Van Halen legend Michael Anthony just took a trip back in time and brought his fans along for the ride.
“Whoa!! Where it all began!” Those are the words Anthony can be heard proclaiming in a video he recently posted on his Instagram. The video is of Anthony’s childhood home on 1323 South Eighth Avenue in Arcadia, California.
“Oh my God, this is the house where I grew up [and] I first started playing music,” said Anthony, who was with his wife Sue when the video was taken. The two had just visited their new grandchild nearby, and decided to drive past his former home. Judging by his reaction, it has been a while since he last visited.
“[The paint] looks the same, except it’s worn,” added Anthony who then pointed to the garage at the back of the driveway. “The garage right back there, that’s where I used to rehearse with all my first bands when I first started playing.”
There was one particular band Anthony started playing with at the time that went on to become part of rock and roll history. Here’s what Anthony added in the video description:
“Was in the area and got the urge to drive by the house I lived in with my family for many years. Met Ed, Al, and Dave and joined VH when I lived here!”
Van Halen’s bass player of three decades recalls joining Van Halen in 1974:
“The very first time I jammed with Eddie and Alex, it was in a little garage in Pasadena,” Mike recalled in a Rockline interview on 1/20/92. “The garage was so small I could barely even get what little amp I had in there. And these guys just blew me away, the way they were playing. I was like ‘I’m just gonna keep up with these guys.’ I knew ’em. I had seen their band play many times, I was like, ‘Whoa!’, blown away that Ed even asked me to jam with them. Al went, ‘Would you like to join the band?’ and I went, ‘Uh…yeah!’ I was about 23.”
This rounded out Mammoth, which would soon become known as Van Halen.
The band discovered Mike’s background vocals when they asked him to sing background on their unreleased track, “She’s the Woman.” They were blown away, and Michael’s unique vocals would become a very special part of the Van Halen sound.
Below is the video posted by Anthony: