Wolfgang Van Halen spoke with AllMusic shortly before the release of Mammoth II, discussing the new album, touring with some of the biggest bands, and if there are any plans to unlock the vault of unreleased music by his father, the legendary Eddie Van Halen. An excerpt from the interview follows...
AllMusic: Alex (Van Halen) recently posted a few photos on Instagram of himself and his drums. Do you know if he still plays? Also, do you know if he plans on playing in public again?
Wolfgang Van Halen: "I'm sure he does. But in the same respect of my feelings of not wanting to play the material because I only wanted to play with my dad, I know he feels the same way. So, I really don't know. He's a very private guy. We still talk all the time, but in terms of playing anything, I don't know if he really has that desire as long as my dad's not here."
AllMusic: Are there any updates as to if/when you may be going through your father's vault of unreleased music?
Van Halen: "As far as that, Al is certainly the decision maker in that process. I'm just kind of there to help him decide and help what he wants to go through – as sort of being the person in place of my father, in his absence. But when it comes to that, I know my dad was vocal of that in the past, he released everything he wanted to release. So, when it comes to stuff that hit the cutting room floor, that would certainly have to be a serious conversation to have – if anything is actually worth releasing. So, we'll just have to see. I certainly wouldn't hold your breath."
Read more at AllMusic.
Wolfgang Van Halen's Mammoth WVH recently announced a headline tour this fall to support Mammoth II. These dates come on the heels of the band’s successful European tour that saw them opening for Metallica, Alter Bridge, and Def Leppard/Motley Crüe.
The headline tour will kick off November 4 in Milwaukee, WI and run through December 9 when Mammoth returns home to Los Angeles. The headline run will make stops in Chicago, IL (November 9), Sayreville, NJ (November 17), Dallas TX (November 25) and Seattle, WA (December 3) to name a few. The headline dates will feature Nita Strauss as direct support. These dates also come as Mammoth picks up their spot opening for Metallica in the US for their previously announced dates on November 3 in St. Louis and November 10t in Detroit.
Tour dates:
November
4 - Milwaukee, WI - The Rave ^
5 - Minneapolis, MN - First Avenue ^
7 - Columbus, OH - The Bluestone ^
9 - Chicago, IL - The Vic Theatre ^
11 - Grand Rapids, MI - Elevation at the Intersection ^
13 - Toronto, ON - The Danforth Music Hall ^
14 - Montreal, QC - Théâtre Beanfield ^
15 - Boston, MA - Big Night Live ^
17 - Sayreville, NJ - Starland Ballroom ^
18 - Philadelphia, PA - Keswick Theatre ^
19 - Baltimore, MD - Rams Head Live ^
21 - Atlanta, GA - Buckhead Theater ^
22 - Lake Buena Vista, FL - House Of Blues ^ Nov 24 - Houston, TX - Warehouse Live Ballroom ^
25 - Dallas, TX - The Factory in Deep Ellum ^
26 - Austin, TX - Emo’s ^
28 - Denver, CO - Gothic Theatre ^
29 - Salt Lake City, UT - The Depot ^
30 - Boise, ID - Knitting Factory ^
December
2 - Spokane, WA - Knitting Factory ^
3 - Seattle, WA - The Showbox ^
4 - Portland, OR - Roseland Theater ^
7 - San Diego, CA - House of Blues ^
8 - Las Vegas, NV - House of Blues ^
9 - Los Angeles, CA - The Belasco ^
Find the band's complete tour itinerary and further details at mammothwvh.com.
Mammoth II is slated for release on August 4 via BMG. Recorded at the legendary 5150 studio, the new 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.
“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"
"Take A Bow" lyric video:
“Like A Pastime” lyric video:
"Another Celebration At The End Of The World" video:
(Photo - Travis Shinn)
