Was Michael Anthony to be part of the failed Van Halen tribute project in 2021 or was it Jason Newsted? Three years ago, Alex Van Halen and David Lee Roth were planning a Van Halen/Edward Van Halen tribute tour with Joe Satriani on guitar and either Newsted or Anthony on bass. This story first broke in April of 2021 when Newsted told The Palm Beach Post that he had been … [Read more...]
Van Halen News
The Ultimate Sammy Hagar Summer Playlist
The summer song party continues at the Van Halen News Desk. This time we've got a "Red" hot playlist of summertime Sammy Hagar songs! "All We Need Is An Island"From: Sammy Hagar & Friends (2013) You can't have a Sammy summer without a "big ole' sandy beach" to throw a party. Heart's Nancy Wilson and Grateful Dead's Mickey Hart joins Sammy on this dream getaway … [Read more...]
Michael Anthony Names His Favorite Edward Van Halen Solo
If Michael Anthony had to pick his favorite Edward Van Halen solo, it's the one he heard Edward play every night on stage since the beginning - "Eruption". Anthony commented on Edward's iconic solo from Van Halen's 1978 self-titled debut album during a recent interview with Ultimate Guitar's Greg Prato: What would you say were some of your favorite Eddie Van Halen guitar … [Read more...]
Ultimate Van Halen Summer Playlist
There's no time like the Summertime, and there's no music like Van Halen. The two go together like an ice-cold Corona and a slice of lime. We think of Van Halen as kind of an American Led Zeppelin but with an added dose of humor and attitude. Another unique attribute that sets them apart from other rock bands is their almost Beach Boys-esque backing vocals, which helped them … [Read more...]
Happy Birthday Michael Anthony!
Join us in wishing "Mad Anthony" aka "Mikey" aka "Cannon Mouth" a happy birthday. Bottoms Up, Michael! Michael Anthony Sobolewski was born on June 20th, 1954, and was partly raised in Chicago. The family moved to California twice in Anthony's early years, settling in 1966 in Arcadia, California. Anthony attended Dana Junior High School, in Arcadia, California, from 1967 to … [Read more...]
Michael Anthony: ‘We Recorded Everything, Every Idea We Had’
According to Michael Anthony, whenever Van Halen was in the studio, someone was always ready to press the "record" button. "Every time that we went into the studio, whether it was Donn Landee or whoever was engineering for us, we had him press record," Anthony told Ultimate Guitar's Greg Prato. "We recorded everything, every idea that we had. And there's stuff in there … [Read more...]
Van Halen ‘Top Of The World’ Live In Dallas 12/4/1991 [Official HD Remastered Video]
Another official HD remastered video from Van Halen's live performance in Dallas, Texas on December 4th, 1991 has been released. This time it's "Top Of The World". The video comes from the upcoming expanded edition of Van Halen's #1 album from 1991, For Unlawful Carnal Knowledge. The Expanded Edition arrives this summer and includes a newly remastered version of the original … [Read more...]
Van Halen Tops List Of Missed Live Album Opportunities
Author Martin Popoff believes a live album from Van Halen during the original David Lee Roth-era of the band could have gone down as one of the greatest live albums of all time. Popoff, who is the author of the brand-new book Van Halen at 50, recently wrote an article for Goldmine magazine listing 20 bands who had that precious window of time to capitalize on their notoriety … [Read more...]
‘A Different Kind Of Truth’ Returns To Streaming Platforms
Van Halen's final studio album A Different Kind Of Truth has returned to streaming platforms. The 2012 album featuring the return of David Lee Roth and the debut of Wolfgang Van Halen, had disappeared from Spotify and Apple Music in 2022, leading fans to wonder why. During an October 2023 appearance on Sirius/XM's Trunk Nation, Wolfgang commented on the album's … [Read more...]
Mike Post On ‘Van Halen III’: ‘It’s Nobody’s Fault’
Van Halen III producer Mike Post says nobody should be to blame for the album failing to match the success of previous Van Halen albums. During a recent interview with The Bluegrass Situation's Amy Reitnour Jacobs, Post commented on the 1998 Van Halen album featuring Gary Cherone on lead vocals. While the album reached number four on Billboard and … [Read more...]
Michael Anthony: Alex ‘Continues To Grieve Today Over Eddie’s Passing’
Michael Anthony has commented on Alex Van Halen's decision to auction off his personal instrument and gear collection and why he wouldn't be surprised if Alex never returns to the stage again. Below is an excerpt from Anthony's recent Ultimate Guitar interview contributed to the Van Halen News Desk by UG writer Greg Prato: Although he's not entirely sure why his former … [Read more...]
Alex Van Halen Historic Instrument and Gear Auction to Benefit Ride On Therapeutic Horsemanship
"I hope that passing on all these pieces will inspire current and next generations to be the best they can be.” Alex Van Halen is selling his personal instrument and gear collection in a new auction, which Backstage Auctions, Inc. announced as "The Alex Van Halen Collection." The company stated: The auction event will feature rare music memorabilia, including iconic … [Read more...]