Last month, Vulfpeck stopped by Sirius XM studios in NYC for a special performance on Jam_ON (Ch.29). They performed a number of songs for “The Jam Files”, including their own “1612”, “Fugue State”, and a cover of Stevie Wonder‘s “Boogie On Reggae Woman”.
Bandleader and Volfmon Jack Stratton revealed to host Ari Fink the significance of “1612” in a segment, explaining: “I was subletting an Airbnb with a security code of ‘1612’ and it just kept coming up! People texting me, ‘What’s the code?’ Guys calling me, ‘Do you remember the code?’ It just occurred to me that 1612 was really happening in my life at that point, and I wanted to lend some significance to it with that song.”
He continued, “I’m a big fan of number-based songs, lending significance to combinations of numbers. So I wanted to get into that world, too, get into that Wikipedia list of songs about numbers. Just a lot of goals coming together in that song.”
It is also the vocal contributions of Sir Antwaun Stanley that really make the song come to life. “The beauty of Antwaun Stanley is you give him these somewhat absurd lyrics, but they sound like they were etched in stone with the virtuosity and commitment he has to the lyrics,” Stratton explains.
Vulfpeck’s upcoming record, The Beautiful Game, is set to release on October 17. So far, the only song performed live is “Cory Wong”, a track named after frequent collaborator and guitarist Cory Wong. Cory played throughout Vulf’s multi-night NYC takeover, as did keyboardist Joey Dosik. Both are featured in the performance videos below!
Theo Katzman uses the voice box to keep the rhythms a plenty during an Antwaun-led version of “Boogie On Reggae Woman”.
Enjoy this stripped-down, smooth-groove rendition of “1612” unlike any version we’ve heard before, featuring Antwaun Stanley, Joey Dosik, and Cory Wong!
Jack Stratton explains the significance of “1612”:
Vulfpeck’s performance on The Jam Files will premiere at 12 p.m. ET on Oct. 10 and will replay throughout the week. Don’t miss out! This whole studio performance came just hours after keyboardist Woody Goss brought Live For Live Music on a birdwatching adventure through Central Park. Watch how it all went down here!
After four shows across seas, Vulfpeck is back on American soil and returns to the stage this evening at the Electric Factory in Philadelphia. The show is sure to be a good time, but will undoubtedly be extra funky with the addition of the Swift Technique horns. Photos and videos to come.