As Halestorm gear up for the release of their new album, Everest, Lzzy Hale has reflected on the guitarists and artists who have inspired her career so far – including the multi-instrumentalist carrying a very famous name who she believes will “save rock ‘n’ roll.”
“He’s a humble kid, there’s none of that ‘I’m a rock star’s kid’ stuff,” she tells Classic Rock, referring to Wolfgang Van Halen.
“I’ve met quite a few of those guys that think that they’re better than everybody else because their dad was famous. That’s never been Wolfie.”
She also recounts the moment the Mammoth frontman took her and the band to Eddie Van Halen's iconic home studio. “He took us to 5150, and it still had all the tapes up there,” she waxes lyrical.
"There was Jump, the old analog tapes, everything marked, everything organized to a T. And we’re like: ‘Are we supposed to be in here?’ He’s like: ‘Oh yeah, Dad won’t mind.’
“I’m like, this isn’t just anybody’s dad’s garage! I think he and his band are gonna save rock ‘n’ roll.
“He’s a part of that small club of rock stars that are like: ‘Hey, you are more than welcome to be a part of this cool thing that we’re doing, but we don’t need you, we’re gonna do it anyway.’”
Meanwhile, the younger Van Halen has dropped the ‘WVH’ tag from his newly rebranded band name, Mammoth, and revealed why he made this subtle yet momentous decision.
“It’s what I’ve always wanted it to be. It’s just that we didn’t have the trademark,” he explained. “And so now that we do, we can finally be what I’ve always wanted to be. I mean, I always say 'Mammoth' at the shows anyway. Now it’s just official.”
