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...]
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...]
Matt Sorum Recalls His ‘Crazy’ Audition For David Lee Roth’s ‘Eat ‘Em And Smile’ Band
It's all about that double bass. During his appearance on The Modern Drummer Podcast, drummer Matt Sorum (The Cult, Guns N' Roses, Velvet Revolver) recalled the time he auditioned for David Lee Roth's band back in 1985 saying it was "probably the craziest" audition he ever went on. "All these drummers went down to S.I.R. [Studios in Hollywood] to audition," said Sorum, … [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...]
LISTEN: ‘Unchained: The Eddie Van Halen Story’ Author Paul Brannigan Exclusive Interview
The VHND's Eric Senich talked with author Paul Brannigan to talk about his book Unchained: The Eddie Van Halen Story! Here's a rundown of the topics covered in the interview: Eddie's guitar and recorder always by his sideThe influence parents Jan and Eugenia had on EddieForget the Fab Four, Eddie's fire was lit by The Dave Clark Five!Eric Clapton was the Cream of the … [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...]
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...]
Mr. Big Singer Eric Martin On The ’85 Van Halen Audition That Never Happened
Eric Martin says he could have been a man with big regrets if it wasn't for his band Mr. Big. During a recent appearance on the Appetite For Distortion podcast, Martin recalled the time he had the chance to become the lead singer of Van Halen. "That's the biggest thorn in my side," said Martin, who went on to tell the story of the time Eddie Van Halen offered him a … [Read more...]
Car Engineer Claudio Zampolli, The Man Who Led Sammy Hagar To Van Halen in ’85, Has Died
Italian car engineer Claudio Zampolli, the man who facilitated the Sammy Hagar era of Van Halen, died yesterday (July 7th) at the age of 82. No cause of death has been given. Zampoli is best known to car fans as the creator of the Cizeta V16T Supercar, but Van Halen fans will remember him as the man who gave Eddie Van Halen Hagar's phone number back in 1985. At the time, … [Read more...]