LI bands pay tribute to Eddie Van Halen on upcoming album

The music community was rocked by the death of guitarist Eddie Van Halen on Oct. 6 and many tributes have been made since. Now Long Islanders are doing theirs with a collective Van Halen tribute album featuring more than 15 local artists.

"Eddie Van Halen was a game changer. He was the Jimi Hendrix of our time. His sound and legacy will live forever," says producer Fader Istheman of Lido Beach. "Every year iLLogical Records does a live music event to raise money for a charity. Because of COVID-19 it was not possible this year. So we decided to do a tribute album and raise money in loving memory of Eddie. All proceeds will be donated to the Lung Cancer Research Foundation of New York."

"The Long Island Van Halen Tribute Album" will be released on iLLogical Records in the first quarter of 2021. The bands contributing are Zebra, Steel Pulse, Larry Mitchell, Susan Aquila featuring Joey Jem, Completely Unchained, Holy Mother, Hellgate, Van Hagar, Kimmy & The Band, Ms. Crabtree, Adam and the Metal Hawks, the Charlie Diamond Band, The Stand, Four Trips Ahead, Pamela Lewis and others. The track listing is being kept under wraps, but it will span hits and albums cuts from both the David Lee Roth and Sammy Hagar eras.

For more information, visit: livanhalentribute.com.

NEW WVH SONG. Eddie Van Halen's son, Wolfgang, followed in his father's footsteps by launching his own music career on Monday dropping his first single, "Distance," under the band name Mammoth WVH (Mammoth was the original name of the band Van Halen). The song debuted on SiriusXM's "The Howard Stern Show" during the Roosevelt- and Rockville Centre-raised radio host's near 90-minute interview with the musician. Wolfgang Van Halen, 29, said he sang and played every instrument on the track, which he wrote as tribute to his late father.

"Overall it’s just kind of a song about loss," Van Halen told Stern. "Writing music is a really great way of getting those emotions out so they don’t sit in your head forever. It was nice to get those feelings realized."

When Stern asked if his father had heard the song before dying, Van Halen said, "I played it for him and everything. Just me and him … we cried. It was hard to sing and play it through. I don’t think it really connected with him that it was about him. But he loved the song anyway."

The accompanying video is a compilation of home movies of Van Halen as a young child playing with his father and mother, actress Valerie Bertinelli, through to his time performing as the bassist in Van Halen from 2007 to 2015.

By David J. Criblez

david.criblez@newsday.comDavidJCriblez

David J. Criblez is a reporter for Newsday's exploreLI, covering entertainment-related events from local music to stand-up comedy to festivals.