"One of the questions I'm most frequently asked, says guitarist Pete Thorn, is 'What kind of pedal should I buy to help me get Eddie Van Halen's tone?' Thanks to EVH and MXR, I now have a great answer....get the one that Eddie Van Halen designed!" Peter demos the new EVH 5150 Overdrive, and it's the best video demo yet! Watch it above. The MXR design team has collaborated … [Read more...]
‘Van Halen Rising’ Author Discusses Band’s Early Years (Podcast)
There's a very interesting new interview with Van Halen Rising author Greg Renoff on the Art Howard At Night podcast. It's a quality, one hour episode on the band's formative years that's well worth a listen, whether you've read the book or not. About the podcast series: Art Howard at Night is the world's third most popular podcast, if you close your eyes and wish really … [Read more...]
VIDEO: Alex Van Halen’s 2015 Ludwig Classic Maple Drum Set
Here's a special announcement from The Nashville Drummers Jam 7 Alex Van Halen Tribute, coming Dec. 14th. Alex's drum tech, John Douglas, was asked if he could bring a replica of Alex's 2015 Ludwig Classic Maple Drum Set to the event. Watch JD's video above! The Nashville Drummers Jam 7 is a charity event that pulls in top players in Nashville that honors a drummer while … [Read more...]
Watch Eddie Van Halen Pick His All-Time Favorite Guitar Riffs
From Billboard: Eddie Van Halen is a guitar virtuoso. In his 2015 Billboard cover story, Van Halen revealed he doesn’t listen to much of any new music. But some classic riffs have certainly shaped him. For Billboard’s Greatest of All-Time interview series, the Van Halen ax man shared his favorite guitar riffs, but not before asking if he could mention some of … [Read more...]
Unearthed: Van Halen Covers “Some Kind of Wonderful” & “Can’t Get Enough”
The author of Van Halen Rising has unearthed yet another never heard recording! Listen to a very young Van Halen perform a medley of covers — Grand Funk's "Some Kind of Wonderful" & Bad Company's "Can't Get Enough," live at Pasadena High School on April 25, 1975! Greg Renoff writes, "After hitting the pages of Rolling Stone, it's been Some Kind of Wonderful week for VHR. … [Read more...]
Podcast: Van Halen in the 90s Round Table
We're excited to feature a round table discussion about Van Halen in the 90's. This new series by Dig Me Out Podcast takes a look at a band that was massively popular in the 1980's and how they responded to the shifting musical landscape of the 90's. For the first “in the 90s” round table discussion, they’re tackling Van Halen, who sold a combined 47 million albums from 1980 … [Read more...]
Video: MXR EVH 5150 Overdrive Pedal Demoed by Guitar World
The folks at Guitar World made a great video demo for the new EVH 5150 Overdrive. The MXR design team has collaborated with Eddie Van Halen to deliver a full range of powerful saturation and hyper-driven tones right at your feet. The resulting EVH 5150 Overdrive joins hand-adjusted multi-stage MOSFETs with a full complement of controls to deliver overdriven tube-like … [Read more...]
EVH Gear Introduces “Lunchbox” Sized 5150III 15W LBX Head
New from EVH Gear! Don’t let the size of the new EVH 5150III 15W LBX guitar amp head fool you. The easy-to-carry “lunchbox” head is a mighty sonic force to be reckoned with, its packed to the gills with searing tone! Armed with five ECC83S (12AX7) and two EL84 tubes for incredible high gain sound, it performs like an arena-filling champ. Two flexible channels, the famous EVH … [Read more...]
Dramatic Reading: Van Halen – “Right Now”
Something lighthearted! You'll never hear Van Halen's "Right Now" the same way again... The website Consequence of Sound has a brand new segment; Dramatic Readings. Twice a month, they bring you some of the finest acting ever seen on any stage as master thespians recite some of their favorite lyrics from 80s rock and hair-metal bands. Previously, we have … [Read more...]
Van Halen Halloween Costumes 2015! (Updated)
Update 11/3/15: Gallery added with 33 more photos! Here's our collection of 40 creative photos of Van Halen, or VH-related costumes that people sent us this Halloween. Enjoy, and start thinking about your costume(s) for us to feature on VHND for next year... Diamond Dave in purple spandex. Note the fury boots, circa 1980! Love the attention to detail! Do you prefer … [Read more...]
Van Halen Halloween Pumpkin Photo Gallery
Happy Halloween Weekend, VHND'ers! Here's a bunch of Van Halen Pumpkins — some carved, some painted. Share yours in the comments! … [Read more...]
I Waited 31 Years to See Van Halen — And it was Totally Worth It
Photo: Kevin Estrada From L.A. Weekly.com: Van Halen taught me how to be cool. No, that's a lie. I was never cool, especially not as a high school freshman, when I bought 1984 on vinyl at Sam Goody's at the mall in King of Prussia, Pennsylvania. I was so uncool that I was almost too shy to buy it. The Police's Synchronicity? Sure, I plausibly looked like a kid who would (and … [Read more...]