Wolfgang Van Halen is not a fan of bands who use backing tracks in concert and is making it very clear – Mammoth WVH is one hundred percent live.
In a recent interview with Ultimate Classic Rock, Wolfgang didn’t hold back when asked about bands who allegedly use backing tracks for both vocals and instruments during live shows.
“I think it’s a copout to use tracks, unless it’s like, for a keyboard part that you can’t necessarily get,” he said. “But when I hear about certain bands these days, where it’s like, you have lead vocals and lead guitars pumping through the tracks, I think that’s lame as hell. I think you should just stay home and listen to shit on Spotify if they’re going to play to tracks like that.”
Wolfgang and his band Mammoth WVH are currently on the road with Guns N’ Roses in support of the debut Mammoth WVH album, which features Wolfgang performing on all of the instruments and singing all of the vocals. To make the songs come to life on stage, he brought in guitarists Frank Sidoris (Slash) and Jon Jourdan, bassist Ronnie Ficarro (Falling in Reverse) and drummer Garrett Whitlock (Tremonti). It was the addition of Jourdan that became the final piece of the puzzle, according to Wolfgang.
“Before Jon, Frank and I were picking which guitar parts to play. And Ronnie and I were picking which harmonies to sing,” said Wolfgang. “With Jon there, we can literally take care of every single thing that’s on the album, and we don’t have to replicate it with a track.”
Wolfgang said the perfect example of Mammoth WVH’s live abilities is the track “Stone”.
“In the second pre-chorus, there’s a four-part harmony, and we’re doing that live,” Van Halen said with a laugh. “It feels really badass to be like, we don’t have to fuckin’ sit there with tracks. We’re just straight-up doing it. I think it’s important. It’s certainly not perfect all of the time. That’s the point of live performance. It ebbs and flows.”
Watch Mammoth WVH Perform “Stones” Live
Listen To Mammoth WVH “Stone” (Studio Version)