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Game 3 of the 2025 World Series had it all: records were set, heroes were made, and Justin Bieber was in the audience.
Bieber showed up for his beloved Blue Jays, as Toronto’s finest took on the Dodgers at Los Angeles’ Dodger Stadium.
The Canadian pop star shared a post from his prime seat, and was spotted decked-out in his Blue Jays gear as he cheered on his compatriots.
What he got was an all-time classic, and the longest World Series game in history at 6 hours and 39 minutes, tying a 2018 Dodgers vs. Red Sox outing.
Sadly, for Bieber at least, the Dodgers got the win, and the series lead, as Freddie Freeman smashed a home run in the 18th inning, for a 6-5 result. The Dodgers how hold a 2-1 advantage over the Blue Jays in this best-of-seven series, the winner crowned champions of Major League Baseball.
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The “Stay” singer has been busy of late, with family, music and sport commitments.
Earlier in the month, he made his debut on Twitch with a stream that included footage of the pop singer playing basketball, shooting pool with friends and teasing his upcoming 2026 Coachella headline spots.
The live feed came in from a giant warehouse space decked out with a mini half-pipe, a recording studio, ping-pong table and lounge area, and included an extended bit where JB put up short jumpers while talking about focusing on his health and “friendships, relationships, the ability to connect with each other,” all cued to Partynextdoor’s “Come and See Me.”
Bieber is a handy baller, playing three times in the NBA Celebrity Game during All-Star Weekend, winning MVP in 2011. He’s also a keen hockey player and fan, spotted riding his team the Toronto Maple Leafs in the 2025 Stanley Cup Playoffs. Last year, the National Hockey League (NHL) and Adidas collaborated with his fashion brand Drew House on designs for the 2024 NHL All-Star jersey collection.
JB’s Coachella shows are the only concerts he has locked in so far following the release of his Swag and Swag II collections, and will be his first full live shows since 2022, and first since welcoming into the world Jack Blues, his baby son with wife Hailey Bieber.
For the record, Swag (via JRC/ILH/Def Jam/Republic) debuted at No. 2 on the Billboard 200 in July, with 16 songs from it making a splash on the Billboard Hot 100 chart, let by “Daisies” at No. 2.
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When Jerrell Melton and Ralph Edwards sang “I Lose Control” on NBC‘s The Voice, they weren’t telling the whole truth.
Team Snoop’s singers went toe-to-toe Monday night (Oct. 27) for season 28’s fourth and final Battle night, hitting a rendition of Teddy Swims’ mega-hit from 2024. Both oozed control, not a lack of it.
Edwards, the 30-year-old native of Fresno, California, with his burly, oak-flavored tones, and Melton, the 29-year-old from Fayetteville, Georgia, whose soulful voice has a hint of sweetness, could barely be separated.
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Mind, this is no ordinary song. “Lose Control” in July became the first number in the history of the Billboard Hot 100 to spend triple-digit weeks on the chart, as it cleared its milestone 100th frame.
Niall Horan “loved” Melton’s voice, remarking that it’s “really pure, really clean.” And Edwards, the Irishman remarked, his energy, his power and rasp, “it’s aggressive but it’s controlled.”
Reba McEntire read from her notes a performance she described as “powerful, smooth like butter. Raspy, smooth like velvet.” The country ace admitted the decision to split them would be a tough one. If she had to, she’d pick Melton.
Both contestants laid it all out. Melton with a “gorgeous smoothness,” was reminiscent of the very best in the business, Michael Bublé remarked. While Edwards, or “Wreck-It Ralph,” as the Canadian crooner and others like to call him, should “go far on the show.”
Just how far was up to Snoop Dogg, who had the final call.
“You just showed the world that you two are superstars,” the rap legend noted. “Jerrell, you overachieved. We gave you something that was out of this box, and you did what you were supposed to do,” he added. “Ralph, knock it out of the park. This is what we do.”
Snoop took a moment to consult with the “Gangsta Holy Ghost” and he called it. “Wreck-It Ralph” Edwards wins, and progresses to the Knockouts, which start next Monday, Nov. 3. Melton won’t be there, an unlucky loser.
