Eric Martin says he could have been a man with big regrets if it wasn't for his band Mr. Big. During a recent appearance on the Appetite For Distortion podcast, Martin recalled the time he had the chance to become the lead singer of Van Halen. "That's the biggest thorn in my side," said Martin, who went on to tell the story of the time Eddie Van Halen offered him a … [Read more...]
LISTEN: Unearthed 1991 Australian Radio Interview With Eddie Van Halen [RARE VIDEO INCLUDED]
A rare 1991 interview featuring Eddie Van Halen on an Australian radio station has surfaced. The interview took place in July of '91 while Van Halen was rehearsing for their upcoming tour to support the For Unlawful Carnal Knowledge album. Van Halen fan Adam Roach not only uploaded the interview (above) but also included some rare video he filmed of Eddie and his bandmates … [Read more...]
How Eddie Van Halen Inspired Night Ranger’s Brad Gillis To Master The Whammy Bar Technique
Night Ranger guitar Brad Gillis says his mastery of the whammy bar all began with the guitar master himself - Eddie Van Halen. During a recent interview with 80's Metal Recycle Bin, Gillis talked about the origins of his guitar technique, one that helped take Night Ranger to the top of the charts with multi-platinum records and sales reaching over 17 million around the … [Read more...]
25 Years Ago: Van Halen’s Original Lineup Reunites On MTV
On this night 25 years ago (Sept. 4th, 1996), Eddie Van Halen, Alex Van Halen and Michael Anthony made MTV and rock history when they appeared on stage together for the first time in over a decade. In the summer of 1996, Van Halen parted ways with Sammy Hagar, leaving Eddie, Alex and Michael without a frontman. Soon after they reached out to Roth to … [Read more...]
Dweezil Zappa Is All Fired Up For ‘OU812’ Deep Track ‘A.F.U. (Naturally Wired)’
Dweezil Zappa says Van Halen's "A.F.U. (Naturally Wired)" is firing on all cylinders no matter who the singer is. In fact, it could have worked just fine with no singer at all. "If there was never a vocal on this, this would be a great Van Halen instrumental," Zappa told Maroon 5 guitarist James Valentine in a recently released clip of his podcast Runnin' With The Dweezil. … [Read more...]
35 Years Ago: Van Halen Shoots ‘Live Without A Net’ Concert Video
It was on this hot "Summer Night" in 1986 that Van Halen performed in New Haven, Connecticut for what would become the band's first-ever commercially released concert - "Live Without A Net". This was the second of two consecutive nights Van Halen performed in New Haven before 12,000 crazy, flipped out 5150s at the now-defunct Veterans Memorial Coliseum, which officially … [Read more...]
Paul Stanley On David Lee Roth: ‘On Stage He’s Still Diamond Dave!’
Diamonds are forever, so says Paul Stanley. Stanley took to social media recently to offer up his support for Roth after his bandmate Gene Simmons made some rather disparaging remarks about the Van Halen frontman. Early last week during an interview with Rolling Stone, Simmons confirmed that Roth was no longer touring with KISS adding, "During Dave’s heyday, nobody did what … [Read more...]
Guitarist John 5 On Unreleased Van Halen-Inspired DLR Track ‘Nothing Could Have Stopped Us’
Guitarist John 5 said there is a Van Halen-inspired track he recorded with David Lee Roth that has yet to be released titled “Nothing Could Have Stopped Us”. During a recent interview with Alabama's AL.com, John 5 revealed some of the details behind the track: Speaking of rock legends, you played guitar on the David Lee Roth solo album “DLR Band.” But … [Read more...]
How Van Halen Beat The Sophomore Jinx With ‘Van Halen II’ [VIDEO]
Got a drink in my hand, got my toes in the sand. All I need is some good internet service so I can watch the latest video on Van Halen from the "Professor of Rock"! "The Professor" Adam Reader has just done a deep dive into 1979's Van Halen II album and how it avoided the sophomore jinx. The sophomore jinx is defined as being an instance in which a second, … [Read more...]
Latest Bill McClintock/Van Halen Mashup Has Cheatin’ Hearts Jumpin’
Ow, oh! Hey you! Who said that?! It's Wild Bill McClintock and he's back in town with another Van Halen mashup! McClintock has a popular YouTube channel featuring several of his own personally crafted mashups from a slew of classic rock artists including a handful from Van Halen. His most recent may be his most unusual yet. He matched up David Lee Roth's original vocal … [Read more...]
This Day [Literally] In 1978: Van Halen ‘Jams’ Out In Oklahoma
August 6th, 1978. It's a steamy, hot day under the blaring sun in Oklahoma City. A crowd of very sweaty, very buzzed rock and roll fans are burning up, anxiously awaiting for the next band to hit the stage. Have no fear, the Ice Cream Man, King Edward and Van Halen are here to keep 'em cool! On this day in 1978 Van Halen performed a rare day-time concert at the State Fair … [Read more...]
Billy Sheehan On ‘Eat ‘Em and Smile’ Tour Bass/Guitar Duel With Steve Vai: ‘Dave Said It Should Be Like A Tractor Pull’
If you were fortunate enough to attend one of David Lee Roth’s concerts 35 summers ago, you’ll likely remember the epic onstage bass/guitar duel between bassist Billy Sheehan and guitarist Steve Vai. Then again, if you were at one of the first few shows, odds are you didn’t see it at all and Sheehan can explain why. During a recent appearance on the podcast Breaking … [Read more...]