DUFF FERGUSON


Cat Cohen Colleague

Duff was born in New York City to a musical family and grew up singing in church choirs and school musicals before discovering rock guitar in his teens. He performed as a solo artist, session musician, and nationally touring lead guitarist based in Manhattan and San Francisco, self-releasing four EPs before landing in Los Angeles in 2004.

 

Ferguson sings about positive energy on the head bobbing title track to his CD Good Things. And what a letter of hope we receive in these 10 tracks, bursting with joyous melodic pop that quickly dispels any doubt that the future can be shinier, happier, and better lit than today.  Leading the charge is Duff’s “confident, honey sweet tenor” voice that “resonates with a romantic, femme-friendly vibe” (Music Connection) as it dives into the melodies. The pairing of his distinctive tone with harmonies by Todd Herfindal of The Meadows, Heather Waters, Carmen Doane, and Jared Barkan provides a perfect front for a crack band that shifts quickly from quiet and sweet to a loud rocking growl.

 

To bring the record to life, Duff enlisted the production assistance of Rich McCulley and Herfindal and stacked his band with friends old and new from around the Los Angeles pop and roots scene. Alongside Duff’s and Herfindal’s guitars, we hear guitarist Tony Gilkyson (Bob Dylan, Tom Waits), drummers Tommy Rickard and Mike Stinson, and strings by Amy Farris (Dave Alvin, Brian Wilson). Also included are bassists Rick Barrio Dill, Kevin Houlihan, and Rob Douglas, as well as keyboardist Dennis Hamm.

 

Good Things follows Duff’s 2005 EP 400 Miles (also produced with McCulley), which was named one of the top 25 releases in 2005 by an unsigned band in Music Connection Magazine. Duff’s solo touring has taken him up and down the West Coast and to Arizona several times, performing at colleges, clubs, festivals, coffeehouses, and house concerts as well as on network television and radio along the way. MTV licensed his song "Sigh" in 2007.

 

400 Miles represents the latest in a string of independent label releases that have established him as both a first-rate vocalist and someone whose approach cuts across many genres..."

Nashville City Paper

 

"Delivers a polished combination of crafty pop and straight-forward rock that sounds like a mix between The Replacements and Wilco."

Ear Candy Magazine

 

In addition to being a talented singer-songwriter, Ferguson is also a skilled graphic artist and photographer who has created and assembled the artwork for countless CDs of local recording artists. 

 

Ferguson designed the graphics, did the layout and shot the photographs for Cat Cohen’s CD “Songs of Survival and Sweet Surrender.”  He likewise did the artwork for CDs for Cat’s alumni Alexandra Celano and Allan Frank.  Ferguson also designed Cat’s myspace page.

 

You can hear Duff’s music at www.myspace.com/allduffmusic and www.amplitudecreative.com

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