The Knockout episodes will air every Monday on NBC until Nov. 24. Then, the Playoffs will beam out on Monday, Dec. 1 and Monday, Dec. 8 on NBC, with the Season 28 Live Finale set to spread over the two nights of Dec. 15 and 16.
Watch Melton and Edwards’ Battle below.
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Halloween is nearly upon us, but Duran Duran got there first with a shadowy re-recording.
Ahead of their winter North American tour dates, the Rock And Roll Hall of Fame-inducted band swings into Fright Night with a re-imagined version of “Shadows on Your Side,” featuring original guitar parts from Andy Taylor.
The original, a punchy, polished cut from Duran Duran’s third studio album, Seven and the Ragged Tiger, is overhauled as a club-ready tune with several unexpected changes in pace.
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Seven and the Ragged Tiger was released in 1983, and yielded the global hits “New Moon on Monday,” “Union of the Snake” and “The Reflex,” which gave Duran Duran the first of two No. 1s on the Billboard Hot 100 and Official U.K. Singles Chart.
Seven And The Ragged Tiger is the only Duran Duran collection to lead the Official U.K. Albums Chart, and it proved to be the band’s final effort with its classic “Fab Five” lineup of Taylor/Taylor/Taylor/Rhodes/Le Bon, until Andy Taylor and Roger Taylor (the Taylors are unrelated) returned to the fold two decades later, for 2004’s Astronaut. Andy Taylor, who is battling stage 4 prostate cancer, has since departed from the band but has contributed to recent recordings.
Simon Le Bon and Co. will return to the United States for a run of dates in December 2025 and January 2026. As previously reported, the new wave legends have been in the studio together this year working on new material, including stints with longtime producer Nile Rodgers at Abbey Road in London.
The band has been on a Halloween kick since the 2023 release of Danse Macabre (via Tape Modern/BMG), a concept album gathering new compositions, reworked songs, and covers of songs by Billie Eilish, Talking Heads, The Rolling Stones, Siouxsie And The Banshees and more.
Danse Macabre peaked at No. 4 in the U.K. and spawned the Secret Oktober concert film, shot at the Encore Theatre at Wynn in Las Vegas. The Gavin Elder-directed flick is streaming on demand at StagePlayer+ until Nov. 3.
Earlier this year, the group struck a different type of collaboration by teaming up with Italian luxury perfume house Xerjoff on two unisex perfumes, NeoRio and Black Moonlight. The scents were, of course, created with Le Bon and keyboardist Nick Rhodes, along with bassist John Taylor and drummer Roger Taylor.
Stream “Shadows On Your Side” below.
North American Tour DatesDec. 30 -– Acrisure Arena, Thousand Palms, CAJan. 1 -– Fontainebleau, Las Vegas, NVJan. 2 -– Fontainebleau. Las Vagas, NVJan. 4 — Viejas Arena, San Diego, CAJan. 5 — PHX Arena, Phoenix, AZJan. 8 — Honda Center, Anaheim, CAJan. 9 — Thunder Valley Casino, Sacramento, CA
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The Boss is very much back.
Just days after walking the red carpet (and delivering a typical powerhouse performance) for Disney’s biopic Springsteen: Deliver Me from Nowhere, Bruce Springsteen made another surprise appearance, this time for Steven Van Zandt’s Party at the Pony.
Per Rolling Stone, Springsteen joined his decades-long bandmate on stage Sunday, Oct. 26 at Asbury Park, New Jersey, for several performances, including “I Don’t Want to Go Home,” the opener and title track to Southside Johnny and the Asbury Jukes’ first album from 1976, which was produced and arranged by Van Zandt and includes contributions from Springsteen.
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Guests were also treated to a rendition of “Tenth Avenue Freeze-Out” from Springsteen’s third album, 1975’s Born to Run, and, reportedly, a performance of Eddie Floyd’s “Raise Your Hand,” a staple of Springsteen shows since the 1970s.
