Van Halen tribute OU812 eschews the David Lee Roth years. “We do Sammy Hagar–era stuff, because we really love what he brought to that band,” says bassist John Osmon.
"We play the music spanning the Red Rocker's career from the Montrose days through his solo career , the Van Halen Years, the Wabo years and the stuff he comes out with currently. We are fans that share a bit of our love for the Rock n' Roll gems put out in an ever changing set list of Sammy's hits when we play out."
The group uses instruments that meticulously correspond with their counterparts, like a Michael Anthony custom flame bass (“exactly like he used on the last Van Halen tour”), Hagar’s signature Cabo Wabo Yamaha (“We have his Les Pauls for Montrose songs”), and a $2600 replica of Eddie Van Halen’s striped “Frankenstein” model.
“We played down in Cabo Wabo during Sammy Hagar’s birthday week in October [2007] and have met the whole [Van Halen] band at various times, so they know what we’re doing and dig it,” says Osmon.
Bassist/singer John Osmon and singer Mark Huff left the band in 2010, though both still play together in another local tribute act, Deeper Purple. Huff was tapped to sing in the 1980s megagroup Quiet Riot, replacing the late Kevin DuBrow, who died in 2007.
Huff ended up NOT touring Down Under with Quiet Riot. According to the band, “As a consequence of the promoter’s breach of contract, the Metal Health Tour scheduled for April 2011 in Australia and New Zealand has been cancelled.”