VAN HALEN NEWS DESK

“Eruption” second best guitar solo ever, according to Guitar World

Eruption

From “50 Greatest Guitar Solos” on Guitar World’s website: 2) “Eruption” (Eddie Van Halen) – Van Halen Van Halen, 1978 It is hard to imagine a more appropriately titled piece of music than Edward Van Halen’s solo guitar showcase, “Eruption.” When the wildly innovative instrumental was released in 1978, hit the rock guitar community like [...]

An Eddie Van Halen Story

Eddie's great gift

Eddie\'s great giftHere’s an interesting story about meeting Eddie Van Halen, sent by VHND reader, Edward B. Fohrman, M.D. We hope you enjoy it.

It’s been almost ten years since my encounter with Eddie, but I remember it like it was yesterday…

I was “moonlighting” in an 8 bed ER in “the valley” while still a resident at UCLA. It started out a quiet, but steady night. The nurse handed me the chart for the next patient I needed to see. I looked at the name and saw that it read “Edward Van Halen”!!! I looked back at the nurse and she nodded and smiled…”Yeah, it’s him.”

Living in Los Angeles, I wasn’t much for being star struck, but Eddie was someone who I really had trouble hiding my excitement about. I was a keyboard player in high school in the late 80′s. Keyboards weren’t exactly the coolest instrument around, but when 1984 came out that all changed for me. I played by ear and learned every part. Eddie’s new exploration into synthesizers made me far more excited to be the keyboardist in my band…the solo in “Jump” and “I’ll Wait” were my favorites…

So, I walked into the room and met my patient while maintaining all sense of professionalism I could muster, trying not to give away the fact that I was treating one of my childhood heroes. Due to the strict rules (HIPAA), I can’t say what he was treated for, other than the fact that he needed to be treated for a minor injury.

I remember ordering a million dollar work-up including a CT scan just to be sure everything was okay…I was sure my medical career would be quite short if I ended up discharging Edward Van Halen only to read some crazy headline about how I missed a diagnosis and he ended up dead or something!!! Eddie was walking with a cane after having hip surgery. I asked him what happened…his answer was classic – “Thirty years of Rock ‘n’ Roll, man.”

While awaiting the official report from the radiologist, Eddie asked….

Click “Read the rest” for the rest of the story…

Van Halen’s debut released TODAY on 180 gram RTI vinyl!

VanHalenStore.com

Van Halen Track Listing SIDE 1: Runnin’ With The Devil Eruption You Really Got Me Ain’t Talkin’ ’bout Love I’m The One SIDE 2: Jamie’s Cryin Atomic Punk Feel Your Love Tonight Little Dreamer Ice Cream Man On Fire 1/27/09 UPDATE: This item is finally being released today, and is now in-stock at VanHalenStore.com! (This [...]

Happy Birthday, Edward Van Halen!

Edward Lodeewijk van Halen (Lodewijk is pronounced “Load-ah-ivke”) was born in Amsterdam, Holland, on January 26th, 1955. Happy Birthday to the “King of Ten Fingers & Six Strings!” “Eddie’s accomplishments are enormous. Positively towering… there isn’t one aspect of the electric guitar he hasn’t changed, rearranged, or reinvented. He’s Hendrix and Les Paul combined. He [...]

Van Halen Asteroids game!

VH game

You will love this! Someone has created a Van Halen video game that you can play right on your computer. It’s a variation on the classic Asteroids, done in an endearing version that features David Lee Roth & Van Halen imagery and sound. It’s called the “Diamond Dave Edition” of “Assteroidz”. Enjoy! Click here to [...]

EVH Guitar Straps now offered in a SHORTER length

EVH Strap

The EVH Premium Guitar Strap now comes in a SHORTER length. The new shorter straps are currently in stock only at Van Halen Store, and are on sale for $10 off the list price. (Click here to order). Now you can own the exact same strap Eddie Van Halen uses onstage! This premium quality black [...]

Chickenfoot tease

Chickenfoot website

“Chickenfoot”, the code-name for the new band featuring Sammy Hagar on vocals, Michael Anthony on bass, Joe Satriani on guitar & Chad Smith on drums, has an official website! Chickenfoot.us posted a little tease from the studio. The short audio clip is the only thing on the website so far, but it sounds very promising. [...]

EVH Frankenstein Humbucker

EVH Frankenstein Humbucker

The legendary humbucking pickup from the guitar that changed everything. Think of it as a brand-new version of the original Frankenstein’s battle-worn pickup, wound to the exact original specs and built to fit in any humbucking-pickup-equipped guitar. One of the most famous humbuckers of all time is now available at a competitive price and serves [...]

History of Van Halen

Here’s “The History of Van Halen”, a VH-1 special, which aired in 2006. Each segment is 10 minutes long. Part 1: Part 2: Part 3:

Eddie Van Halen to Auction a Pair of 1956 Chevy Classics at Barrett-Jackson Scottsdale

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Custom, Theme-Matching Guitar to be Auctioned with Each Vehicle A pair of Chevrolet classics from the personal collection of rock ‘n’ roll icon Eddie Van Halen will be sold at No Reserve during the 38th Annual Barrett-Jackson Collector Car Auction in Scottsdale, Ariz., Jan. 11-18, 2009. The 1956 Chevy 210 (Lot #1259) and 1956 Chevy [...]

Cabo Wabo Radio shuts down on Saturday

sammy-guitaraction

Press release from Sammy:

CABO WABO RADIO IS SHUTTING DOWN THIS SATURDAY NIGHT AT MIDNIGHT!

BUT WE’RE GOING OUT WITH A 24 HOUR PARTY ALL DAY SATURDAY

In a message today from the Cabo Wabo Cantina in Cabo San Lucas,Mexico, Sammy Hagar spoke about the extraordinary triumph of station built, branded, and programmed by legendary radio/television star Shadoe Stevens.

“Shadoe built the most exciting and original station I’ve ever heard and exceeded our expectations on every level,” Hagar said,

“In six months he took it from zero listeners to more than 130,000 in 100 countries, with 10,000 VIP members on our website, another 1,500 myspace friends, and listed as a Staff Favorite on iTunes.

Someone wants to make a Van Halen movie…

First, don’t get too excited. There is not a Van Halen movie that is set to come out. But one man has a dream to make a Van Halen movie. He set up a website and made a simple, one minute trailer based on the script. “Running with the Devil”, the unauthorized but inevitable Van [...]