Vulfpeck's Theo Katzman breezes through Evanston's SPACE ahead of second album

Arts & Culture, Beyond Chicago, Fall 2016

Vulfpeck’s Theo Katzman breezes through Evanston’s SPACE ahead of second album

November 22, 2016

By Grant Rindner

Ahead of the January release of his second album, Heartbreak Hits, singer and funk-rock free spirit Theo Katzman took the stage at Evanston’s SPACE this month. Katzman plays guitar and drums in the successful band Vulfpeck and was joined onstage by bassist Joe Dart of Vulfpeck and independent singer-pianist Joey Dosik and Evanston native Julian Allen on the drums.

Even without the full Vulfpeck family, they kept the crowd rockin’ with Katzman’s songs. Clad in aviators and a denim jacket, he deftly juggled lead vocal duty while switching between the guitar and drums. He ripped through a handful of tracks from his upcoming record, including “My Heart is Dead” and “Plain Jane Heroin,” While Dosik also played selections from his recent Game Winner EP.

Katzman and his band at Evanston SPACE — (From left) Joey Dosik, Joe Dart, Theo Katzman and Julian Allen brought infectious funk to SPACE with Katzman’s music. (Grant Rindner/MEDILL)

Theo Katzman and Joe Dart at Evanston SPACE — Katzman and Joe Dart showed off the musical chemistry they’ve honed in Vulfpeck and as music students before that. (Grant Rindner/MEDILL)

Joey Dosik at Evanston SPACE — Joey Dosik accompanied Katzman and played several of his own tracks, including an extended version of “Game Winner.” (Grant Rindner/MEDILL)

Theo Katzman at Evanston SPACE — Katzman peels off a mesmerizing solo. (Grant Rindner/MEDILL)

Theo Katzman playing drums at Evanston SPACE — The versatile Katzman relinquished lead vocalist duties to Dosik for a turn on the drums later in his set. (Grant Rindner/MEDILL)

Katzman cut his teeth and honed his licks at the University of Michigan’s School of Music, Theatre & Dance, where Vulfpeck formed. The band’s sound bears more of a jazz and soul influence than Katzman’s solo work, but both share a rich musicality and powerful arrangements – heavy in horns, rich in piano chords and infectious with fretwork.

In addition to producing two albums and four EPs since 2011, the band made headlines with Sleepify, a completely silent album that Vulfpeck fans streamed while they slept. They used the reported $20,000 worth of royalties to finance an admission-free tour in late 2014.

You can pre-order Katzman’s upcoming record on Kickstarter and buy Vulfpeck’s The Beautiful Game, which was released on October 17, via Bandcamp.

Photo at top: Theo Katzman playing a rollicking solo set at Evanston SPACE. (Grant Rindner/MEDILL)