EVH & AVH Photo Credit: Neil Zlozower The complete versions of all three demos Gene Simmons recorded with Eddie & Alex Van Halen can now be heard. YouTuber ShockMe1994 had uploaded "Christine Sixteen" and "Have Love Will Travel" back in October. Just recently he uploaded the the last of three tracks - "Tunnel Of Love" - to his channel. Simmons officially … [Read more...]
Great White Guitarist Recalls Van Halen’s Backyard Concert Days
Credit: Mark Kendall Facebook/Neil Zlozower Great White guitarist Mark Kendall shared his memories of Van Halen's pre-fame days during a recent interview with Alabama Life & Culture. Kendall, who grew up in Huntington Beach, California, was an aspiring guitarist in his teens when he first saw Van Halen perform. "I was just kind of a beginner on guitar, starting … [Read more...]
Michael Anthony Talks Early Cover Band Days Of Van Halen
Michael Anthony recalled Van Halen's early cover song club days during a recent interview with Southern California radio station 95.5 KLOS FM. "In Van Halen we would all get together at [David Lee Roth's] house 'cuz we would make up the flyers for some of the clubs we would play at," Anthony told Matt Pinfield for the KLOS video series New & Appoved. "Alex [Van Halen] … [Read more...]
George Lynch Recalls Pre-Van Halen/Mammoth Days
Credit: Neil Zlozower & Glenn Francis Guitarist George Lynch can say he's among the few who got to see Van Halen before they were even called Van Halen. When they were an up and coming band called Mammoth. "Back in the late '70s, we used to do a lot of shows with Van Halen - well, they were called Mammoth back then, the early Van Halen," said Lynch, who recently … [Read more...]
Unearthed Footage Of Van Halen’s ’74 ‘Pasadena Backyard Party Melee’ Show [UPDATED]
Christmas isn't over yet. Author Greg Renoff has one more gift for Van Halen fans and this one is a biggie. Renoff ("Van Halen Rising: How a Southern California Backyard Party Band Saved Heavy Metal" and "Ted Templeman: A Platinum Producer’s Life in Music") posted a never before seen video of Van Halen's legendary headline-making backyard party performance in Pasadena on … [Read more...]
Gene Simmons Reveals The Van Halen Demo Most Deserving Of Release: ‘It’ll Make Your Jaw Drop’
If Gene Simmons could pick any Van Halen demo track for an official release it would most definitely be the band's original 1976 recording of “House of Pain”. “The original version is like a locomotive that doesn’t stop. Your jaw would drop,” Simmons said during a recent appearance on The Jeremy White Podcast which can be viewed above. Simmons has a personal connection to … [Read more...]
David Lee Roth Talks Eddie Van Halen Tribute Song “Somewhere Over The Rainbow Bar & Grill”
Credit: Neil Zlozower Mention the smell of fresh sawdust on the floor and David Lee Roth is immediately taken back to his earliest memories of performing with his longtime bandmate Eddie Van Halen. "I actually walked past the door of a local drinking establishment and smelled the sawdust and like Proust with a lemon cookie, it triggered volumes of memory," Roth … [Read more...]
Documentarian Sam Dunn: ‘The Definitive Van Halen Story Is Yet To Be Told’
Credit: Neil Zlozower Canadian documentarian Sam Dunn says a Van Halen documentary remains the "Holy Grail" of stories yet to be told. Dunn (Metal: A Headbanger's Journey, Rush: Beyond the Lighted Stage, Super Duper Alice Cooper) was asked by Death Angel's Ted Aguilar during an "Alive & Streaming" YouTube interview if he had a bucket list of documentary … [Read more...]
Van Halen’s Pasadena High ’75 Set Surfaces [Audio]
A recording of Van Halen performing at Pasadena High School in the spring of 1975 has surfaced online. The video (above) posted to YouTube captures soundboard audio of the band in the high school's gymnasium in April of '75. David Lee Roth, Eddie Van Halen, Alex Van Halen and Michael Anthony perform a high-energy, eight-song set made up of seven cover songs and one original … [Read more...]
Hear Never Before Heard Outtakes/Alternate Endings Of Early Van Halen Tracks [VIDEO]
Credit: Sunset Sound Recorders YouTube channel Sunset Sound continued its Van Halen November series with parts 2 and 2.5 of their interview with engineer Brian Kehew. This time Kehew takes us into the studio to hear never before heard outtakes and alternate endings of classic Van Halen tracks. Kehew was hired by Warner Bros. around 2005 as an independent contractor to … [Read more...]
CHECK IT OUT! 1977 Sunset Sound Invoice For Van Halen Demo Recording
Sunset Sound Studios has just uncovered a work order for a 1977 Van Halen demo recording session. Below is the post from Sunset Sound's Facebook page along with the comment: "Woah!! Look at what we found!!! Subscribe [to] https://youtu.be/5-biL02KxE4 because we’re going through all the #vanhalen work orders and releasing audio and performances. No one has seen or touched … [Read more...]
Engineer Brian Kehew Talks Unreleased Van Halen Songs With The Van Halen News Desk
Credit: Neil Zlozower Ah, wow, man. Wait a second, man. Waddaya think “Hot For Teacher” is gonna sound like this time? It’s hard to imagine hearing Van Halen’s classic “Hot For Teacher” and not being able to recite every lyric word for word. Even harder to imagine is hearing the song with an entirely different set of lyrics but that's exactly what engineer Brian Kehew … [Read more...]