The evening’s program was billed as featuring members of the “E Street Band Family” with appearances by Jesse Malin, Darlene Love & Gary US Bonds, and musical guests Marc Ribler, Anthony Almonte, Curtis King Jr., Ozzie Melendez, Eddie Manion, and Barry Danielian.
The concert benefited TeachRock, a not-for-profit founded by Van Zandt which aims to improve “students’ lives by bringing the sound, stories, and science of music to all classrooms.”
Springsteen has been front and center in recent days, thanks to the theatrical release of the biographical drama, Deliver Me from Nowhere, and the well-timed arrival of Nebraska 82’: Extended Edition.
According to The Hollywood Reporter, Deliver Me had to settle for fourth place in its debut after coming in behind expectations with $9.1 million domestically and $7 million internationally from 28 markets for a global start of $16.1 million, though it has yet screen in a number of major markets. The film which had been on track for an open in the $10 million-$12 million range domestically and $20 million globally.
Springsteen doesn’t have any concerts on the slate. But he has hinted at another tour Down Under. Speaking with Rolling Stone earlier this year, the Rock Hall-inducted legend admitted he was long-overdue a long haul to Australia. “I’m doing my best as we speak to get down there, hopefully next year sometime. And I feel bad,” he remarked. “I apologize to my Australian fans for not getting down on this stretch, but I want them to know that we are planning to get down there as soon as feasible, probably in the next year sometime.”
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With two nominations, Ninajirachi could seriously cash in at the first-ever New South Wales Music Prize, the finalists for which were unveiled on Monday, Oct. 27.
The Central Coast-raised artist, DJ and producer’s 2024 girl EDM collection is shortlisted for the main prize, the most lucrative in the Australian music industry which carries with it a A$80,000 ($52,000) winner’s check.
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Ninajirachi is also a chance for NSW Breakthrough Artist of the Year, with a A$40,000 ($26,000) cash prize.
The 26-year-old’s star is on the rise. With eight nominations at next month’s ARIA Awards, Ninajirachi (real name: Nina Wilson) is the leader of the pack. Separately, her debut full length album I Love My Computer (via NLV Records) is one of nine titles shortlisted for the coveted 2025 Australian Music Prize, awarded each year to the outstanding Australian album of original work from the previous year, judged by a music industry panel. In August, she was named as Billboard’s dance rookie of the month.
Other two-time NSW Music Prize nominees include 3% (Kill the Dead), BARKAA (Big Tidda), Shady Nasty (Trek) and SPEED (Only One Mode). Also in the hunt is Royel Otis, RÜFÜS DU SOL, ONEFOUR and more.
The Minns government in July announced the new prize to “celebrate, support and incentivise” the state’s most talented artists, with “the aim of inspiring the next generations of stars.”
All told, 15 artists have a chance of winning a combined prize pool of A$160,000 ($104,000), delivered by Sound NSW and decided by panels of contemporary music experts.
The three categories are:
• A$80,000 NSW Music Prize, to be awarded to the NSW artist or act whose release has had the most significant impact.• A$40,000 NSW First Nations Music Prize for an NSW First Nations artist or act whose release has had significant and meaningful impact.• A$40,000 NSW Breakthrough Artist of the Year for an emerging
Awarding the prize “will provide a vital financial boost for the winners and a big incentive for the next generation of aspiring stars,” says John Graham, NSW Minister for Music and the Night-time Economy. He adds, “we want to boost their careers, recognize the cultural importance of local music and inspire the next generation of prize winners.”
“Unless we back local musicians, the wave of algorithmically enhanced American music will continue to swamp us. We have amazing song writers and world class live performers here in NSW and this is a moment to celebrate them.
The winners will be announced at the NSW Music Prize awards ceremony at the Museum of Contemporary Art Australia in Sydney on Nov. 24 — the week following the ARIA Awards.
“When you look at these names you can see how much talent we have in NSW,” Graham adds. “We want to boost their careers, recognise the cultural importance of local music and inspire the next generation of prize winners.”
Visit the Sound NSW website for more.
