CACTUS – The Ultimate Classic Rock Experience
Interview with Carmine Appice.
1. You have a new album with Cactus which is called Tightrope. How did you decide to bring the band back for a new album after the Black Dawn album in 2016?
IT WAS JUST TIME TO DO A NEW RECORD. SINCE RANDY PRATT OUR EXEC PRODUCER ,HARP PLAYER OWNS A STUDIO .WE WERE ABLE TO GO IN A START RECORDING WHILE OUR MANAGER BRUCE PILATO FORMULATED A NEW RECORD DEAL…
2. Your new album includes an interesting cover of the track “Papa was a Rolling Stone” whose idea was the recording?
THAT WAS RECORDED BECAUSE OUR NEW GUITARIST ,PAUL WARREN WHEN HE WAS 17…PLAYED ON THE ORIGINAL VERSION OF THAT SONG WITH THE TEMPTATIONS. SO WHILE ON TOUR WITH OUR NEW BAND,WE PLAYED THE SONG TOLD THE STORY AND PEOPLE LOVED IT. THEN SINCE WE ALREADY HAD A GOOD VERSION OF THE SONG ,IT WAS THE FIRST SONG WE RECORDED.
3. Except you, who else is participating on this album and how did you recruit them?
JIMMY KUNES AND RANDY PRATT HAVE BEEN IN CACTUS SINCE 2006.I KNEW PAUL WARREN FROM HIM PLAYING WITH ROD. I KNEW HE WAS A KILLER PLAYER . THEN SINCE WE CHANGE GUITARIST. WE CHANGED BASS PLAYERS TO JAMES CAPUTO WHO PLAYED WITH ME AND MY BROTHER VINNY IN OUR DRUM WARS BAND.JAMES IS AWESOME AND ALWAYS LOVED CACTUS..THEN WE NEEDED SOMEONE TO FINISH THE SONG JIM MC CARTY PLAYED ON (WEAR IT OUT) KUNES DIDN’T HAVE TIME SO MY FRIEND PHIL NARO COMPLETED AND SANG IT.IT CAME OUT GREAT. SO THAT’S HOW IT HAPPENED . THIS BAND ROCKS!!
4. Where and how did you record this new album?
WE RECORDED THIS ALBUM WITH ALL OF US IN RANDYS STUDIO BEFORE COVID. SO WE JAMMED GROOVES AND PICKED THE MUSIC WE LIKE AND WROTE SONGS OUT OF THEM. BUT WE DID HAVE TO MIX IT BY THE INTERNET BECAUSE COVID PREVENTED US FROM MIXING IT TOGETHER. IT TOOK LONGER THIS WAY.
5. What type of percussion gear did you use for the recordings of the album?
I USED MY DDRUM EQUIPMENT WITH VARIOUS SNARE DRUMS. SABIAN CYMBALS, DW PEDALS, VIC FIRTH STICKS, EVANS HEADS
6. On January 13, 2021 Tim Bogert unfortunately died, how did this tragic incident affect you as a composer?
WELL I WAS EXPECTING TIM TO PASS FOR A LONG TIME. JAN 2020 BEFORE COVID I GOT TIM TO PLAY ON VANILLA FUDGE SONG “STOP IN THE NAME OF LOVE” BY THE SUPREMES. SO I BEEN WORKING ON THAT PLAYING NEW DRUMS TO TIM’S BASS IN THE STUDIO. HIS PASSING INSPIRED ME TO KEEP PLAYING CREATING MUSIC WITH MANY DIFFERENT PEOPLE. I HAVE BEEN RECORDING AND INSTRUMENTAL ALBUM CALLED ‘ENERGY OVERLOAD ‘ BY CARMINE APPICE-FERNANDO PERDOMO WHICH WILL BE OUT HOPEFULLY JULY OR AUG. A GUITAR ZEUS BOX SET 25TH ANNIVERSARY EDITION WITH NEW SONGS. AND A NEW KING KOBRA IN THE WORKS. THAT’S WHAT TIM DID TO ME!
7. In 2018 you were ready to tour with Vinnie Vincent, but the tour was cancelled. What happened?
VINNY DID WHAT HE ALWAYS DID…HE FLAKED OUT AND DID NOT LIVE UP TO HIS COMMITMENT
8. How do you manage to be active with all these bands during your career? I think that time management should be one of your skills.
THAT IS CORRECT I’VE ALWAYS BEEN GOOD WITH NUMBERS AND SCHEDULES IN MY HEAD. SO LUCKY FOR ME SINCE I NOW HAVE MY OWN STUDIO IT IS EASIER TO WORK AT MY OWN PACE. I WAS LUCKY I HAD MY OWN BANDS OVER THE YEARS TO KEEP THEM MOVING FORWARD .THEN NEW PROJECTS INCLUDING DRUM INSTRUCTION BOOKS. I HAVE ALL MY DRUM INSTRUCTION CATALOG BEING RE -RELEASED THIS YEAR AND WILL BE IN DIFFERENT LANGUAGES..AND MORE
9. What about your next musical move? Any updates about King Kobra and Vanilla Fudge?
AS I SAID FUDGE SINGLE WITH TIM ON IT AS A TRIBUTE TO TIM NEW KING KOBRA RECORD JUST STARTING, DRUM BOOKS RELEASES AND PROMO, CACTUS PROMOS AND GIGS, DRUM WARS SHOWS , VANILLA FUDGE SHOWS IN THE FALL..ENERGY OVERLOAD ALBUM, VIDEOS .JUST KEEP ROCKING !!
10. Is Classic Rock still acceptable by younger generations?
NOT ALL EXCEPT IT,BUT THERE IS A GOOD AMOUNT WHO DO THAT’S WHY SOME OF THE OLDER GROUPS LIKE AEROSMITH,THE WHO ETC PLAY ARENAS AND THERE ARE LOTS OF YOUNGER PEOPLE THERE… …
Band information: CACTUS ROCKS
