WOLFGANG VAN HALEN On Playing All Instruments On MAMMOTH Recordings: 'It's A Fun Challenge'

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, Wolfgang 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 kicked off a fall headline run late last month. "The End" tour launched on October 31 and will run for five weeks before it wraps up on December 7. Longtime friend Myles Kennedy is the special guest on the run.

MAMMOTH's touring lineup features Wolfgang 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.

Back in 2021, MAMMOTH's first offering, "Mammoth WVH", took flight, bowing at No. 12 on the Billboard 200 and capturing No. 1 on three Billboard charts — Top Hard Rock Albums, Top Independent Albums, and Top Rock Albums. "Distance" soared as the first of two No. 1 rock radio hits and earned a Grammy Award nomination for "Best Rock Song". Two years later, "Mammoth II" only saw Wolfgang pick up the pace. It debuted in the Top 5 of the Billboard Top Album Sales chart in addition to bringing him back to No. 1 on the Top Hard Rock Albums chart. Inciting widespread applause from Rolling Stone, Guitar World, Grammy.com, Kerrang! and more, Classic Rock hailed it as "a solo second that betters his debut in every department," and American Songwriter applauded, "'II' reveals a closer representation of what MAMMOTH is now and Van Halen's dynamism as a musician and as a writer." The band canvased the globe with METALLICA, supported FOO FIGHTERS in North America, supported CREED on their record-breaking tour as well as filling houses on their own. They performed on NBC's "Today", ABC's "Jimmy Kimmel Live!" and at the 2024 MusiCares "Person Of The Year" benefit gala in honor of Jon Bon Jovi. Not to mention, Wolfgang shared the stage with Ryan Gosling, Mark Ronson and Slash at the 2024 Academy Awards performing "I'm Just Ken" from the blockbuster "Barbie" movie. He also joined Maynard James Keenan (TOOL, A PERFECT CIRCLE),Chad Smith (RED HOT CHILI PEPPERS),Robert Trujillo (METALLICA) and producer Andrew Watt for the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame induction of Ozzy Osbourne that same year.

Photo by Travis Shinn