When it was announced that the Soundwave Revolution festival in Australia was cancelled yesterday, some fans were quick to blame Van Halen, assuming that they must have pulled out of the festival. The truth is, Van Halen DID NOT pull out of Soundwave Revolution, and had nothing to do with the festival being cancelled. The promoter had been planning on securing one or two … [Read more...]
Archives for 2011
Australia’s Soundwave Revolution Officially Cancelled
Sad news for rock fans in Australia - the Soundwave Revolution festival that was to be headlined by Van Halen has been officially cancelled because the promoter was unable to secure a second headliner. The five cities to be played were Brisbane, Sydney, Melbourne, Adelaide and Perth from Sept 24th to October 3rd. Hopefully Van Halen will make it to Australia as part of their … [Read more...]
Top 10 Sammy Hagar Songs
From UltimateClassicRock.com: by: Matthew Wilkening Craig Allen, Getty Images Despite the flack he takes, there's more great Sammy Hagar songs than you might think, even if you subtract his amazingly fruitful decade as the second lead singer of Van Halen. The following list focuses on his solo work, with one notable exception, and reveals an earnest, positive … [Read more...]
Eddie Van Halen Opens Up in his First Guitar World Interview From 1981
From GuitarWorld.com: Eddie Van Halen made his first Guitar World cover appearance with the January 1981 issue, during the magazine's second year of publication. The cover beckoned readers to ponder if the young EVH was the world's greatest guitarist, while the original headline (on page 35) dubbed him The New King of Heavy Metal Guitar. Here's part one of that classic … [Read more...]
Van Halen Retrospective (Parts 1 & 2)
Earlier this summer, we featured Part 1 of Midnight Phil's two part Van Halen Retrospective. We're glad to say that Part 2 is finished! A message from Midnight Phil to VHND readers: "Thanks for all the amazing feedback on Part 1 of the Van Halen Retrospective! Part 2 was tricky, because it involved discussing some of the more frustrating things about the band's history … [Read more...]
Chickenfoot Members Praise Van Halen
Ever wonder what the members of Chickenfoot think of Van Halen? Here's what Joe Satriani and Chad Smith have said about them: . "The power and virtuosity that Eddie displays on every record is staggering. His timing and his tone make him so much fun to listen to. The first time I heard VH on the radio I stood up and cheered, because I felt that Eddie was doing what so … [Read more...]
Video Interview with Ted Templeman
“I’ve worked with such legendary guitar players as Allan Holdsworth, Ronnie Montrose, Eric Clapton, Lowell George and Steve Vai, but none of them come close to having Ed’s [Eddie Van Halen's] fantastic combination of chops and musicianship. I rank him along with Charlie Parker and Art Tatum as one of the three greatest musicians of my lifetime. Unfortunately, I don’t think Ed … [Read more...]
Listen To Chickenfoot’s “BIG FOOT”
Chickenfoot's first single "Big Foot" premiers online today! On radio and iTunes Aug 1st, 2001. New album, "CHICKENFOOT III" out Sept 27, 2011. Listen here: Many CHICKENFOOT SHIRTS $5 OFF for a limited time! Click the banner above for exclusive official Chickenfoot merchandise at Van Halen Store. … [Read more...]
Studio Encounter with Eddie Van Halen
Guitar legend Nuno Bettencourt was recently at Henson Studios to do some writing and mixing. Unbeknownst to him, his favorite rock band from his youth were secretly using the very same studios to record their upcoming album. Inspired by his chance encounter with Eddie Van Halen that day, Nuno wrote a story about it, which he contributed to the upcoming hardcover photo book, … [Read more...]
Van Halen Turbo-Pop
Here's a tale from Van Halen's 1979 "World Vacation" tour, from David Lee Roth's autobiography "Crazy from The Heat": Pretty soon, we were opening for bigger and bigger bands. In early '79, we were playing at the Los Angeles Coliseum, some ninety thousand people, Aerosmith was top bill. And I had an idea of a way to make an entrance, having gone down to the stadium to see … [Read more...]
Interview: Engineer Behind 5150 studios, George Saer
In the 25th episode of Pensado's Place, the engineer behind Van Halen's 5150 studios, George Saer, talks about his career and share insights about working with Eddie Van Halen. The Van Halen talk starts at 17:17 into it. A rare glimpse into the inner workings of the creative and recording process at 5150. With Van Halen working on a new album right now, it's a good time to … [Read more...]
Video Interview: Michael Anthony
From BASS FRONTIERS: It is impossible to tell you how cool we feel to have this video interview with none other than Michael Anthony! Currently the bassist for supergroup Chickenfoot (with Sammy Hagar, Chad Smith, and Joe Satriani), but best known as a founding member of Van Halen, Michael is one of the most loved and revered rock bassists out there. Period. If nothing … [Read more...]