NSW Music Prize
3% (Kill the Dead)
BARKAA (Big Tidda)
Kobie Dee (Chapter 26)
Ninajirachi (girl EDM)
ONEFOUR (Look At Me Now)
Party Dozen (Crime in Australia)
RÜFÜS DU SOL (Inhale / Exhale)
Shady Nasty (Trek)
SPEED (Only One Mode)
Vv Pete & Utility (Varvie World)
NSW First Nations Music Prize
3% (Kill the Dead)
BARKAA (Big Tidda)
Djanaba (Did I Stutter?)
Stiff Gins (Crossroads)
Ziggy Ramo (Human?)
NSW Breakthrough Artist of the Year ($40,000)
Don West
Ninajirachi
Royel Otis
Shady Nasty
SPEED
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Australia’s creative industries are savoring a “significant” victory, as the federal government stamps out controversial proposals that would weaken copyright law in the AI age.
A slew of tech companies had lobbied for an amendment to Australia’s Copyright Act, outlined in Harnessing Data and Digital Technology, the Productivity Commission’s interim report which recommended a new fair dealing exception to allow for text and data mining (TDM).
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Should the tech sector get its wishes, warned reps from the across the cultural communities, the exemption would enable AI specialists to rip copyright-protected works without permission or payment for training their platforms. The end result would crater the music space, creatives have said, and would legitimize the industrial-scale theft of music and other cultural and creative sector intellectual property.
That worst-case scenario isn’t going to happen.
Earlier today, Oct. 27, Attorney-General Michelle Rowland confirmed the government has no plans to water-down existing copyright protections, essentially burying talk of a TDM exception.
“There is a body of work to do around what the copyright environment looks like in the AI world, but we are making it very clear that we will not be entertaining a text and data mining exception,” Rowland told the Australian Broadcasting Corporation’s AM on Monday.
“And this is fundamental to their right as people who are generating works to ensure that they are fairly remunerated for that and that there are fair terms of use.”
Music industry bodies, including ARIA, PPCA and APRA AMCOS, welcomed the decision.
“This is a significant moment for Australian creators and our cultural sovereignty,” says Dean Ormston, CEO of APRA AMCOS. “The Australian Government has recognized that Australia’s world-leading licensing framework is the pathway to ethical AI development, not a barrier to innovation.
“For far too long, the tech sector has made the false claim that Australia’s copyright framework is preventing AI development in Australia. This lobbying narrative has been thoroughly debunked.”
The industry, he continues, is “ready to work constructively to develop practical licensing solutions. This is everyday business for us. It’s time for tech companies to stop delaying and start licensing discussions covering both the input and output of creative materials in AI platforms.”
The government has made the right call, adds Annabelle Herd, CEO of ARIA and PPCA. “This decision reinforces Australia’s commitment to its artists and creative industries, ensuring that consent, control, and compensation remain at the heart of copyright in the age of artificial intelligence. It recognizes the inherent value of Australian creativity and culture, including First Nations Culture. It recognizes that copyright and IP laws are the foundation of the creative economy, the digital economy, and the technology industry.”
As Australian artists struggle to be seen and heard in the all-access streaming world, the government’s decision, Herd reckons, was a “commonsense” one, by backing the rights of artists, authors, creators, and rights-holders “over a small group of large, powerful tech companies.”
The Australian Society of Authors chimed in, too. “This represents a clear message from government that creators should be paid for their work,” says ASA CEO Lucy Hayward. “It’s also an important acknowledgement of the value of Australian stories and storytellers, and a vital first step in redressing the harm that has been caused by what has been called ‘“’the greatest act of copyright theft in history’.”
Screenrights, which provides licensing services for film, TV and radio, shared a joint statement with the Australia New Zealand Screen Association (ANZSA) and Screen Producers Australia (SPA). “We welcome the Attorney’s announcement ruling out a Text and Data Mining (TDM) exception,” it reads. “Australia’s Copyright Act is fit for purpose. This is a sensible and pragmatic decision that allows for innovation and creativity to progress hand-in-hand for the benefit of rights holders, creators, AI developers, and the Australian public and audiences.”
