Van Halen

Five '70s Metal Bands Who Are Better Than Black Sabbath

Ok, we get it. You like Sabbath. Everyone does. But there's a whole big world out there of '70s metal bands that goes beyond Sabbath -- even beyond Sir Lord Baltimore, if you can believe that. The '70s offered so much in the way of doom-and-gloom heaviness that it's criminal so many stop with Ozzy, ... More >>

The Five Most Iconic Key Club Shows in Its History

We broke some sad news last week: the Key Club will close its doors this Friday. Since opening in 1967 as Gazzarri's, it has been a staple of the Sunset Strip for decades, under various names and ownership. The venue has seen many popular styles of music come and go, but has, Zelig-like, been at the ... 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 >>

Key Club to Close This Month

The Key Club, a Sunset Strip favorite for decades, is scheduled to close later this month. Though the club's ownership could not be reached for comment, its last show is slated for March 14, and sources behind various events held there confirmed its impending demise.

Classic Rock Is Actually Amazing, You Jerk

So, a certain editor of this blog think classic rock is totally bogus, huh? See also: Classic Rock Is a Cancer on Our Society The point of his argument is that folks from our generation need to have their own taste, not be stuck in the past. But one can't deny that the music which emerged from th ... More >>

Classic Rock Is a Cancer on Our Society

There's a disease spreading through our generation of 20- and 30-year-olds. We inherited this malady from our parents, and it's rendering us culturally stagnant. It's sapping our identity. Perhaps most tragically, we are welcoming this plague into our homes, cars, and phones -- even into our kar ... 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 >>

Comments: Bully Pulpits

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

Fanatics! Henry Rollins' KCRW Show Tomorrow Night: California Love

KCRW Broadcast #158 for Saturday, March 31, 2012 See also: Henry Rollins: The Column! The Ugly World of eBay Hustling Fanatics! Tomorrow night we have a bit of a concept show for your enjoyment. Since I write this ahead of a show in San Diego, I thought it would be a great idea to play bands from ... More >>

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 >>

Top Ten Best Replacement Singers in Rock and Metal

Dio-era Black Sabbath​See also: *Top Ten Worst Replacement Singers in Rock and Metal *Ozzy Osbourne vs. Ronnie James Dio: Who's Better? One of the biggest stories in metal this year is the revolving door for vocalists. Jesse Leach has returned to Killswitch Engage. Iced Earth played their fi ... More >>

Top Ten Worst Replacement Singers in Rock and Metal

​At the beginning of the year, Boston metalcore giants Killswitch Engage announced that they had parted ways with vocalist Howard Jones, and two weeks ago they announced they were bringing their first vocalist, Jesse Leach, back into the fold. At the very least, it seems a way to ensure they w ... More >>

Van Halen - The Forum - 2/8/12

Van Halen The Forum February 8, 2012 The Van Halen reunion is in full swing. It's goodbye to "Van Hagar," even if the current incarnation isn't entirely the band many of us grew up with: bassist Michael Anthony has been replaced by Ed's son Wolfgang Van Halen, and rumor is, unceremoniously so. St ... More >>

Axl Threatened To Skip A Concert, So Barry Fey Got His Gun

Katarina BenzovaBelieve it or not, this is Axl's PR photo these days​See also: *Why Van Halen Demanded The Brown M&Ms Be Picked Out On Their 1980 Tour Rider *Excerpt From Duff McKagan's New Memoir Recently we ran an excerpt about Van Halen from the new memoir Backstage Past, by Barry Fey, a l ... More >>

Van Halen's 1980 Tour Rider: Why They Demanded The Brown M&Ms Be Picked Out

​See also: Barry Fey on that time that he held a gun to Axl Rose's head Barry Fey is a Denver-based concert promoter who has booked just about every giant rock band you can think of, and often for the first time in America. His new memoir Backstage Past speaks on his efforts bringing groups l ... More >>

Kreayshawn Has a Video Game, In Which She Shoots Down "Basic Bitches"

Beth Maher​See also: Van Halen Assteroidz Is Back! She ain't no Princess Peach, but Kreayshawn now has her very own video game. Kreayshawn: The Game bowed earlier this month, courtesy of Toronto-based illustrator-cum-game-designer Beth Maher. The 8-bit creation places the L.A. rapper alongsid ... More >>

Top Ten Bands Who Need To Reunite, NOW

Nope, this doesn't count​Last week, we discussed ten bands who ruined their legacy by reuniting. Don't get the wrong idea, though -- we're not complete haters. And so, here are the groups we'd like to see put together one last reunion tour. Note: We're only talking about bands with all of thei ... 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 >>

Let's Get Ready to Improv!

