Of the many hit singles Van Halen recorded during their run with Sammy Hagar, there seems to be one in particular that younger generations of musicians prefer most – “Dreams”. In March the synthwave artist Arena recorded a cover of the song. Their recording even received the stamp of approval from Hagar himself. “I wanna tell you guys I love what Arena did with … [Read more...]
Archives for 2021
Guitar Tech Chet Haun Recalls “Whirlwind Of A Time” Working With Van Halen In 2007
It's a sunny afternoon in Los Angeles, summer of 2007. Godsmack guitar tech Chet Haun is enjoying a day off, sitting in an empty Sunset Bar & Grill with a couple of guys from the road crew. He's about to bite into a slice of pizza when his phone rings. "Hi Chet? This is Edward Van Halen's assistant Matt. Edward would like to know if he can speak with you." Haun's life was … [Read more...]
40th Anniversary Of Van Halen’s 1981 Oakland Shows
From June 11-13th, 1981, Van Halen performed three shows in front of sold out crowds of 11,300 people each night at California's Oakland Coliseum. The Oakland '81 shows have become legendary, thanks to the band deciding to preserve some of their performance to film. The footage was edited into three videos which aired on MTV as promos for the Fair … [Read more...]
Wolf Van Halen Video Interview: ‘5150 Is Where I’ll Be Recording For The Rest Of My Life’
Wolfgang Van Halen is making sure his father's legendary 5150 Studios will never go silent. "Where we're sitting right now, this is where I'm gonna be recording all the music I will for the rest of my life," Wolfgang told People. He was speaking from inside the studios his father built in 1983 near his home in the Studio City neighborhood of Los Angeles, California. "It's … [Read more...]
Wolfgang Van Halen To Launch Brand New SiriusXM Show
Wolfgang Van Halen will launch a brand new show called Top of the Pack on SiriusXM tomorrow (Friday). The show is set to debut at 5 p.m. ET on Sirius XM's Classic Rewind (channel 25), as well as on the SXM App. New episodes will air monthly. For the first episode of Top of the Pack Wolfgang will celebrate the upcoming 30th anniversary of Van Halen's 1991 album 'For Unlawful … [Read more...]
Wolfgang Van Halen Tells The Stories Behind ‘Mammoth WVH’ & ‘A Different Kind Of Truth’ Songs
Wolfgang Van Halen shared the stories behind the songs from both his upcoming ‘Mammoth WVH’ album and the 2012 Van Halen album ‘A Different Kind Of Truth’ during a new interview with Songfacts. Here are excerpts from Greg Prato's interview: On 'Mammoth WVH' Songs Greg Prato (Songfacts): Let's discuss the lyrical meaning behind several of your tunes, starting with … [Read more...]
Wolfgang Van Halen: Holding Off New Music To Be With Ailing Dad Was ‘An Easy Decision’
Wolfgang Van Halen told SPIN magazine his decision to delay the release of his debut solo album to be with his father was an easy one to make. According to Wolfgang, the music that makes up the debut Mammoth WVH album was ready to launch as early as 2018. When Eddie’s health began to decline, however, he knew it would have to wait. Here are some excerpts from Daniel … [Read more...]
Unearthed: Eddie Van Halen Playing ‘Amsterdam’ At 5150, In 1987
Coming hot on the heels of the lost Van Halen 'dinosaur' video comes yet another unearthed gem! And this one is even better! We've all wanted to be a fly on the wall at 5150. Or a friend of Eddie Van Halen's who could get to hear amazing stuff that he's working on. Well, this video below is just that! The unknown videographer starts filming as he opens the studio … [Read more...]
Unearthed: Lost Van Halen ‘Dinosaur’ Video Surfaces After 40 Years!
The story of the mysterious "lost" Van Halen "dinosaur" video begins back in 1995, one year before The Van Halen News Desk launched. At that time, Jeff Hausman (who would go on to run the VHND) got ahold of some strange photos of Van Halen playing their instruments outdoors, among life-size sculptures of dinosaurs(!). Knowing these photos were never published or seen … [Read more...]
The ‘Hot For Teacher’ Mom Reprises Role For New Video
No, we still don't what became of Waldo but we do know what his mom is up to. Actress Ruth Silveira played the unforgettable role of the mom in Van Halen's "Hot For Teacher" music video back in 1984. She recently reprised the role for a new music video collaboration titled "This Rap Makes No Sense". Comedian Joe Hernández-Kolski wrote and performed the lyrics and musicians … [Read more...]
‘Ain’t Talkin’ ‘Bout Love’ Voted Fifth Greatest Riff Of All Time By Total Guitar, Guitar World Readers
Eddie Van Halen's iconic riff to "Ain't Talkin' 'Bout Love" is among the five greatest of all time, according to readers of Total Guitar & Guitar World. Readers of the publications voted "ATBL" behind Richie Blackmore's "Smoke On The Water" (Deep Purple), Angus Young's "Back In Black" (AC/DC) and Randy Rhoads' "Crazy Train" (Ozzy Osbourne) riffs. The full, 50-strong … [Read more...]
Watch: Mammoth WVH: ‘Don’t Back Down’ Official Live Video
Wolfgang Van Halen has just given fans a chance to see and hear what Mammoth WVH will sound like when they hit the road this summer with Guns N' Roses. Check out the official live video for "Don't Back Down" above. It's one of the tracks included on the debut Mammoth WVH album which drops a week from today (June 11th). Go to the official Mammoth WVH website now to pre-order … [Read more...]