When the Productivity Commission’s report dropped in August, the music industry brought turned words into action. Then out came some of its big guns, including the likes of ARIA Award winners Missy Higgins and The Presets’ Julian Hamilton, Kate Ceberano, and Midnight Oil frontman and former Labor frontbencher Peter Garrett, who described the recommendation as “shameful.”
Even Spotify distanced itself from the tech giants, siding instead with the artist community, and pointing out that “musicians’ rights matter. Copyright is essential.”
In September, a delegation of industry professionals and high-profile artists, including Holly Rankin (Jack River), Adam Briggs, and Paul Dempsey, attended a Senate committee hearing, where they appealed for stronger copyright protections. Their comments, it would appear, hit their mark.
The next step, industry leaders say, is to ensure these principles are applied in practice, and that the government doesn’t dilute copyright protections.
The battle is won, but the fight goes on. The Copyright and AI Reference Group (CAIRG) reconvenes this week in the capital to examine key policy issues as AI technology develops.
“We will be in Canberra to make the case for keeping Australia’s cultural sovereignty intact,” Herd insists. “We will be there with artists and industry leaders to ensure creators’ voices shape the future of copyright and technology.”
Billboard reached out to the Tech Council for comment.
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LE SSERAFIM serve up their latest dish, “Spaghetti,” the third EP in a trilogy that includes a saucy new collaboration with BTS’ j-hope.
As expected, the tasty treat dropped at midnight, along with the rest of the eight-track HYBE collection, marking j-hope’s very first feature on a track by a K-pop girl group.
The powerhouse team-up was teased earlier in the week with a video on YouTube titled “The Kick,” in which j-hope dons a Matrix-esque outfit and shades while appearing underneath flashing strobe lights. The big reveal comes at the end, with a snippet of KIM CHAEWON, SAKURA, HUH YUNJIN, KAZUHA and HONG EUNCHAE hitting us with the “eat it up” refrain.
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Now it’s time to fill up.
Members of LE SSERAFIM recently caught up with Billboard Philippines to discuss how they made “Spaghetti.” The new cut “expresses LE SSERAFIM’s charm that you just can’t get away from, like spaghetti that’s stuck in your teeth,” says SAKURA. “The part where we sing “eat it up” over and over is the highlight, and since each of us members delivers it in our own styles, it adds even more playfulness to the song.”
LE SSERAFIM have been on fire of late. In March of this year, the ensemble’s HOT debuted at No. 1 on Billboard’s Top Album Sales chart, for their fifth top 10 on the tally, which and second leader after 2024’s Crazy.
The fearless five has just completed the north American leg of their EASY CRAZY HOT World Tour, a run of shows that kicked off in April in South Korea which, according to a statement, weaves together the “unique concepts and narratives” of their EP trilogy, EASY, CRAZY, and HOT, “into one spectacular experience.”
It’s not the first time member of LE SSERAFIM have cooked up a storm with pop culture heavyweights. Earlier in the year, KIM CHAEWON featured on JVKE’s “butterflies,” featuring TAEHYUN of TOMORROW X TOGETHER, while the singers teamed up with JADE on “HOT” featuring JADE; PinkPantheress on “CRAZY”; and Nile Rodgers on “UNFORGIVEN.”
Who doesn’t like spaghetti? Chow down below.
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Australia’s latest chart week was pitched as a fight of two heavyweights. In one corner, Taylor Swift’s incumbent, The Life Of A Showgirl (via Republic/Universal). And in the other, Tame Impala’s long-awaited Deadbeat (Columbia/Sony).
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When the results were called, Swift’s Showgirl had packed enough glitter to retain the crown, and nab another chart double.
The Life Of A Showgirl retains top spot on the ARIA Albums Chart for a third successive week. According to ARIA, nine of her 14 leaders have logged at least three cycles at the summit, including Red (three weeks), 1989 (nine weeks), Lover (three weeks), Folklore (four weeks), Evermore (four weeks), Midnights (16 weeks), 1989 (Taylor’s Version) (14 weeks) and The Tortured Poets Department (eight weeks).
