David Lee Roth

Drenched in Blog: Fair Warning

Get Lit: Everybody Wants Some: The Van Halen Saga, by Ian Christe

Drenched In Blog: Kid Rock Waffle House Fight

Last Night: Van Halen at Toyota Center

Reporter’s Notebook: Random Scrawlings from the Van Halen Show

Tonight: Margo & the Nuclear So and So's at the Mink

David Lee's Froth

Diamond Dave rants on fashion, being a digital gigolo, his rival/tourmate Sammy Hagar, a pending lawsuit and a bunch of other stuff

Classic Rock Corner: The Greatest Band Logos of All Time, Part 1

Daniel Kramer With our ears still ringing from last night's AC/DC concert at Toyota Center (I knew we should have stayed away from the end of the stage with the cannon...), we got to thinking about the Aussie boys' iconic band logo. Sketched in pen on a million different school notebooks, and gr ... More >>

Live Shots

Daniel Kramer With our ears still ringing from last night's AC/DC concert at Toyota Center (I knew we should have stayed away from the end of the stage with the cannon...), we got to thinking about the Aussie boys' iconic band logo. Sketched in pen on a million different school notebooks, and gr ... More >>

Thriving -- or Simply Surviving?

After all these years, Alex Van Halen insists his band isn't "D.O.A."

Free Tickets for Back In Black and Fan Halen

Fan Halen We have been given a handful of tickets to tonight's Fan Halen/Back In Black show at the House Of Blues to give away. Hurry up and come grab a few while they last. The Aqua-Net stench isn't too overpowering as of this posting so we should have a few left for you. Come get them at ... More >>

Unchecked Egos

Fan Halen We have been given a handful of tickets to tonight's Fan Halen/Back In Black show at the House Of Blues to give away. Hurry up and come grab a few while they last. The Aqua-Net stench isn't too overpowering as of this posting so we should have a few left for you. Come get them at ... More >>

Rotation

Fan Halen We have been given a handful of tickets to tonight's Fan Halen/Back In Black show at the House Of Blues to give away. Hurry up and come grab a few while they last. The Aqua-Net stench isn't too overpowering as of this posting so we should have a few left for you. Come get them at ... More >>

Steady Eddie

Decades of torn-up road behind him, Van Halen's guitar god keeps chugging ahead

The Reverend Red Rocker

Platitudes on life, religion and music from the depths of a tequila bottle

The Night Diamond Dave Rejoined Van Halen

Ain't Talkin' 'Bout Love

Kevin Fowler, Bring It On

www.kevinfowler.com

Honor Bound

A fictional look at the future of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame

Playbill

A fictional look at the future of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame

Best Radio Talk Show (FM)

A fictional look at the future of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame

Feels Like Old Times

With Sammy Hagar back on stage, Van Halen trudges on

Summer Sundays

The weekend doesn't end after Saturday night

Kid Stuff

He's just a bad boy from the burbs who never learned to play well with others

Burnin' for You

He's just a bad boy from the burbs who never learned to play well with others

The 11 Stupidest Events from the World of Music, 2009 Edition

Hi there, 2009. Please have a seat. Are you comfortable? Would you like some coffee, or perhaps a cigarette? No? Okay, good. Let's just cut straight to the point, then. You suck, and frankly we're sick of your bullshit. You were an awful year, filled not just with economic collapse, scary right-wi ... More >>

Eddie Van Halen Can't Drive 55, But He Is 55

Daniel Kramer​Today marks the 55th anniversary of the world receiving the gift of the illustrious finger-tapping stylings of Eddie Van Halen. Hard rock wouldn't be the same without his goofy face on stage wailing away on his "Frankenstrat" and his strong arm tactics behind the scenes. Rocks Off ha ... More >>

Bigger Than Jesus: The Best Musician Boasts

overthinkingit.com​First off, Rocks Off is not including rap and hip-hop artists in this article, because a) we'd be here all damn day; and b) We could write another book about what we don't know about the rap world. So we'll just stick to good old-fashioned rock-star prick-waving. Whether ... More >>

