Bring your pencil and your drumsticks. It's time to get some schoolin' on Alex Van Halen's classic drum track on "Hot For Teacher" with long-time David Lee Roth drummer Gregg Bissonette! Bissonette (DLR Band, Joe Satriani, Ringo & His All-Starr Band) was a recent guest for Drum Channel's series of videos. He not only shows how Alex's drum track works but also notes … [Read more...]
The Latest Episode Of The Roth Show: Attending The Birthday Of The Devil With The ‘MTV Lost Weekend’ Girl
David Lee Roth recounts the day he ran with the devil on his birthday with the 'MTV Lost Weekend" girl in the latest episode of The Roth Show. As you'll hear in Season 2 Episode 2 above, Roth ended up in a near two-year relationship with one of the girls who appeared in the promos for Van Halen's "MTV Lost Weekend" contest back in 1984. Based on his description, we can … [Read more...]
A Look Back On The Iconic Van Halen Video Released 39 Years Ago This Week: ‘Jump’
Just when we thought they couldn't get any bigger, Van Halen soared to all new heights on January 2nd, 1984, the day MTV debuted the video for the band's brand-new single "Jump". Just over two years after launching, MTV had gone from a struggling upstart only available to households in parts of New Jersey to a pop culture phenomenon. For Van Halen front man David Lee Roth, … [Read more...]
Steve Lukather Sets The Record Straight On Tracking Michael Jackson’s ‘Beat It’ With Eddie Van Halen
Steve Lukather says Eddie Van Halen recorded his iconic guitar solo on Michael Jackson's "Beat It" at 5150 studios, not Sunset Sound as some stories have claimed. Lukather recently stopped by the Sunset Sound studios in Los Angeles for a Sunset Sound Rountable interview. Host Drew Dempsey asked Lukather if he could set the record straight on where Eddie's solo was recorded. … [Read more...]
Jesse Harms Shares The Inside Stories On Working With Sammy Hagar & David Lee Roth In The 80s
Imagine working with both Sammy Hagar and David Lee Roth during the most turbulent time in Van Halen history. Jesse Harms doesn't have to imagine it. He lived it and oh, the stories he has to tell. Harms was a guest on the RetroZest podcast to talk about his stellar five-decade career, which included a stint as keyboardist and background vocalist for Sammy Hagar from … [Read more...]
New Mashup Has Elvis Burnin’ Up With Love For Van Halen
The King of Rock and Roll and King Edward are burnin' it up on stage! YouTuber Satoru Sayama has released a mashup video featuring Elvis Presley's isolated vocals from his 1972 hit "Burning Love" set to the music of Van Halen's "Jump" - Eddie solo included - that'll get your temperature risin'. Ladies and gentlemen, Elvis and Van Halen have the left the … [Read more...]
Dutch Abstract Art, Pasadena Hot Rods & Punk Rock Guitars: The Origins Of Eddie’s Striped ‘Frankenstrat’ Design
Eddie Van Halen's classic red, black and white striped guitar affectionally named "Frankenstrat" may be the most recognizable instrument in music history. Rock journalist and author Greg Prato has shared an article he wrote for AllMusic with the Van Halen News Desk that digs deep into the origins of the guitar design. By Greg Prato Much has been said about one … [Read more...]
What Are The Ten Best Van Halen Deep Cuts?
Just how deep will you go when it comes to your Van Halen fix? Of the 131 songs in Van Halen's catalogue, 56 of them were released as singles. That leaves another 75 songs that can be referred to as "album tracks" or "deep cuts". Just recently, Metal Injection's Andrew Kapper posted his own ten best Van Halen deep cut list, which included the tracks "Baluchitherium", … [Read more...]
The Eddie Van Halen-Inspired Hairdos On ‘Stranger Things 4’
Ah yes, the good ole 1980s. Remember those hairdos? The people behind the making of Stranger Things certainly do, specifically Eddie Van Halen's rockin' "do"s from that decade. So much so they decided to pay homage to a few of them in the latest season of the hit Netflix series. Stranger Things' lead hairstylist Sarah Hindsgaul shared the inspiration behind the wigs used to … [Read more...]
Guitarist Craig Parker Adams On Following In Eddie Van Halen’s Footsteps…Literally [VIDEO]
Many guitarists have studied the lightning-fast fingers of Eddie Van Halen in a quest to capture just a fraction of his musical magic. Craig Parker Adams, however, found himself drawn to more than just his fingers. "I didn't go after Ed the way most people go after Ed," Adams said during a recent appearance on the podcast Johnny Beane TV. "I had early epiphanies and one of … [Read more...]
The Story Of Kurt Jefferis’ ‘Lost Weekend’ With Van Halen
On this day in 1984, Kurt Jefferis won a “Lost Weekend With Van Halen” MTV contest out of more than 1 million entrants. This is his story! When MTV announced its "Lost Weekend With Van Halen" contest in early 1984, the network received over a million postcard entries for a chance to spend three days with the band during their 1984 tour. The lottery couldn't have … [Read more...]
Eddie Van Halen Asked Daryl Hall To Join Van Halen? Daryl Says ‘Yeah!’ [AUDIO]
So there really needs to be a book written about how many singers almost joined Van Halen. The title: OU Almost Joined Van Halen 2? We can add a chapter on Daryl Hall and this rumor, according to Hall, is true. The legendary Hall & Oates singer was a recent guest on New York radio station Q104.3 and was asked by host Jonathan Clarke if he was, in fact, asked by Eddie … [Read more...]