WOLFGANG VAN HALEN RELEASES FIRST PIECE OF MUSIC FROM HIS SOLO BAND MAMMOTH WVH, VIDEO FOR “DISTANCE,” A TRIBUTE TO HIS FATHER, EDWARD, CAN BE SEEN NOW
Everybody has a name they are born with. Having one of the most recognizable names in entertainment, Wolfgang Van Halen has been preparing to release music from his solo band Mammoth WVH for some time. That plan was altered when his father, and guitar icon, Eddie Van Halen called him and told him his cancer had returned. Wolfgang decided to put everything on hold to be with his father through his battle. During that time, Wolfgang was writing material for his upcoming solo album (available via Explorer1 Music Group/EX1 Records in 2021) for which the first single Distance would be born. The song is available via all digital service providers here.
“As my pop continued to struggle with various health issues, I was imagining what my life would be like without him and how terribly I’d miss him. While the song is incredibly personal, I think anyone can relate to the idea of having a profound loss in their life,” explains Wolfgang Van Halen.
Writing the song and performing all of the instrumentation and vocals for Mammoth WVH, Distance is an open letter to his father – one Wolfgang was fortunate to play for his dad and would become a favorite of Eddie’s – declaring “no matter what the distance is, I will be with you.” The video for the song is created from a collection of family home movies through the years and offers an inside look in to one of music’s most notable personalities. Chronicling the family through the years, the video ends with a touching voicemail left from Eddie to his son. The video for Distance can be seen below.
“I never intended Distance to be the very first piece of music people would hear from me, but I also thought my father would be here to celebrate its release. This is for him. I love and miss you, Pop.”
An organization that is very close to the Van Halen family is the Mr. Holland’s Opus Foundation. Eddie was very supportive of the organization via numerous donations throughout his lifetime. Following in his father’s footsteps in another way, Wolfgang is donating his portion of all proceeds from Distance to the foundation.
“Our connection with Eddie grew out of his generous nature, his delight in seeing kids learn and play music, and ultimately understanding what’s important in life. Eddie lived out loud through his music, and I believe that he wanted to see that kind of expression ignite in the students. Music saved him and he loved giving back through what we do for kids through the power of music. Thank you, Eddie. We’ll never forget you.” – Felice Mancini, the President and CEO of The Mr. Holland’s Opus Foundation
Very touching.
Wolfgang is very talented, and has a nice singing voice, too.
Agree Dana – its the voice that caught me most off guard….expected Wolfie to be a good musician…but the voice….blown away….wonderful song.
And the voice message from Eddie…..all I could say is…Who is chopping the onions in here?
I absolutely love this song! So nice that Eddie got to hear it before he passed on, and I’m sure he’s still listening to it.
Wow….great tune….the other one he played on Howard was awesome too…..sounded kinda like Rage Against….
This is a great song. Easy to see from the video how much Eddie loved and was proud of Wolfgang, and how much Wolfgang was in return.
Wow, this is almost too much to watch right now, with the pain of Eddie gone still eating away.
Thanks for posting, Dana.