Count Grammy winning composer Carlos Rafael Rivera among the many fans of Eddie Van Halen.
During a recent appearance on The Paltrocast hosted by The DLR Book author Darren Paltrowitz, Rivera talked about his love of 80s metal. Growing up in Miami as a teenager, Rivera saw plenty of bands come through the Hollywood Sportatorium including Van Halen and David Lee Roth.
“I saw [Roth] with Steve Vai,” said Rivera. “We snuck into the backstage and we jumped over this thing and we stood there. A friend of mine George and I stood there looking at Steve Vai. We were frozen. ‘Cuz he was standing there talking to some people [for a] meet and greet [for] people who had legally gotten there. I was just standing there going [look of shock ].”
Paltrocast asked Rivera if he looks back on the guitarists from the 80s differently. Perhaps they played too many notes? Rivera disagreed stating: “Too many notes was my era.”
Rivera has gained an even bigger appreciation for Eddie Van Halen over the years, noting his bluesy approach to solos.
“I started paying attention to Eddie Van Halen’s playing as a great blues player who happened to have this additional talent [to play a lot of extra notes],” said Rivera (The Queen’s Gambit, Lessons in Chemistry). “One of my favorites, ‘So This Is Love,’ his guitar solo for that is a great solo. It’s fast, but it has choice, it has silence, it builds, it’s just this weird moment. It’s not like the 80s, ya know, kind of playing. They’re beautiful compositions on their own.”