Wolfgang Van Halen brings his Mammoth WVH to Nashville's Brooklyn Bowl

When your last name is Van Halen, the expectation on your musical abilities is pretty high.

But Wolfgang Van Halen, son of guitar legend Eddie Van Halen (and actress Valerie Bertinelli), is proving that while he did indeed inherit his dad's musical abilities, he's also carving his own musical path that could transcend his last name.

While his guitar playing chops won't surprise you, his strong vocals might.

With his band, Mammoth WVH, Van Halen ties back to his father's legacy with the name Mammoth, which was the elder Van Halen's first band, but he also abbreviates his own name so as to not lean to heavily on the legacy.

Mammoth has released two albums, "Mammoth I" and "Mammoth II" both of which Van Halen played every instruments and sang all vocals. For his live show, however, he says he has compiled a group of friends who enjoy bringing his music to life on stage. The group has been touring for the better part of three years and will hit Nashville's Brooklyn Bowl Thursday night.

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"My favorite thing about playing live is just the energy," Van Halen told The Tennessean from a Norfolk, Va. tour stop. "I have my my best friends that I've assembled on stage and just to be in a place where where people are excited to hear the tunes ... There's nothing like the live energy. I love the creating and being in the studio, but the other half of it is being able to perform it for people and feel that energy."

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The 2021 release of the band's debut album "Mammoth I" debuted at No. 1 on the "Billboard" Independent Albums chart, Top Hard Rock Albums chart and Top Rock Albums chart as well as landing at No. 12 on the "Billboard" 200. The album produced two No. 1 songs with "Distance," written for his dad, garnering his first Grammy nomination for Best Rock Song.

In 2022 the band released "Mammoth II" a solid second effort that amps the energy up another notch with 10 tracks recorded at the acclaimed 5150 studios in Los Angeles.

In a recently released "Behind the Music" episode on the younger Van Halen, he explains that while reliving his life story and time with his father was emotional for him, Van Halen said he was honored to be given a chance to tell the story so many fans of his dad may not know.

"I just thought it was my one opportunity to really kind of lay it out and, and tell my story in my own words, because I think so many people have sort of already decided what my story is and who I am for me, that it felt like a wonderful opportunity to be able to explain it myself."

In addition to touring with names like Van Halen, Metallica, Guns 'N Roses and Alter Bridge, Van Halen made a special appearance at the internationally televised tribute to the Foo Fighters' late drummer Taylor Hawkins at the request of Dave Grohl himself.

He played on the 2024 Oscars with fellow guitarist Slash and also paid tribute to Jon Bon Jovi at the MusiCares event held during Grammy week in Los Angeles earlier this year.

He's involved in Mr. Holland's Opus, a foundation that supports music education, and recently launched the Adopt A School campaign where he funded $1,000 toward each of the first 100 schools to participate. It's a cause his father supported for years and how Van Halen is continuing that legacy.

"Music is a universal language. My dad had a very strong relationship, with this foundation and so I thought it was important to maintain that connection."

You can't let Van Halen off the phone without asking him what he wants his legacy to be beyond being the son of an incredibly famous and well-loved musician. How does he make the name Van Halen his own?

"Wow, that's a, that's a big question," he says. "For people to see that I had something to offer on my own completely aside from the name and what that represents. You know, I think to put, to put aside everything that came before me and to truly judge me on my own offerings and my own skill."

If you go:

What: Mammoth WVH with Intervals

Where: Brooklyn Bowl

When: Thurs., May 16, 8 p.m.

Tickets: brooklynbowl.com

Melonee Hurt covers music and music business at The Tennessean, part of the USA TODAY NETWORK — Tennessee. Reach Melonee at mhurt@tennessean.com, on X @HurtMelonee or Instagram at @MelHurtWrites.