Credit: Bill O'Leary Much has been written about the origins of Eddie Van Halen's guitar style but that's just one of the intriguing aspects to his immense creativity during his time. His classic red, black and white striped guitar affectionally named "Frankenstrat" is now one of the most identifiable instruments in not just rock but music history. Rock journalist … [Read more...]
Cinematographer Shares Behind-The-Scenes Stories Of Filming Van Halen’s Toronto ’95 Concerts
Rock 'n' roll cameraman Tony Wannamaker recently recounted his experience filming Van Halen's concerts at Toronto's Molson Ampitheatre in August of 1995. Wannamaker, who is currently working on a book titled "Confessions of a Rock 'n' Roll Cameraman", shared the story for his podcast to support the upcoming book. "We were doing a program, a series of shows called the Big … [Read more...]
Tone Chaser: One Man’s Pursuit Of The Classic Eddie Van Halen Sound
Credit: Neil Zlozower Capturing Eddie Van Halen's early-era tone is much like cracking a secret code. It's no easy task and it most definitely won't happen overnight. Take twenty-six year-old Cameron Brown for example. He's been chasing Eddie's classic "Eruption" tone since he was 11. It's only now that he feels he's ready to share it with the world. Brown is a … [Read more...]
What Are The Ten Best Van Halen Deep Cuts?
Credit: Neil Zlozower Just how deep will you go when it comes to your Van Halen fix? Of the 131 songs in Van Halen's catalogue, 56 of them were released as singles. That leaves another 75 songs that can be referred to as "album tracks" or "deep cuts". Just recently, Metal Injection's Andrew Kapper posted his own ten best Van Halen deep cut list, which included the … [Read more...]
Sammy Hagar’s ‘I Never Said Goodbye’ Featuring Eddie Van Halen Turns 35 [AUDIO]
Sammy Hagar's solo album I Never Said Goodbye featuring Eddie Van Halen on bass turned 35 today. The syndicated radio show "In The Studio with Red Beard" recently re-released the album's 25th anniversary interview with Hagar. About The Never Said Goodbye Album I Never Said Goodbye, released on June 23rd, 1987 through Geffen Records, was Hagar's ninth studio album overall … [Read more...]
Sammy Hagar & The Circle Kick Off Summer Tour With Van Halen Heavy Shows [VIDEO & SETLISTS]
Summer nights and the music of Van Halen...that's all we need baby. Dont'cha know it! Sammy Hagar & The Circle's "Crazy Times!" tour kicked off this past weekend with shows in Connecticut and New Jersey. Of the 16 songs played each night, eight of them were from Van Halen's catalog, and not all of them from the Sammy era. Having the chance to catch the Connecticut … [Read more...]
Michael Anthony Promises To Sing On Classic Van Halen Deep Cuts During The Circle’s Summer Tour [AUDIO]
Sammy Hagar & The Circle's "Crazy Times!" tour is about to get underway, and Michael Anthony says Van Halen fans will be pleasantly surprised by a few of the songs on the setlist. During his recent appearance on Sirius XM's "Trunk Nation with Eddie Trunk" (June 2nd), Anthony said he will not only continue to sing lead on a few classic Van Halen songs during the band's … [Read more...]
Michael Anthony Says Van Halen Tribute Talks May Be Too Early, Alex ‘Still Healing’ [UPDATED WITH AUDIO]
Credit: Neil Zlozower Asked if a Van Halen tribute project will eventually happen, Michael Anthony says it's certainly possible but giving Alex Van Halen time to heal is the priority. During his appearance on SiriusXM's "Trunk Nation with Eddie Trunk" this week (June 2nd), Anthony stated that he has spoken with Alex and David Lee Roth regarding a possible tribute to … [Read more...]
Matt Sorum Recalls His ‘Crazy’ Audition For David Lee Roth’s ‘Eat ‘Em And Smile’ Band
It's all about that double bass. During his appearance on The Modern Drummer Podcast, drummer Matt Sorum (The Cult, Guns N' Roses, Velvet Revolver) recalled the time he auditioned for David Lee Roth's band back in 1985 saying it was "probably the craziest" audition he ever went on. "All these drummers went down to S.I.R. [Studios in Hollywood] to audition," said Sorum, … [Read more...]
Pearl Jam’s Mike McCready Performs ‘Eruption’ In Tribute To Eddie Van Halen [VIDEO]
Pearl Jam guitarist Mike McCready honored Eddie Van Halen with a performance of "Eruption" during a May 9th concert in Glendale, Arizona. Prior to McCready's tribute, Pearl Jam singer Eddie Vedder addressed the recent passing of some friends and family members including Foo Fighters' drummer Taylor Hawkins and Eddie Van Halen. "I don’t think we’ve played a show since … [Read more...]
Michael Anthony Responds To Van Halen Tribute Rumors [VIDEO]
Michael Anthony says he was part of the discussions regarding a possible Van Halen tribute project featuring Alex Van Halen, David Lee Roth and Joe Satriani. During his appearance on The Mitch Lafon & Jeremy White Show, Anthony was asked by co-host Jeremy White if he was aware of the recent story making its rounds among the classic rock community regarding a possible Van … [Read more...]
Guitarist Craig Parker Adams On Following In Eddie Van Halen’s Footsteps…Literally [VIDEO]
Credit: Neil Zlozower Many guitarists have studied the lightning-fast fingers of Eddie Van Halen in a quest to capture just a fraction of his musical magic. Craig Parker Adams, however, found himself drawn to more than just his fingers. "I didn't go after Ed the way most people go after Ed," Adams said during a recent appearance on the podcast Johnny Beane TV. "I had … [Read more...]