Last week we were very lucky to be able to catch MammothWVH in support of the legendary Slash, Myles Kennedy and The Conspirators.

This is the second time in a year we've managed to catch MammothWVH, and to say they are going places would be somewhat of an understatement.

The first time we caught them, they were supporting the joint headline tour of Def Leppard and Motley Crue at Wembley Stadium (UK), and more recently supporting Slash, Myles Kennedy and the Conspirators at Birmingham NEC.

The difference between the two shows is quite remarkable, at Wembley they were awesome, but very much in "support band" territory - they had tons of energy, but open air daylight gigs with a proportion of the people there being a "meh" crowd just wasn't what they deserved. This time, in Birmingham, they came out and smashed the place to pieces. Tight and fierce backed up with some really good, and I mean REALLY good songs.

We consider ourselves very lucky that three of the guitar slinging members of the band are choosing to use the Zuul pedal to control their high gain amps. Jon Jourdan (guitars), Ronnie Ficcaro (bass) and Frank Sidoris (guitars) - Hats off to Frank, as he is pulling double duty all tour as he is the second guitar player for the Slash band as well!

We caught up with Jon after the show, very briefly, and managed to have a quick chat about his gear and Zuul!

FA: "How is it to be touring in MammothWVH? You guys are so busy touring, you must be exhausted!"
JJ: It’s been a year of non stop touring around the world for us, and as tiring as it is, we’re all really grateful to be doing this. It’s been everything from club shows to stadiums, and we wouldn’t trade any of it for the world. It’s really is amazing watching this band grow and reach new audiences. 

FA: You've recently updated from regular Zuul to Zuul Plus, how are you finding it?
JJ: I really love both! The regular Zuul was essential to my rig, no matter the stage situation I can rely on my rig being quiet and clean when I need it to be. Now that I’ve upgraded to the Zuul plus, I’ve removed the need for an additional splitter (which makes room on my board). The addition of the key pass through is perfect for my setup, and the additional controls on the Zuul plus really allow me to dial in the gate perfectly.

FA: How are you using your Zuul?
JJ: I currently use it on my heavy tones. Really any time the amp/pedal chain might get a little wild. I disengage it when I want to swell or get feedback, it’s nice to have the option on the fly.

FA: Tell us about your Flight of the Penguin project...
JJ: Flight of the Penguin is an instrumental project of mine. The concept was centered around the development of the nuclear bomb, and each track features the recorded dialog from a different scientist involved with the Manhattan project. Each perspective being very different and eye opening. It’s definitely a record to “go for a ride” to....

You can catch Jon on tour with MammothWVH, literally everywhere this year and we cannot stress enough, you have to see them in a more intimate venue while you can, because before long, they'll be having to watch them on the video screens in a stadium!