Guitarist/vocalist Richie Kotzen said he discovered Eddie Van Halen thanks to Michael Jackson's "Beat It". In a new interview with RockSverige, Kotzen (The Winery Dogs, Mr. Big, Poison) recalled the time he first heard the sound of Eddie playing guitar. "I will never forget the first time I heard him, and this is how out of touch I was," said Kotzen. "We were driving … [Read more...]
Archives for 2021
Watch: Mammoth WVH ‘You’re To Blame’ Official Lyric Video
Mammoth WVH has released the official lyric video for their single "You're To Blame". Here's what is posted along with the video (above) from the official Mammoth WVH YouTube channel: Mammoth WVH is the debut, self-titled album of Mammoth WVH – the band created by Wolfgang Van Halen – that includes 14 new songs on a double vinyl, CD, Digital Download and streaming. This … [Read more...]
Five Van Halen Hidden Gems You Need To Hear NOW [VIDEO]
The Professor of Rock is back with yet another Van Halen video, this time he polishes off five of the band's hidden gems that deserve to not just be remembered but cherished and cranked up to the highest level. "This week on our hidden gem series we're gonna take a swing at one of the greatest bands in history and one of my personal favorites ever, if you can't tell - the … [Read more...]
Autograph Guitarist Steve Lynch Talks Touring With Van Halen In 1984
What's a "T-Shirt Band" and why was Autograph called one? Did Van Halen really tell Autograph's guitarist Steve Lynch he wasn't allowed to finger tap? Lynch had the answers to those questions and more during a recent interview. Lynch was a guest on Waste Some Time with Jason Green and shared stories of the time his band Autograph opened for Van Halen in 1984. Autograph … [Read more...]
‘Everything’s Alright’ With This Van Halen/Stevie Wonder Mashup
Mash-up maestro Bill McClintock has added yet another popular mashup to his catalog, this time a Van Halen/Stevie Wonder track titled "Chained Uptight." McClintock seamlessly mixed Van Halen's 1981 classic "Unchained" with Wonder's "Uptight (Everything's Alright)" from 1965. It's already amassed over 99,000 views on YouTube since it was uploaded less than a week … [Read more...]
Sunset Sound Recorders Engineer On ‘Van Halen 1’s Weekend Remix
Former Sunset Sound Recorders engineer Peggy McCreary said she and Van Halen engineer Donn Landee remixed the band's 1978 debut album in one weekend. McCreary shared the story during her interview for the Sunset Sound Recorders YouTube channel. "We remixed the whole album in a weekend," said McCreary. "It was just the two of us. [Don] just said he needed to do this and he … [Read more...]
Van Halen’s ‘Jump’ Hits #1 On This Week In 1984
Thirty seven years ago this week Van Halen’s "Jump" knocked Culture Club’s "Karma Chameleon" off the top of the charts and started a five week run at number one on the Billboard Hot 100. "Jump" was released a single on December 21st, 1983 and began its ascent atop the Billboard Hot 100 chart beginning on February 25th, 1984. It stayed there until the week of March 24th, … [Read more...]
Fundraiser Started To Save Home Of Eddie Van Halen’s Guitar Tech
A GoFundMe page has been initiated in hopes of preventing former Eddie Van Halen guitar tech Tom Weber from losing his home due to COVID-19. Weber was scheduled to tech for both country star Reba McEntire’s 2020 tour and Poison before COVID-19 struck and left him out of work. "It was going to be one of those years where my family wasn’t going to see me, but it was going … [Read more...]
Dweezil Zappa: The ‘Diver Down’ Game Changer Tune Is ‘The Full Bug’
Dweezil Zappa calls Van Halen's "The Full Bug" the "Game Changer" tune from the band's 1982 album 'Diver Down'. In the latest sampling of his podcast Runnin' With The Dweezil, Zappa talked to guitarist Mark Tremonti (Creed, Alter Bridge, Tremonti) about the standout moments from 'Diver Down', one of them being "The Full Bug". "If you didn't think you were gonna rock hard … [Read more...]
Wolfgang Van Halen On Why He Wanted The ‘Distance’ Video To Be So Personal
Wolfgang Van Halen said the video for his Mammoth WVH single "Distance" had to be as raw and candid as the song itself. "In order for people to understand the pain I’m going through I think you kinda have to let [the viewers] in that closely so they know what I’ve lost," Wolfgang said during during an interview with Zito of Florida's 98.7 The Shark. "I think that’s why the … [Read more...]
Sammy Hagar On Singing Van Halen Songs Then & Now
No matter how hard they may be to sing all these years later, Sammy Hagar said there are certain Van Halen songs he has to keep singing. They're just too important not to. Hagar was a guest on the syndicated interview series Kyle Meredith With... to talk about his latest Sammy Hagar & The Circle release 'Lockdown 2020', which includes current recordings of the Van Halen … [Read more...]
Yngwie Malmsteen On Van Halen’s ‘Outta Love Again’: ‘It’s Ridiculous. It’s Just So Good’
Guitarist Yngwie Malmsteen paid tribute to Eddie Van Halen during a recent Guitar World interview and cited the 'Van Halen II' deep track "Outta Love Again" as among his favorites. "There's a song on the second album, 'Outta Love Again'. Edward and Alex's playing on that, it's just one take, you can hear it. It's sick," said Malmsteen. "It's ridiculous. It's just so good. … [Read more...]