Vulfpeck Explained

Vulfpeck
Landscape:yes
Current Members:
Label:Vulf Records
Origin:Ann Arbor, Michigan, U.S.
Years Active:2011–present

Vulfpeck is an American funk/soul band formed in Ann Arbor, Michigan, in 2011. Founded by multi-instrumentalist Jack Stratton, the band includes core members Theo Katzman, Woody Goss, and Joe Dart, musical partners Cory Wong, Antwaun Stanley, Joey Dosik, and Jacob Jeffries, and a changing lineup of guest musicians. The band has released six studio albums, four extended plays, a compilation, and two live albums through their own record label. The band gained recognition in 2014 for releasing Sleepify, a silent album that exposed a loophole in Spotify's royalty distribution and funded an admission-free tour. The band is one of the first to sell out Madison Square Garden without a manager or backing label, and released the recorded performance as a live album in 2019. The band's most recent album, MSG II, was released in December 2025.

Background

The band members attended the University of Michigan School of Music, Theatre & Dance. They first came together for a recording session at the Duderstadt Center, a university facility that houses an arts library and other resources. After reading an interview with German producer Reinhold Mack, band founder Jack Stratton conceived of Vulfpeck as an imagined German version of the U.S. session musicians of the 1960s such as the Funk Brothers, the Wrecking Crew, and the Swampers. The idea was to channel that era of the live rhythm section.

The band's founding members are Jack Stratton on keyboards, drums and guitar, Theo Katzman on guitar, drums and occasionally vocals, Woody Goss on keyboards, and Joe Dart on bass. Touring and recording partners are Antwaun Stanley, Joey Dosik, Cory Wong, and Jacob Jeffries. Other contributing musicians have included Charles Jones, Christine Hucal, David T. Walker, Bernard Purdie, James Gadson and Blake Mills.

History

2011-2014: EPs and Sleepify

The band's first release was titled "Beastly". It was released in April 2011 as a YouTube video. The track was noted by No Treble, an online magazine for bass players, for its bass performance. The band released its first EP, Mit Peck, in 2011 and a second EP, Vollmilch, in 2012. In 2013, three band members backed Darren Criss on his national tour, and Joe Dart was ranked as No Trebles 5th-favorite bassist. Vulfpeck's first live performance was at the Blind Pig in Ann Arbor, Michigan, followed by a performance in New York City at the Rockwood Music Hall in October 2013. The band released its third EP, My First Car, in August 2013. The EP features Antwaun Stanley on the band's first vocal track. A review of My First Car called it less energetic compared to the band's first two EPs but "still a fitting addition to a unique catalogue of music".

In March 2014, Vulfpeck released Sleepify, a ten-track silent album on Spotify, in order to raise funds for an admission-free tour. The album generated $20,000 in royalties over a two-month period. Subsequently, Spotify removed the album stating it violated their terms of content. The band's royalty generation scheme received international press coverage. In July the band received the royalties and soon after announced the Sleepify Tour.

In August 2014, the band released its fourth EP, Fugue State. The EP's second track "1612" is styled after Wardell Quezergue's works and features Antwaun Stanley on vocals. The admission-free Sleepify Tour took place in September 2014. Tour locations included San Francisco, Los Angeles, Chicago, Ann Arbor and New York City. In 2015, Stratton proposed a more equitable model for Spotify payout distribution in which each artist's payout is based solely on that artist's listeners, rather than every listener using the service.

2015-2019: Studio albums and Live at Madison Square Garden

Vulfpeck released Thrill of the Arts in October 2015. The album featured contributions by several artists including David T. Walker, Charles Jones and Blake Mills. Jim Fusilli of The Wall Street Journal called the music "gritty, in-your-face, not-prettified funk played with fire" and a homage to old-school funk and soul. The album debuted at number 16 on the U.S. R&B Albums chart. The band and Goodhertz Inc. released a production plug-in called Vulf Compressor. The band performed on The Late Show with Stephen Colbert in November 2015.

