What if 80’s Van Halen Recorded Wolfgang VH’s Distance?

Like most people I was pretty interested in hearing what Wolfgang Van Halen had brewing.  We had been hearing for years, from the Dwyer & Michaels/Eddie Van Halen tapes that Wolfie was as good on drums as his Uncle Alex and just as good on guitar.

Lofty praise that automatically makes you think either a) EVH is a great father with blind love for his untalented son or b) Wolfgang has some serious chops and is going to be amazing to watch.

I've only listened to the song Distance once.  I was a ball of emotions after that and haven't found the safe space to consume it more than that.  But I guess that makes that a/b question above lean more toward answer b, which makes me excited for the rest of the album.

Then comes William James, a multi-instrumentalist based out of Tampa Bay, Florida. Unlike me...he listened over and over and then...

"I got curious. This song had all of the classic VH DNA with modern pop and rock (even some djent!) sensibilities, but I really wanted to know what it would sound like if Eddie and Alex had gotten their hands on it in the 80s."

 

Here's the interesting part.  He uses the description of the video as a "job interview" of sorts saying, " I never got to meet my hero before he passed, but I am making it my mission to join Mammoth WVH's live band.  Once COVID has been defeated, you'll need a live band that knows your heritage but is willing to embrace the future with a multi-instrumentalist lens."

Good luck to you, William.  Way to shoot your shot!