The genius of Eddie Van Halen continues to influence and inspire today's guitarists. Guitar World spoke with ten of those leading modern guitarists recently to find out what they learned from "King Edward". Here are some of comments from the article: YVETTE YOUNG How important was EVH’s role in the evolution of guitar playing? I always loved his attitude towards … [Read more...]
Archives for 2021
Jason Becker Fundraiser: Becker’s Three Most Important Guitars To Be Presented By Guernsey’s Auctions On July 15th
A fundraiser for Jason Becker is set to take place on July 15th with the proceeds to provide for Becker's ongoing battle with ALS. Becker was David Lee Roth's guitarist on the 1991 album A Little Ain't Enough and became a close friend of Eddie Van Halen in the years following his ALS diagnoses. Below is the press release: Legendary guitarist/composer Jason … [Read more...]
Sammy Hagar & Friends To Launch Las Vegas Residency This Fall [UPDATE: MORE SHOWS ADDED]
Sammy Hagar will launch a Les Vegas residency this fall and some surprise special guests are expected to join the party. Sammy Hagar and Friends will launch Halloween weekend in the Strat Theater with the first shows set for October 29 and 30 and November 5 and 6. The shows will feature Hagar and his Circle bandmates Michael Anthony, guitarist Vic Johnson, drummer Jason … [Read more...]
The Van Halen Easter Eggs In ‘Mammoth WVH’ Album
Ultimate Classic Rock has been doing some Van Halen Easter egg hunting! A recent video uploaded to UCR's YouTube channel brought attention to a handful of nods and subtle tributes Wolfgang Van Halen gave to Van Halen in his debut Mammoth WVH album and below are the five they came up with. #1) The first Van Halen Easter egg is one the Van Halen News Desk and Van … [Read more...]
Mammoth WVH Announce Headlining Concert Dates
Wolfgang Van Halen's Mammoth WVH will headline over a handful of shows beginning this August. The concerts will be in Cleveland, Seattle, Tucson, Austin, Cincinnati, Louisville, and Orlando. The shows will come on the heels of the band's first three dates opening for Guns N' Roses upcoming summer tour, which is set to kick off on July 31st in Hershey, PA at the Hersheypark … [Read more...]
June 29th, 1976: Van Halen Rocks The Starwood
Summertime on the Sunset Strip with Van Halen….gu-gu-gu-gauranteeeeed to satisfy! Forty five years ago tonight Van Halen performed at the legendary Starwood nightclub in West Hollywood. It wasn't too long before this gig that the lineup of David Lee Roth, Eddie Van Halen, Alex Van Halen and Michael Anthony had been been confined to playing mostly cover songs but the tides … [Read more...]
Sammy Hagar Apologizes For Exposing Eddie Van Halen’s ‘Dark Side’ In Autobiography
Sammy Hagar said he is sorry for exposing "the dark side" of Eddie Van Halen in his 2011 autobiography Red: My Uncensored Life In Rock. "Because of the untimely and tragic death of Eddie Van Halen, I apologize from the bottom of my heart for exposing his dark side to where I don't think anyone wants to hear that now, and, unfortunately, it's in the book," Hagar said in … [Read more...]
Sammy Hagar & The Circle To Perform At CNN’s ‘Fourth in America Special’
Sammy Hagar & The Circle will be one of the featured musical guests on CNN's upcoming "Fourth in America Special". Here is what Michael Anthony posted to his Mad Anthony's Cafe Facebook page this weekend: The Circle will be one of the featured musical guests on CNN's "Fourth in America Special" airing Sunday, July 4 starting at 7 p.m. ET. The prime-time program will … [Read more...]
LISTEN: Van Halen’s Never-Before-Heard ‘In The Studio’ 1991 Interview
For the 30th anniversary of Van Halen's For Unlawful Carnal Knowledge the syndicated radio show In The Studio with Redbeard has released "an ultra rare 'fly on the wall' listen" to the band's interview after performing a free concert on the streets of downtown Dallas in December of 1991. Here is what host Redbeard posted to the In The Studio website: The late Eddie Van … [Read more...]
On This Night In 1988: Van Halen Headlines Giants Stadium During ‘Monsters Of Rock’ Tour
Thirty three years ago tonight Van Halen's "Monsters of Rock" tour invaded Giants stadium in New Jersey for the first of two concerts. Van Halen was just about midway through the 23 city, 29-date tour when they arrived in New Jersey. It kicked off on May 23rd at the Alpine Valley Music Theatre in East Troy, Wisconsin and ended on July 30th in at Mile High Stadium in Denver, … [Read more...]
Wolfgang Van Halen On The Creation Of ‘Guitar Hero: Van Halen’ Video Game
Wolfgang Van Halen revealed details behind the making of 2009's Guitar Hero: Van Halen video game during a recent podcast appearance. While a guest on the video game podcast Good Game Nice Try, Wolfgang (an avid video gamer himself) along with the hosts Sonja Reid and Aaron Bleyaert were discussing some of their favorite games of the past. That's when Reid reminded Wolfgang … [Read more...]
Don Dokken Says Seeing Eddie Van Halen Perform Convinced Him To Give Up The Guitar
How good was Eddie Van Halen? So good he could make a guitarist give up the guitar. Dokken recently recalled the first time he saw Eddie perform live. It was at a venue in California in the 70s when Dokken was the lead guitarist and lead singer of a Los Angeles band called Airborn. "This is before the Dokken days, before I got signed," Dokken said while a guest on the … [Read more...]