Vulfpeck's second album The Beautiful Game was released in October 2016. It featured contributions by several artists including Cory Wong and Adam Levy. This album includes the song, "Dean Town", which is based on and inspired by Weather Report's 1977 song, "Teen Town", especially the electric bass guitar line by Jaco Pastorius as interpreted by Joe Dart. The album peaked at number 10 on the Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums chart. The band's third album, Mr Finish Line, was released in November 2017. It featured veteran instrumentalists James Gadson, Bootsy Collins, Michael Bland, David T. Walker, and vocalists Coco O., Antwaun Stanley, Joey Dosik, Christine Hucal, and Charles Jones. In 2016 and 2017 the band performed regularly with Antwaun Stanley and guest artists including several shows with Bernard Purdie and Ziggy Modeliste. The band performed a cover of "Boogie On Reggae Woman" on SiriusXM radio.

Vulfpeck's fourth album, Hill Climber, was released in December 2018 and featured Cory Wong, Joey Dosik, Antwaun Stanley, Ryan Lerman, Larry Goldings, Mike Viola, Monica Martin, and Louis Cole. In 2019, the Music Man guitar company introduced the Joe Dart Bass signature guitar, and subsequently the Joe Dart Jr., Joe Dart II and Joe Dart III bass guitars. Dart was ranked first by Bass Guitar magazine as the coolest new bassist.

In September 2019, the band headlined a sold-out concert at Madison Square Garden, one of the first to do so without a manager or record label. Recording of the performance was released as a live album, titled Live at Madison Square Garden, along with a full concert film. The live performance featured touring partners Stanley, Wong, Dosik, and guest artists Charles Jones, Chris Thile, Dave Koz, Nate Smith, Mark Dover, Richie Rodriguez and others.

2020-present: Schvitz, Clarity of Cal and MSG II

In October 2020, the band released a compilation album of new as well as previously released songs titled The Joy of Music, the Job of Real Estate. The album's tenth track is a song by the New York-based band Earthquake Lights who won an auction to publish on the album.

In November 2022, Vulfpeck announced their return to music (post coronavirus pandemic) by revealing their fifth album Schvitz, which was released in December 2022. In an album review, Hunter-Tilney of Financial Times called the music "retro-funk and soul" and wrote the band "aims to put a smile on the listener's face". The band resumed touring in 2023 with shows in the U.S. and Europe, including Bonnaroo in 2023 and Jazz à Vienne in 2024. In September 2024, Vulfpeck played six shows at the UC Theatre in Berkeley and two shows at the Palladium in Los Angeles. During these shows, the band recorded their sixth album titled Clarity of Cal. The performances included Charles Jones on keyboards and Jacob Jeffries on vocals and percussion. The album, along with its accompanying concert film, was released in March 2025.

In September 2025, the band headlined their second concert at Madison Square Garden which featured performances by veteran drummer Bernard Purdie. The performance was recorded and later released on the band's second live album, titled MSG II, along with an accompanying concert film.

Style

The band's production style is modeled after live TV performances of the past, such as The Midnight Special, The Old Grey Whistle Test, and Beat-Club. The band aims for a simple and minimal sound where each instrument contributes and does not dominate. Recordings are done live with real instruments, and seldom are different takes cut and mixed. Improvisation is a significant part of song development. The compositions are modeled after unconventional song structures of the past, such as "Ooh Child" with an A and B section where each section provides a lift, and "If You Want Me to Stay" with a repetitive eight bar progression.

Side projects

The Fearless Flyers

thumb|alt=The Fearless Flyers quartet performing onstage in 2018|upright=1.2|The Fearless Flyers, left to right: Wong, Lettieri, Dart, Smith

The Fearless Flyers are an instrumental quartet consisting of drummer Nate Smith, bassist Joe Dart, and guitarists Cory Wong and Mark Lettieri. The band was formed in 2018 by Vulfpeck founder Jack Stratton who produced the band's music through 2024. The band has released two studio albums, four extended plays, two live albums, and has toured in the United Stated and Europe. Collaborators who have recorded with the band include Sandra Crouch, Blake Mills, Elizabeth Lea, Chris Thile, Joey Dosik, Grace Kelly, Kenni Holmen and Alekos Syropoulos. The band's most recent album titled The Fearless Flyers V was produced by Cory Wong and released in 2025.

