Eddie Van Halen

My Awkward Night With Fitz and the Tantrums at Jimmy Kimmel Live

[Editor's note: Soon-to-be-award-winning gonzo music journalist Danielle Bacher prowls the late late night scene for West Coast Sound. For this installment, she hits the town with LA-based soul-pop band Fitz and the Tantrums.] I should probably have dropped quarts of acid into the disgusting coconu ... More >>

LL Cool J's Authentic: A Track By Track Review, Without Prejudice

LL Cool J can do no wrong lately. Actually, strike that, LL Cool J does everything wrong lately. Last year there was his trend-hopping track "Ratchet," dubbed one of the worst of 2012. More recently there was his duet with Brad Paisley, "Accidental Racist," in which he more or less forgave the sin o ... More >>

The Best Concerts to See in L.A. This Weekend

Friday, March 29 Fol Chen BOOTLEG THEATER Fol Chen is one of the most creative bands in the local electro-pop underground, conjuring unusual sounds that flutter, mutate, shimmer and trail sparks just as colorfully as the flying fish and luminous butterflies in Oz the Great and Powerful. While the m ... More >>

The 20 Worst Albums of the '90s: The Complete List

Sure, you had the Bill Clinton blowjob scandal, OJ, Pakistan and India going nuclear, mad cow disease, the Rodney King decision, and Titanic. But what made the '90s truly awful was its music. That's not to say that there weren't bright spots -- early Beck, say, or Ok Computer and much of hip-hop's g ... More >>

The 20 Worst Albums Of The '90s: 20-11

Sure, you had the Bill Clinton blowjob scandal, OJ, Pakistan and India going nuclear, mad cow disease, the Rodney King decision, and Titanic. But what made the '90s truly awful was its music. That's not to say that there weren't bright spots -- early Beck, say, or Ok Computer and much of hip-hop's g ... More >>

The Seven Sexiest Guitars

By Christian McPhate If there's one thing that starts a guitarist's heart thumping, it's the heat from the fretboard as his or her fingers slide across the strings. It's a sordid love affair that leaves fans screaming and the guitarist's soul longing for more. In fact, B.B. King loved his $30 gui ... More >>

Chickenfoot - Greek Theatre - 6/10/12

Chickenfoot Greek Theatre 6/10/12 See also: *Van Halen's Babysitter: The band's record label assigned Ted Cohen to go on tour with them in their glory years. Here's what he saw *The Time David Lee Roth Abandoned His Plymouth Valiant to Rot Sammy Hagar and Michael Anthony apparently don't miss play ... More >>

Sun Araw, Eagles of Death Metal, Lil' Kim

Also, Harry Partch's Bitter Music, Jonneine Zapata, Alan Pasqua Trio and others

The Time David Lee Roth Abandoned His Plymouth Valiant to Rot

By Michael Wilton See also: *Van Halen's Babysitter: The band's record label assigned Ted Cohen to go on tour with them in their glory years. Here's what he saw *Van Halen's 1980 Tour Rider: Why They Demanded The Brown M&Ms Be Picked Out For our music feature this week we spoke with Ted Cohen, a ... More >>

Van Halen's Babysitter

The band's record label assigned Ted Cohen to go on tour with them in their glory years. Here's what he saw

Sammy Hagar on Eddie Van Halen: "I Don't Hate the Guy, I Love the Guy. I Hate What He Did to Me"

By Michael Christopher Last week, Sammy Hagar was in the green room at The Tonight Show, preparing to musical guest with Chickenfoot, his band that dropped its critically acclaimed second album (cheekily titled Chickenfoot III) in September. Host Jay Leno popped in to say hello, and seeing the Red ... More >>

Steel Panther: Hair Metal Cover Band Goes Legit

See also: Top 20 Hair Metal Albums Of All Time: The Complete List Story by Clay Marshall Steel Panther guitarist Russ Parrish sports leopard-print Spandex and a tiger-striped ax when the group plays in concert. If all goes well, he'll climb atop the drum riser and stomp on the kick-drum pedal, ac ... More >>

The Mae Shi Reunite!

The Mae Shi​The Mae Shi never broke up, technically. Still, the L.A. group's last show was nearly three years ago, in Germany, and featured only one original member. In the meantime, they've all gone on to other projects; co-founder Jeffrey Byron has worked with Busdriver, Brad Breeck is a te ... More >>

Van Halen Assteroidz Is Back!

