“I had to keep dad in check whenever he made a mistake”: Wolfgang Van Halen on his role in Van Halen
In the heat of a performance, even the greatest guitarists can stumble – and Eddie Van Halen was no exception. The Van Halen legend relied on a solid rhythm section to keep him in check; without the backbone of his brother Alex’s drumming, and later his son Wolfgang’s bass lines, the show might have unravelled into chaos.
When a 16-year-old Wolfgang Van Halen first joined the Van Halen ranks in 2006, there was a lot of pressure – but he knew his role was vital. Fully aware that the “big hits were about the groove”, Wolfgang knew that creating a “great rhythmic base” was integral. “I had to keep dad in check whenever he made a mistake,” he tells Guitarist.
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While Wolfgang stepped up to replace Michael Anthony on bass, his first love was drumming. In his own words, this h given him an innate sense of rhythm. “Being a drummer first helped, because I could understand what was needed,” he explains.
Even when more complex tracks were thrown into the mix, like 1981 B-side Dirty Movies, Wolfgang knew how to keep everyone in check. “Michael Anthony was doing these interesting harmonies for that intro… [it was] really experimental,” he says. “Dirty Movies was one of those tracks where I had to… check myself every time in order to ensure I didn’t mess it up.”
Ever since joining the Van Halen ranks, Wolfgang knew was committed to the rhythm. Even in a 2008 interview with Guitar World he explains his role: “I just like to be there to groove and keep the song going.”
And his father was more than happy to follow the groove of his teenage son. “Every now and then when we’re onstage playing, I’ll look at him and go, ‘God, that’s my son,’” Eddie smiled. “He’s only 16, but he’s not ‘16’. He’s an equal. Age doesn’t matter.”
While his Van Halen days are long behind him, Wolfgang has committed his sense of rhythm and multi-instrumental talents to carve out his own sound. Mammoth’s latest record, The End, is proof of that.
Speaking about the album’s title track, Wolfgang explains how his musical adaptability helped carve out its sound; the foundational groove began as a slap bass part, but Wolfgang translated it over to guitar. “I was showing [producer Michael Baskette] this idea but only had a guitar,” he tells Guitarist. “I asked him to imagine it on bass, and he told me it sounded cool on guitar.”
The End is out now.
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Source: www.guitar-bass.net
