Nice to see the GREAT Alex Van Halen get recognized! Modern Drummer has put together a special book that is entirely devoted to Alex Van Halen! Modern Drummer Legends: Alex Van Halen is the second installment in the 'Modern Drummer Legends' series, and is the one and only Alex Van Halen drum book! Includes Alex’s 1983, 1993, and 2008 Modern Drummer cover stories. … [Read more...]
Brian May Remembers Friend & ‘Star Fleet Project’ Bandmate Eddie Van Halen
EVH Photo Credit: Rudy Childs It was the moment the planets aligned for two otherworldly guitarists. It was the moment Eddie Van Halen and Brian May became lifelong friends. “A couple of days after I heard the news about Eddie [passing away on October 6th], I went back to ‘Star Fleet’,” May recently told Total Guitar. He was referring to the 1983 three-track mini … [Read more...]
Documentarian Sam Dunn: ‘The Definitive Van Halen Story Is Yet To Be Told’
Credit: Neil Zlozower Canadian documentarian Sam Dunn says a Van Halen documentary remains the "Holy Grail" of stories yet to be told. Dunn (Metal: A Headbanger's Journey, Rush: Beyond the Lighted Stage, Super Duper Alice Cooper) was asked by Death Angel's Ted Aguilar during an "Alive & Streaming" YouTube interview if he had a bucket list of documentary … [Read more...]
Hear Never Before Heard Outtakes/Alternate Endings Of Early Van Halen Tracks [VIDEO]
Credit: Sunset Sound Recorders YouTube channel Sunset Sound continued its Van Halen November series with parts 2 and 2.5 of their interview with engineer Brian Kehew. This time Kehew takes us into the studio to hear never before heard outtakes and alternate endings of classic Van Halen tracks. Kehew was hired by Warner Bros. around 2005 as an independent contractor to … [Read more...]
Anthrax’s Scott Ian Calls Eddie Van Halen ‘The John Lennon And Paul McCartney Of Hard Rock’
Credit: Scott Ian's Instagram page Anthrax guitarist Scott Ian has paid Eddie Van Halen the ultimate tribute by saying his musical skills were those of both John Lennon and Paul McCartney combined. Ian talked about Eddie's legacy during a recent appearance on Dean Delray's "Let There Be Talk" podcast. "There's not a bad song from 'Van Halen I' to '1984' -- for me, … [Read more...]
Engineer Brian Kehew Talks Unreleased Van Halen Songs With The Van Halen News Desk
Credit: Neil Zlozower Ah, wow, man. Wait a second, man. Waddaya think “Hot For Teacher” is gonna sound like this time? It’s hard to imagine hearing Van Halen’s classic “Hot For Teacher” and not being able to recite every lyric word for word. Even harder to imagine is hearing the song with an entirely different set of lyrics but that's exactly what engineer Brian Kehew … [Read more...]
David Coverdale Remembers ‘Monster Musician’ Eddie Van Halen
David Coverdale said he will remember Eddie Van Halen as “an absolute monster musician”. The Whitesnake frontman, who spoke to eonmusic recently, said he did see Van Halen perform during their club days at the Starwood nightclub but it wasn't until 1983 that he became fully aware of what Eddie could do on the guitar. "I remember seeing those guys in this watering hole in … [Read more...]
Tawny Kitaen On Touring With ‘Greatest Rock Band In The World’
Tawny Kitaen was doing cartwheels for Van Halen long before Whitesnake. In fact, she still is. "I'd like to see somebody tell me that Van Halen isn't the greatest rock band in the world," said Kitaen during her recent appearance on rock journalist Mitch Lafon's podcast "Rock Talk with Mitch Lafon". Kitaen said she toured with Van Halen's original lineup for three years … [Read more...]
Watch ‘IN YOUR FACE – The Neil Zlozower Story’ – For FREE
Watch the ENTIRE film here, for free! The award winning documentary, "IN YOUR FACE - The Neil Zlozower Story" is finally available to be seen for FREE. (It was formerly available on various platforms for paid viewing, but now it's for FREE, exclusively on YouTube. Watch the entire film above. It's a MUST-SEE for everyone who loves rock ’n’ roll, and particularly rock … [Read more...]
Former Van Halen Manager Writes Tell-All Book
A new tell-all book has been written by Noel Monk, Van Halen manager from 1978-1985. It's the only Van Halen book chronicling the early years written by a member of the Van Halen camp. And by their manager, no less! Runnin' with the Devil: A Backstage Pass to the Wild Times, Loud Rock, and the Down and Dirty Truth Behind the Making of Van Halen is being released in less than … [Read more...]
Exclusive: Eddie Van Halen’s “Peeping Tom” Instrumental from ‘The Wild Life’ Film Score
Finally, we are kicking off Round 2 of music from The Wild Life! These are all Van Halen News Desk exclusives. Here’s what we call “Peeping Tom,” written and performed by Eddie Van Halen in 1983. This track is part of the musical score from the movie The Wild Life. Eddie wrote the entire musical score for the movie, playing guitar along with his electronic drum … [Read more...]
Van Halen’s ‘US Festival’ Concert Revisited
The footage embedded above is an upgraded segment of Van Halen's appearance at the US FESTIVAL in 1983. Rock stars Eddie Van Halen and David Lee Roth “drop in” by helicopter at the venue ahead of US Festival '83. Acclaimed inventor Steve Wozniak, the organizer of the festival, comments on preparations and bemoans record-high fees for artists' performances. Includes video of … [Read more...]