Eddie Van Halen took part in an interview at The Smithsonian's National Museum of American History in Washington on February 12 to help launch the institution’s new 3-year initiative “What It Means To Be American.”
The project is aimed at engaging leading thinkers, public figures and Americans from all walks of life to explore how the United States became the nation it is today.
Van Halen joined host Denise Quan for the session, where he discussed his family’s journey from Holland to America, his musical roots and, as things developed, his need to build his own guitar – which turned out to be a hybrid of a Fender and a Gibson – to create the sound he heard in his head.
The rocker then recounted his long history of tinkering with guitars, amps and electronics under the evening’s theme, "Is rock 'n' roll about reinvention?"
On March 31, Van Halen will release “Tokyo Dome Live In Concert”, their first-ever live album with original frontman David Lee Roth.
The project features the band recorded live at the Japanese venue in 2013 as part of their tour in support of 2012’s “A Different Kind Of Truth.”
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Van Halen to release Tokyo Dome Live In Concert
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