Musicians Who Will Fetch The Least In TwitChange Auction

​TwitChange, a charity organization dedicated to helping Haiti led by the only Desperate Housewife who doesn't look at least partially mummified, Eva Longoria, is having an auction that will change the very nature of self-obsession as we know it. Several celebrities have gotten together and ag ... More >>

Top 10 Rock Tell-All Autobiographies

​Craig's Hlist just cracked into his copy of Life, by Keith Richards. It's the first time that the Rolling Stones guitarist and god among men has taken time to document his rock and roll journey for anyone. Sure there have been Stones oral histories from the band, but this is Richards' chance ... More >>

Top 10 Hottest Jewish Musicians

​The Festival of Lights is upon us, as the eight-day Jewish holiday of Hanukkah officially kicks off at sundown tonight. Some of music's leading bigwigs will likely be sparking up the menorah, among them Lou Reed, Paul Simon, Billy Joel, Leonard Cohen, Diamond David Lee Roth, Perry Farrell an ... More >>

25 Famous Bands' Less Famous Previous Names

​As promised, here are the answers to Rocks Off's "Original Band Name" quiz from Tuesday. John St. Lee, if you'd care to email us, we'll see what we can do about getting you a prize. Do you like Devo? 1. Chicago: At about 25 or 6 to 4, the Windy City jazz-rockers realized The Big Thing sucked ... More >>

Multi-Tracks, One By One: An Aural Autopsy

​This past weekend Rocks Off hung out with a producer buddy, listening to multitrack recordings of some of the biggest acts in history, including the Beatles, Queen, Beastie Boys, and Van Halen. For someone who spends his entire life trying decipher recorded music as it is released and later p ... More >>

The 10 Best Rock Samples In Hip-Hop

​Rocks Off just finished reading Ian Christe's 2007 Van Halen biography, Everybody Wants Some, which chronicles the band's history from the Van Halen boys' entry into the U.S., the upbringing of David Lee Roth, and devastating, fatal 1985 crash into Mount Sammy Hagar. Sad stuff if you're a Rot ... More >>

The Aliens Should Have Kept Sammy Hagar

​Judging by the headline, you already know where Rocks Off stands when it comes to Van Hagar versus a David Lee Roth-fronted Van Halen. We love to hate Sammy Hagar, almost to the point where we actually like him a little bit. We can't even explain that feeling. It's like how when you were yo ... More >>

Sammy Hagar: Red Rocker, Crue-Shaming Sex Machine

​Red: My Uncensored Life in Rock By Sammy Hagar with Joel Selvin It Books, 256pp., $26.99 During the tour to support Van Halen's For Unlawful Carnal Knowledge, singer/guitarist Sammy Hagar certainly took the record's title to heart. Because just about every night during Eddie's 20-minute guit ... More >>

Rock Of Ages: Big Hair, Big Fog, Big Cliches

Ed Note: Rocks Off and our sister blog Art Attack are conducting a "reviewer exchange program" for the '80s musical Rock of Ages. One of our "rock and roll" people will review the show soon, but the visiting team bats first. Dan LippittThe cast of Rock of Ages​The Setup: '80s Sunset Strip roc ... More >>

1986: Best Musical Year Ever?

​For almost two weeks now, Rocks Off has been obsessed with the year exactly 25 flips of the calendar backward from this one. It started when Steve Earle did one of his "Time Machine" shows, where the singer-songwriter who plays House of Blues Wednesday spotlights a dozen or so of his favorite ... More >>

Iggy Pop, the Bordeaux Connoisseur: The Funniest Food Requests on Riders

ITO EN, you're all that I wanted in a tea.​The next time someone calls you a picky eater, direct them to Weezer's backstage rider for their 2010 tour. Weezer demands that both regular and Canadian bacon be available for breakfast, that there be almond butter but no peanut butter, that there m ... More >>

