The Canadian thrash metal band Annihilator has just released a cover of Van Halen's "Romeo Delight". Grab your whiskey, find somebody to squeeze and turn the volume up! The track, which also features Dave Lombardo (Slayer) on drums and Stu Block (Iced Earth, Into Eternity) on vocals, is included on Annihilator's album due out February 18th titled Metal II . As you'll hear, … [Read more...]
Deconstructing Classic Van Halen: Isolated Tracks
Wanna hear "Hear About It Later" in a way you've never heard it before? Want just that tribal beat of "Everybody Wants Some!!"? Are ya hot for Eddie's guitar licks only on "Hot For Teacher"? Then you gotta check out these videos! The YouTube channel Isolated Tracks is created by musician, sound technician and DJ Fatih Günes. He's just released eight classic Van Halen tracks … [Read more...]
A Video Tour Of Alex Van Halen’s Drum Sets Through The Years
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...]
LISTEN: ‘Eruption: Conversations with Eddie Van Halen’ Authors Exclusive Interview
The VHND's Eric Senich talked with Eruption: Conversations with Eddie Van Halen authors Brad Tolinski and Chris Gill for an exclusive, in-depth discussion of Eddie Van Halen's legendary career! Throughout the interview Tolinski and Gill give their insight and opinions on a wide range of EVH topics including: Eddie's childhood days overcoming his shynessHis relationship … [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...]
Podcast Explores Van Halen’s Rare & Unreleased Recordings
It's the biggest question among Van Halen fans: Will we ever get to hear what's in the 5150 vaults? The fascination with Van Halen's vast collection of unreleased material was pretty intense back in the 80s and 90s but with the emergence of the internet, it grew to mammoth (pun intended) proportions. The Wax Audio Show podcast recently released an exceptionally … [Read more...]
Exclusive Interview: ‘Van Halen: The Eruption and the Aftershock’ Author Michael Christopher
The Van Halen News Desk's Eric Senich talked with music journalist Michael Christopher about his new book Van Halen: The Eruption and the Aftershock! Below is the complete interview conducted by Senich for his podcast Booked On Rock. Christopher discusses a wide range of topics related to Van Halen including: The band's early days in Pasadena and original bassist Mark … [Read more...]
WATCH: Van Halen Photographer Neil Zlozower Interview At Sunset Sound Studios
Photographer Neil Zlozower has shot as many classic Van Halen photos as Van Halen has recorded classic songs. That's a lot, which means he has just as many stories to tell. Zlozower sat down for a lengthy interview at Sunset Sound Studios in Hollywood, California to share the stories of his time "hangin', gettin' into trouble together and workin' together" with David Lee … [Read more...]
Van Halen Stories: ‘Nashville Eruption’ November 9th, 1978
Every fan has their story to tell. We know you've got yours. We certainly have ours. It's the story of the very first time you witnessed Van Halen perform live. The YouTube channel Final Resonance TV has recently launched a series titled "Van Halen Stories". For the debut episode guest Mike Simmons of Blackbird Rentals in Nashville, Tennessee recalled his first-ever Van … [Read more...]
July, 22nd 1980: Van Halen Invades Baltimore [AUDIO]
Credit: Mark Weiss Save the women and children first! Van Halen is about to invade Baltimore! On this night in 1980 Van Halen rocked the Baltimore Civic Center in Baltimore, Maryland while on the second North American leg of the World Invasion Tour - dubbed by the band as the "Party 'til You Die Tour". The trek, which began on March 19th, 1980 in Canada (Victoria, … [Read more...]
Van Halen Author Greg Renoff Interview At Sunset Sound Recorders
Author/Van Halen historian Greg Renoff sat down for in-depth interview at the site of Van Halen's classic early recordings - Sunset Sound Recorders in Hollywood. Renoff, the author of Van Halen Rising: How A Southern California Backyard Party Band Saved Heavy Metal and Ted Templeman: A Platinum Producer's Life in Music, had plenty of stories to tell regarding Van Halen's … [Read more...]
‘The Van Halen Story – The Early Years’ Now Available on DVD
The Van Halen Story - The Early Years has been released again on DVD! This DVD documentary chronicles the rise of four young musicians from their formative years to their transformation into a worldwide phenomenon. Witness the group's gripping tale told by the people who were there when it began - the childhood friends, fellow musicians, roadies, bodyguards, producers, and … [Read more...]