High-energy rock. Zero chill. Call Me Jefé.
Call Me Jefé is a high-energy rock band built for packed rooms, loud sing-alongs, and nights that go longer than planned. Drawing heavily from the grit and swagger of the 80s and 90s, with a few unavoidable newer favorites sneaking into the mix, CMJ delivers familiar songs with edge, volume, and zero apologies.
This isn’t nostalgia cosplay or background music. Call Me Jefé plays rock the way it’s meant to be played—tight, loud, and just a little reckless. Whether it’s a club, bar, private event, or stage that needs waking up, CMJ brings the energy and leaves nothing on the floor.
Available for live shows and events.
MEET THE JEFÉS:
Bogdan Koul
Guitar
Bogdan Koul is the spark that started Call Me Jefé. A post on a musicians-seeking-musicians board set the whole thing in motion, and the rest followed naturally. Originally from Russia, Bogdan has been playing guitar since a young age, earning recognition from competition juries and seasoned players alike. Raised on classic rock and metal, his playing blends old-school foundations with a sharp, modern edge. Equal parts precision and feel, Bogdan brings serious chops and a global perspective to the band’s guitar attack.
Jeff Bafus
Guitar
One half of Call Me Jefé’s resident riff curators, Jeff Bafus took a slightly indirect path to guitar obsession. He started at age eight on an oversized acoustic, stalled almost immediately, then found salvation when KISS showed up with platform boots and face paint. After finally getting his first electric guitar, Jeff dove in during college, learning from dormmates, grinding through Doug Marks’ Metal Method, and prioritizing guitar practice over GPA optimization. His passion for gear led him to Jackson Guitars, where he worked in marketing and artist relations and once had a competitor’s guitar x-rayed at a hospital out of sheer curiosity. This actually happened. Today, Jeff brings a blend of precision, crunch, and unapologetic heaviness to Call Me Jefé, while also playing in two other Seattle-area bands. When not on stage, he works remotely as a senior marketing designer at a large bank and is perfectly fine keeping those two worlds separate.
Nella Gambini
Lead Vocals
Nella Gambini fronts Call Me Jefé with power, range, and zero apologies. Singing since she could talk, her early influences ranged from John Denver and Crystal Gayle to Heart, Natalie Merchant, and Pat Benatar. Piano came first, but she switched to guitar in her teens for one very practical reason: portability. Her musical background spans high school theater, church choir, country gospel, madrigal harmonies, and deep dives into grunge-era icons like Chris Cornell and Andrew Wood. As a songwriter and artist, Nella’s project Muse in Scorpio earned the 2024 Washington State Independent Music Award for Country Artist of the Year. Call Me Jefé, however, is where she lets her black-metal heart breathe. From Dio to W.A.S.P. and beyond, Nella is here to bring the Jefés to the stage and melt faces accordingly.
Jeffrey Hutchins
Drums
Jeffrey Hutchins is a Seattle-based drummer and musical director originally from California. A former U.S. Army Combat Medic, he brings focus, discipline, and firepower behind the kit. Jeffrey has recorded and toured with artists including Charlie Daniels, Blackbear, MGK, Zug Izland, Bubba Sparxxx, Adam Calhoun, and Dusty Leigh. He continues to tour nationally while delivering high-level session work in legendary studios with top producers. In Call Me Jefé, Jeffrey anchors the band with authority, dynamics, and relentless drive.
Geoff Cooke
Bass
Geoff Cooke is the rhythmic backbone of Call Me Jefé and the inspiration behind the band’s name. His arrival was the moment everything clicked. Raised in a deeply musical family in Denver, Geoff grew up surrounded by jazz and touring musicians. He earned a music degree from CU Denver in 1990, then spent the early ’90s in New York studying at The New School with jazz legends Buster Williams and Reggie Workman. After relocating to Seattle in 1995, Geoff built a long career as a professional jazz bassist, performing with numerous vocalists and projects throughout the region. From 2010 to 2020, he also co-led the Red Classic Rock Trio, a staple at Seattle’s J&M Café. Today, Geoff brings decades of groove, taste, and musical authority to Call Me Jefé’s low end.