I mean, they had “The Material Girl” out there shamelessly doing her best to lip-sync to her own songs, all while surrounded by a supporting cast of at least 200 other performers, and enough lights to blind aliens on Pluto.  I felt so dissatisfied.

Organizers of the Super Bowl should have consulted with me about who to pick as their musical guest.  I know four guys who could have blown the roof off of Lucas Oil Stadium with nothing more than a drum set, two guitars, and a microphone; all while standing on a meager 10X20-foot stage.  They go by the name of Van Halen – you may have heard of them.

If you really think about it, the scenario would have been perfect: Eddie, Alex, Wolfgang, and Diamond Dave emerge from the darkness; rip through Unchained and Runnin’ With The Devil; Eddie shreds through Eruption, bringing every man who’s watching to tears; then they wrap things up with Jump as the stadium nearly collapses under the stress created by the crowd’s unbridled energy.

We wouldn’t have heard Clint Eastwood afterwards talking about “half-time in America” either.  Instead, we would have been a bullet lodged in the barrel of “Dirty” Harry Callahan’s .44 Magnum, as he stated, “Play time’s over, punks!”, blasting us out into the world to assert America’s dominance once again.  We would have instantly felt rejuvenated; ready to grab the world by the tail and put it in our pocket.  We’d all be having fun again.  The economy would spike into the black.  Even world peace would finally take hold.

Okay, the world peace part was a bit of a stretch – maybe.

You see, if Eddie and Alex Van Halen can regroup with David Lee Roth in the studio to record an entire album, all without the whole thing imploding on itself, I’d say there is hope for all of us.

A Different Kind of Truth, the group’s first new full-length recording with Roth at the helm in nearly three decades, is a soaring swell of sweet, fresh rarefied air that fills your nostrils with the rich aroma of good ol‘ rock ‘n‘ roll.  Yes, you can even smell it.

Just don’t come at this new installment with the expectation of hearing something as powerful as Van Halen 1 and 2, the iconic 1984, or their best work-to-date, Fair Warning.

That’s not to say that Truth is any less meaningful.  In fact, it could be argued that this is a pivotal point in Van Halen history.  Can these guys really recapture the magic and avoid making a throw-away comeback album that gets pandered by fans and critics alike?  The answer is unequivocally yes!  All the essential elements are still intact here.

Diamond Dave exhibits his old, jolly self, even if his voice is a little coarse at times, and those higher notes don’t come quite as easily as they once did (not that he ever had tremendous range in the first place).  At 56 years old, it’s an honest effort and you can hear Roth enjoying every single second on the mic.

During track #9, The Trouble With Never, Roth twice catechizes us listeners: “When was the last time you heard somethin’ for the first time?” and “When you turn on your stereo, does it return the favor?”  Admittedly, I was looking inward to answer both questions and it’s admittedly been quite awhile since a band made me feel the fire inside.  But quite honestly, the fire has undoubtedly returned with this new material.

Relying on several unreleased songs from the late-70‘s that have been reworked and freshened up, the new album plays right into Roth’s hands, most notably on the funked-up and sexy, She’s The Woman.  DLR throws in his signature grunts, “wooooooooo’s”, and “yeahhhhhhhhh’s,” all mixed with his tall tale, non-sensical lyrical ingenuity that has allowed his one-liners to live on for decades.  You’ll be singing right along with him in no time.

The Diamond-one gets plenty of support from Alex and Wolfgang (Eddie’s 20 year old son) as well.

Alex, now 58, is in remarkable form all the way from start to finish.  He masterfully handles everything from the album’s straight-forward, love-it-or-hate-it first single, Tattoo; to the barn burning juggernaut of, China Town, which will have you reminiscing about the first time you heard Hot For Teacher, wondering how a drummer could keep such impeccable time and force without falling apart amidst Eddie’s lightning fast chops.  He hasn’t lost a step.

Wolfgang hangs just fine with his dad and two uncles (one by birth, the other by fate).  Unfortunately, he’s gonna find it hard to escape the endless comparisons to the now-absent Michael Anthony, but that’s out of his hands.  Wolfgang isn’t out of place one bit on the entire record, and it is largely his backing vocals that allow the band to carry out the trademark Van Halen harmony that really separated them from the pack all along.

On the closing track, Beats Workin’, Wolfie closely emulates the Beatle’s, Day Tripper, as the song winds down to finish out the album; a nice touch that I would hope he came up with all by himself.  It’s the approaching 50-show tour, however, where he’ll have to be in top shape when he performs such bass-laden classics like, Runnin’ With The Devil, Beautiful Girls, and Everybody Wants Some.  Fans will expect perfection.

