The YouTube channel 65 Drums has gone back through the legendary career of Alex Van Halen to highlight each and every drum set he used from his early pre-fame days right through to 2012's A Different Kind of Truth! Here's the complete video with a chapter breakdown below: CHAPTERS Early Years :44Bands Leading To Van Halen 1:41Early 70s Drum Sets 2:24Van Halen I … [Read more...]
Sunset Sound Roundtable: Alex Van Halen Can Bring The Swing!
Alice Cooper drummer Glen Sobel gave it up to the "King of Swing" Alex Van Halen during a recent visit to Sunset Sound Studios. During his roundtable interview with Sunset Sound Recorders host Drew Dempsey, Sobel was asked why Van Halen's "I'm The One" is such an important song. "[Because] it swings," said Sobel of the song recorded at Sunset Sound Studios in Los Angeles … [Read more...]
Far Out Magazine Spotlights Van Halen’s ‘Lesser Known’ Kinks Cover
The pop culture website Far Out Magazine has given Van Halen some love for their cover of the Kinks song "Where Have All The Good Times Gone". As Far Out's Tyler Golsen points out in his article, Van Halen played up to six different Kinks songs in their early club days. Their cover of the Kinks' "You Really Got Me" would be the single that helped break the band in 1978 but … [Read more...]
David Lee Roth Dedicates New Song To Residents Affected By Kentucky Tornadoes [VIDEO]
David Lee Roth has released a new song titled "One Piece Thermo-Molded Country Plastic Chair" in dedication to those affected by the recent Kentucky tornadoes. The track is accompanied by a video (above) of Dave and his beloved late dog Russ just walkin' and hangin' (actually sittin' on his favorite plastic chair) in various parks, streets and rooftops throughout New York … [Read more...]
Musicradar Readers Vote Wolfgang Van Halen Among The World’s Best Rock Guitarists
Wolfgang Van Halen was voted among the world's best rock guitarists by readers of Musicradar. The website devoted to musicians recently rounded up its year-end polls - from pop/funk to metal and progressive - to rank the ten best guitarists in rock today. Wolfgang came in at #7. Here's what Musicradar had to say about Wolfgang: Following the illness and eventual … [Read more...]
Wolfgang Van Halen’s ‘Mr. Ed’ Guitar Solo Voted Third Best Of The Year
Readers of Guitar World have voted Wolfgang Van Halen's guitar solo on the Mammoth WVH track "Mr. Ed" the third best of 2021. Wolfgang's "Mr. Ed" solo was among the ten best of the year as voted by Guitar World readers. Here's what Guitar World's Jonathan Horsley had to say about the solo: We've learned many things about Wolfgang Van Halen in the past year, but perhaps … [Read more...]
The ‘Unchained’ Sessions, Donn Landee & More Covered In Latest Sunset Sound Van Halen Roundtable [VIDEO]
Guitarist/producer Doug Messenger returned to Sunset Sound Studios in Los Angeles to reveal more behind-the-scenes stories on Van Halen! Messenger first caught Van Halen perform in February of 1977 and quickly made a call to Warner Bros., urging them to check out this guitar hero named Eddie Van Halen. Soon after, the former Van Morrison guitarist became among Eddie's most … [Read more...]
The Story Behind Van Halen’s ‘And The Cradle Will Rock…’ [VIDEO]
Wanna stump your fellow music fans? Just ask them to name the first Van Halen song to feature keyboards. Odds are they'll "Jump" right into to the incorrect answer. Van Halen's "Jump" is often thought of as the band's first-ever song featuring keyboards. Not so. Understandable since 1980's "And the Cradle Will Rock..." sounds like yet another guitar heavy masterpiece from … [Read more...]
Pasadena Residents Want New City Park To Be Named After Eddie Van Halen
The city of Pasadena recently asked residents to name a new city park and Eddie Van Halen ranked high on the list of suggestions. Eddie, author Octavia Butler and the Playhouse Village garnered the most submissions in a survey conducted by the city as they seek to find a name for a park to be located on Union Street. Close to 50 names were proposed among the 725 submissions, … [Read more...]
Watch Sneak Peek Of REELZ Documentary On David Lee Roth
The REELZ network has released a sneak peek of this weekend's documentary on David Lee Roth! The episode titled David Lee Roth Van Halen Frontman premieres on Sunday (December 12th) at 8 pm (ET)/5 pm (PT). It's part of a four-episode series titled "Frontmen". The clip below posted by Radar Online includes veteran rock photographer Mark "Weissguy" Weiss, journalist Susan … [Read more...]
Drummer Kenny Aronoff On Van Halen: ‘Every Single Player In That Band Was THE REAL DEAL!’
Drummer Kenny Aronoff talked about the influence of Van Halen a.k.a. "The Real Deal" during a recent interview with Sunset Sound Recorders. Check out Aronoff (John Mellencamp, John Fogerty, Chickenfoot) talk about the genius of Eddie Van Halen, the distinct, identifiable sound of Alex Van Halen, the "Rock God" showmanship of David Lee Roth, the impeccable vocals and bass … [Read more...]
David Lee Roth Adds Four More Shows To Vegas Residency
David Lee Roth has extended his upcoming Las Vegas residency with four additional shows. Roth's previously announced five shows (December 31st, January 1st, 5th, 7th & 8th) at Mandalay Bay's House of Blues have since sold out. As a result, Roth will return again on January 14th, 15th, 21st and 22nd. Roth made his announcement on his official website and via an audio … [Read more...]