Fluf

Punk rock band from San Diego, California, active from 1992 to 2003. Fluf was started by singer/guitarist Otis "O" Barthoulameu and bassist Jonny Donhowe after the breakup of their prior band, Olivelawn. Barthoulameu had been Olivelawn's guitarist, and formed Fluf as a vehicle for his own songwriting (he would be the band's only constant member). He recruited drummer Miles Gillett, who had previously played in the Orange County bands El Grupo Sexo and Gherkin Raucous, but had since moved back to New Zealand where he was playing in Salad Daze. Gillette came back to southern California on a visit and jammed with Barthoulameu and Donhowe. Things clicked, so he came back again to record the band's debut album, which was released on local label Headhunter Records (distributed by Cargo Music) in three formats with three different titles: on compact disc as Mangravy, on cassette as Shooting Putty At The Moon, and on 10" vinyl in a shortened version (with 6 tracks to the others' 12) titled Wasting Seed. Gillette soon moved from New Zealand back to Irvine to continue playing with Fluf. They released their second album in 1994, also on Cargo/Headhunter. It also had a different title for each format, being released as an LP with an added 7" as Whitey On The Moon, on CD as Home Improvements, and on cassette as Stocking The Lake With Brown Trout. Preferring the vinyl format, Fluf released a number of 7" singles and EPs on independent labels; many of the tracks from these were compiled on 1995's The Classic Years. That year they played the inaugural run of the Warped Tour, which they would repeat in 1996. Donhowe left Fluf in 1996 and was replaced by Josh Higgins, and the band signed to major label MCA Records for 1997's Waikiki album. Their time on MCA was short, and Gillette departed the band to move back to New Zealand. He was replaced by Francis Winfield for 1998's Road Rage, released on the Fat Wreck Chords subsidiary Honest Don's. This would be Fluf's last full length, though they released a few more EPs with different drummers: Dion Thurman, formerly of Creedle, played on 2000's I Know I'm Nobody (which included the entire Waikiki album as an unlisted bonus); Jake Najor played on 2002's 2klb; and Brad Davis played on 2003's Canary Training Record, which was recorded by Sean O'Donnell (2). By this time Barthoulameu had joined O'Donnell and Davis in their band Reeve Oliver, and Fluf became inactive, though they reunited for occasional shows. Barthoulameu, Higgins, and Davis performed for the band's 20th anniversary at San Diego venue the Casbah in 2013, and the following year Barthoulameu, Higgins, and Gillette performed there for the venue's 25th anniversary. Higgins went on to a career in graphic design, while Barthoulameu remained active in other bands (including The Makeup Sex, Systems Officer, and Harshmellow (2)). Original bassist Jonny Donhowe died in 2020, and Barthoulameu died in 2023.