Nevertheless, A Different Kind Of Truth undoubtedly belongs to the man, Mr. Edward Van Halen.

The six-string virtuoso who rewrote the rules on what a guitar could and should do, plays out of his f-ing mind on all 13 tracks.  Running up and down the fret board with the ease of how you and I breathe oxygen, Eddie dazzles us with the blazing speed, finger-taps, and infectious, heavy-ass riffs that he is universally known for.  At other times, he’s bending the whammy bar and strings to such great lengths that you wonder how in the world his axe doesn’t submit under the strain.  You just can’t get this stuff no more.  It is absolutely beautiful!!!

On, As Is, Eddie’s elastic playing range is on full display as his speed and ferocity fluctuate like a cat chasing a red laser pointer.  At one point he’s at a slow creep as the song builds energy, then it’s off to races.  Roth momentarily chimes in to warn us, “This next part should really confuse things – everybody, let’s stay focused!”  Eddie then rips into a finger-tapping solo that conjures up the brilliance of Eruption, right before he cuts into a bluesy breakdown where Roth’s banter can take center-stage again.  It’s a magical give-and-take between the most celebrated rock duo of all time (Eddie and Dave, that is).

To me, this album means huge redemption for Eddie Van Halen.  The now 57 years young rock icon has endured everything from a lifelong battle with alcoholism; to cancer treatment; to several highly publicized conflicts with lead singers (Roth included); and even a bum hip.  This guy has been through Hell several times, and he’s still standing proudly, swinging for the fences with this monster display of genius guitar work.  I hope it’s as satisfying to him as it is for me to listen to it all pour off of his fingers.

The boys have simply obliterated any possible expectation I had listening to Truth for the first time.  It is a bona fide comeback effort that will sit comfortably within the Van Halen library forever; not as an eyesore, but as a sight for sore eyes.  My only question now is whether or not this is their last album?  Let’s hope not.

Being surrounded by water, getting to experience all four seasons, and living so close to the Motor City makes this a great place to call home.

But like many Michiganders such as myself, we all too often forget about the majestic landscape and culture found in the Upper Peninsula, located just about 300 miles north of Metro Detroit. To be perfectly honest, it’s almost like an entirely separate state being so far out of sight.

The Upper and Lower Peninsulas are joined together by one of the world’s largest suspension bridges, the Mackinac Bridge pictured below.

It is one of the greatest marvels of modern engineering and construction you’ll ever lay witness to. Spanning almost five miles end-to-end, the sheer size and magnitude of this bridge cannot be captured in pictures. In person, it is staggering.

But you must be wondering why in the world Modern Mopar Magazine is taking the time to discuss the geography and landscape of Michigan?

Let me explain.

While the Motor City may produce some pretty awesome vehicles, it takes highly educated people from all over the map to create, design, and engineer them. And in order to attract these people, car companies undergo significant recruiting efforts to bring in the best of the best. Chrysler is no exception.

Michigan Tech University (MTU), located way up in the U.P., is one of 29 universities that Chrysler currently has recruiting programs with. Their goal is to attract some of the most robust talent coming out of college in order to fill internships and, ultimately, full time employment positions within the company once stand-out students graduate.

A few weeks ago, yours truly got to join a team of Chrysler Engineers up at MTU during their launch of a near week-long recruiting campaign.

How did I get up there you ask? In a Pitch Black 2012 Dodge Charger SRT8 provided by SRT Engineering of course (pictured below). How else do you travel?

Knowing that other manufacturers are undertaking similar recruiting efforts, it’s best to pull out all the stops.

So, before the MTU Huskies football game against the Indianapolis Greyhounds, Chrysler Engineers set up shop right on campus to make their presence known. And not only did they bring a Fiat 500, Dodge Durango, and Ram 1500, but also the remaining SRT lineup, plus a Mopar ’10 Challenger. It was truly a fantastic way to attract the attention of students and alumni entering to watch the game. Even the MTU mascot, Mr. Blizzard T. Husky, took special interest in the new Jeep Grand Cherokee SRT8 (pictured below, you can’t miss him).

But this was more than just about creating publicity for the cars. It was a chance for the Engineers to interface directly with students interested in becoming a part of Chrysler. In fact, 40 students were specially selected to partake in one of two ride and drive events planned for that weekend.

What better way to spike a prospective student’s interest than by getting them behind the wheel, right? Especially in the SRT products. If getting to cruise around in a 470 horsepower performance car doesn’t give you incentive to do well in school, then I’m not sure what will.