Christmas album

In 2019, band keyboardist Woody Goss released an album titled A Very Vulfy Christmas, a compilation of eight jazz-style rearrangements of Vulfpeck originals. The tracks feature drummer Dana Hall and bassists Matt Ulery and Joe Fee.

Vulf Vault

In 2020, Vulf Records started issuing vinyl-exclusive compilation albums under the Vulf Vault heading. The first was an album of eight songs featuring Antwaun Stanley followed by an album of eleven songs written by Woody Goss. Compilation albums highlighting the works of Katzman and Dart were issued in 2021. In 2022 Vulf Records released an album of original recordings titled Vulf Vault 005: Wong's Cafe. Highlighting the works of Cory Wong and produced by him, the album included contributions by Eddie Barbash. Later in 2022 the label released an album of new recordings by Vulfmon (Jack Stratton's solo alias) titled Vulf Vault 006: Here We Go Jack. The album included contributions by David T. Walker, Monica Martin, Mike Viola and others.

Members

thumb|alt=The band members hugging one another onstage|upright=1.2|Left to right: Dosik, Wong, Stanley, Goss, Dart, Katzman, Stratton, in 2017

Touring and recording partners

Tours

Discography

See main article: Vulfpeck discography.

Live albums

Filmography

References

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External links

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Can't Fake the Funk. Danny Hazan. Medium. May 18, 2015. May 30, 2015.
  2. Web site: Vulfpeck Keep It Beastly. Tim Specce. jambands.com. January 12, 2014. May 14, 2014. https://web.archive.org/web/20160819030132/http://www.jambands.com/features/2014/01/12/vulfpeck-keep-it-beastly. August 19, 2016. live.
  3. Web site: Vulfpeck's Jack Stratton talks about U-M, 'Sleepify' and Spotify. Jenn McKee. mlive.com. May 12, 2014. May 14, 2014.
  4. Reinhold Mack: ELO, Queen, Black Sabbath & T. Rex. Larry Crane. Tape Op. 81. 34–47. January 2011. May 14, 2014. https://web.archive.org/web/20171004052200/http://tapeop.com/interviews/81/reinhold-mack/. October 4, 2017. dead.
  5. Web site: Vulfpeck: 'Beastly' Live in Studio. Corey Brown. notreble.com. June 20, 2011. May 14, 2014.
  6. Web site: No Treble: 2013 Reader Favorites. notreble.com. May 14, 2014.
  7. Web site: Vulfpeck: 'Outro' Live at Rockwood Music Hall. Corey Brown. notreble.com. November 17, 2013. May 14, 2014.
  8. Web site: Vulfpeck's 'My First Car' – EP Review. blog.ourvinyl.tv. Wib Schneider. May 14, 2014. https://web.archive.org/web/20151002225555/http://blog.ourvinyl.tv/vulfpeck-my-first-car/. October 2, 2015. dead.
  9. Web site: Vulfpeck Stands to Earn More Than $18K From Spotify for Silent Album. Andy Gensler. Billboard Magazine. April 4, 2014. May 14, 2014.
  10. Web site: Don't Enjoy the Silence: Spotify Pulls Silent Publicity Stunt Album. Kory Grow. Rolling Stone. April 25, 2014. May 14, 2014. https://web.archive.org/web/20150903001514/https://www.rollingstone.com/music/news/dont-enjoy-the-silence-spotify-pulls-silent-publicity-stunt-album-20140425. September 3, 2015. dead.
  11. Web site: Spotify Removes Vulfpeck's 'Sleepify'. Harley Brown. Billboard Magazine. April 26, 2014. May 25, 2014.
  12. Sleepify:
  13. Web site: Vulfpeck's Half-Joke 'Silent Album' Made Some Serious Cash. Paul Bonanos. Billboard Magazine. July 22, 2014. July 23, 2014.
  14. Web site: Facebook: Vulfpeck – August 8, 2014. facebook.com. August 8, 2014. August 15, 2014.
