By 1974, Roth had been in the band for about a year, and they decided

By 1974, Roth had been in the band for about a year, and they decided to replace the ambivalent Stone, who was unsure about a career in music. Michael Anthony Sobolewski , a Pasadena college music-classmate of Eddie’s, joined the group after an all-night jam session. He had sung and played bass in a number of less successful Arcadia backyard-party bands, including Snake. Although he was hesitant, his bandmate in Snake encouraged him to seize this opportunity. The band had a major break when it was hired to play regularly at the Sunset Strip club Gazzarri’s . The Doors had “broken” there in the late 1960s. Owner Bill Gazzarri had previously claimed Van Halen was too loud for the venue. However, their new managers, Mark Algorri and Mario Miranda, took over the club’s hiring and booked them through 1976. By the Spring of 1975, they were the regular Tuesday night band at Myron’s Ballroom. They had succeeded in becoming a staple of the Los Angeles music scene during the mid-1970s, playing at clubs like the Whisky a Go Go on Sunset Strip.