Wolfgang Van Halen gave Guitar World an in-depth look at the making of the Mammoth II album and the complete audio of the interview has been released! Rock journalist Chris Gill (co-author of Eruption: Conversations with Eddie Van Halen) recently interviewed Wolfgang for the cover feature of the January 2024 issue of Guitar World but tells us that there is even more material … [Read more...]
George Lynch Recalls Early Van Halen Memories
Credit: Neil Zlozower George Lynch opened up about his earliest memories of a "hungry", "on fire", and "vicious" club-era Van Halen in a recent interview. Lynch (Dokken, Lynch Mob) told the Van Halen New Desk's Jeff Goebel he saw Van Halen for the first time at The Golden West Ballroom in Norwalk, California. Lynch said it was the best show he had ever seen by the … [Read more...]
Satriani Aiming To Recreate Sound Of Each Era Of Van Halen
Credit: YouTube Joe Satriani wants to capture the best of all Eddie Van Halen tones on the upcoming Best Of All Worlds tour. In a recent Q&A with Rolling Stone's Andy Greene, Satriani was asked if he intends to try and replicate Eddie Van Halen's guitar tone. Below is Satriani's response: It's really interesting. There's an interesting period with Ed, which he … [Read more...]
What’s Your Ultimate Van Halen Mixtape?
Credit: Neil Zlozower It's time for a throwback party. Forget streaming services, we're looking for someone with the ultimate Van Halen mixtape! The Van Halen News Desk's Eric Senich was a recent guest on the podcast My Weekly Mixtape to come up with the ultimate Van Halen mixtape. A good excuse to ask our VHND readers to get in on the fun. Tell us what your ultimate … [Read more...]
Reliving Van Halen’s Iconic 1983 US Festival Performance
Credit: Neil Zlozower Imagine what it was like being a teenager witnessing Van Halen for the first time. You're among an estimated 670,000 people packed into Glen Helen Regional Park on a hot summer day under the sun for the massive event known as the 1983 US Festival. The Van Halen News Desk spoke with two people who didn't have to imagine it. They lived through the … [Read more...]
A Closer Look At The EVH Guitar Gifted To Jason Becker
On December 14th, the guitar Eddie Van Halen gifted to his friend Jason Becker in 1996 will go up for auction. It was a special gesture from one friend to another. The Van Halen News Desk caught up with Becker's close friend and assistant Stephen Correa to get the story behind this one-of-a-kind guitar and share Becker's inspirational story. As you'll see Correa talk about … [Read more...]
Nuno Bettencourt On The Drumming Origins Behind ‘Mean Street’ Intro
Credit: Neil Zlozower Discussing the "Mean Street" intro during his recent appearance on The Jeremy White Show, Nuno Bettencourt said playing it is "going into hallowed ground", adding “nobody can do you like you and nobody can play like Edward.” The Extreme guitarist also reflected on the genius of the "Mean Street" intro’s construction, calling it "the perfect … [Read more...]
Listen To ‘Best Of All Worlds’ Interview On Trunk Nation
Sammy Hagar, Michael Anthony, Joe Satriani, and Jason Bonham appeared on Sirius/XM's Trunk Nation last week (November 15th) and the entire interview has been released! Here's a rundown of what you'll hear followed by the complete episode: … [Read more...]
Satriani: You Can Wear Eddie’s Shoes, But Can’t Fill ‘Em
Joe Satriani says he doesn't expect to fill Eddie Van Halen's shoes since that is simply impossible. "You can't fill them," Satriani recently told Forbes' Steve Baltin. "You can put them on, but you can't fill them." Satriani will be tasked with performing several of Eddie's classic riffs during the upcoming Best Of All Worlds Tour with Sammy Hagar, Michael Anthony, and … [Read more...]
‘Power’ Star Joseph Sikora Is Goin’ Crazy For Diamond Dave
The second season of Power Book IV: Force -- one of the four shows within what is called "the Power Universe" on the STARZ network -- premiered back in September. It begins with Tommy Egan on a mission to avenge the death of Lilliana, his former nemesis turned business partner. How does that relate to Van Halen, you ask? Well, Tommy Egan is portrayed by actor and producer … [Read more...]
Sammy Hagar Recalls The Work Hard, Play Hard Van Halen Years
Sammy Hagar says the success of his tenure with Van Halen was due to an intense work ethic led by the Van Halen brothers Eddie and Alex. But that didn't mean the band didn't find time to play as hard as they worked. During an interview with Fox News Digital, Hagar looked back on all four studio albums he recorded with Van Halen, the last being … [Read more...]
Sammy & Eddie Get Candid In Part 2 Of ’87 Guitar Player Interview
Jas Obrecht dropped part two of his in-depth interview with Sammy Hagar and Eddie Van Halen from 1987! This is the second part of my July 14, 1987, joint interview with Eddie Van Halen and Sammy Hagar. This interview took place on the patio of Sammy’s spacious home in Mill Valley, California. As mentioned in the intro to Part 1, at the time of this interview Sammy had … [Read more...]