Alexander Arthur Van Halen was born on May 8th, 1953, in Amsterdam, Netherlands. He was raised in Nijmegen. Through a government-incentive program to reunite families, the Van Halens moved to the U.S. when Alex was about 9 years old. Because the family spoke little English, Alex and Eddie formed a bond during this time that has lasted their entire lives. Together they … [Read more...]
Alex Van Halen
Celebrating the 30th Anniversary Van Halen’s Fair Warning
To celebrate the 30th Anniversary of Van Halen's magnum opus, we're declaring it "Fair Warning Week" at VHND, were we're featuring a different story about the album every day for the next seven days. Happy Birthday, Fair Warning. On April 29th, 1981, Van Halen unleashed their darkest album. From the opening out-of-this-world sounds of "Mean Street" to the insane fade … [Read more...]
Van Halen sighting
Alex, Edward and Janie Van Halen were ambushed by paparrazi when leaving a restaurant in Los Angeles last week. A 10 second video is below. … [Read more...]
David Lee Roth, Sammy Hagar, and Michael Anthony ink deals with Warner/Chappell
Some interesting behind the scenes business going on... Warner/Chappell recently inked deals with legendary rockers David Lee Roth, Sammy Hagar and Michael Anthony, all of Van Halen fame. As part of the new agreement, Warner/Chappell acquired the entire catalog of songs written by Sammy Hagar — songwriter guitarist, and former lead singer of Van Halen (1986 through 1996) … [Read more...]
Paiste and Alex Van Halen team up to create Big Ride
PAISTE PRESS RELEASE: The renowned Swiss cymbal maker Paiste announces the 2010 Winter NAMM Show introduction of the 2002 24" Big Ride. This special Ride was created by Paiste's Sound Development team in collaboration with Alex Van Halen, who has inspired drummers over the world for more than two decades with his unique and instantly recognizable powerful and dynamic … [Read more...]
Van Halen brotherly love
From TMZ today: Eddie and Alex Van Halen came from the same womb, played in the same legendary rock band ... and now they're driving identical $120,000 silver Audi R8s. We're told the rock star brothers purchased their new rides last Friday at Keys Audi in Los Angeles -- but for some reason, Eddie was sent alone to ink the deal. While Eddie may be the generous type, … [Read more...]
Happy Birthday, Alex Van Halen!
Alexander Arthur Van Halen was born on May 8th, 1953, in Amsterdam, Netherlands. He was raised in Nijmegan, a town just otside Amsterdam. Luckily for millions of rock fans, the Van Halens moved to the U.S. when Alex was about 9. While not much is known about the man himself, fans can deduce all they really need to know by listening to his music. We wish Alex all the best, … [Read more...]
Van Halen Donates to Cancer-Stricken Deputy
We at the Van Halen News Desk just learned that Eddie, Alex, and Wolfgang Van Halen have donated some signed items for an auction to help to help a Southland sheriff's deputy who is fighting acute myeloid leukemia. (The full story is below). This news doesn't surprise us, as we know that Eddie Van Halen actually does this sort of thing all the time. But because he prefers … [Read more...]
Ten Legendary Rock Drummers
From Yahoo.com: Ten Legendary Rock Drummers Posted Thu Nov 13, 2008 1:13pm PST by Rob O'Connor in List Of The Day Mitch Mitchell, the last surviving member of the Jimi Hendrix Experience, has exited stage left, right or wherever. Just received the news and no determination of death has been made. However, he was only 61. Which is ancient in rock years, but to normal … [Read more...]
Guitar World, Modern Drummer, 2008 Tour and more
The latest communique from the Van Halen camp: ED AND WOLFGANG VAN HALEN TALK SHOP WITH GUITAR WORLD "I couldn't wait for the day I'd be able to make music with my son." - EDWARD VAN HALEN (Los Angeles, CA) January 27, 2008 - As VAN HALEN prepared to kick off the second leg of their incredibly successful tour, EDDIE and WOLFGANG VAN HALEN recently sat down to talk to … [Read more...]
New Van Halen books hitting the shelves
Two books we're sure you guys are gonna want to know about: First up is "Everybody Wants Some: The Van Halen Saga," by Ian Christe, a noted rock writer who also penned "Sound of the Beast: The Complete Headbanging History of Heavy Metal." Pictured above, the book is a hardcover that tells the band's story from childhood up through events as recent as 2007. It's available … [Read more...]
Van Halen’s Rock Hall induction is tonight
Those with VH1 Classic can watch tonight's ceremony live starting at 8:30 p.m. Eastern Time. Those without can watch it live online HERE. And those who want to wait can watch a two-hour edited version that premieres on VH1 this Saturday (3/17). As it stands now, it looks like Sammy and Mike are the only two members expected to be on hand. Velvet Revolver will … [Read more...]