Hard rock Styx helped further cement heavy rock in the Midwest as a form of stadium rock. In 1978, Van Halen emerged from the Los Angeles music scene with a sound based around the skills of lead guitarist Eddie Van Halen. He popularised a guitar-playing technique of two-handed hammer-ons and pull-offs called tapping, showcased on the song "Eruption" from the album "Van Halen", which was highly influential in re-establishing hard rock as a popular genre after the punk and disco explosion, while also redefining and elevating the role of electric guitar. The opening years of the 1980s saw a number of changes
History of hard rock miners' organizations hard rock miners' organization called The Miners Association was formed in the United Kingdom in 1858. The first effort to form a hard rock miners union in the United States occurred in 1863 in Central City, Colorado. That effort failed after a night of mayhem. Also in 1863, a group of 300 to 400 miners at the Comstock Lode formed the Miners' Protective Association. The organization was formed to oppose a pending wage cut, and to create a benefit fund for sick and injured miners and their families. The wage cut did not occur, and the organization eventually faded. In