By: Staff
Van Halen Fair Warning
Long-time friend of Eddie Van Halen, Mark Tremonti recently talked about his relationship with EVH, how they originally met and gave a short preview of Van Halen’s new single, which he was able to hear in a recent visit to EVH’s studio.
Talking about the first time he met EVH, Tremonti said:
“Yeah, well we first did shows with them back in the Creed days. Eddie actually gave me one of his guitars, and then years went by. It’s funny, at one of those old shows; I think at Madison Square Garden, he ran through a crowd of fans and press just to tell me how to set up the guitar with the springs on the guitar when he had Valerie and Wolfgang with him. And it meant a lot to me that he’d leave his family to come tell the young guitar player what to do.”
Over the years he has kept his relationship with EVH and Wolfgang going, often meeting them in L.A. when Alter Bridge is in town to do a show.
“I remember Wolfgang was six or seven years old then, and now, eleven years later, he has become a fan of Alter Bridge. He came out to some shows, and we’ve become friends. We invited him to Alter Bridge sound checks, and we hang out with him every time we go to LA.
He’s also played with Alter Bridge at the House of Blues the last time I was out there. He brought his dad to our show that was a crazy night. We had Slash and Eddie and Wolfgang Van Halen at the show!”
On one of the band’s most recent stops in L.A., Wolfgang took Mark over to his dad’s studio to catch the band rehearsing and hear every song on the new Van Halen record.
“The last time we went to LA, Wolfgang came and hung out with me and my buddy and asked if we wanted to go see practice the next day and I said “Of course!” so he picked me up and got me into the studios at his dad’s house, where they played every song on the new record for me. It was just amazing.”
Talking further about the new record, Tremonti says:
“I haven’t heard a single vocal on it yet, but it definitely had the juice, it was great.”
When asked about the style of the new record, did it sound like old school or newer Van Halen, Tremonti responded:
“I think it was a mixture of it all. It wasn’t all edgy and dark like Fair Warning; it was a mixture, somewhere in the middle.”
Though it could be a while before the new Van Halen album is released, Tremonti’s sneak pick sounds like it could be just what VH fans have been waiting for.
Read the full interview with Mark Tremonti