  15. Web site: Vulfpeck: 1612. notreble.com. August 27, 2014. August 27, 2014.
  16. Web site: Archive: Vulfpeck website – September 26, 2014. vulfpeck.com. September 6, 2014. https://web.archive.org/web/20140926022203/http://vulfpeck.com/. September 26, 2014. dead.
  17. Web site: Why Does Spotify Pay So Little? [An Analysis]]. hypebot.com. March 23, 2015. April 5, 2015.
  18. Web site: 'Thrill of the Arts' by Vulfpeck Review. The Wall Street Journal. Jim Fusilli. October 13, 2015. October 14, 2015. https://web.archive.org/web/20151015005057/http://www.wsj.com/articles/thrill-of-the-arts-by-vulfpeck-review-1444767855. October 15, 2015. dead.
  19. Web site: Billboard: Top R&B Albums – October 31, 2015. Billboard magazine. October 31, 2015. December 16, 2015.
  20. Web site: The Vulfpeck Sound: Jack Stratton Explains the Story of Vulf Compressor and the Boss Dr. Sample SP-303. Zumic. November 9, 2015. November 17, 2015. August 5, 2017. https://web.archive.org/web/20170805011110/http://zumic.com/2015/11/09/the-vulfpeck-sound-jack-stratton-explains-the-history-of-vulf-compressor-and-the-boss-dr-sample-sp-303-youtube-video/. dead.
  21. Web site: Jon Batiste Joins Vulfpeck at Brooklyn Bowl; Second Show to be Webcast. jambands.com. November 23, 2015. November 30, 2015.
  22. Performance 2016–17:
  23. Web site: Vulfpeck Releases 2016 Studio Album, The Beautiful Game. jambase.com. October 17, 2016. October 17, 2016.
  24. Web site: Billboard: Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums – November 5, 2016. Billboard magazine. November 5, 2016. October 26, 2016.
  25. Web site: Vulfpeck Announces New Album 'Mr Finish Line'. jambase.com. September 6, 2017. September 6, 2017.
  26. An Interview with Jack Stratton. Josh Fischel. The Believer. 147. October 16, 2024. May 19, 2025.
  27. Web site: Musician's Spotlight – Theo Katzman (audio interview). John Floridis. Montana Public Radio. mtpr.org. May 24, 2023. August 1, 2023.
  28. Web site: Apple Music: Woody Goss. Apple Music. 2025. January 3, 2025.
  29. Web site: Apple Music: Woody and Jeremy. Apple Music. 2025. January 3, 2025.
  30. Web site: Vulfpeck Releases Eighth Studio Album, 'Hill Climber'. Sam Berenson. liveforlivemusic.com. December 7, 2018. April 22, 2019.
  31. Web site: Vulfpeck performs '1612,' Stevie Wonder cover LIVE on Jam On!. siriusxm.com. October 7, 2016. February 9, 2019.
  32. Bass guitars:
  33. Web site: Berklee Cafe939: Joe Dart Clinic – video. Berklee College of Music. December 15, 2018. May 8, 2019. https://web.archive.org/web/20190116212928/http://www.ustream.tv/recorded/118676234. January 16, 2019. live. notreble.com.
  34. Hey Joe – interview. Joel McIver. Bass Guitar. musicradar.com. 170. 18–21. July 2019. June 8, 2019.
  35. Web site: How Funk Band Vulfpeck Sold Out Madison Square Garden Without a Manager or Big Label. Steve Knopper. Billboard. October 3, 2019. October 13, 2019. https://web.archive.org/web/20220519163557/https://www.billboard.com/pro/how-vulfpeck-sold-out-madison-square-garden-without-manager-label/. May 19, 2022. dead.
  36. Web site: Vulfpeck Performs 'Live At Madison Square Garden': Pro-Shot Full Show Video. Scott Bernstein. jambase.com. December 10, 2019. December 10, 2019.
  37. Web site: Vulfpeck's Woody Goss Announces 'A Very Vulfy Christmas' Album. Andrew O'Brien. liveforlivemusic.com. November 26, 2019. December 23, 2019.
  38. Web site: Bandcamp: Woody Goss – A Very Vulfy Christmas. bandcamp.com. December 23, 2019. December 23, 2019.