LA Session Drummer to the Stars Will Be Your Personal Manbitch If You Buy $75K Version of His Album

​Everybody has a price. Josh Freese, studio drummer to the stars (Weezer, Devo, Nine Inch Nails, Guns N Roses) is up to his old tricks with the upcoming announcement of his plans for his latest solo album, Since 1972. He listed his album for sale in packages ranging from $7 for a straightf ... More >>

Casa Downtown: Your Disney Hall Hangout Where to Go For Light Mexican Food

Valli Hermanchicken tacos at Casa Cocina y Cantina​ It wasn't so long ago that the idea of having a quick bite before a show at the Music Center or the Walt Disney Concert Hall meant eating a protein bar while you circled for a parking spot. Ladies and gentlemen, that is no way to start an ev ... More >>

Who Cares About Bieber, Gaga, or the VMA's? You Do! Winner Recaps Past and Present

Who Really Cares About Bieber, Gaga, or the VMA's? You Do! Winner Recaps Past and Present

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 >>

Bobby Bendon Gets By

Rhino to Release 'Digital 45s,' with A-sides, B-sides and Original (PDF) Sleeves

In ongoing effort to bring weird little songs from Rhino's catalog to the top of the digital avalanche, the legendary LA reissue label is launching a new series of so-called 'digital 45s.' This morning the label announced the program: Rhino will spotlight songs originally issued on 45 by offering t ... More >>

Who the Hell Is Holy Grail?

An L.A. metal band with songs about “chicks, Vikings, ex-chicks, being tough, macho/machismo, FEMA, Fabio, Conan, rad dinosaurs, UFOs and Bilderberg Group,” that’s who

Ticketmaster and Servants: Bands Get Cut of Service Fee

Irving Azoff reveals industry secret at Senate Judiciary hearings

Stress Less: It's Christmas time. There's no need to be afraid.

The economy is in the shitter, unemployment is skyrocketing, and it turns out that there are just nine days left until Christmas, which means there are only eight shopping days, provided you're willing to run through the mall with Governor Ahnold and all the other panicked people on Christmas Eve. I ... More >>

XIV: Royal Tease

Michael Mina’s swank Sunset Strip restaurant gilds the coconut

Fashion Week Diary: Sheiki Collection's Outfits Your Mother Would Hate

The Sheiki Collection was all about (1) jeans, (2) rock and roll, and (3) hooker hair. The girls wore tee shirts that said "Life Fast, Die Pretty." Your mother does not want you to wear these outfits. These are outfits you would wear to a bar fight or backstage at a Van Halen concert. This is not a ... More >>

Best Metal Die-Hards: Steel Panther at the Key Club

Silver Lake's CMH Label Strikes Gold With Two Oddball Ideas

2007: Outta Sight

Falling, spinning, shining stars and the year's most stellar parties

Bookworm in a Tequila Bottle: 2007's Most Intriguing Music Books

Oh, those bed-wetting, penis-injecting, 43-person gangbang days of yore

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

A Diamond Is Forever

Van Halen to Play LA in November

Which Van Halen? The Diamond-Dave fronted VH, of course. The band is slated to play the Staples Center on November 20. As previously speculated, the band will consist of Eddie, David Lee Roth and Alex Van Halen. Michael Anthony will not re-join the band for the tour and bass duties will fall to ... More >>

Sucking in the '70s

How deep is your love?

Snap, Crackle, Punk

Babes in Toyland

Love International

It’s Too Funky in Here

Rockers invade Groovetown

Art and Struggle . . .

. . . but mainly nutso debauch with David Lee Roth