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...]
A Video Tour Of Alex Van Halen’s Drum Sets Through The Years
Credit: Neil Zlozower 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 … [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
Credit: Neil Zlozower 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 … [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...]
35 Years Ago: Van Halen Plays Final Show Of ‘5150’ Tour [RARE VIDEO]
On this night 35 years ago Van Halen's 5150 tour finished on a high note with the last of four shows at the jam-packed Cow Palace Arena in Daly City, California. The Cow Palace shows ran from October 31st through to November 3rd and would cap off a highly successful 111-date tour which began on March 27th, 1986 in Shreveport, Louisiana. As was the case with many of the … [Read more...]
35 Years Ago: Van Halen Shoots ‘Live Without A Net’ Concert Video
It was on this hot "Summer Night" in 1986 that Van Halen performed in New Haven, Connecticut for what would become the band's first-ever commercially released concert - "Live Without A Net". This was the second of two consecutive nights Van Halen performed in New Haven before 12,000 crazy, flipped out 5150s at the now-defunct Veterans Memorial Coliseum, which officially … [Read more...]
Sammy Hagar Says There Are A Few More Van Halen Jams In The Vaults
Credit: Mark Weiss There may be a few more completed Sammy-era Van Halen songs left in the 5150 vaults, according to Sammy Hagar. During a recent interview with Ultimate Classic Rock's Matt Wardlaw, Hagar said, although there isn't much, there are still "a few jams" that remain from his time with the band. One of those songs Hagar cited was a demo recorded during … [Read more...]
Sammy Hagar To Celebrate 35th Anniversary Of Van Halen’s ‘Dreams’, 75th Anniversary Of Blue Angels At Upcoming Afterburner Music Festival
Sammy Hagar & The Circle have announced they'll be part of the first-ever Afterburner Music Festival in Southern California to be held on October 1st and 2nd. The show will be in celebration of Van Halen's classic 1986 single "Dreams" along with the U.S. Navy Blue Angels, who starred in the song's video (above). Hagar and his bandmates Michael Anthony (bass), Jason … [Read more...]
Billy Sheehan On ‘Eat ‘Em and Smile’ Tour Bass/Guitar Duel With Steve Vai: ‘Dave Said It Should Be Like A Tractor Pull’
If you were fortunate enough to attend one of David Lee Roth’s concerts 35 summers ago, you’ll likely remember the epic onstage bass/guitar duel between bassist Billy Sheehan and guitarist Steve Vai. Then again, if you were at one of the first few shows, odds are you didn’t see it at all and Sheehan can explain why. During a recent appearance on the podcast Breaking … [Read more...]
Sammy Hagar On Adding Van Halen Songs To Upcoming Setlists, The Story Behind ‘Poundcake’
Sammy Hagar continues to promise a setlist heavy on Van Halen songs during his upcoming concerts. During a recent Instagram live chat with The Washington Post's Geoff Edgers, Hagar said he and Circle bandmate Michael Anthony have been adding more and more songs from Hagar's time in Van Halen to upcoming shows. "We're goin' heavy on Van Hagar lately," said Hagar. … [Read more...]
Latest ‘Runnin’ With The Dweezil’ Podcast Clip On The ‘Greatness’ Of Eddie Van Halen’s ‘Good Enough’ Guitar Work
Listening to Zappa's podcast Runnin' With The Dweezil often feels like being a fly on the wall. We get to hear two veteran guitarists talk shop. In the case of this podcast, it's a shop filled with the sounds of Eddie Van Halen's legendary guitar riffs, solos, bending licks and whatever other head scratching "how the hell did he do that?" sounds. Take Eddie's elephant roars on … [Read more...]