King Tuff's Got The Stuff

King Tuff, otherwise known as the lead singer of Happy Birthday, is my dirty-haired, pizza-eating, jean-jacket-wearing dream boat from the rock 'n roll garage in the sky. I fell in love with King Tuff my freshman year at UVM after listening to Was Dead, which came out just the year before. My DJ friends at WRUV introduced me to his solo work and I was blown away – it was catchy, raw, and you could dance to it. I'm not a big dancer, but I could picture myself groovin' to his infectious tracks, and in no time at all, I was. I literally played the crap out of this album until I couldn't play it anymore. I could still tell you the order of the tracks on Was Dead, from start to finish, and not by track name, but by what instrument plays at the beginning of each song and what it sounds like. And I could probably do a mean King Tuff impression, too.

So who is this 'King Tuff' and is he actually very tough? And why am I telling you about him? Should you care at all? Like most posts on QCC, they really only mean something to the reader if the reader has some clue as to what we're blogging about. Maybe I'm wrong, and maybe my fellow classmates will be exposed to some new band or genre they'd never listened to before – that would be awesome and I hope that does happen! But for now, I'll go ahead and explain why you're reading about some dude named King Tuff, and why you should care. King Tuff, aka Kyle Thomas, is a Vermont native, and in my opinion, one of the best musical acts to have spawned out of this nothingness that consumes this little state.

KT lives in Brattleboro, VT, in an art studio where he paints and makes music all the live long day – sounds pretty sweet, huh? I guess it must come with territory of being signed to the biggest indie label in the biz, Sub Pop. Your popularity can pretty much only sky-rocket from there. King Tuff has been rather busy though, bopping around the country with the other nasal garage god, Hunx, of Hunx and his Punx, as he tours to promote his new album Hairdresser Blues, which I must inform you is amazing. I've already listened to each track on the album roughly 32 times according to my iTunes.
Have a listen for yourself. It's SO good it hurts. It makes me want to wear spandex and jump on beds covered in glitter and pixie dust.

As I was saying, King Tuff is one of the most impressive garage rock musicians out there right now. His songs are simple – the hooks are addicting and each chorus is carefully crafted so you can't forget it, no matter how hard you try. When I listen to him it's almost as if I have no control over my hands or feet; the instinct to tap along with the beat is undeniable and downright creepy. The King utilizes some of the more traditional dance ditties of the 1950s doo-wap variety, but infuses it with a psychedelic garage punk aesthetic that is as groovy as it is catchy. King Tuff just recently dropped two tracks with Suicide Squeeze, a delicious label that is home to The Coathangers and Dirty Beaches, as a part of the 2012 single series. "Hole In My Head" and "Wild Desire" will be available on a limited edition 7" vinyl on April 3rd, and I don't know about you, but I've got mine pre-ordered already. What are you waiting for? Listen to King Tuff [there's no excuse, click play below] and try to tell me you don't like it. I dare you!