AND THE CRADLE WILL ROCK...
But following the devastating loss of Eddie on October 6, 2020, Wolf released the tribute single “Distance.” A moving video featuring childhood footage of Wolfgang with Eddie quickly racked up 4 million views, and the song debuted at Number 1 on the Billboard Rock chart.
With the album completed, Wolf has told Twitter, “It’s important I forge my own path,” but that doesn’t mean distancing himself from his father. His band name and album title, Mammoth WVH, is a nod to Van Halen’s original moniker, and album opener “Mr. Ed” features a tapping lick to make any EVH fan grin. But on the preview singles, Wolf shows his own identity, whether it’s the bruising slow groove of “You’re to Blame” or the stomping shuffle on “Don’t Back Down.”
Speaking to us from his home in California, Wolf explains how he put the album together and reflects on how his father’s influence has shaped him as a musician.
How do you feel about all the reaction there’s been to Mammoth WVH so far?
We’ve got four songs out and people are really stoked about it. I really didn’t see it winning this many people over so soon, or at all, really. I just made the record for me. For it to resonate with a bunch of people has been really awesome.
It must be so hard performing “Distance” on TV when it’s such an emotional tribute to your Dad.
Yeah, performing it is a whole different thing. That was very difficult. In terms of releasing it, it just seemed like the right thing to do. I’d been working on my music for so long, and with somebody as important as that in my life not being around anymore, it just seemed right. It certainly wasn’t the first song I was planning on releasing. It’s a bit to
