Wolfgang Van Halen recently appeared on Audacy Check In to talk about Mammoth WVH’s new single, album, and much more.
Asked by host Jason Bailey if he would ever cover a Van Halen song on one of his albums, Wolfgang responds, "Nah... If I ever were to cover a thing, it maybe would be like a YouTube video thing. I’ve got a YouTube channel, maybe it would be fun at some point, when I have more free time, to cover songs for fun and put them up there. On an official album, probably not. I think I have too much of a desire to prove myself and just figure out my own creative process without trying to take from somebody else.”
On the heels of a whirlwind debut that included a Grammy Award nomination for his first-ever single, #1 debuts on multiple charts, television performances, and sold out shows over a two-year span, Mammoth WVH is back with its sophomore album, Mammoth II. The 10-track record will be available worldwide on August 4 via the band’s new label, BMG.
Recorded at the legendary 5150 studio, the album was produced by friend and collaborator Michael “Elvis” Baskette. Mammoth II is available for pre-order in multiple configurations here.
Continuing the tradition of writing all of the songs and performing all of the instrumentation and vocals himself, Wolfgang Van Halen set out to challenge himself to expand his sound beyond what people had already come to know him for. From the rocking opener “Right?” to the Beatles-esque fade on closer “Better Than You” Mammoth II showcases the growth of Wolfgang as a songwriter, musician and especially vocalist. Songs like “Like A Pastime,” “Take A Bow” and “Waiting” are all sonically different from each other but unique to what mastermind Wolfgang Van Halen and Mammoth WVH is.
The debut single from Mammoth II is the upbeat rocker, “Another Celebration At The End Of The World”. The single is currently impacting radio and the music video for “Another Celebration At The End Of The World” is an 8:25 introduction to the Mammoth WVH live band. Picking up where the #1 single “Don’t Back Down” music video left off, the new video showcases a frustrated Wolfgang firing the other Wolfgang’s from that video and replacing them with his now notorious live band featuring Frank Sidoris (guitars), Jon Jourdan (guitars), Ronnie Ficarro (Bass) and Garrett Whitlock (drums). The video was directed by Gordy De St. Jeor and can be seen below.
“I knew that I wanted the new album to contain elements of what people heard on the debut, but also give me a chance to branch out a bit. ‘Another Celebration At The End Of The World’ is definitely a song that showcases what people can expect from the new album. It is a high-energy rocker with some fun guitar moments on it. I also pushed myself vocally and it is a song I can’t wait to get out and play live. I can see it being a fixture in our live set moving forward,” explains Wolfgang Van Halen.
Mammoth II tracklisting:
"Right?"
"Like A Pastime"
"Another Celebration At The End Of The World"
"Miles Above Me"
"Take A Bow"
"Optimist"
"I’m Alright"
"Erase Me"
"Waiting"
"Better Than You"
"Another Celebration At The End Of The World" video:
Mammoth WVH is planning to tour around the globe in support of Mammoth II. The live band - comprised of Wolfgang Van Halen, Frank Sidoris, Jon Jourdan, Ronnie Ficarro and Garrett Whitlock - is currently on the second leg of the US tour supporting Alter Bridge before moving to another massive tour playing alongside Metallica, which features Canadian stops at Montreal’s Olympic Stadium on August 11, 2023 and Edmonton’s Commonwealth Stadium on August 23, 2024. Mammoth WVH will also be making various festival appearances around the globe as well as headline stops going into 2024. More dates will be announced in the near future. Tickets for all Mammoth WVH appearances can be found here.
Tour Dates 2023:
March
23 - Seattle, WA - Paramount Theatre *
25 - Airway Heights, WA - Northern Quest Resort & Casino *
26 - Airway Heights, WA - Northern Quest Resort & Casino *
28 - Anaheim, CA - House Of Blues *
29 - Tempe, AZ - Marquee Theatre *
31 - Reno, NV - Silver Legacy Resort Casino *
April
1 - Highland, CA - Yaamava Theater *
27 - Amsterdam, NL - Johan Cruijff ArenA #
May
19 - Paris, FR - Stade de France #
26 - Hamburg, DE - Volksparkstadion #
29 - Berlin, DE - Hole44
30 - Frankfurt, DE - Das Bett
June
1 - Köln, DE - Gebäude 9
3 - Tilburg, NL - Poppodium 013 *
6 - Edinburgh, UK - O2 Academy Edinburgh *
8 - Castle Donington, Derby, UK - Download Festival
10 - Sölvesborg, SE - Sweden Rock Festival
13 - Stockholm, SE - Gröna Lund *
15 - Dessel, BE - Graspop Metal Meeting
16 - Göteborg, SE - Ullevi #
17 - Copenhagen, DK - Copenhell Festival 2023
20 - Ludwigsburg, DE - Mhp Arena *
21 - Graz, AT - Kasematten - Schlossbergbühne
23 - Naz-sciaves - Natz-schabs, ITA - Aspen Flair 2023
24 - Grenchen, CH - Summerside Festival
26 - Villeurbanne, FR - Transbordeur *
28 - Lisboa, PT - Evil Live Festival
29 - Viveiro, ES - Resurrection Fest 2023
July
1 - London, UK - Wembley Stadium ^
4 - Rathfarnham, IE - Marlay Park ^
6 - Saltmarket, UK - Glasgow Green ^
August
4 - East Rutherford, NJ - MetLife Stadium #
11 - Montreal, CA - Olympic Stadium #
16 - Springfield, IL - Illinois State Fair 2023 *
18 - Arlington, TX - AT&T Stadium #
25 - Inglewood, CA - SoFi Stadium #
September
1 - Glendale, AZ - State Farm Stadium #
3 - Pryor, Ok - Rocklahoma
November
3 - St. Louis, MO - The Dome at America’s Center #
10 - Detroit, MI - Ford Field #
* Supporting Alter Bridge
# Supporting Metallica
^ Supporting Def Leppard/Motley Crüe
Tour Dates 2024:
May
24 - München, DE - Olympiastadion München #
June
7 - Helsinki, FI - Helsinki Olympic Stadium #
14 - Copenhagen, DK - Telia Parken #
July
5 - Warszawa, PL - PGE Narodowy #
12 - Madrid, ES - Cívitas Metropolitano #
August
2 - Foxborough, MA - Gillette Stadium #
9 - Chicago, IL - Soldier Field #
16 - Minneapolis, MN - US Bank Stadium #
23 - Edmonton, CA- Commonwealth Stadium #
30 - Seattle, WA - Lumen Field Event Center #
September
20 - Mexico - Foro Sol #
27 - Mexico - Foro Sol #
# Supporting Metallica
(Photo - Travis Shinn)
