Rock 'n' roll cameraman Tony Wannamaker recently recounted his experience filming Van Halen's concerts at Toronto's Molson Ampitheatre in August of 1995. Wannamaker, who is currently working on a book titled "Confessions of a Rock 'n' Roll Cameraman", shared the story for his podcast to support the upcoming book. "We were doing a program, a series of shows called the Big … [Read more...]
What Are The Ten Best Van Halen Deep Cuts?
Credit: Neil Zlozower 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 … [Read more...]
The Denver Snow Show, Visiting 5150 & More Van Halen Stories With Guitarist Damon Johnson [VIDEO]
From a snowstorm concert in September to being the subject of an Eddie/Alex debate to visiting the hallowed 5150 Studios, guitarist Damon Johnson has plenty of Van Halen stories to tell and he shared them all during a recent appearance on Final Resonance TV. Back in 1995, Johnson (Thin Lizzy, Lynyrd Skynyrd, Alice Cooper, Blackstar Riders) was the lead vocalist and guitarist … [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...]
Wolfgang Van Halen Names The 11 Albums That Changed His Life, Includes Two From Van Halen
Credit: Neil Zlozower Wolfgang Van Halen has come up with 11 albums that have changed his life and two of them come from Van Halen. In a recent interview with Louder's Dave Everley, Wolfgang picked a list of albums (in no particular order, according to Wolfgang) that have shaped his musical path so far and included 1981's Fair Warning and 1995's Balance. Here's … [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...]
Van Halen Unearthed ‘Feelin” Performance – Buffalo 1995
The self-proclaimed "Other Half" of Van Halen - Sammy Hagar and Michael Anthony have dished up another surprise for fans. Last night they uploaded previously unseen footage of the band performing "Feelin'" in Buffalo, NY in May of 1995. This was posted on their Van Halen/Other Half social media accounts. Sammy: "Wow, well that's a long-lost deep track that I have forgotten … [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...]
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 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...]