Vulfpeck / Vulf

How it started.

Vulfpeck began in Ann Arbor in 2011 with Jack Stratton, Theo Katzman, Woody Goss and Joe Dart. Stratton brought the idea to a University of Michigan recording session: an imagined rhythm section inspired by the musicians behind other people’s records. Their session videos found an audience, and the project grew.

Silence paid for the shows.

In 2014, they asked fans to stream Sleepify, an album of silent tracks, while they slept. Spotify removed it, but the royalties funded a tour with free admission. The experiment made their independent approach part of the story alongside the music.

Songs to start with.

Wait for the Moment pairs Antwaun Stanley’s voice with the band on My First Car. Back Pocket followed on Thrill of the Arts, whose guests also included Blake Mills and David T. Walker. The Beautiful Game brought Dean Town, Animal Spirits and Cory Wong into the catalogue.

From sessions to big rooms.

Their first Madison Square Garden show sold out in 2019 and became a live album. They kept experimenting with how a record gets made: Clarity of Cal was recorded onstage across eight California shows and released in March 2025. A return to the Garden followed that September, with MSG II released on Bandcamp in December.