Presenting Runnin' with the Dweezil, the Most In-Depth Van Halen Podcast Ever
Guests including Steve Vai, Joe Satriani, Nuno Bettencourt, Paul Gilbert, Billy Corgan, Mark Tremonti, Jennifer Batten, George Lynch, and A Different Kind of Truth Producer John Shanks will discuss the historical impact of Edward Van Halen with host Dweezil Zappa.
Premier Guitar and guitarist extraordinaire Dweezil Zappa, son of the legendary composer/guitarist Frank Zappa, have joined efforts to celebrate the life of this generation’s most influential guitarist, Edward Van Halen. Already months in the making prior to Van Halen’s untimely October 6 passing, the joint endeavor is a new podcast partnership in which, each week, host Zappa will invite a different guitar luminary to open up about their encounters with Edward Van Halen and his music.
Host Zappa first met the band’s game-changing namesake guitarist when he was 12 years old and soon found himself passing a guitar around the room with father Frank, his newly hired sideman, Steve Vai, and the man whose 1978 instrumental tour de force “Eruption” changed guitar playing as we know it. Soon afterward, Van Halen produced Dweezil’s first single, “My Mother Is a Space Cadet.”
“I was really hoping to share these stories with Edward,” Zappa says. “It would have been a dream to have an episode with him that would explore his own personal musical journey. His sudden loss has inspired an even deeper connection to his music for me and so many others. We want to honor and celebrate him.”
From Van Halen’s electrifying 1978 debut on through the Sammy Hagar and Gary Cherone years, all the way up to their 2012 reunion with founding vocalist David Lee Roth, Runnin’ with the Dweezil will cover it all. “Our goal was to provide an entertaining, in-depth look at each Van Halen album, seen through the eyes of top guitarists. A song-by-song discovery of the nuances in the music that literally changed people’s lives,” says Zappa.
Exclusive Album-by-Album Episodes
· Steve Vai on Van Halen
· Paul Gilbert on Van Halen II
· Nuno Bettencourt on Fair Warning
· Billy Corgan on Fair Warning
· Mark Tremonti on Diver Down
· Joe Satriani on For Unlawful Carnal Knowledge
· James Valentine on OU812
· Mark Lettieri on 5150
· Andy Wood on Balance
· Jennifer Batten on 1984
In each episode both Zappa and that week’s guest will share personal stories about the Van Halen albums that affected their own development as a musician. You’ll also hear guests’ accounts of their unique brushes with EVH himself.
The 30-episode podcast will be available exclusively through dweezilzappa.com and packages will include listening parties, Q&A sessions, “Brown Sound” bonus episodes, custom Axe-FX, Helix, and Kemper presets, a 1-year subscription to Premier Guitar, and much more.
A portion of the proceeds will go to benefit Mr. Holland's Opus Foundation and Feeding America.
Produced in partnership with Premier Guitar (premierguitar.com), the world’s leading creator of content for guitar enthusiasts of all stripes, Runnin’ with the Dweezil is proudly sponsored by Walrus Audio.