Kevin Parker slides in at No. 2 on the national chart with Deadbeat, the first new album release in five years from his psychedelic pop project, Tame Impala.
All five of Tame Impala’s studio albums have cracked the top 5 in Australia starting with Innerspeaker (from 2010) and Lonerism (2012), both of which peaked at No. 4. Tame Impala’s last two albums, Currents (2015) and The Slow Rush (2020), went all the way to No. 1.
Deadbeat is the best-selling title this week on vinyl.
Tame Impala has won 13 ARIA Awards, one BRIT Award, a Grammy, and belatedly cracked the Billboard Hot 100 for the first time earlier this month with Deadbeat single “Dracula.” On the current ARIA Singles Chart, “Dracula” sinks its teeth in for a No. 40 start. Only one Tame Impala song has charted higher in Australia, “The Less I Know The Better,” which reached No. 17 in 2015. “Dracula” is the only new release, and only homegrown title, in the top 50.
Staying with the national albums survey, published Friday, Oct. 24, Aussie heartthrob Ruel debuts at No. 6 with Kicking My Feet (Virgin Music Group/Universal), his third appearance in the top 10; and London indie band The Last Dinner Party enters the top tier for the first time with From The Pyre (Island/Universal), new at No. 7.
Western Australia’s The Southern River Band open their account at No. 16 with Easier Said Than Done (Orchard), for their appearance on the chart. The rockers are added to the lineup of the support acts for AC/DC’s stadium concerts this December in Perth, produced by TEG Van Egmond.
Several other local artists make a splash on the ARIA top 40, including Melbourne rock band Camp Cope (Live At Sydney Opera House at No. 20 via PCR), singer-songwriter Wilsn (Bloom at No. 31 via Mushroom), and country singer Andrew Swift (Lucky Stars at No. 33 via ABC/Orchard), while internationals Sabaton (Legends at No. 14 via BNM/MGM) and Ashnikko (Smoochies at No. 15 via WUK/Warner) make their mark.
It’s all about Taylor Swift on the ARIA Singles Chart, too, as “The Fate Of Ophelia” holds at No. 1 for a third week. It’s one of four Showgirl songs in the top 10, though “Opalite” (down 2-4), “Elizabeth Taylor” (down 5-7) and “Father Figure” (down 6-8) are losing their grip.
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The Boss flicks the switch on the time machine, taking us back to a moment when E.T. was flying high at the box office, Michael Jackson’s Thriller was hot, and Ronald Reagan had the top job.
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At the stroke of midnight, Bruce Springsteen shared Nebraska ’82: Expanded Edition (via Sony Music), a treasure chest stuffed with previously unseen and unheard cuts. It’s the stuff of fans’ dreams.
Released both digitally and as a five-disc box set, Nebraska ’82: Expanded Edition gathers solo outtakes from back in the day, and the fabled “Electric Nebraska” sessions; a newly-shot performance film of Nebraska in its entirety; a recently-released version of “Born in the U.S.A.”, recorded back in April 1982 with Springsteen backed by Max Weinberg and Garry Tallent; plus a 2025 remaster of the original album.
“We threw out the keyboards and played basically as a three-piece,” Springsteen reflects of the unearthed “Born in the U.S.A.” cut, a song penned during the Nebraska era. “It was kinda like punk rockabilly. We were trying to bring ‘Nebraska’ into the electric world.”
In a separate promo video accompanying the release, Springsteen admits he’s often asked about “Electric Nebraska,” which features Tallent, Weinberg, Danny Federici, Roy Bittan and Stevie Van Zandt. “There is no ‘Electric Nebraska’. It doesn’t exist,” he says, thinking out loud.
Wrong.
He checked, revisited the vault. “There it was,” he remarks. “And radically different than anything I’d remembered.”
The album was pushed back a week to coincide with the cinematic rollout of Springsteen: Deliver Me from Nowhere. Directed by Scott Cooper and released through 20th Century Studios, the biopic chronicles the making of Springsteen’s Nebraska, and served as the opening film at AFI Fest in Hollywood on Wednesday.
Springsteen was on hand for a brief performance inside the TCL Chinese Theater after the screening, according to The Hollywood Reporter, where he thanked guests for “supporting our movie” and quipped “this is my last night in the movie business, I’m sticking to music.”
The Rock And Roll Hall of Fame-inducted artist used the opportunity speak out once more against Donald Trump, offering up a “prayer” for “no kings” in his speech. “I’ve spent 50 years traveling as kind of a musical ambassador for America and I’ve seen firsthand all the love and admiration that folks around the world have had for the America of our highest ideals. Despite how terribly damaging America has been recently, that country and those ideals remain worth fighting for. I want to send this out as a prayer for America, for our unity. No kings,” he remarked, before hitting a rendition of “Land of Hope and Dreams.”
Jeremy Allen White stars as Springsteen in Deliver Me From Nowhere, which is in cinemas from today. Stream Nebraska ’82: Expanded Edition below.
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Wolfgang Van Halen considers his group Mammoth to be “still very much a new band” — which makes The End seem an odd title for its third album.
“It is,” Van Halen — who plays all the instruments and sings all the vocals on the Mammoth recordings — acknowledges to Billboard via Zoom. “That’s not the meaning, obviously, but it gets people thinking. When they first see it, they’re like, ‘What?!’
“The main reason is I found, lyrically, I was working through a lot in the respect of just exploring what the end could mean in many different possibilities. That was on top of the fact that this is that we dropped the WVH from our name, finally, so it feels like the end of the old and the beginning of the new. It ties together thematically but is also where the band is right now, so (The End) just felt like the perfect, encapsulating title.”
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The band was, of course, known as Mammoth WVH from the time Van Halen began working on his own music in 2015 — eight years after he first toured as bassist in Van Halen with his father, Eddie Van Halen, and uncle Alex Van Halen — until last year, when Van Halen was able to acquire the Mammoth copyright after years of trying. Now, he explains, “It’s exactly where I wanted it to be. I love bands that have a self-titled album and a song named after the band; so now on the very first album (from 2021) we have ‘Mammoth’ by Mammoth, on Mammoth, just like Iron Maiden and Bad Company, It’s a quirky little thing, but I like to be in that club.”
He adds that shedding the WVH also removes some of the baggage that is a frustrating part and parcel of his musical career.
“I’ve wanted to be (Mammoth) from the beginning,” Van Halen says. “There’s a much higher chance of organic discovery when it’s just Mammoth. People have a lot of complicated feelings about me because of my family and how I started out, and I think a lot of people decided how they feel about me and my music before they even heard it. So I think now it’s a nice opportunity to get in that window of people just hearing something and get that unbiased reaction — and then they’ll see who it is and get pissed off, but before that it might be, ‘Hey, it’s actually good, but I still don’t like him,’” he says with a laugh.
Like its two predecessors, The End was recorded by Van Halen and Michael “Elvis” Baskette at the 5150 studio built by Van Halen’s father. The 10 tracks come in at a relatively austere 39 minutes, and Van Halen says that compactness was both organic and intentional.
“I’m all about efficiency, in every aspect,” he notes. “I was definitely trying to not overthink anything. I think you’re always trying for all killer, not filler, and I like the idea you can have something that doesn’t last too long, and if you really enjoyed it you can just throw it on again and keep enjoying it.
“I feel like there’s enough flavor, but nothing overstays its welcome. The longest song is ‘One of a Kind,’ and it’s only just over five minutes. Everything else is pretty short in comparison. There’s nothing like ‘Take a Bow,’ which is almost seven minutes, and ‘Better Than You,’ which is over six minutes, on the last record. It was just about not trying to over-simplify but make sure I didn’t over-complicate.”
The End has already spawned a No. 1 Mainstream Rock Airplay chart hit in the title track, while “The Spell” has climbed into the top 20 in front of the album’s release. On the former and the track “I Really Wanna,” fans have been intrigued to hear Van Halen tapping on his guitar, something that was his father’s trademark but that he’s largely avoided before now. “I was maybe worried about too many comparisons,” he says, “but at the end of the day I’ve realized that’s going to happen either way, so I might as well just have fun and enjoy myself. I think it’s fun to tap; I think it’s just a fun, cool sounding thing for solos. So I don’t care what anybody says, ’cause this is what makes me happy, and I’m having a good time.”
