Edward Van Halen lit the fire in the group that bears his name. Now his son is blazing his own trail as a solo artist. This is the story of Wolfgang Van Halen. Wolfie at just one hour old, held by Alex Van Halen Born March 16th, 1991, named after the classical composer Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, Wolfgang William Van Halen is the son of Eddie Van … [Read more...]
Sammy Hagar On Eddie Van Halen’s Impromptu ‘Right Now’ Guitar Solo: ‘He Played Whatever Came Out’
Sammy Hagar says Eddie Van Halen recorded the guitar solo for "Right Now" in his pajamas and slippers. "Usually, Eddie had solos pretty locked down before we started recording but, on this song, he winged it,” Hagar told Guitar Player's Joe Boss. “He came out of the house in pajamas and slippers, went into the studio and played whatever came out. And as you might expect, it … [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...]
‘You Can Mess With Us, But Not With Our Fans’: Two Times Van Halen Stood Up For Their Fans [VIDEO]
The YouTube channel Rock N' Roll True Stories has released a video recalling two times Van Halen stood up for the fans and gave the big ole "FU" to authorities in the early 90s. Both stories took place in 1992 while Van Halen was on tour promoting their 1991 album For Unlawful Carnal Knowledge. The first occurred when the band played at the Five Seasons Center outside Cedar … [Read more...]
Listen To The Invincible Czars Prog Rock Cover Of ‘Right Now’
In celebration of the 30th anniversary of the release of Van Halen's "Right Now", the art-rock group The Invincible Czars have released their own version of the song featuring a dueling violin-guitar solo. According to the band's Facebook page, the track (above) features Chuck Fischer on vocals and drums, Phil Davidson playing the piano part on violin and Henry Q Vines on … [Read more...]
When Eddie Van Halen & Prince Met At The 1991 MTV Video Awards
Former Prince drummer Michael Bland recalled the time Eddie Van Halen and Prince briefly met up and shared some laughs at the 1991 MTV Video Music Awards. During Bland's recent appearance on Podcast on Prince, the topic of Van Halen came up, which sparked his memory of Eddie and Prince. "I met Sammy [Hagar] when we played the MTV Video Music Awards in ’91,” Bland said. … [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...]
Is ‘For Unlawful Carnal Knowledge’ Van Halen’s Best Album? This Fan Says ‘YES!’ [VIDEO]
What is Van Halen's best album? Popular opinion would say Van Halen's '78 debut. Others may say it's Fair Warning or 1984. Some may go with 5150. But For Unlawful Carnal Knowledge? There is one fan who says it is. Author Martin Popoff hosts a video podcast called The Contrarians. The title speaks for itself. The theme of the podcast is to hear from those who tend to oppose … [Read more...]
Sammy Hagar, Michael Anthony, Janie Van Halen Post Tributes To Eddie Van Halen
Sammy Hagar, Michael Anthony and Janie Van Halen posted their tributes to Eddie Van Halen today. Hagar shared a black and white photo of Eddie delivering his trademark mid-air scissor kick during Van Halen's 1991-1992 tour along with some brief words: "I can't believe it's been a year. The man is gone but the music lives on #forever." View this post on … [Read more...]
LISTEN: Unearthed 1991 Australian Radio Interview With Eddie Van Halen [RARE VIDEO INCLUDED]
A rare 1991 interview featuring Eddie Van Halen on an Australian radio station has surfaced. The interview took place in July of '91 while Van Halen was rehearsing for their upcoming tour to support the For Unlawful Carnal Knowledge album. Van Halen fan Adam Roach not only uploaded the interview (above) but also included some rare video he filmed of Eddie and his bandmates … [Read more...]