About
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.
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.
Discography
58 releasesCanary Training Record
Fluf · 2003
2klb
Fluf · 2002
I Know I'm Nobody
Fluf · 2000
Road Rage
Fluf · 1998
Got Everything
Fluf · 1997
Six Songs From Previous Albums
Fluf · 1996
24-7 Years
Fluf · 1996
Waikiki
Fluf · 1996
Fluf / J Church
Fluf / J Church · 1996
The Classic Years
Fluf · 1995
Skyrocket
Fluf · 1994
Kim Thayil's Paw / Peanut Butter
Fluf · 1994
24-7 Years
Fluf · 1994
Moody As The Day Is Young!
Fluf · 1994
Home Improvements
Fluf · 1994
The Photographic Hat
Fluf / Further · 1993
Sheela Na Gig / Song In D
Fluf · 1993
Mangravy
Fluf · 1993
Garbage Truck
Fluf · 1992
Wasting Seed
Fluf · 1992
The Show (Soundtrack From Taylor Steele's Movie)
Various · 1998
It's Gonna Blow: San Diego's Music Underground 1986-1996
Various · 2014
Circles + Squares
Various · 2008
Off The Wall Vol. VII
Various · 2004
Ten Years Of Noise Pop 1993 - 2002
Various · 2002
MP3.com's Free Sampler CD Spring 2001
Various · 2001
Out Of The Bin
Various · 2000
Loose Change: A Taylor Steele Movie
Various · 2000
Kiss The Cook - Rock 105.3's Latitude 32°
Various · 1999
Ox-Compilation Nr. 32 - Pank!
Various · 1998
Showing 30 of 58 — open Recordz for the full list