Michael Pfaff is an American musician, best known as one of the two current percussionists of heavy metal band Slipknot. He was also a member of the

alternative rock Alternative rock, or alt-rock, is a category of rock music that emerged from the independent music underground of the 1970s and became widely popular in the 1990s. "Alternative" refers to the genre's distinction from mainstream or commerci ...

band

Dirty Little Rabbits Dirty Little Rabbits was an American alternative rock band formed in 2007 in Johnston, Iowa. They are often referred to as a side project of Shawn Crahan, a member and founder of heavy metal music, heavy metal band Slipknot (band), Slipknot. His ...

as their keyboardist with fellow Slipknot band mate

Shawn Crahan Michael Shawn Crahan (born September 24, 1969), more commonly known by his stage persona "Clown", is an American musician. He is the co-founder and one of two percussionists for heavy metal band Slipknot in which he is designated #6. Crahan he ...

Career

Dirty Little Rabbits

Pfaff has been a lifelong friend of Slipknot bandmate

Sid Wilson Sidney George Wilson (born January 20, 1977) is an American musician. He is the turntablist for the heavy metal band Slipknot, in which he is designated #0. Wilson was the youngest member of the band until bassist Alessandro Venturella and dr ...

, who introduced him to

in 2007. The two quickly hit it off where they formed a band together called

where he was the band's pianist. The band released two

extended play An extended play record, usually referred to as an EP, is a musical recording that contains more tracks than a single but fewer than an album or LP record.

's ''

Breeding Breeding is sexual reproduction that produces offspring, usually animals or plants. It can only occur between a male and a female animal or plant. Breeding may refer to: * Animal husbandry, through selected specimens such as dogs, horses, and ra ...

'' (2007) and ''

Simon Simon may refer to: People * Simon (given name), including a list of people and fictional characters with the given name Simon * Simon (surname), including a list of people with the surname Simon * Eugène Simon, French naturalist and the genus ...

'' (2009) before releasing their debut and only eponymous album in 2010, before splitting up in 2012.

Slipknot

Following the dismissal of longtime Slipknot percussionist

Chris Fehn Christopher Fehn (born February 24, 1973) is an American musician. He was a percussionist and backing vocalist for the heavy metal band Slipknot from 1998 to 2019, in which he was designated #3. He was also the bassist for Will Haven from 201 ...

in March 2019 due to him filing a lawsuit against the band, Pfaff was quickly contacted by Crahan while working on his day job about potentially replacing Fehn, which he accepted. He took over percussion duties, joining the band shortly before the filming of the music video for "

Unsainted "Unsainted" is a song by American Heavy metal music, heavy metal band Slipknot (band), Slipknot. It was released as the lead single from their sixth studio album ''We Are Not Your Kind'' on May 16, 2019, accompanied by its music video. This is the ...

", the

lead single A lead single (also known as a debut single) is the first single to be released from a studio album by an artist or a band, usually before the album itself is released and also occasionally on the same day of the album's release date. Release s ...

off of their sixth studio album ''

We Are Not Your Kind ''We Are Not Your Kind'' is the sixth studio album by American heavy metal band Slipknot. Recorded at EastWest Studios in Hollywood, California with co-producer Greg Fidelman (who previously produced the band's 2014 album '' .5: The Gray Chapter ...

'', released on 9 August 2019. Due to the appearance of his mask resembling a

tortilla A tortilla (, ) is a thin, circular unleavened flatbread originally made from maize hominy meal, and now also from wheat flour. The Aztecs and other Nahuatl speakers called tortillas ''tlaxcalli'' (). First made by the indigenous peoples of M ...

, Pfaff was quickly nicknamed "Tortilla Man" by fans and was known primarily by this title until the band finally revealed his identity in March 2022. Initially brought in as a touring member, Pfaff became an official full-time member of the band when they all went into the studio to record the seventh studio album ''

The End, So Far ''The End, So Far'' is the seventh studio album by American heavy metal band Slipknot. It was released on September 30, 2022, through Roadrunner Records. This is the band's final album to be released through Roadrunner, whom the band signed wi ...

''. Pfaff sustained an ankle injury while performing on the band's 2022 European Tour.

Personal life

Pfaff attended New England Conservatory of Music in Boston, Massachusetts and received a masters degree in music. He attended Lawrence University, in Appleton, Wisconsin, for his undergraduate degree, also in music. He also has a wife and they both have one child together. Pfaff has accepted the nickname Tortilla Man as of 2022 via his personal Instagram account name “tortillapfaff”.

Discography

Slipknot

* ''

'' (2022)

Dirty Little Rabbits

* ''

'' (2007) * ''

'' (2009) * ''

'' (2010)

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Crahan, Shawn American heavy metal drummers American heavy metal singers American male singers Dirty Little Rabbits members Living people Nu metal drummers Musicians from Des Moines, Iowa Roadrunner Records artists Slipknot (band) members 20th-century American drummers American male drummers Year of birth missing (living people)