We sent our favorite young drummer, Avery Molek, a box of swag from Van Halen Store. In the video above, he asks VHND readers which Van Halen song they want to see him cover in his next Van Halen video! Help him decide in the comments section, below! Related Avery Molek articles: Our original feature on young drumming prodigy Avery Molek, 6-Year-Old Drummer Shreds Van … [Read more...]
Van Halen News
Happy Birthday, David Lee Roth! Watch the Earliest Van Halen Video Interview Ever!
To celebrate David Lee Roth's birthday today, we've got a newly surfaced video interview of Van Halen in 1978! And it's the coolest thing ever! This was filmed in London for the Australian TV show, Countdown. This is the earliest Van Halen video interview that has ever surfaced, and it's a absolute gem. Enjoy! … [Read more...]
Anniversary Photo Gallery: Van Halen Onstage & Backstage at the Hollywood Bowl
Four years ago today, Van Halen completed their 41-date North American 2015 tour with two performances in their hometown in a storied venue they’ve never played before — the famous Hollywood Bowl! Enjoy this photo gallery from these two shows! Click on the photos to view at full size, or to view as a slideshow. [supsystic-gallery id='2'] Four even more photos from these … [Read more...]
Playboy Ranks Every Van Halen Song
Having just heard the sad news about the passing of Hugh Hefner, we wondered if the band had ever toured the Playboy Mansion. No news on that, but we were surprised to find that in February 2015, Playboy's website ranked every Van Halen song. That’s right … Jordan Hoffman from Playboy took on the gargantuan task of ranking every single Van Halen song ever recorded, sparing … [Read more...]
Not Everybody Wants Some!
Check out this letter written by a disgruntled parent who took their daughter to the Van Halen concert in Shreveport, Louisiana on this day in 1982. Priceless! Thanks to fellow fan Rodney Carr for digging this out of his collection. Here's a few ways we think the parent could have signed off on their letter: "And I almost forgot to mention that the singer … [Read more...]
Sammy Hagar: Van Halen Reunion ‘Not On My Bucket List’
Despite pining for a Van Halen reunion in numerous interviews over the years, it appears Sammy Hagar is now less hopeful for one. Hagar's quote from a new interview with Newsday: “The Van Halen thing I think is a dead horse. Honestly, I’m so busy and occupied with everything else in my life that it’s not on my front burner where every day I’m checking my email. It’s not … [Read more...]
Watch Wolfgang Van Halen Play ‘Eruption’!
You may be cool, but you're not "playing 'Eruption' on the original Frankenstein in honor of its 40th anniversary" cool. Wolfgang Van Halen just posted a short, seemingly casual video of him playing his father's classic guitar instrumental, "Eruption." His social media post reads, "In honor of Eruption being recorded 40 years ago today, here's me playing it on the guitar … [Read more...]
40 Years Ago: Eddie Van Halen Records ‘ERUPTION’
It was exactly 40 years ago today that Eddie Van Halen recorded the wildly innovative instrumental, "Eruption." The date of Sept. 8th, 1977 was uncovered by Van Halen biographer, Greg Renoff, during his extensive interviews with Van Halen producer Ted Templeman. Here's an exclusive excerpt about the day "Eruption" was recorded, from the pages of Renoff's Van Halen … [Read more...]
The Vault Cracks Open: Gene Simmons To Release 1977 ‘Love Gun’ Demos Featuring The Van Halen Brothers
We've got an exclusive from Van Halen biographer Greg Renoff for VHND today ... some pretty exciting news! Here it is: The list of “Holy Grail” archival rarities that Van Halen fans dream of is a long one. Frequently wished-for items include early studio demos, film footage drawn from Van Halen’s 1981 performances in Oakland, and concert recordings from the band’s golden age. … [Read more...]
Why Van Halen is the Most Important, Most Influential Rock Band Ever to Have Set Foot on Planet Earth
Film & music editor, Michael Hann, (From The Quietus & The Guardian) professes his passion for Van Halen, whom he describes as “the most important and influential rock band apart from the Beatles.” Hann really gets how Van Halen totally reinvented hard rock and how David Lee Roth helped make them much more interesting than the other rock bands at the time. From The … [Read more...]
Jacob Deraps Band Performs Van Halen’s ‘I’m The One’
Over the last three years, the VHND has kept up with three young musicians who've been performing excellent Van Halen covers, but always having to do them long distance, as two of them live in Québec, and one lives in Australia. This summer, however, they all got together for the first time — to perform several gigs as the Jacob Deraps Band! Watch their latest Van Halen cover, … [Read more...]
When Van Halen Kicked Up ‘One Way To Rock’ Ten Notches
How do you turn a pretty decent rock song into an ABSOLUTELY EPIC guitar song? You just add Eddie Van Halen, of course. It was on this day in 1986 that Van Halen was filmed in New Haven Connecticut, which resulted in our favorite recorded version of "There's Only One Way to Rock." If you want to appreciate the difference Eddie Van Halen can make on guitar, just listen to … [Read more...]