I'm pleased to announce that the audiobook for Van Halen: The Eruption and the Aftershock is now available across all listening platforms. While the print and eBook came out last October, I had been concurrently working diligently on the audiobook version, which was quite the experience and one that I look forward to taking on... Continue Reading →
10 Years Ago: Adele Blocks Van Halen from No. 1
One of the neverending arguments in rock and roll remains the one over who was the best lead singer for Van Halen: David Lee Roth or Sammy Hagar. When it comes to the Red Rocker, his supporters never shy from pointing out that Diamond Dave never had a number one album with the group, while... Continue Reading →
25 Years Ago: Van Halen Release ‘Me Wise Magic’ Amid Reunion Fail
Anticipation was high for the Van Halen reunion with David Lee Roth in the summer of 1996 when it was revealed that Sammy Hagar had departed the ranks of the SoCal party rockers and their OG singer had returned to the fold. Unfortunately, the (re)union was short-lived, and after a disastrous fallout at the MTV... Continue Reading →
Tonight! Tune into ‘Talkin’ Van Halen’ at 8pm
The fine folks over at Johnny Beane TV are going to have me on this evening at 8:00pm on their program Talkin' Van Halen to discuss my upcoming book Van Halen: The Eruption and the Aftershock, which comes out next Wednesday, Oct. 6. Tune into the show live or catch it on the replay. It's... Continue Reading →
Talking ‘Van Halen: The Eruption and the Aftershock’ on ‘Halenville Live!’
Last week, the guys over at Halenville Live! had me on to discuss my upcoming book, Van Halen: The Eruption and the Aftershock. It was a lengthy conversation that any Van Halen fan will find enjoyable as everyone on the show is a huge fan of the band - including myself! You can watch the... Continue Reading →
Roundtable: David Lee Roth’s Debut LP vs. Van Halen’s First with Sammy Hagar
The Sammy Hagar vs. David Lee Roth debate will likely go on forever, but the first time any real comparison could be made was when the latter dropped his debut solo LP, Eat 'Em and Smile, in July 1986, a scant few months after Van Halen released their first effort with Hagar at the mic,... Continue Reading →
30 Years Ago: Van Halen Enter the 90s with ‘Poundcake’
Come the late spring of 1991, it had been just over three years since a new album by Van Halen was released. It was long overdue then when the single "Poundcake" dropped ahead of the upcoming For Unlawful Carnal Knowledge LP that June. Starting with the sound of a drill raking over the strings of... Continue Reading →
Van Halen’s ‘Fair Warning’: A Track-by-Track Guide
According to the most hardcore of Van Halen fans, the fourth album, Fair Warning, is unquestionably their best. It's pretty safe to say I fall into that lot, so it only made sense for me to do a track-by-track of the record for Ultimate Classic Rock. The piece can be found here, but it's worth... Continue Reading →
Master of ‘Is This Reality?’ Interviewing Tony Iommi
It's not every day you get to interview a veritable music legend, but that's what happened this week when I got the chance to sit down with Black Sabbath guitarist Tony Iommi. One of the things I've not been doing lately is taking on that many feature assignments due to the tight deadline of my... Continue Reading →
Wolfgang Van Halen Steps Into the Spotlight with ‘Distance’
The long-awaited first taste of solo music from Wolfgang Van Halen was released this week, and it was a heartbreaker. Dedicated to his late father Eddie Van Halen, the song “Distance,” best described as pop rock with an edge that sees the 29-year-old singing and playing every instrument, is an emotional whirlwind reflective of the... Continue Reading →