From Aerosmith to ZZ Top and just about every classic rock band in between, photographer Darren Balch has seen and shot them all. It's a stellar career that all began forty years ago watching Van Halen at the Spokane Coliseum in Spokane, Washington - Section 19, three rows down the aisle to be exact. Balch recalled his personal "eureka moment" Van Halen story in a post to … [Read more...]
Van Halen News
Sammy Hagar To Play All Of Van Halen ‘OU812’ Album During Las Vegas Residency
Sammy Hagar said he'll be playing Van Halen's 1988 album OU812 in its entirety during his upcoming Las Vegas residency. Hagar revealed the news to Ultimate Classic Rock's Matt Wardlaw. "The idea is to start doing things like playing a whole album," Hagar said. "Like, we’re going to play the Montrose record for the first half of the show. Things like that. We’re … [Read more...]
Eddie & Alex Van Halen Childhood Home & The Graffiti They Left Behind [VIDEO]
A YouTuber has given Van Halen fans the chance to get an up close look at the childhood home of Eddie and Alex Van Halen along with some graffiti the brothers left behind! The host of SCOTT ON TAPE took a trip to Las Lunas Street in Pasadena, California to get a good view of the home and neighborhood Ed and Al hung out at. He also managed to get a shot of the shed in back … [Read more...]
Wolfgang Van Halen On Being Chosen By GNR For Summer Tour, What He Misses Most About Dad Eddie
For Wolfgang Van Halen, being able to finally take his band Mammoth WVH out on tour is exciting enough. To be chosen as the supporting act for Guns N' Roses? That's taking excitement to a whole new level. "It’s insane," said Wolfgang during a recent interview with Audio Ink Radio. "I can’t believe- it’s the highest honor that they thought of us and want to take us out. I … [Read more...]
Early Van Halen Backstage Stories From Custom Guitar Builder Karl Sandoval
Van Halen on stage. There was no show like it before or since. Turns out, Van Halen back stage was every bit the show for those lucky enough to witness it. Karl Sandoval is one of those lucky guys and he recently shared that experience with fans. Sandoval is a custom guitar builder, best known for making a polka-dot finished guitar for Randy Rhoads in the style of a Gibson … [Read more...]
Mick Jones On ‘Intense But Very Special’ Experience Producing ‘5150’
Mick Jones said producing Van Halen's 1986 album 5150 may have been an exhausting experience but it was also equally as rewarding. "I was completely exhausted at the end of it,” Jones recently told Guitar World. "We were running a bit late -- and the band had a tour booked. So there was pressure…It was a pretty intense experience but we achieved something very … [Read more...]
David Lee Roth’s ‘Eat ‘Em and Smile’ Turns 35
And so the adventure continues...! Thirty five years ago today David Lee Roth released his debut full-length studio album Eat ‘Em and Smile. Released on July 7th, 1986, the album peaked at #4 on the US Billboard 200 while eventually achieving platinum status for a million sales. For his first full-length release, Roth worked with long-time Van Halen producer Ted … [Read more...]
Billy Gibbons On First Van Halen Concert: ‘That Blew My Mind’
ZZ Top's Billy Gibbons said seeing Van Halen perform for the first time lived up to all of the hype and then some. Gibbons was a guest on Eddie Trunk's SiriusXM show Trunk Nation recently. At one point in the interview the conversation steered towards Eddie Van Halen. Gibbons said he had heard all about Eddie's talents, even had Van Halen's 1978 debut album, but didn't get a … [Read more...]
Van Halen On ‘The Today Show’ – July 1986
It's time to revisit another moment in Van Halen history. We go back 35 summers for the band's July 1986 appearance on The Today Show. At the time of the interview, Van Halen had just kicked off the second leg of its North America tour to support the 5150 album. They were about to perform a show at Folsom Field in Boulder, Colorado on July 12th of '86. As expected, the … [Read more...]
The Everlasting Impact Of Eddie Van Halen On Today’s Guitarists
The genius of Eddie Van Halen continues to influence and inspire today's guitarists. Guitar World spoke with ten of those leading modern guitarists recently to find out what they learned from "King Edward". Here are some of comments from the article: YVETTE YOUNG How important was EVH’s role in the evolution of guitar playing? I always loved his attitude towards … [Read more...]
Jason Becker Fundraiser: Becker’s Three Most Important Guitars To Be Presented By Guernsey’s Auctions On July 15th
A fundraiser for Jason Becker is set to take place on July 15th with the proceeds to provide for Becker's ongoing battle with ALS. Becker was David Lee Roth's guitarist on the 1991 album A Little Ain't Enough and became a close friend of Eddie Van Halen in the years following his ALS diagnoses. Below is the press release: Legendary guitarist/composer Jason … [Read more...]
The Van Halen Easter Eggs In ‘Mammoth WVH’ Album
Ultimate Classic Rock has been doing some Van Halen Easter egg hunting! A recent video uploaded to UCR's YouTube channel brought attention to a handful of nods and subtle tributes Wolfgang Van Halen gave to Van Halen in his debut Mammoth WVH album and below are the five they came up with. #1) The first Van Halen Easter egg is one the Van Halen News Desk and Van … [Read more...]