this post<\/a> by our multiloquent contributor, John Marks, had the temerity to suggest that perhaps there were no great musicians playing popular music nowadays. My brother was quick to reply, “Check out Wulfpeck.” I don’t know if my brother made a typo or if he was assuming German pronunciation, but the band to which he was referring was, in fact, the quartet of pianist Woody Goss, drummer\/guitarist\/vocalist Theo Katzman, drummer\/keyboardist Jack Stratton, and bassist Joe Dart known as Vulfpeck.<\/p>\nIt is, perhaps, understandable that on October 9, 2019, neither my brother nor any of the subsequent commenters were particularly aware of Vulfpeck—after all, they had never had a top 100 hit, nor were they even signed to a record label. Hell, they didn’t even have a manager. And yet, less than two weeks previous to that October post, Goss, Katzman, Stratton, and Dart\u00a0sold out Madison Square Garden.\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\nA remarkable achievement to be sure, and one that is somewhat indicative of the state of the modern music recording industry. Like most overnight successes, Vulfpeck has been around for a long time—since 2011, to be exact. In that sense, their ascent is typical of many underground musical acts. However, the story of those nine years is a bit unique.<\/p>\n
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After forming as a rhythm section at the University of Michigan School of Music in 2011, Vulfpeck recorded and released three funk-based recordings before ever playing a single live gig together. The first two EPs consisted of entirely instrumental music—it wasn’t until the third recording that the group featured the Detroit-area soul and gospel vocalist, Antwan Stanley, on a vocal track entitled “Wait for the Moment.”\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n
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