The Art of McCartney boasts ’70s rockers Heart, Steve Miller, Sammy Hagar, and the Coop

By Steve Newton Groundworks Marketing announced today that a new Paul McCartney tribute album will be released on November 17, and that it will feature some of my fave artists from the seventies, including Alice Cooper, Steve Miller, Heart, Bad Company's Paul Rodgers, Montrose's Sammy Hagar, the Who's Roger Daltrey, and Cheap Trick's Robin Zander and … Continue reading The Art of McCartney boasts ’70s rockers Heart, Steve Miller, Sammy Hagar, and the Coop

Alex Van Halen on Hagar and Roth, the magic of Eddie, and finding Balance with Bruce Fairbairn

Sometimes it seems as if there are two kinds of people in the world: David Lee Roth folks and Sammy Hagar folks.

Eddie’s off-the-cuff raunch blasts save Van Halen’s ass while Jimmy Page watches from the wings

ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED ON NOV. 21, 1991 By Steve Newton Twice during Van Halen’s show at B.C. Place last Wednesday (November 13), shaggy-maned vocalist Sammy Hagar apologized for having throat problems and not being able to sing up to par. The second time, he added, “But the band’s hot, and that's all that counts.” Yeah, sure, … Continue reading Eddie’s off-the-cuff raunch blasts save Van Halen’s ass while Jimmy Page watches from the wings

Van Halen still brings the dynamite in both hands

ORIGINALLY POSTED ON STRAIGHT.COM, OCT. 28, 2004 By Steve Newton Much has been made of the Sam & Dave controversy in regard to American hard-rock legends Van Halen. There are those who scoff at the idea of the band existing without original vocalist David Lee Roth, while others feel that his replacement, Sammy Hagar, has … Continue reading Van Halen still brings the dynamite in both hands

After Van Halen’s Vancouver show the jury’s still out on whether Dave or Sammy rule

ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED ON DEC. 12, 2007 By Steve Newton The vast majority of people at last week's (December 5) Van Halen show appeared to be males between the ages of 30 and 50, eager to reconnect with the unbridled guitar-rock noise that erupted straight outta Pasadena when David Lee Roth and Eddie Van Halen hooked … Continue reading After Van Halen’s Vancouver show the jury’s still out on whether Dave or Sammy rule

Chickenfoot helps Vancouver forget all about Van Halen

photo by rebecca blissett ORIGINALLY POSTED ON STRAIGHT.COM, JUNE 6, 2012 By Steve Newton Chickenfoot vs. Van Halen: now there's a rivalry for ya. There's never been much love lost between those bands' respective singers, Sammy Hagar and David Lee Roth. Then there's the fact that Chickenfoot's bassist, Michael Anthony, lost his cherished spot in … Continue reading Chickenfoot helps Vancouver forget all about Van Halen

My first and last interview with guitar hero Ronnie Montrose

It may seem crazy to stay up all night transcribing a phone interview I did with Montrose 14 years ago, but his death hit me pretty hard.