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Vulfpeck is a funk band founded in Ann Arbor, Michigan in 2011. Stylistically, the band is modeled after the session musicians of the 1960s, those unsung geniuses who backed famous Motown singers in thousands of studio recordings. Vulfpeck has the musical chops to live up to that legacy and their achievements really show it. Since their inception, they’ve released an EP or studio album every single year. Their individual members have received accolades from major outlets, they were featured as a musical guest on The Late Show with Stephen Colbert in 2015, and in 2019 they became one of the first groups to headline a sold-out concert at Madison Square Garden without a major record label or manager.
All things considered, Vulfpeck is a no-nonsense, capital-F funk band that prolifically releases excellent, sophisticated music to a committed group of fans. Only one question remains: what’s up with the name “Vulfpeck?” Well, bandleader Jack Stratton has a fascinating explanation about the origin of the group’s moniker:
“Some people think our name means ‘wolf pack.’ They’re close, but it actually means ‘wolf peck,’ which is to say a tiny kiss from a wolf. I think it’s German.”
Jack Stratton
(( “Who? (with Vulfpeck)” Youtube, uploaded by The Late Show with Stephen Colbert, 23 Nov. 2015, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MFGxGzdpk3I. ))
Okay, it’s safe to say that there is in fact some nonsense going on in this interview segment from Vulfpeck’s appearance on The Late Show with Stephen Colbert, and indeed in their entire album catalog and online presence. Vulfpeck is still a straight-laced, serious funk group… but they’re also one of the funniest bands out there, and they’re very much allowed to be both.
Sometimes, I Write A Little Song
Most musical groups that make Billboard’s comedy chart, such as Flight of the Conchords, Steel Panther, and Tenacious D, devote their entire musical output to humor and rely on their lyrics to deliver the jokes.
Credit: Tenacious D
Vulfpeck is different. For one thing, most of their songs are so focused on the funk that they don’t even have lyrics. When they do, they often make sure to infuse some humor here and there. Take, for example, the confused biologist in the mid-track breakdown of “Darwin Derby,” seemingly flummoxed by the need to put his marine physiology lecture into rhyme:
But why does the shark have teeth?
(( Vulfpeck. “Darwin Derby.” Hill Climber, Vulf Records, 2018. https://open.spotify.com/track/1FwFVKRNX1IV4eEZSGGg5M?si=aSaa4TcBS8-iT7LHB1N2bA ))
The shark has teeth to eat, (I see)
And why does the whale have feet?
Well it—I don’t know!
Another great example is their recent release “LAX,” which starts as a typical ode to the singer’s special lady. It’s sweet until the listener discovers that he loves her mostly because she’s willing to pick him up after a flight at the hellish Los Angeles International Airport.
I love my baby, she’s the best
(( Vulfpeck. “LAX.” The Joy of Music, the Job of Real Estate, Vulf Records, 2020. https://open.spotify.com/track/4I0s9c8rjPVm4QoFtnW2lb?si=T0q7_qdOTfaVBCvh7LJecQ ))
She picks me up at LAX
The lyrics, however, are only the absolute tip of the iceberg when it comes to Vulfpeck’s humor. To start with, almost every Vulfpeck song is released on YouTube with an accompanying video. Though most of the videos are put together from simple footage of the band playing in a living room or studio, they also have embedded jokes and small, wacky details that display the group’s penchant for not taking themselves seriously.
The text inserts in “Welcome to Vulf Records” boast that “Vulfpeck as recorded fewer #1 hits than The Wrecking Crew, The Funk Brothers, and The Swampers combined,” and that band member Joe Dart, fully twenty-five years old at the time, is “regarded as one of the best fender bass players of his age bracket.” (( “VULFPECK /// Welcome to Vulf Records” Youtube, uploaded by Vulf, 28 March 2016, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eCO_hcBz-0I. ))
The first fifteen seconds of the “Walkies” music video is just funny, awkward dog photos cut in time with the music. The video for “Mean Girls” features a song-length visual gag where bandleader Jack Stratton struggles to plug his guitar into his amp while the rest of the band plays without him, only for him to finally get it working… right after the song ends.
Jack Stratton being silly, in fact, is at least a small part of almost every Vulfpeck music video. Jack goofily walking down a sidewalk is pretty much the entirety of the video for “The Speedwalker.” In the music video for “Birds of a Feather, we Rock Together,” filmed at a breakfast table, Jack plays a griddle of pancakes with a pair of spatulas instead of a drum set. How about all those times Jack spends a music video, in part or in full, just lying on the ground? Because he sure does do that.
When clicking on a Vulfpeck music video, it’s hard to know exactly what to expect, but it will probably be a lot funnier than than just a song.
It’s Not The Strongest Narrative
But to truly understand Jack Stratton’s subtle, dry brand of ironic humor, a Vulfpeck aficionado needs to look beyond just the music videos. The group is consistently present on YouTube, and they often post small skits where Jack takes center stage and really shines.
Credit: Vulfpeck
See, for example, the delightfully random video of him grooving and shaking, somewhat egotistically, to “He’s The Greatest Dancer” by Sister Sledge. There’s also the video where he takes to the streets with a bass guitar, a portable amp strapped to his belt, and a drumstick to pluck the strings, and busked around town for pocket change only to realize that he forgot to bring anything for people to throw money into. When the band announced a Kickstarter project to release its music on vinyl, Jack adopted the persona of Vulfmon, a heavily-accented, old-school German record producer bemoaning the abuses of the digital music age, and really committed to the bit.
