ACCEPT's WOLF HOFFMANN Recalls Photographing And Spending Time With LES PAUL

ACCEPT guitarist Wolf Hoffmann went on Side Jams With Bryan Reesman to talk about the commercial and portrait photography career he developed during ACCEPT's hiatus between the late 1990s and mid-2000s when he was based In Vermont and then moved to Nashville. Two of his most memorable moments were photographing Chet Atkins's guitars and meeting and photographing Les Paul — who is credited with inventing the solid-body electric guitar later wielded by a legion of rock 'n' roll greats — and his guitars which ended up in the book "Les Paul: In His Own Words".

"First I was hired to shoot a guitar collection of Chet Atkins, the legendary guitar player and [vice] president of RCA and producer," Hoffmann told "Side Jams". "He wasn't that well-known to me, but I knew he was a big deal. I got hired to shoot his private guitar collection for a coffee table book. And that, in turn, led to another project that involved the same thing for Les Paul."

At the time, Paul was in his '80s and living "in his amazing house in New Jersey". Whoever hired Hoffmann did not know who he was. He was hired based on his camera skills. He went to Paul's house for a week and had access to all of his personal instruments and shot a portrait of him.

"You had all this amazing equipment, like the first electric guitar and the prototypes for Les Paul guitars, and amazing stuff that nobody else gets to see or touch," Hoffmann recalled. "I could just handle it and put it here, place it there, shoot the pictures. And it was fantastic. It was really a dream project, and it turned into a nice big coffee table book that was sold to collectors and fan club people. I still have a copy of it in my house."

He continued: "It was fascinating because Paul is a living legend, living in this old creepy house that was untouched since the '60s. Basically, nobody's ever done any remodeling or redecorating. It's just like a time capsule... I saw him sitting there all by himself in the middle of the night. He was a night owl. Actually, he only got up at four in the afternoon and was up all night. I saw him many, many times. He was still performing a little bit in New York City, at the Iridium, and I actually followed him to one of the shows while I was there. But I saw him practicing all by himself in the middle of the night in the kitchen there, and it was just that was a touching moment because I thought he's played all his life. And he's a living legend. Yet he still sits there and practices guitar. It was very, very moving."

As previously reported, ACCEPT will celebrate its 50th anniversary in 2025-2026. To mark this mammoth milestone, the band will ring in the band's golden birthday with a very unique anniversary tour at the end of 2025. An anniversary album will be released early 2026.

To celebrate its 50th anniversary, ACCEPT is embarking on a spectacular world tour that will take fans on a musical metal journey through time. Fans can look forward to a unique stage show with surprise guests, all the classic hits from the band's history as well as rarely performed songs.

In spring 2026, ACCEPT will release a special album that covers the band's entire musical history. This anniversary album will contain a carefully curated selection of the best ACCEPT songs from the last five decades, re-recorded — partly with well-known surprise musical guests and colleagues, as well as with some rare tracks that have not been played so often before.

Over the past five decades, ACCEPT has sold millions of albums and inspired countless musicians. Their energetic live performances and iconic albums such as "Balls To The Wall", "Restless And Wild" and "Metal Heart" have left a lasting mark on the heavy metal genre. Hoffmann's guitar style and musical vision have made the band one of the most respected on the heavy metal scene.

After a hiatus in the band's career, Wolf was introduced to New Jersey singer Mark Tornillo in 2009. The chemistry and fit between them was so remarkable, ACCEPT reformed and almost immediately rose to global success with chart-topping albums. ACCEPT continues to be celebrated for each of their new records with Mark, who is now the longest-reigning frontman of ACCEPT, placing the Hoffmann-Tornillo partnership firmly in the Metal Hall Of Fame.

For decades, ACCEPT has been recognized as a guarantee of high quality and each of their albums has reached the top of the charts, delivering energy, melodies, killer riffs and an impressively powerful stage presence for 50 years.

ACCEPT's latest album, "Humanoid", was released on April 26 via Napalm Records. The LP was once again produced, recorded, mixed and mastered by critically acclaimed heavy metal producer Andy Sneap.

ACCEPT and KK'S PRIEST will join forces this fall 2024 for a North American tour. The run will begin on August 31 in Los Angeles, California, visiting a slew of major cities in the USA and Canada — such as Toronto, Montreal, New York and Nashville — before coming to an end in San Francisco, California on October 7.