In a new interview with Cutter’s Rockcast, Mammoth frontman Wolfgang Van Halen was asked about his decision to play all the instruments and sing all the vocals on the band’s recordings.
He said (as transcribed by blabbermouth.net): “It was initially just a challenge. ‘Cause I had these ideas I was writing on my own, and I wanted to see if I was capable of being able to cohesively play every instrument and have it sound like a band. And so the two years I took to record the first record and kind of discover the process, I found that I really enjoyed it. And it’s just a lot of fun. And that’s kind of just what Mammoth has been. It’s been my escape and my, my own sort of creative thing. I’ve got [producer Michael] ‘Elvis’ Baskette… and he’s my partner, my creative partner in it all. And between us two and then Jef [Moll], our engineer, and Josh [Saldate], Elvis‘s assistant, it’s, like, you just get the four of us in there and about maybe two and a half, three months later, you’ll have a Mammoth record. It’s a fun thing to attack the songwriting from every angle and to kind of put the guitarist hat on, put the singer hat on, put the drummer hat on. It’s a fun challenge. And I’ve done it three times now, and I really enjoy it. I was surprised at how much I enjoyed it and how well it worked, which is why I think I’m still doing it.”
Regarding how he takes care of his singing voice while on tour, Van Halen said, ”It’s tough. It really is. It’s very delicate, ’cause you can’t restring your voice and go on stage. So you have to make sure that you’re hydrated and healthy. And I’m the healthiest I’ve been over the last few years on this tour. So I think it’s been a bit easier overall. I’ve noticed a big, big change in how much easier it is. It’s still a big effort. Like when we’re doing those three-in-a-rows, you just gotta be careful. Sometimes, when I think something’s funny, I laugh really loud and that ends up messing my voice up. So you just gotta be careful. But, yeah, it would be fun to not wear all the hats and to just be a drummer for a tour or something. I would to just focus on that. Yeah. I’m sure there’s a band out there that’d be like, But I’m having such a good time being all in on Mammoth, that it’s been a really, really great time.”
To celebrate the release of Mammoth‘s third album, The End, the band began a fall headline run late last month. The End tour started on October 31st and will run for five weeks before it wraps up on December 7th. Longtime friend Myles Kennedy is the special guest on the run.
Mammoth‘s touring lineup features Van Halen on guitar and lead vocals, Frank Sidoris (Slash Featuring Myles Kennedy And The Conspirators) on guitar, Jon Jourdan on guitar and vocals, Garrett Whitlock (Tremonti) on drums, and Ronnie Ficarro on bass.
5 Responses
It’s testament to Wolf’s abilities as a musician that he is a one-man band on Mammoth albums. However, as much as I like the songs, my critique of his three albums is that there is a “sameness” in the songs – sameness in playing, sound, production, etc. I recently saw them live and thought the songs sounded so much better live than in the studio. I attribute that to his phenomenally tight band and the individual perspectives each of them brings to the material. So I think it would be interesting – and possibly an improvement – to hear the material played as a band in the studio.
The kid is a beast, Eddie should be proud.
I listened to The End…and first, I got through easily in one sitting, that’s saying something. There’s a lot to like about it: I won’t go into his skills too much because that is all built in to the experience, but will say that I like that he’s doing everything because you get a real glimpse into who he is as an artist, and that is very difficult to pull off and have it still sound like it’s a band playing. Will also point out that his engineering is very good for a modern album. I.e., it shows restraint. However, I think he could apply some of that restraint to his compositions where he throws everything but the kitchen sink into his music…this is the music that influenced him, but what I think he wants to achieve is where, even with all that going on, the sum is still greater than its parts, where the listener gets to a point where they are just hearing one force being thrown against the wall…and i still see wires moving the parts behind the curtain. A very close call; this is the kind of album you can latch on to if it catches you at the right time…for me, it just missed.
just to follow up….I would try getting slightly more radical musically, or pull it back…something to focus the listener squarely on one picture; he doesn’t sound paint (or I didn’t hear it)….i.e., have the music say what the lyrics are saying, that would go with the former suggestion.
actually he does sound paint some… I’d have to listen to it again to appreciate it more