Father Figures: 100 Famous Musicians' Paternal Professions

Mr. Peppermint: Sire of a Surfer.​If you're a Texan of a certain age, this week you've probably spent some time mourning the death of Jerry Haynes, the children's TV host better known as Mr. Peppermint. Haynes' show on WFAA-TV in Dallas, Peppermint Place, ran from the '60s to the '90s and was ... More >>

Eat 'Em And Smile: Our Favorite Pictures Of Birthday Man David Lee Roth

Too much party. ​Lemmy, Josh Homme, Keith Richards, Marc Bolan, GG Allin, and Billy Fucking Gibbons - that's just a sampling of the rock stars that Rocks Off wishes he could be. The list goes on and on. Today though is the birthday of a one of the most special rockers to ever high-kick on this ... More >>

Baby's Cryin': Rockabye Baby Sends Us Lullaby Renditions of Van Halen

Yep. ​The folks at Rockabye Baby! remake hard rock from the likes of AC/DC, Led Zeppelin, Tool, and the Smashing Pumpkins into baby-friendly jams with "soothing mellotrons, vibraphones and bells," replacing all the things that made those bands perfect for well, making rock and roll babies. Thi ... More >>

The 10 Greatest Rock Bassists of All Time

Me (right), God help me, and Billy Sheehan circa 1990.​Last week, Neph Basedow wrote her list of the 11 greatest female rock bass players and she took a little heat for it, including some from me. But, she also got a lot right. At the very least, she highlighted the most under-appreciated musi ... More >>

Fly To The Angels: A Hair Metal Tribute To Kim Jong-il

Metal Bad Boy Kim Jong-il ​Kim Jong-il and '80s hair metal were almost synonymous, and last night when the world found out that the North Korean leader passed on to the big rock show in the sky, all I could listen to was hair ballads, driving through the city in tears. Looking at things he wou ... More >>

Van Halen Announces 2012 Tour On Twitter, Official Site

Soon. But older. And less hair. ​Here it is folks, your first stirrings of Van Halen's 2012 tour, long rumored, but now a sweet reality. OK, we won't believe it until we have a tour tee in our hands outside Toyota Center and a sweaty, torn ticket stub in our wallet. Late Sunday night on Twit ... More >>

10 Lesser Known Pre-Sammy Van Halen Songs to Prepare for the Tour

​When I was a kid, the first record (or cassette in this case) I wore out was the first album from Van Halen. I played the cassette so many times, the tape started squealing. I got another copy and did the same thing. It along with KISS' Alive II re-enforced the hard rock tendencies that simme ... More >>

Van Halen Set To Hit Houston's Toyota Center June 24

blabbermouth.netDavid Lee Roth and Wolfgang Van Halen on Thursday night at NYC's Cafe Wha​Just minutes after pictures from Van Halen's Cafe Wha? club show in New York City hit rock blog Blabbermouth, industry site Pollstar added a June 24 date at the Toyota Center for the band. Kool & The Gang ... More >>

10 Rock Stars the GOP Should Nominate for President

Now, we're talking!​As the 2012 presidential race begins to heat up in earnest, Rocks Off can't help but feel that the front-runners for the Republican nomination are lacking a certain je ne sais quoi. Call it star power. Call it sex appeal. Whatever it is, these guys ain't got it. If the G ... More >>

Van Halen's A Different Kind Of Truth: A Track-By-Track Breakdown

​First off, Van Halen's first album in 14 years, A Different Kind Of Truth is - in the words of my friend Lisa - "better than it should be." And I agree. The guys could have slacked off on this and coasted on their legend - however possibly tarnished in the eyes of fans - but Truth is no cas ... More >>

La La Love You: Top Ten Cheesiest Love Songs For Valentine's Day

www.cheese-burger.net​It's that time of year again. Everything is red and full of hearts. Chocolates and roses are marked up. Couples are showing off and singles are desperately searching online dating services for a quick set-up to give them their own special day. That's right, it's about to ... More >>