Guitarist Damon Johnson says the night he first witnessed Van Halen in concert, it literally left him in tears. Johnson (Brother Cane, Thin Lizzy, Lynyrd Skynyrd, Alice Cooper, Blackstar Riders) was a recent guest on Final Resonance TV and shared the story of the time he first saw Van Halen in concert. It was on August 4th, 1980 at the Birmingham Civic Center in Birmingham, … [Read more...]
Michael Anthony
Pasadena Plans To Name New Public Stage After Van Halen
The city of Pasadena is set to pay tribute to Van Halen by naming a public stage after the band. The Pasadena City Council is expected to approve the name on Monday (April 11th). According to Pasadena Now, the stage will be part of a new public park to be named after author Octavia E. Butler. It's currently under construction at 701 East Union Street between El Molino Ave … [Read more...]
Everybody Still Wants Some ‘Women & Children First’! Van Halen’s Third Studio Album Released On This Day In 1980
Here's the Van Halen News Desk's extensive tribute to Van Halen's third studio album Women & Children First, which was released 42 years ago today... Release Date:March 26, 1980Recorded:December 1979 - February 1980Length:33:13Producer:Ted TemplemanPreceded By:Van Halen IISucceeded By:Fair Warning Track listing: 1. And The Cradle Will Rock...2. Everybody … [Read more...]
36 Years Ago Today: Van Halen Launches Second Era With The Release Of ‘5150’ Album
“Hello, bayyyyyy-beh!” 36 years ago today, Van Halen Mach II was born! 5150 ushered in a decade of #1 albums and sold-out tours with vocalist Sammy Hagar. Where did Van Halen get the idea for the "5150" title? 5150 is the California statute for holding those with grave mental disabilities involuntarily for 72 hours and sometimes longer pending further … [Read more...]
A Tribute To ‘Van Halen II’ – Released On This Day In 1979
Release Date:March 23, 1979Recorded:December 1978 - January 1979 at Sunset Sound Recorders, Hollywood, CALength:32:00Producer:Ted TemplemanPreceded By:Van HalenSucceeded By:Women and Children First Van Halen II: 1. You're No Good2. Dance The Night Away3. Somebody Get Me A Doctor4. Bottoms Up!5. Outta Love Again6. Light Up The Sky7. Spanish Fly8. D.O.A.9. Women … [Read more...]
The Story Of Kurt Jefferis’ ‘Lost Weekend’ With Van Halen
On this day in 1984, Kurt Jefferis won a “Lost Weekend With Van Halen” MTV contest out of more than 1 million entrants. This is his story! When MTV announced its "Lost Weekend With Van Halen" contest in early 1984, the network received over a million postcard entries for a chance to spend three days with the band during their 1984 tour. The lottery couldn't have … [Read more...]
Valerie Bertinelli: ‘I’m Grateful That Ed Was Able To Make Amends With So Many People That He Loved’
Valerie Bertinelli looked back on Eddie Van Halen overcoming his battles with substance abuse during a recent appearance on Rob Lowe's podcast Literally! With Rob Lowe. "We all have a toolbox that we go to when we need to suppress any kind of emotion that we don't want to feel, any kind of pain that we don't want to feel, and I know that Ed's toolbox was filled with drugs … [Read more...]
New Podcast Aims To Break Down Entire Van Halen Catalog One Track At A Time
It's the podcast that is guh-guh-guh gauranteed to rock on...and on...and on...until they cover each and every song in the Van Halen catalog! And The Podcast Will Rock debuted in November and has released 16 episodes so far. In each, the hosts Mark and Corey choose a random Van Halen song and break it down from start to finish. "We are here to discuss, dissect and just … [Read more...]
Anniversary of Van Halen’s First World Tour!
After four years paying their dues playing the Southern California rock scene, Van Halen hit the road. It was just three weeks after the release of their self-titled debut album that the band kicked off its first world tour. Stop #1 was the Aragon Ballroom in Chicago, Illinois on March 3, 1978. The move from the typical clubs the band was used to playing to the Aragon was … [Read more...]
LISTEN: ‘Unchained: The Eddie Van Halen Story’ Author Paul Brannigan Exclusive Interview
The VHND's Eric Senich talked with author Paul Brannigan to talk about his book Unchained: The Eddie Van Halen Story! Here's a rundown of the topics covered in the interview: Eddie's guitar and recorder always by his sideThe influence parents Jan and Eugenia had on EddieForget the Fab Four, Eddie's fire was lit by The Dave Clark Five!Eric Clapton was the Cream of the … [Read more...]
Sunset Sound Discovers Hand-Written Mic Setup For ‘Van Halen II’ [VIDEO]
Cue up the Indiana Jones music, Sunset Sound's Drew Dempsey has just discovered a priceless Van Halen artifact! Dempsey recently posted a video to the Sunset Sound Recorders YouTube channel in which he shares "one of the most amazing documents ever." In his hands is the hand-written microphone set up for the tracking of 1979's Van Halen II, which was recorded at the Sunset … [Read more...]
Should ‘Without You’ Have Been Left Out Of Van Halen’s ‘Best Of Both Worlds’ Compilation?
On this day in 1998 Van Halen released the single "Without You", the very first to feature Gary Cherone on lead vocals. The track debuted at number one on Billboard's Mainstream Rock Tracks chart. Yet, when Van Halen released their Best Of Both Worlds compilation in 2004, "Without You" was not included among the 36 "best" Van Halen tracks. Should it have been? Let's first go … [Read more...]