burning Lesbians with Dave Cintron, Sam Ludwig and Scott Pickering. Since then he has made amazing music as a recording artist with Roscoe Disposal Co., Goburn, Motorboat and 2lb. Spread!
From tasty licks to screaming leads to demonic chaos, Tom adds the candy with his guitar magic. A player's player. Tom is a details guy, as concerned with the equipment as he is with the arrangements. That's how he gets his unique sound.
Ron Kretsch - Bass / Vocals
*** OUR NEWEST PUFFIN!!!!! ***
Ron is a Cleveland underground lifer who just won’t sit still. Since the early ’90s, he’s played guitar, bass, and electronics in countless well-received bands, and kept a foot in the noise scene as well.
His rock and roll resumé includes You Would if You Loved Me, Biblical Proof of UFOs, Proletarian Art Threat, Lives of the Saints, Self Destruct Button, Fuzzy Stones, Murderedman, Maggots and Leeches, Royal Beasts, YOID, Saint Fragile, AWESOME*QUEST!… and now the Tufted Puffins.
Will Scharf - Drums
Will and Mike have history. Will was the drummer for both Sleazy Jesus and the Splatter Pigs and Hucklebuck. Will went on to explore bludgeoning math rock with Craw and toured Europe with Keelhaul.
A cross between the Energizer Bunny and a garden gnome, Will brings an explosive energy to the band.