  39. Web site: Vulfpeck Announces Debut Performance at Madison Square Garden. Andrew O'Brien. liveforlivemusic.com. January 25, 2019. February 9, 2020.
  40. Web site: Public Service Announcement: Vulfpeck Posts Full MSG Show on YouTube. Colby Hall. mediaite.com. December 10, 2019. February 12, 2020.
  41. Web site: Vulfpeck Shares '3 on E' Featuring Antwaun Stanley Video. Nate Todd. jambase.com. April 3, 2020. April 4, 2020.
  42. Web site: Vulfpeck Shares Unreleased Track 'Radio Shack'. Nate Todd. jambase.com. July 2, 2020. July 5, 2020.
  43. Web site: Vulfpeck – Fugue State [Album Review]]. Mark McGwin. liveforlivemusic.com. September 24, 2014. August 1, 2020.
  44. Web site: Vulfpeck Releases 'Running Away' Featuring Joey Dosik, James Gadson & David T. Walker. Kendall Deflin. liveforlivemusic.com. November 3, 2017. August 1, 2020.
  45. Web site: Vulfpeck Sells Track 10 of New Album for $70K+ on eBay to Earthquake Lights. Andrew O'Brien. Live for Live Music. October 23, 2020. October 24, 2020.
  46. Web site: Vulfpeck Announces New Album, 'Vulf Vault 005: Wong's Cafe'. Michael Broerman. Live for Live Music. December 8, 2021. December 12, 2021.
  47. Web site: Today's New Albums: Lotus, The Weeknd, Vulfpeck & Cory Wong + More. jambase.com. January 7, 2022. January 8, 2022.
  48. Web site: Vulfmon AKA Jack Stratton Asks 'How Much Do You Love Me?' on New Vulf Vault. James Sissler. Live for Live Music. June 7, 2022. June 7, 2022.
  49. Web site: Vulfpeck announce new album 'Schvitz'. Tyler Golsen. Far Out. November 28, 2022. December 3, 2022.
  50. Web site: Vulfpeck: Schvitz album review – inventive musicianship and good humour. Ludovic Hunter-Tilney . Financial Times. January 6, 2023. January 8, 2023.
  51. Web site: Apple Music: Vulfmon. Apple Music. 2025. January 3, 2025.
  52. Web site: Watch Vulfpeck Record Songs for New Album Live..... Nate Todd. jambase.com. September 20, 2024. October 19, 2024.
  53. Web site: Groove Spoon: Simple Step. Corey Brown. notreble.com. November 28, 2017. April 7, 2024.
  54. How Vulfpeck Transformed This Legend's Iconic Bassline with Adam Neely . March 2, 2022 . Dead Wax . February 14, 2025 . YouTube.
  55. Web site: In the Homemade Jam. northernexpress.com. May 17, 2006. February 22, 2025.
  56. Web site: Vulfpeck Releases Stellar Concert Film to Accompany New 'Clarity of Cal' Album. Scott Bernstein. jambase.com. March 5, 2025. March 5, 2025.
  57. Web site: Vulfpeck Finally Announces 1st Headline Concert of 2024. Scott Bernstein. jambase.com. February 7, 2024. March 9, 2025.
  58. Web site: Soaring To New Heights: The Fearless Flyers Announce 'V' Album, Drop 'Flyers Crusade'. Scott Bernstein. JamBase . April 29, 2025. May 19, 2025.
  59. Web site: How The Fearless Flyers Found Creativity In Specificity. Andrew O'Brien. liveforlivemusic.com. February 26, 2024. May 25, 2025. https://web.archive.org/web/20240524212619/https://liveforlivemusic.com/features/the-fearless-flyers-iv-vulfpeck-interview-2024/. May 24, 2024. live.
  60. The Fearless Flyers collaborations:
  61. Web site: Legendary Drummer Bernard Purdie Among Vulfpeck's Guests at Madison Square Garden. Andy Kahn. jambase.com. September 15, 2025. September 15, 2025.
  62. Web site: Apple Music: Vulfpeck. Apple Music. 2026. January 5, 2026.
  63. Web site: Stream the official live recording and concert film.... . Scott Bernstein. jambase.com. January 7, 2026. January 11, 2026.

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