From SLAKE: The Los Angeles Quarterly: By John Albert The first time I hear Van Halen I am fourteen years old, riding in a car through the foothills of the San Gabriel Mountains. My friend Steve Darrow is riding shotgun while his dad steers the dusty old Volvo station wagon. Chris Darrow is in his forties and has long hair and a slightly drooping cowboy mustache. In the … [Read more...]
Van Halen News
Last Chance for EVH Low Top Sneakers
From VanHalenStore.com: Despite the fact that the EVH Signature Sneaker line is our biggest seller of all time, the EVH Low Tops have been discontinued. Our limited stock is all that's left. The EVH High Tops are still being made, but our limited supply is all that we'll have until sometime this summer. So now's your last chance ever to get the Low Tops, and your last … [Read more...]
The Most Misused Song in GOP Politics: Van Halen’s “Right Now”
From Time.com: By Michael Scherer If Republicans are on the campaign trail, Van Halen is back in vogue. For years, Republican candidates and politicians have been using Van Halen’s song, Right Now, as the walk-in jingle at rallies and events. The first time I recorded its use was November 5, 2006, when then-President George W. Bush used the tune to enter a rally in … [Read more...]
Top Ten Guitar Solos by Eddie Van Halen
From KennerMcquaid.blogspot.com: Eddie Van Halen was exactly what the rock ‘n roll doctor ordered to cure the Saturday Night Fever sweeping the nation during the late Seventies. When Van Halen was unleashed upon the unsuspecting masses in 1978, rock guitar playing was changed overnight. The threat that rock would become an afterthought in the face of a changing mainstream … [Read more...]
Eddie Van Halen Makes a Wild Child Out of Valerie Bertinelli — Twisted Tales
From Spinner.com: Thirty years ago, the hard rock powerhouse known as Van Halen was just coming into its own, and by April of 1981, the original group was already in deep trouble. At the end of the month, Van Halen would release its fourth album, 'Fair Warning' and the last track, sung by frontman David Lee Roth, was called 'One Foot Out the Door.' The timing of the band's … [Read more...]
Is 1984 a Flawless Album?
Crawdaddy! Magazine featured Van Halen’s 1984 in their latest “Weakest Cut” column. A fun read, but they made the mortal sin of declaring "Drop Dead Legs" the weakest cut. Blasphemy! Any VH fan worth their salt knows "Drop Dead Legs" is nothing short of a slice of heaven... From Crawdaddy.com: The Weakest Cut: 1984 By: James Greene Jr. Our musical heritage is littered … [Read more...]
Abom Goes “Inside” for 25th Anniversary of Van Halen’s 5150
From Ain't It Bale News: “Hello, bayyyyyy-beh!” Sammy Hagar was riffing on 1950s disc jockey-turned pop star Jiles “Big Bopper” Richardson when he let out the banshee wail kicking off one my favorite rock records of the 1980s. One of my favorite albums of any kind, of any time, period. And to think, 5150 was a record that almost didn’t happen—created by a band … [Read more...]
When David Lee Roth Left Van Halen in 1985: Wake-Up Video
From MTV.com: Could you imagine if Bono decided to leave U2 in pursuit of a solo career, and then the band carried on with the singer from Snow Patrol or something? It's impossible to consider, and yet something exactly like that happened on this day in 1985. Van Halen were arguably the biggest band in the world at the time, and they were coming off their fantastically … [Read more...]
Van Halen Album Rumored To Be Nearing Completion
The Van Halen News Desk (VHND.com) was the first to report last December that Van Halen were set to record a new studio album with Grammy Award winning producer John Shanks. In January, Shanks confirmed this via his Twitter account. Today, respected Metal Show host, Eddie Trunk, tweeted that he heard gossip from a "reliable source" that the "VH album is close to done and … [Read more...]
New Van Halen, Chickenfoot, and Cabo Wabo merchandise
New Van Halen, Chickenfoot, and Cabo Wabo merchandise is always coming into stock at VanHalenStore.com. Check out all the officially licensed goods at their New Arrivals section. Eddie Van Halen "Frankenstein Guitar w/ Stars" Zip Hoodie! Sizes S, M, L, XL, XXL (True to size) Just $59.95. Order Now. Van Halen Rings of Fire Shirt $29.95 S, L, XL Chickenfoot … [Read more...]
Van Halen Discuss ‘5150’ Album (Audio)
The nationally syndicated rock star interview radio show In The Studio is streaming a new episode this week to commemorate the 25th Anniversary of Van Halen's 5150 album. Eddie and Alex Van Halen, Michael Anthony and Sammy Hagar discuss the classic album with the shows host, Redbeard. (The interviews aren't new - they've been pieced together from older In The Studio … [Read more...]
This Week In Rock History: Van Hagar is Born
From Rolling Stone By Andy Greene March 22, 2011 3:30 PM ET March 24th, 1986: Van Halen release 5150 It was widely presumed that Van Halen would collapse after David Lee Roth left the group in 1985. With the exceptions of Genesis and AC/DC, few bands had survived the departure of a high-profile frontman. Undaunted, Eddie phoned up former Montrose vocalist Sammy Hagar … [Read more...]