Tag Archives: carmine appice

Events, Reviews

Cactus @ B.B. King Blues Club (5/2/2008)

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Cactus is often referred to as The American Led Zeppelin, and the band that found drummer Carmine Appice and Tim Bogert as their core membership was once again doing their thing at NYC’s favorite venue. PiercingMetal’s Joe Kaufman was on point to deliver the scoop in images and words so to learn more just click their logo below to see the item on the main site.

Logo - Cactus

Artist: Cactus
Venue: B.B. King Blues Club (New York, NY)
Date: 5/2/2008
Label: Escapi Music

Those classic 70’s rockers, Cactus returned once again to kick off the summer at B.B. King Blues Club in NYC with their brand of hard rocking classics in front of an eager hometown fan base. If you had attended any of the bands earlier appearances at this venue then tonight would be a little bit of a surprise to you as there is a slight lineup change to be aware of. Original guitarist Jim McCarty is no longer playing with the band and in his place is the talented Werner Fitzschings. Werner had replaced Jim McCarty back in 1972 for Cactus’s ’Ot ‘N’ Sweaty” album so he is really no stranger to the material and he brought an additional amount of enthusiastic vitality to the band. Another last minute switch in the lineup would be the presence of Pete Bremy who was apparently filling in on bass for Tim Bogert who was not able to perform due to illness. Pete’s bass playing was right on the money and I caught how he was throwing in specific “Tim Bogert-isims” to make it sound more authentic.
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Music, Reviews

“Ultimate Guitar Zeus” by Carmine Appice

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Artist: Carmine Appice
Title: Ultimate Guitar Zeus
Label: Escapi Music
Release Date: 8/15/2006
Genre: Hard Rock/Metal
Rating: 3

Carmine Appice’s “Guitar Zeus” and “Guitar Zeus 2” have been compiled into “Ultimate Guitar Zeus”. Drumming legend Carmine Appice teams up with old Blue Murder cohorts, Kelly Keeling vocals and guitar and Tony Franklin on bass. Boasting a long list of killer guitar players, Including Slash, Brian May, Zakk Wylde Yngwie Malmsteen, Richie Sambora, Mick Mars, Pat Travers, Steve Morse and more.
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Reviews, Videos

“Drum Wars: The Ultimate Battle” by Carmine & Vinny Appice

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Artist: Carmine & Vinny Appice
Title: “Drum Wars: The Ultimate Battle”
Label: MVD Visual
Release Date: 10/30/2007
Genre: Documentary
Rating: 2.5/5

If you are not yet familiar with the legendary drumming brothers Carmine and Vinny Appice then I suggest you stop reading, so a little research and then come back to read this review. If you know who I am talking about then fine we can continue without any incident. For decades the pair of powerful percussionists have shown us what can be done with the instrument and each is responsible for their own historic stamp on Rock and Metal music. Carmine is the older brother and as result was a little ahead of Vinny in terms of joining bands and recording. Among Carmine’s most noted groups we have Beck, Bogert & Appice, Vanilla Fudge, King Kobra, Blue Murder and of course Cactus. Each of the groups unique in their own right and all are as such due to the unique input of their drummer. Vinny on the other hand came into prominence first with Black Sabbath and then later with Dio in his own devastating solo act. In today’s music world Carmine has revisited a number of his classic bands while Vinny is reunited with the Sabbath lineup from those days under the new name Heaven And Hell.
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Events, Reviews

Vanilla Fudge @ B.B. King Blues Club (10/7/2006)

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In the annals of Rock & Roll History, there is a chapter of its own dedicated to the mighty Vanilla Fudge and this legendary Heavy Blues-based Rock band was touring once again and hitting the famous B.B. King Blues Club and Grill in Times Square.  On point for the PiercingMetal command would be our own Art Director Joe Kaufman and Skeleton Pete Parrella who handles the writing and photography duties while I caught up on some other things.

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Artist: Vanilla Fudge
Venue: B.B. King Blues Club (New York, NY)
Opener: Barnaby Bye
Date: 10/7/2006
Label: Escapi Music

One of the advantages to living in New York City is not only the amount of great shows that come through town but for me in particular is that a visit to B.B. King Blues Club is just a casual walk up 42nd Street. The music fan in me prompts me to try and catch the classic bands whenever possible, especially when you learn that all the original members of the group are present. Recently, I had the pleasure of seeing a reunited Vanilla Fudge perform at the venue this site practically lives at to enjoy some truly classic Psychedelic Rock. It was the chance to see Carmine Appice (drums), Tim Bogert (bass), Vince Martell (guitar) and Mark Stein (keyboard/vocals) perform again on the same stage after so long an absence from doing so together. All members of the band sing as well, adding a certain fullness to the sounds being thrown down. The cool October night would find the band playing to a hometown sold-out crowd and judging by the abundance of gray hair and bald heads you could tell they are long time, highly loyal fans. It was also interesting to observe a fair amount of younger people in attendance, and whether they were family of the loyal fans, the band or just among the curious music aficionados attending – young or old NYC is always a lively bunch to perform in front of and a Saturday night crowd is ready to rock. Tonight the show would find Mark Stein not actually present, having been injured recently. In his place would be Bill Pascali who would do a great job of filling in for the musician.
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Events, Reviews

Cactus @ B.B. King Blues Club (9/19/2006)

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Logo - Cactus

In the annals of Blues-based Hard Rock, the name of Cactus is a well-respected one. They were often referred to as the American Led Zeppelin and their reunion shows are loaded with melody and groove. The band would be returning to B.B. King Blues Club with The Lizards in tow as their opener. Our own Joe Kaufman was on point to bring this show’s highlights to those who could not attend.

Artist: Cactus
Venue: B. B. King Blues Club (New York, NY)
Opener: the Lizards
Date: 9/19/2006
Label: Escapi Music

My friend asked me what I was doing Tuesday night and I said I was going to see Cactus and the Lizards. He then said, “What are you going to the desert?” I replied, “No, I am going to BB Kings in NYC to catch some Rock with the bands The Lizards and Cactus”.

The night started with the Lizards, a rocking group we have covered at Piercing Metal numerous times. Once again, the Lizards deliver a solid, hard rocking set of original classic rock influenced songs. An expertly executed blend of elements from 70’s and 80’s Hard Rock and Metal. Drummer Bobby Rondinelli (Rainbow, Black Sabbath, BOC) along with bassist Randy Pratt get a great heavy dynamic groove going, while guitarist Patrick Klein lays down the riffs, and highly musical leads. Vocalist and Keyboardist Mike DiMeo also adds some excellent keyboard playing along with his strong vocals. Their set had a dynamic range of songs from riff rockers, funky bluesy rock to dark and moody. A solid rocking band with a classic, yet fresh style. The band is supporting their recently released album “Against All Odds”. It’s a CD that bears checking out.
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