Terrible news in rock 'n' roll ... ex-PANTERA drummer Vinnie Paul Abbott passed away Friday (June 22) at the age of 54. Former Van Halen members Michael Anthony and Sammy Hagar have paid tribute: Anthony wrote on Facebook: "So sad and heartbroken to hear of the death of my good friend Vinnie Paul. A great friend, human being, and incredible drummer. R.I.P. … [Read more...]
Have A Great Summer!
Eddie Van Halen's post on Facebook today: Have a great summer! #summer #music … [Read more...]
Fans & Janie Van Halen React to REELZ Documentary
Is a storm brewing between REELZ and Mrs. Mighty Van Halen? Janie Van Halen, Eddie Van Halen’s wife and publicist, took to Twitter Sunday night to speak her mind about REELZ’ latest docu offering - Breaking the Band: Van Halen. The episode, which premiered June 17th, was touted as covering the band’s complete timeline, from its height of popularity to two ‘break ups’. While the … [Read more...]
Wolf Confirms Long-Awaited Solo Project Ready to Mix
Flashback: In February 2015, Eddie Van Halen announced during his interview at the Smithsonian that son and Van Halen bassist Wolfgang would be releasing a solo album . Of the album, Eddie threw some hype Wolfie's way, telling listeners, “Wait until you hear his record! This is not pop talking, this is REAL talk. It blew my mind." But, the hype was quickly overshadowed, as a … [Read more...]
‘Breaking the Band: Van Halen’ Airing Sunday, June 17
Remember that Van Halen documentary that we reported was in the works back in January? Well, it's airing on TV this weekend! Michael Anthony and Sammy Hagar have both been interviewed for the documentary, which will be airing on REELZ. Michael mentioned on Instagram that the interview "Brought up many great memories," and Sammy added, "These guys were great, feels like a … [Read more...]
‘Light Up The Sky’ Fan-Made Video
A Van Halen fan has made a video for "Light Up The Sky" using footage of the classic car chase from the 1968 movie Bullitt, featuring Steve McQueen and his 1968 Ford Mustang GT Fastback. "Fasten your seatbelts!" … [Read more...]
‘Panama’ at the… Finnish Line?
What says 'classic American hard rock' better than the mighty Van Halen? Nothing, right? So, we're not surprised that our friends in Finland would jack some American culture for their outrageously popular band, Steve 'n' Seagulls. (Okay, culture may not exactly be the word that first comes to mind when processing the pun on the band's name and the actor who inspired it, but … [Read more...]
30 Years Ago: Van Halen Launches ‘Monsters of Rock’ Stadium Tour
Embed from Getty Images 30 years ago this week, "The Monsters of Rock" summer stadium tour launched, featuring Van Halen, the Scorpions, Dokken, Metallica and Kingdom Come. From The New York Times, May 29th, 1988: The Monsters of Rock Open a 23-City Tour America's stadium-rock season opened here today with a bang - or, more precisely, the nine-hour roar of Van … [Read more...]
30th Anniversary Roundtable Discussion: Did Van Halen Bite Off Too Much With ‘OU812’?
30 years after the release of Van Halen's OU812, our friends at Ultimate Classic Rock hosted a roundtable discussion about the album. Featuring UCR staff, along with VHND's Jeff Hausman, and Van Halen Rising author, Greg Renoff, they tackle five big questions about the album. Read everyone's answers to question #1, below, and continue to read the rest at UCR. From … [Read more...]
‘Van Halen Rising’ Author Greg Renoff Discusses All Things Van Halen
We're glad to feature this wonderful interview with Greg Renoff, who literally wrote the book on Van Halen, with 'Van Halen Rising'. Jeff Goebel from Musical Journeys interviewed him in Tulsa, Oklahoma at the incredibly Historic Cain’s Ballroom, where Van Halen performed in 1978. Watch the interview, above. Subjects include David Lee Roth, Eddie and Alex Van Halen, Michael … [Read more...]
Cobra Kai Star William Zabka Needs No Black Belt To Rock Vintage Van Halen Tee
Make no mistake. William Zabka , one of the two leads in YouTube Red’s new Cobra Kai series, has great respect for the mighty Van Halen. Thus, we can only imagine his showing up on-screen wearing the vintage style “1980 Invasion” t-shirt wasn't just a random choice by the costume department. Johnny Lawrence—he of "Sweep the leg" infamy—shows off the tee in the third episode of … [Read more...]
Tonight in Phoenix: Meet Us at the Atomic Punks!
TONIGHT in PHOENIX / TEMPE! See the Ultimate Van Halen tribute, The Atomic Punks, at Tempe's "Rock and Roll Night Out" at the Marquee Theatre tonight (Friday May 11). Also, meet Jeff & Terri from VHND & Van Halen Store. We’re based in Phoenix, and we're friends with the band, so we'll be there! We're hanging out at the merch booth selling Official VH items. Come … [Read more...]