Credit: Ed Yarb/YouTube Come hell or highwater, David Lee Roth will show up for his interview. Even when the bridge over those very waters isn't working. This story takes place circa 1988 while Roth's tour landed in Florida. To promote the upcoming show, Roth was scheduled to appear on WYNF-FM's Ron & Ron Morning Show in Tampa Bay. Unfortunately, Roth's limo got … [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...]
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...]
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...]
Van Halen’s ’77 Pasadena Concert Ranks Among ‘Greatest Live Moments In Entire History Of The Guitar’ By Louder
Credit: Neil Zlozower The rock website Louder has placed Van Halen's 1977 concert at the Pasadena Convention Center among the 32 greatest live moments in the entire history of the guitar. The list was compiled by the staff at Classic Rock magazine and aimed to "celebrate the pioneering, the spectacular and the unrepeatable" with their history of the guitar's greatest … [Read more...]
Dweezil Zappa Is All Fired Up For ‘OU812’ Deep Track ‘A.F.U. (Naturally Wired)’
Dweezil Zappa says Van Halen's "A.F.U. (Naturally Wired)" is firing on all cylinders no matter who the singer is. In fact, it could have worked just fine with no singer at all. "If there was never a vocal on this, this would be a great Van Halen instrumental," Zappa told Maroon 5 guitarist James Valentine in a recently released clip of his podcast Runnin' With The Dweezil. … [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...]
George Lynch: ‘Eddie Van Halen Was A Super-Sensitive Guy, Which Allowed Him To Be This Incredible Musician’
There was a side of Eddie Van Halen most never had the chance to see, according to guitarist George Lynch. During his appearance on the Appetite for Destortion podcast, Lynch (Dokken, Lynch Mob) talked about the impact Eddie’s death had on him. "I mean, David Bowie, I mean, George Michael, all these people - Prince - these giants - Tom Petty - all at once it seemed like,” … [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...]
Sammy Hagar To Play All Of Van Halen ‘OU812’ Album During Las Vegas Residency
Sammy Hagar said he'll be playing Van Halen's 1988 album OU812 in its entirety during his upcoming Las Vegas residency. Hagar revealed the news to Ultimate Classic Rock's Matt Wardlaw. "The idea is to start doing things like playing a whole album," Hagar said. "Like, we’re going to play the Montrose record for the first half of the show. Things like that. We’re … [Read more...]
On This Night In 1988: Van Halen Headlines Giants Stadium During ‘Monsters Of Rock’ Tour
Thirty three years ago tonight Van Halen's "Monsters of Rock" tour invaded Giants stadium in New Jersey for the first of two concerts. Van Halen was just about midway through the 23 city, 29-date tour when they arrived in New Jersey. It kicked off on May 23rd at the Alpine Valley Music Theatre in East Troy, Wisconsin and ended on July 30th in at Mile High Stadium in Denver, … [Read more...]