the halen

I know I've blogged about Van Halen before but I only just recently started listening to them again and I am daily floored. My mother brought me up in the Suzuki violin tradition but, at the same time, my dad used to constantly quiz me as to what classic rock band was on the radio. AC/DC anyone? Needless to say, it increased my appreciation of every kind of music a thousandfold (or something melodramatic like that). My dad had the original Van Halen LP (which my brother got along with the record player and a kajillion vinyls when el padre went CD a few years back...damn!) and I used to set that little bastard on repeat. Every song on that album is amazing and it's still fresh to this day!

...and I could never play it.

But whatever...

Three of the original/defining members of VH went on tour last year (sorry bassist Michael Anthony...after working with the band for 30 of its 34 years so far, you've been replaced by 16-year-old Wolfgang Van Halen...nepotism much?) for essentially the first time since 1985. Here's Eddie demonstrating why he became one of the most influential guitar players ever. Imagine if you had never heard this before (i.e. the 80s hadn't been saturated with stuff like this). What if nobody had ever abused an electric guitar like that? He puts to shame all those guitar players who think they can "play" just because they know 9 chords. Totally different...


Of course, that's not to say you can't do a lot with those 9 chords (Beatles?), but it's inspiring, right? You don't even have to be a guitar player to go, "holy effing Moses, that's amazing!" Maybe it's a good lesson to see people that humble you like this: musicians that make you go, "I know nothing." It's across the board, right? Good composers do this to me all the time. Just listen to Abbie Betinis' Bar xizam or Jocelyn Hagen's Gloria or Tim Takach's As the Sunflower Turns on Her God.

p.s. If you're not a fan of amplified instruments you'll at least appreciate this. It's not much to look at, but EVH has fortunately/unfortunately assaulted acoustic instruments as well.