Carmine Appice

Interview with Carmine Appice (Rocker Records)

 

"I Would Love to record with Led Zeppelin"

  One of the most iconic rock and roll drummers in the world. Carmine Appice has played with Rod Stewart, Pink Floyd, Blue Murder, King Kobra, Vanilla fudge, Cactus, to name a select few. His passion for music and his art is unparalleled.  I had the chance to listen to the entire Cactus catalog( now available on Rocker Records), and the music is a solid representation of superior musicianship. So many bands have been influenced by these players.  Creem magazine once called Cactus, "The American Led Zeppelin", and now I know why. They are simply some of the most creative and capable rock musicians to ever record.

     When we talked he was really excited to continue his musical projects which included, among others, Legacy x ( a band close to Blue Murder with Joe lYnn Turner on vocals), and Cactus. He was also enthusiastic about his new label, Rocker Records

 

Tell me a little about  Rocker Records.

     It's brand new. Basically we put it together to release some product I had sitting around that we thought fans might like. I had to look at what I had. Turns out I have some interesting stuff. So for the Cactus band we remixed and remastered some. Cactus live in the U.S., Japan, etc. These are my projects. Stuff that came from my archives. We have other things we are planning. Vanilla Fudge lie in New York City on cd. Some vinyl. A new Cactus ep. We're moving along.

Not strictly digital but vinyl and cd as well?

    Yes. Four releases now are just to start. Digital only. Cost a lot to make cds and nobody(Cactus) is touring tight now. So it doesn't pay to put Cactus on cd.Maybe in the future. Just digital for now.

 

How involved are you with social media?

     Well I have  twitter and two facebook accounts. I use it every day. Almost 6000 on twitter.

 

Has illegal downloading affected you?

    Definitely and not for the better. I have  a drum instruction book. I lost 50% of sales between economy and downloads. It sucks. We don't know how to fix it. Lost $1000 of dollars in royalties and copyright infringements. All the royalties on all the bands are down. We are just getting ripped off nobody is doing anything about it. There's got to be a way to control it.

How is touring different for you now?

     20 years ago it was harder.  We were dinosaurs during the grunge era. We were the old farts. But somehow during the 2000's we all became cool again. I don't know how.

 

You were on That Metal Show with Dave Meneketti(y&T). Did you ever jam with him?

     Yeah back in the day. The old days, the 80's we did. That Metal Show is really a great idea. They are moving it back to New York City.

 

Yeah maybe now I can go. I live near Providence, Rhode Island.

    Oh Yeah. Newport, Rhode Island( about 15 minutes away) We started there. Used to be a club called Dorians. There was  also a really good hamburger joint there as well.

 

Are there any artists you would love to record with?

     I would love to record with Led Zeppelin. If they decided to record again. Always liked their music. The Beatles maybe.

 

Craziest story on the road?

     One time Cactus was doing an outdoor gig. My drum set was on a riser on the back of a dump truck. Sometime during the show they accidentally raised the dump part and actually dumped the whole set off the back. I was pissed.

Any hidden Blue Murder tracks?

     No. But I started a new band with Joe Lynn Turner and Tony Franklin. Sounds like Blue Murder. Guitars will be big and fat. Whenever me and Tony Franklin play together  it always sounds like Blue murder. Songs are similar. 3 more tracks to go. Band is called Legacy x