“The charisma of the vocals, confident guitars, and a taut instrumentation unite to make for an effort that will tattoo its melodies deep into the minds and hearts of listeners.”
- James McQuinstan, NeuFuture Magazine
One night in Toronto, when conversations of their favourite live bands led to dreams of being their own favourite live band, Zuffalo was born. The members of the band are students of music, teachers of music, and continue to learn from their own songwriting every day. They started as a back-up band for local blues musicians and started to have long improvised jams in rehearsal rooms in downtown Toronto. Soon, songs were formed, and their unique funky psychedelic rock sound was established.
Zuffalo’s music is groove-driven, uplifting psychedelic rock with folk- and pop-based melodies and harmonies. With funky beats and monstrous riffs that can enter realms of blues and hard rock, their songs consist of instrumental sections where the musicians communicate with each other to create unique stories in sound. Soaked in rich harmonies, the lyrics are about love but are also laced with quirky metaphors, and often touch on subjects of science fiction and nature. Since the musicians are always reacting to the vibe in the room, this makes the Zuffalonian audience essential, and Zuffalo always aims to keep their audience groovin’.
In 2023, Zuffalo toured 7 different countries in continental Europe including several performances at Glastonbury Festival, as well as Western Canada with current guitar player David Celia. They have plans to return to Europe in spring 2024.
Festival Highlights
Glastonbury Festival - Pilton, Somerset, England - June 2023 (w/ David Celia)
Palp Festival - Bruson, Switzerland - June 2023 (w/ David Celia)
Desertfest - Berlin, Germany - May 2023 (w/ David Celia)
Kaslo Jazz Etc. Festival - Kaslo, BC - August 2018 (with Mavis Staples, Shaky Graves, Greensky Bluegrass)
Evolve Music Festival - Moncton, NB - July 2019 (with Rising Appalachia)
Discography:
Zuffalo (2018) [LP]
Space (2020) [EP]
BIRDBRAIN (2021) [LP]
Kim Manning - Vocals, Keys
Mikey Vukovich - Vocals, Bass
David Celia - Vocals, Guitar
Eric Vanier - Drums