The planned drive route took students from the MTU campus all the way to the highest point in the entire Upper Peninsula, called Brockway Mountain. Stops were made at several landmarks along the 100+ mile roundtrip so that students could swap cars and get to know all the Engineers who were along for the ride. In turn, the Engineers get to know them as well.

In the days following, the recruiting team also engaged students and faculty staff at several events including an MTU Career Day, a corporate information session discussing Chrysler Group, LLC, and design project meetings with student teams. Collectively, the recruiting efforts reached well over 500 students during the entire trip.

This particular effort up at MTU is quite special. Chrysler doesn’t just send any old group of Engineers to promote the company. This team consists of bonafide MTU alumni, all of whom have a deep affinity for their alma mater and a strong drive to capture the interest of students they think could help the cause at Chrysler.

The team (pictured below left to right), consists of the following Chrysler Engineers:

• Chris Whiteman – Head of MOPAR Electronic Accessories Engineering
• Adam Johnson – Lead, Powertrain Performance & Fuel Economy Simulation
• Rob Navaroli – Launch Manager, Manufacturing Engineering
• John Antilla – Torque Responsible, Vehicle Packaging & Integration
• Jody Hand – Current Production Manager
• Jennifer Shute – Vehicle HMI Supervisor
• Todd Davis – Lead, Powertrain Synthesis
• Chris Nowak – Lead VIR, Jeep & Ram Products (not pictured)

Once the recruiting efforts had concluded after the MTU football game, the team and I embarked on a day-long road trip through the U.P., or what locals call Copper Country. These parts are known for their rich history of copper mining that made the U.P. even more active than the Detroit area back in the day.

We split off into groups of two; each duo sitting comfortably in an SRT8, cruising much of the same route that MTU students would embark on the following day.

Let me just say that if you’ve never been up into the U.P. to view the incredible landscape, you simply must do yourself a favor and make the trip. The scenery is absolutely gorgeous and it will take your breath away. It provided for some incredible photo opportunities with the cars. (See Below)

But if landscape isn’t your thing, then do it for the driving alone. Both M-26 and US-41 are some of the best roads I’ve ever piloted a car across. Constant elevation changes are matched by challenging S-curves that make spirited driving a blast. The trees and foliage that line the roads are, at times, so abundant that they almost engulf the entire roadway; making it like driving through a tunnel of timber and green.

Engineer John Antilla and I took advantage of the new Adaptive Suspension in the Charger, firming up the ride to carve through the two lane twists with remarkable ease and precision; although Dramamine should have likely been prescribed before hand. And the HEMI sounded sweet blaring through the surrounding forest, even if it comes at the expense of a one-on-one meeting with the local Sheriff for doing 76 MPH in a 55 MPH zone. But that’s another story. (No tickets!)

We weren’t the only ones digging the drive though. Rob Navaroli, driving an Inaugural Edition Challenger 392, became lost in his exploration of the HEMI’s torque curve and forgot to heed the warning of low fuel in the gauge cluster. Our convoy came to a halt while John and I retrieved fuel from the next closest gas station……..12 miles away! But, hey, all’s well that ends well. Right, Rob?

Once refueled, the group took me to numerous local landmarks including Brockway Mountain, the Keweenaw Snow Gauge, and The Jampot.

If you’re reading this and find yourself complaining about the snow where you live, perhaps a look at a measure of snowfall this area faces will sober you up (pictures below).

The coolest stop on our trip, however, had to be The Jampot. It’s a niche bakery shop located just off M-26 that sells everything from handmade pound cakes, to jelly and jams, muffins, cookies, and yes, even jalapeno-laden caramels that will set your mouth on fire.

The real kicker (other than a burning tongue and mouth from eating caramels) is that The Jampot is owned and operated by a group of local monks (pictured below). Yes, real monks with full beards and robes that bake everything from scratch. But have no worries, these are not the kind of monks confined to a life of silence. The monks at The Jampot are extremely polite and are eager to talk with customers.

Needless to say, I got to see way more than I could have ever planned for that weekend. I had never been up that high in the U.P. which gave me a greater appreciation for the beautiful countryside that lies north of the Mackinac Bridge. I would encourage anyone to get up there and see what it’s all about. And, by all means, bring your SRT with you. Those roads are exactly where cars like them belong.

But despite my enchantment with this newfound world to the north and an incredible drive with Chrysler Engineers, this weekend was more about Chrysler’s concerted effort to build strong relationships with students in the technical field. Many of the prospects they were engaging will likely go on to work in Auburn Hills, MI, or any number of Chrysler’s facilities across the country and the rest of the world. It is refreshing to see that the recruiting effort is alive and well.