With their 7th studio album due out this September, Cuff The Duke is making a triumphant return after over a decade on hiatus. Their latest single, “Got You On The Run,” is a deeply personal one, tackling the subject of mental health. We caught up with frontman Wayne Petti to chat about the new music, the bands he’s been listening to lately, and one of his most memorable shows.
From The Strait: Tell us about the new single, “Got You on the Run”.
Wayne Petti: The song is about my own challenges confronting my anxiety and depression. Something that for years I ignored and avoided.
From The Strait: What can fans expect from your upcoming album?
Wayne Petti: It’s a very up beat, up tempo record musically but the subject matter is often a little dark lyrically. I think if someone was a fan of previous Cuff the Duke albums they will definitely like this album.
From The Strait: What are some under-the-radar bands or artists you love, and want to share with our readers?
Wayne Petti:
Royal Castles
Sam Weber
Golden Feather
Matt Paxton and the Pintos
From The Strait: Who would you say are your biggest musical influences, and how have they helped to shape your sound?
Wayne Petti: I could write a chapter on this… it started with the Beatles, Byrds and Beach Boys. That’s what my parents listen to. Then I loved so many bands from the 90’s when we were teens. Nirvana, Sonic Youth, Dinosaur Jr. then I discovered folk music like Dylan, Gordon Lightfoot. I think when you listen to Cuff the Duke you can hear little bits of all those artists and genres.
From The Strait: What was the coolest (and/or weirdest) live show you’ve ever played?
Wayne Petti: This is a tough one. We’ve been fortunate enough to have many cool shows and many weird ones too! I’ll go with the time I played a songwriters event with Jim Cuddy and Ian Tyson. Both of them joined me on a song I wrote. That was pretty memorable.
From The Strait: Describe each band member in one word.
Wayne Petti:
Paul – Heart
Francois – Humble
AJ – triple threat (that’s two words but he can play everything)
Thom – musicianship.
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Check out “Got You On The Run”, the latest single from Cuff The Duke!
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