These Extra-Funky Vulfpeck Covers Of Steely Dan, The Beatles, And Stevie Wonder Make Me So Damn Happy

I have to be honest with you guys — I genuinely believe the soulful funk band Vulfpeck is the best thing to come out of Ann Arbor, Michigan since Hash Bash, The Stride Of Pride Shuttle, and President Gerald Ford. After a summer of dominating stages at music festivals like NOLA Jazzfest, Lock’N, and Bonnaroo, Vulf is back in NYC this week with four straight nights of live funky ducking.

As much as I love live music, I can’t really believe that it’s taken me 3+ years of hearing about Vulfpeck hype to actually go check out a show. There are nights I come home from the bar, pour myself a fat glass of bourbon, and throw on their YouTube channel on the Xbox One just to let it play, start-to-finish. On Wednesday night they tore up Summer Stage at Central Park. Then last night they turned Brooklyn Bowl into a sold out dance party. Acclaimed actor Paul Dano was there, dancing his Paul Dano face off just a couple feet away from me. Apparently he’s a big fan:

Vulf’s original jams are tremendous, especially live. Their bass player, Joe Dart, is a goddamn maniac in the best possible way. But if you need a jumping-off point to their music, check out the three monster covers they busted out last night — Steely Dan’s “Kid Charlemagne” with legendary drummer Bernard “Pretty” Purdie (…which you may remember as the song Kanye samples on 2007’s “Champion”), “Something” by The Beatles, and “Boogie On Reggae Woman” by Stevie Wonder — one of the funkiest anthems in American recorded music as far as I’m concerned.

UPDATE: I am happy to report that Paul Dano had a very good time at Vulfpeck last night.

Anyway, enjoy the tunes. Big shouts to @LazyLightning55 for capturing the grooves in super HD. And catch these guys live if you can.

The Beatles — “Something”

Stevie Wonder — “Boogie On Reggae Woman”

If you can’t tell from my Tweets, I had a really good time:

Brandon Wenerd is BroBible's publisher, writing on this site since 2009. He writes about sports, music, men's fashion, outdoor gear, traveling, skiing, and epic adventures. Based in Los Angeles, he also enjoys interviewing athletes and entertainers. Proud Penn State alum, former New Yorker. Email: brandon@brobible.com