Mammoth WVH New Releases

[Nitro Express]

Rarely do trust fund kids make great entertainers. It’s usually some nobody getting a break. I often wonder how much brilliance we miss because someone didn’t get the break or someone wasn’t willing to starve for their art. Lot’s of talented people out there but crafting really good songs, making a living doing it and being able to keep that process going requires a lot of variables working right. It’s always been difficult but in today’s environment of fragmented tastes and suppliers of music and little reward for the producer of it, there might not be big acts anymore like there were. There’s no center to any of it. In the past it was to get your song on all the major radio stations. The days of Dick Clark’s, Wolfman Jack’s and Casey Kasum’s promoting new artists is over. MTV is done. It’s play live and sell merchandise but how do people know who your are? In the not too distant past it cost a million dollars to promote a new act and get them on the road. Usually the record labels footed the startup costs. Who’s going to give a new band that kind of money now? Sure you can digitally record yourself and put it on the internet but how do you get attention? How do you market?

[Nitro Express]

Michael Baskette who has most notably worked with Slash and Sevendust produced this. Baskette seems to big on big riffy distorted guitar and that 90's metal-ish robodrumming. He's sort of a one-trick pony producer because there's not much difference sonically between a Slash solo outing and Sevendust and even this. I guess daddy's money could not afford a better more suitable producer for the Staypuff Marshmallow Boy. So you do get what you pay for.

I never thought Slash was that great but I met him at the Sundance Film Festival. I liked the guy. None of that I’m a rock star ego. Slash was just one of the guys.

[Nitro Express]

You either turn people’s crank or you don’t. Some people that create with three chords really well can get you off more than some highly trained full on musicians that can spell boredom very well with a lot of notes. That’s the magic. Everyone is looking for it but nobody quite knows what it is but they know it when they hear it.

[twonabomber]

Rarely do trust fund kids make great entertainers. It’s usually some nobody getting a break.

Joe Sumner's band Fiction Plane opened for his dad and the Police on the reunion tour. Songs were okay, Joe sounds a little like Sting. Don't remember if he played bass too.

Haven't heard much of Joe since. He was touring with the Bowie alumni/tribute thing that got postponed about this time last year.

[Nitro Express]

Joe Sumner's band Fiction Plane opened for his dad and the Police on the reunion tour. Songs were okay, Joe sounds a little like Sting. Don't remember if he played bass too.

Haven't heard much of Joe since. He was touring with the Bowie alumni/tribute thing that got postponed about this time last year.

I have a saying if you have to make an effort to stop and think if it’s good it’s not that great. Lot’s of good musicians but very few make your big toe shoot up in your boot. It’s either there or it’s not and people have been trying to catch that lightning in a bottle forever. Eddie Van Halen put it best. He said he had no idea where it came from but it just comes. Some people have the star dust and others don’t.

[ZahZoo]

Rarely do trust fund kids make great entertainers. It’s usually some nobody getting a break. I often wonder how much brilliance we miss because someone didn’t get the break or someone wasn’t willing to starve for their art. Lot’s of talented people out there but crafting really good songs, making a living doing it and being able to keep that process going requires a lot of variables working right. It’s always been difficult but in today’s environment of fragmented tastes and suppliers of music and little reward for the producer of it, there might not be big acts anymore like there were. There’s no center to any of it. In the past it was to get your song on all the major radio stations. The days of Dick Clark’s, Wolfman Jack’s and Casey Kasum’s promoting new artists is over. MTV is done. It’s play live and sell merchandise but how do people know who your are? In the not too distant past it cost a million dollars to promote a new act and get them on the road. Usually the record labels footed the startup costs. Who’s going to give a new band that kind of money now? Sure you can digitally record yourself and put it on the internet but how do you get attention? How do you market?

Well today, you can actually experience a million more brilliant artists than not so long ago thanks to the interwebs and social media. I believe there has always been about the same amount of talented people out there... As you say it's still a rare few that make a living at it.

But it does make you wonder... does the expanded access today actually water down the value of all those famous musicians. Pick any famous guitarist alive today... is his/her performance really worth multi-million dollar tours and $200 concert tickets..?

It's hard to say their performances justify the cost when there's 100+ kids 8-12 years old out there that can rip it, as well, if not better than the big rock star...

[twonabomber]

At this rate we won't have to buy an album, it'll all be on YouTube!

Feel

[ZahZoo]

It's all decent compositions and some interesting bits and parts... well produced and recorded.

I guess the downside of the one-man band thing is it all starts sounding the same or shall I say the spectrum/variety of music is fairly narrow.

Especially vocal melodies and backing vocals... Without any strong hooks, the vocals are a bit monotonous sounding to me. Not bad... just sort of bland and not very interesting. Also the lyrical choices all sound somewhat dark, angry or sad...

I try not to judge Wolf's effort with any Van Halen specific expectations... but, so far what's lacking is a happy, playful vibe musically...

[ZahZoo]

Wolfgang dropped a new one today... solid rocker!

[Vinnie Velvet]

Wolf is definitely talented for sure.

The songs are good but seem to be rooted in mid to late 90s radio rock. Not my cup of tea.

I'm not expecting him to release a heavy CVH style record by any means but the songs are nothing I would have on repeat.

[Never was]

It is solid musically and he is a solid musician but simply lacks any memorable hooks. Pleasant enough but yet totally forgettable too. He needs help song writing

[Phil theStalker]

iT'S a HiT

[ZahZoo]

This latest one instrumentally I like mostly...it could use a more distinct and slower tempo break down after the 2nd verse... then kick it back into overdrive just to create tension...

Lyrically it's not bad... but as mentioned, his vocal melodies really need some hooks and some tonal variation.

[Nitro Express]

It is solid musically and he is a solid musician but simply lacks any memorable hooks. Pleasant enough but yet totally forgettable too. He needs help song writing

Yup. I listened out of curiosity and didn’t go YUCK! but nothing made my big toe shoot up in my boot either. If you have to make an
effort to decide if a song is good or not it’s not a great song. You will know a great song when you hear it. It just grabs you.

[twonabomber]

Mammoth WVH will be opening for Guns 'N Roses later this summer