Van Halen — who also heads the EVH Gear instrument company — adds that he found the tapping pattern for “The End” on a 2014 demo, which had been set aside. “I was like, ‘Y’know what; why don’t we write a song around this and see what happens?,’ and this time it worked,” he says. The songs “Something New” and “Selfish,” meanwhile, hail from ideas he hatched while making the first album; the latter, in fact, came from jamming with his father during December of 2014, which Van Halen even has on video.
“It’s just me and him jamming,” he recalls. “I had my camera sitting by my high hat (cymbal), so that’s all you hear. It’s just a complete mess, audio-wise, but it’s nice to see.”
“The End” has also drawn attention for its video, directed by Robert Rodriguez and Greg Nicotero and based on Rodriguez’s 1996 Quentin Tarantino-written horror classic From Dusk till Dawn. In addition to Mammoth’s live lineup it features cameos from Slash, Myles Kennedy, actor Danny Trejo and Van Halen’s mother Valerie Bertinelli, along with plenty of prosthetics and special effects. “It’s important not to take yourself too seriously and just have a good time,” Van Halen says. “That’s what I always love about the Foo Fighters and their videos; I’ve never been shy about how inspired I am by the Foos, and I think the way we do our videos is very much a reflection of that.”
The latest clip, for “Same Old Song,” drops on Friday and is intended as a sequel to “The End,” although admittedly a more modest proposition. “It sort of wraps up the story, so to speak,” Van Halen says. “Obviously a baby band like us only has enough in the album budget for one Robert Rodriguez-directed video, but I think this one sort of ties it up nicely and allows us to move forward into the future.”
As The End comes out, Mammoth’s immediate future is on the road. Van Halen and company — Jon Jourdan, Frank Sidoris, Ronnie Ficarro and Garrett Whitlock — spent the summer opening for Creed, which sadly meant the group had to bow out of the Black Sabbath/Ozzy Osbourne Back to the Beginning concert during July. “I was so bummed,” says Van Halen, who was part of the performances honoring Osbourne at his Rock And Roll Hall of Fame induction as a solo artist a year ago in Cleveland.
“I was happy I was able to do that,” Van Halen remembers. “I was able to sit and talk with him a little bit and bond with him a little bit before he left. So I’m happy I got to see him there. What an unbelievable loss it is.” He adds that Sharon Osbourne “was very sweet and understanding” about Mammoth having to drop out of Back to the Beginning. “There was stuff in the news where she said somebody was rude to them — it was not us. Sharon has been nothing but wonderful to us, and my heart goes out to her and the whole family.”
Mammoth begins a headlining run on Oct. 31 in Rancho Mirage, Calif., with cross-country dates through Dec. 12. Van Halen says he’s sketched out a preliminary long-term schedule that won’t have him back in the studio until the spring of 2027, although he’ll be accumulating ideas along the way.
“I still have so many ideas that need work — they’re missing a vocal hook here or a guitar part here or a drum part here — so in moments of inspiration I’ll maybe just sit there and listen to those old ideas and see what I can do,” Van Halen says. “I think the biggest thing with (The End) compared to the last two is…I was a lot more comfortable and confident in the process, and in who I am as my own artist and what I have to offer. At the end of the day it doesn’t matter what people think I should be doing as long as I’m true to myself, and what I think the purest distillation of Mammoth is.
“I’m proud of the way that I’ve handled myself in this business,” he adds. “I’m not sitting there playing Van Halen songs and trying to shack up in the legacy of my father. I’m trying to set out and do it on my own. Whether I’m successful at that is a subjective opinion, but I’m at least proud that I’m not sitting here going, like, ‘Hey, the only place you can hear a Van Halen play ‘Panama’ is over here.’ I would rather fail on my own thing than succeed on my dad’s legacy.”
