Episode 30 with Sammy Hagar (singer/guitarist Van Halen, Montrose, Chickenfoot, The Circle)) and guitarist Vic Johnson (The Circle, Waterboys)

 

My guests today are Sammy Hagar and his longtime guitarist Vic Johnson. What really needs to be said about Sammy Hagar, one of the all time greats of rock and roll vocalists- From Montrose, Van Halen and his own solo career to everything in between he is one of the most identifiable voices ever, and even now at at age 70 he's still kicking ass. 

As a huge Van Halen fan myself (Edward Van Halen is the reason I play guitar today, he was such a big influence on me) it was great to sit with Sammy and talk about guitarists, songs, his new concept record (Space Between) with The Circle (with Vic Johnson, Jason Bonham and Mike Anthony.) We also talk about a few Van Halen stories, Montrose, what Sammy looks for in a guitarist and how Vic Johnson got the gig. Vic, a great guitarist in his own right also was a member of the Busboys and shared a couple great stories as well.

This interview took place at Sammy’s studio in Northern California in Aug. 2018.

Om Podcasten

The Riff Raff started as an idea I had a few years ago just to sit and chat with my friends whom I consider to be inspirational to me in some way- whether it be as a musician, artist or whatever the case may be. Over the years, as a working musician, I’ve been lucky to work with many amazing people and musicians and would like to share some of their stories with you. I’m a professional musician. I like stories. I mean... I REALLY like stories. Oh, and I love jokes too. Luckily, I work with some of the best in the business, and they happen to have great stories (and usually great jokes as well). Anyway, i want to put these stories down for people to enjoy - it’s fun. Some people like to garden, or take photos, or collect magnets for the fridge… but me? I like to get these stories down for all to enjoy! So this is a podcast about the creative process and, yes, being a guitar player, we do occasionally talk shop, gear, etc., but I’m not going to limit it to that as I get this thing going. Oh yeah, we jam a bit too!