​​​In 2009 a great blessing came to be known: Atari video game Asteroids had been hacked to incorporate Van Halen. The simple vector graphics asteroids were replaced by obstacles in the shape of the dancing burger from "Better Off Dead," the Van Halen logo drifting through space, and a rig ... More >>

Ten Groups Who Never Should Have Gotten Back Together

Beware fellas, bad things may be coming your way​On New Year's Eve 2009, Chris Cornell made a Twitter declaration: "School's back in session." The implication was that Soundgarden was reuniting. However, it took several months for the official announcement. The grunge pioneers would be putting ... More >>

Who's Afraid To Follow Tearist?: Manimal Vinyl Showcase at the Echo (12/07)

The bill for Manimal Vinyl's showcase at the Echo last night had the label's self-proclaimed "Bolshevik disco" duo The Polyamorous Affair (ever-cooing couple Eddie Chacon and Sissy Sainte-Marie) as headliners. They did draw the bigger crowd, but they did not close the show. It's unclear whether they ... More >>

Six-String Heroes: Iconic Photographer Neil Zlozower Talks New Book, Mr. Musichead Launch Party, and Making Friends with Rock Stars

Neil ZlozowerEddie Van Halen​"Talking rock n' roll with Zloz is like discussing tan lines with Hugh Hefner or escort services with Charlie Sheen," boasts the Van Halen fans in the David Lee Roth Army (yeah, that's right, army). Not like we'd want to pick a fight with Diamond Dave's soldiers an ... More >>

Slayer’s Bloody Template

More tales of serial murder and psychosis, state oppression, snuff films and endless war over oil

Last Night: The Crystal Method Performs Surprise Live Set

View more photos in Colin Young-Wolff's "The Crystal Method Secret Show @ Echoplex" slideshow. Colin Young-Wolff​If electronic dance music ever gets its own This Is Spinal Tap-like parody, The Crystal Method would have to be the film's hard-partying, amplifier-past-10 inspiration. Not that t ... More >>

It Might Get Loud: Davis Guggenheim’s Guitar Heroes

In director’s new documentary tribute, Jimmy Page, the Edge and Jack White talk axes, licks and other euphemisms

Guitar Legend Les Paul Dies: Raise Your Forks and Bake an Electric Guitar Cake

Sweet Retreat Cakes, www.sweetretreat.caEdible Rock​Les Paul, the guitar legend who created the prototype for the first solid-body electric guitar, died today at the age of 94. Though he was perhaps best known for his guitars, Paul was one of the greatest jazz guitar pickers of his time. The ... More >>

On the Road to Burma

Globetrotting with Ozomatli, unlikely U.S. diplomats

Dangerbird's Wings: Silversun Pickups' Label Bangs Out a Template for a Post–Major Label Landscape

Pickups’ new LP, Swoon, hits the streets soon

Rock Picks: Black Mountain, PJ Harvey and John Parish, Alice Russell, Starfucker

Also, T-Model Ford, the Sadies, Van Dyke Parks and others

True Confessions of a Hollywood Starlet: Celebrity Rehab, Lifetime Style

The cure for a fictional Lindsay Lohan? Flyover country and Jenny Craig–thin Valerie Bertinelli

Van Halen: Reunited (and It Feels So Good)

Van Halen at Staples Center, November 20

Van Halen, Staples Center, November 20

Van Halen Staples Center, November 20 By Randall Roberts Jack and Coke? Check. Bic lighter? You know it. Rocker passed out on sidewalk, girlfriend exasperated, before the show? There were a few of them here. This is Van Halen, after all, and them up there is Diamond David Lee Roth and Eddie Van Ha ... More >>

Rock Picks: Puffy AmiYumi, the Dickies, the B-52's, Fear, Van Halen

For the week of November 16 - 22

Oh Hells Yes

The Fuck Yeah Fest merges underground music, comedy and art to create a younger, freakier kind of party

A Diamond Is Forever

Under the Influence

And Moz-itive thinking

Not With Eddie

Nightranger

Forever Then

Four More Blisters

America Childless

Julia Child, 1912–2004

Boys Are for Noise

The Kids Are All Right

Headbanging for credit at the Musicians Institute