Vulfmon isn’t the only persona Jack has adopted over the years. There’s a series of “Mushy” videos on the Vulf channel where Jack slips into the voice of Mushy Krongold, an aging, mincing… Broadway composer? Music teacher? It’s hard to say. Notable among these are a “rediscovered” recording of Mushy singing a transparent rip-off of “Hey Ya!” by OutKast called “Hey You” and an incomprehensible musical tribute to Mushy’s late border collie.
Credit: Vulfpeck
Of course, it’s difficult to describe the bone-dry humor without Stratton’s utterly committed delivery, so those interested should check out Vulfpeck’s YouTube channel. Their back-catalog of non-musical content is a real rabbit hole, but it’s pure gold for those who can pick up on their wavelength.
I’m A Product Kind Of Guy
Nowadays, Jack still posts skits to YouTube, but he speaks as himself and the videos are mostly in service of every band’s true purpose… promoting merchandise! Playing off their lingering reputation as a self-serious, no-nonsense musical operation, Vulfpeck’s merch catalog is characterized by a subtly hilarious ironic minimalism. As an example: most bands have a lot of shirts, right? For context, the acapella group Pentatonix was formed in 2011, just like Vulfpeck, and their online store currently lists over twenty-five shirts. Vulfpeck… has one official shirt. It’s called the “Vulf Shirt (classic),” as if to differentiate it from other, newer shirts, but… there’s only one shirt. It only comes in black.
Moving right along, Vulfpeck also has a proprietary font called Vulf Mono, which it uses in its logos and promotional materials. And the best part is, it’s available to purchase and use on home computers! It’s so minimal, it’s not even a tangible object! (What band would do this? The real question is, why don’t more bands do this?)
The release of the variant font Vulf Sans got Jack back in front of the camera to promote it, and his half-assed attempt to fake expertise in type design is hilarious on so many levels.
And he’s so aware of how ridiculous it is for a band to release a font.
“Lastly, I wanna remind everyone the Madison Square Garden show is a Vulfpeck concert, not a conference on type design, as many people who’ve already bought tickets seem to think. We’re trying to sort that out right now, but please don’t get angry at our staff about that. It’s not their fault.”
Jack Stratton
(( “VULF SANS /// Font Release Promo” Youtube, uploaded by Vulf, 12 July 2019, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HJEn7HcpfXE&t=2s. ))
Lastly: a minimalist piece of merch for probably the most minimalist member of Vulfpeck, bassist Joe Dart. If anyone’s actually no-nonsense in this crazy band, it’s him. He makes sure the beat is steady, doesn’t talk all that much, always wears plain black sunglasses. When he released a Joe Dart Signature Bass with Ernie Ball Music Man, it seems like an uncharacteristically flashy move… until you see the thing.
The body of the instrument is literally a piece of unpainted wood. The only extraneous feature on the entire thing is a single volume knob. Priceless. And the video promoting it is probably Vulfpeck’s comedic crown jewel, featuring Jack’s hyperactive irony clashing with Joe’s unbreakable poker face.
Joe: “Sometimes you might be playing a show and find that your bass is too loud or too quiet. We put an unmistakable, can’t-miss-it volume knob—”
(( “The Joe Dart Bass.” Youtube, uploaded by Vulf, 1 March 2019, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9eOF7t4HgjE. ))
*Joe demonstrates the volume knob’s function by plucking a bass string and turning the knob. The bass gradually gets louder.*
Jack: “What is that controlling?”
Sleepify
Finally, it’s impossible to talk about Vulfpeck’s comedy without mentioning the prank they pulled on the world stage… against Spotify. Frustrated with Spotify’s meager compensation for artists, Vulfpeck found a loophole in the system. They released “Sleepify,” an album consisting entirely of silence.
They then asked their fans to play it while they slept, which would garner Vulfpeck revenue beyond what was usually possible with music that people actually needed to… listen to. The announcement video for this one is also excellent.
“And if you don’t already have Spotify, for a limited time, Spotify is going to throw in the entire history of recorded music.”
Jack Stratton
(( “SLEEPIFY /// The Spotify Funded Vulfpeck Tour.” Youtube, uploaded by Vulf, 11 March 2014, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KXvncV79LXk. ))
The album generated $20,000 in royalties before Spotify removed it for an unspecified terms-of-service violation. Vulfpeck used the money to fund an admission-free tour, but the album was also successful in raising awareness about Spotify’s questionable business practices. Jack even got an interview on CNBC to discuss the issue, and he brought his trademark deadpan drawl.
“Well, um… I suppose to understand their artist payout, you need a new currency. Um… I call it—I call it the “Pitty.” There are a hundred pennies in a dollar, a hundred “Pitties” in a penny. And, ah… on a given play, the artist will make about sixty—sixty pitties!”
Jack Stratton
(( “How Funk Band Vulfpeck Took On Spotify | CNBC.” Youtube, uploaded by CNBC, 3 April 2018, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KXvncV79LXk. ))
There’s nothing quite like a well-executed practical joke, especially if it just happens to make $20,000, and it’s pretty hard to imagine any band but Vulfpeck being able to pull it off with such aplomb.
Very, Very Complicated
Don’t forget, however, that Vulfpeck is still a real funk band that releases excellent music. A listener to their regular albums would probably never guess that the band moonlights as a top-tier meme factory. How can it do both? Why shouldn’t it? Do they suddenly lose their legendary musical prowess by being silly every once in a while? On the contrary, humor doesn’t contradict Vulfpeck’s credentials but supplements and augments their appeal to create a truly memorable image.
The world really needs laughter right now, and it can seem lacking when the traditional media landscape is so obsessed with being taken dead-seriously. If more media entities took a page from Vulfpeck’s book, the world might be a more vibrant place, and simple fun might be more widely acknowledged as a truly essential part of the culture.