Justin Tedaldi at Examiner.com is a die-hard Van Halen fan and avid VHND reader who, over the weekend, spent an hour talking with Steve Vai for an exclusive Q&A. Steve was gracious enough to open up about the albums he recorded with David Lee Roth (Eat 'Em and Smile & Skyscraper), the time he and Eddie Van Halen jammed with Frank Zappa, and his thoughts on Van Halen's … [Read more...]
Interview with Van Halen’s Mastering Engineer Bernie Grundman
From Examiner.com: Interview by Alison Richter Mastering engineers are often the unsung heroes of recorded music. While most musicians understand production and engineering, mastering — that critical final step — isn’t always paramount in their studies. With technology making it easy for anyone with a decent computer and an Internet connection to record and release an … [Read more...]
Gallery: Van Halen Live Gear 2012
When Premier Guitar caught up with Van Halen before their April 27, 2012, performance at Nashville’s Bridgestone Arena, the only thing more thrilling than getting a guided tour of Eddie’s and Wolfgang’s rigs from their techs, Craig DeFalco and Jim Survis, was getting to sit through soundcheck and hear Ed, Wolf, and Alex pound out flawless versions of classics such as … [Read more...]
The Summer of Van Halen
By Kevin Dodds, author of Edward Van Halen: A Definitive Biography Chances are you heard someone say it during the past few months: “It’s the Summer of Van Halen again!” The summer of 2012 was one of only a few true 'Summers of Van Halen' in the band’s history. I’ll explain that statement...but first, let’s take a look back at the band’s history. The summer of 1982 was … [Read more...]
Van Halen 2012 Pittsburgh Concert Video
Fan-filmed multi-camera video footage of Van Halen's March 30th show at Consol Energy Center in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania is now online. Fans filmed this from rows 1 and 2 and 17, and audio was recorded separately with a Sony PCM M10 unit with external binaural microphones. This was an excellent show that showcased how tight the band were performing during the tour, and just … [Read more...]
Watch the Van Halen “Song To Soul” Japan TV Special
The entire 45 minute "Song To Soul" Van Halen Japan TV Special that aired yesterday on on BS-TBS can be viewed below. It contains exclusive interviews with David Lee Roth, Alex Van Halen, Eddie Van Halen, Ted Templeman (producer of the first six Van Halen albums), Brad Tolinski (Guitar World Editor in Chief) and Margo Nahas (creator of 1984 album cover). The interview with … [Read more...]
The Art and Science of the World’s Most Legendary Electric Guitar Innovator
Guitar Center's new interview with EVH: Eddie Van Halen The art and science of the world's most legendary electric guitar innovator Van Halen burst onto the scene in 1978. Bombastic, high-energy and over-the-top, they were the ideal group to take hard rock from the late-seventies into the early-eighties and beyond. With radio-friendly hooks and harmonies, they merged … [Read more...]
Wolfgang Van Halen Talks Bass
Yesterday we featured an excerpt from Guitar World's recent interview with Wolfgang Van Halen (August 2012 issue) where he describes the birth of the new Van Halen album, "A Different Kind Of Truth." The following is another excerpt where Wolfgang talks bass, influences, and more. Interview by Chris Gill. The current version of Van Halen is to music what a street rod is to … [Read more...]
Wolfgang Van Halen Describes the Birth of “A Different Kind of Truth”
The following is an excerpt from Guitar World’s recent interview with Wolfgang Van Halen. The full interview can be found in the August issue. As impressive as Wolfgang's playing and singing is, what's even more extraordinary is how his addition to the band has given Van Halen a new vitality. While it seems like a miracle that "A Different Kind Of Truth" was even made, what … [Read more...]
Eddie Van Halen On ‘A Different Kind Of Truth’: “We Recorded Demos For 35 Songs”
Guitar World's new Van Halen cover story is a must read. Their interview with Eddie is definitely one of the best interviews he has given in the last 20 years. The following is an excerpt from the interview. Photos by Matt Bruck. Guitar World got the chance to spend several days on the road with the Van Halen, especially with Eddie. The great news is he's happier, … [Read more...]
Van Halen Second Highest Grossing Band This Year
Van Halen is the second highest grossing band (and third highest grossing act, overall) in North America during the first half of 2012 The stats: Van Halen played 49 shows in 47 cities. Average number of tickets sold per show: 9,513 Average ticket price: $100.11 Total number of tickets sold: 448,506 Average gate per show: $955,319 Tour gross: … [Read more...]
Ross Hogarth Discusses Mixing Van Halen’s ‘A Different Kind Of Truth’
Freelance writer Alison Richter interviewed Ross Hogarth, who played an integral part in the recording of Van Halen’s A Different Kind Of Truth. All the Van Halen content is below. (For the entire interview, see Examiner.com). Grammy-winning producer and engineer Ross Hogarth has a simple yet effective philosophy about recording: “Whatever works.” It served him well during … [Read more...]