Icon Fetch

Carmine Appice, with his heavy-hitting style and showmanship, set the standard for rock drumming. His first taste of success came with the proto-metal band Vanilla Fudge and their 1967 Supremes’ reworking “You Keep Me Hanging’ On.” He’s since played with a wide array of artists, including Jeff Beck, Rod Stewart, Ted Nugent and Rick Derringer. In the mid-Eighties he fronted a hard rock band, King Kobra, that received heavy airplay on MTV, before calling it quits at the end of the decade. Now, they are back with a new record simply titled King Kobra. Icon Fetch talks with the influential drummer about the reunion of King Kobra, why he began hitting the drums so hard, and the early days of Vanilla Fudge.

Ernie Rideout, the former editor for Keyboard magazine, has just put together a new book, Keyboard Presents: Synth Gods, which profiles 20 of the most influential keyboard pioneers in music. From the early inventions of Robert Moog to the trailblazing sounds of Brian Eno, Rideout shows how each artist would take the ideas from the past and give them their own personal touch. Icon Fetch talks to the author about meeting many of the musicians in the book, including getting to hang out and play basketball with the reclusive Prince.

Ernie Rideout, the former editor for Keyboard magazine, has just put together a new book, Keyboard Presents: Synth Gods, which profiles 20 of the most influential keyboard pioneers in music. From the early inventions of Robert Moog to the trailblazing sounds of Brian Eno, Rideout shows how each artist would take the ideas from the past and give them their own personal touch. Icon Fetch talks to the author about meeting many of the musicians in the book, including getting to hang out and play basketball with the reclusive Prince.

Veterans of the underground, the Meat Puppets scored a rok radio hit in 1995 with “Backwater.” They were also prominently featured in Nirvana’s MTV Unplugged, with Kurt Cobain and company performing three of their songs from Meat Puppets II. Now, they are back with a brand-new CD called Lollipop. Icon Fetch had a chance to catch up with singer / guitarist Curt Kirkwood about the spontaneous recording process, how they got hooked up with Nirvana, and the surprise success the band received following the death of Cobain.

David Lemieux is the official audio and video tape archivist for the Grateful Dead. He’s overseen countless live CD and DVD releases since 1999, when he took over the position after the passing of Dick Latvala, the original Dead archivist. He also hosts a daily segment called Today in Grateful Dead History on Siruius/XM radio. Lemieux chats with Icon Fetch about the band’s most ambitious project yet, Europe ’72 – The Complete Recordings, a SEVENTY TWO disc box set chronicling what many believe to be the Grateful Dead’s finest tour. He also talks about how he came to be in charge of these most-hallowed recordings, and how much is really left unheard in the vaults.

Guitarist Damon Johnson fronted Brother Cane, who were a staple on rock radio in the mid Nineties with tracks like “Got No Shame,” and “And Fools Shine On.” Since the band’s breakup in 1998, Johnson has concentrated on various projects, including playing guitar in Alice Cooper’s band, as well as the hard rock outfit Slave to the System and country band Whiskey Falls. He’s also co-written hit songs for Stevie Nicks and Santana featuring Steven Tyler. Now, he’s recently released his second solo record called Release. Icon Fetch talks with the Alabama native about Brother Cane’s success, singing with his daughter on his new album, and watching Stevie Nicks sing his song on national television.

Singer / guitarist Glen Phillips led Toad the Wet Sprocket through five albums throughout the Nineties. Starting out on the underground college radio scene, the band would eventually score hit singles like “All I Want,” “Walk on the Ocean,” and “Good Intentions.” After the band called it quits at the end of the decade, Phillips would embark on a solo career that would see him tackle many different styles. Icon Fetch talks to the Toad frontman about the reunion of his old band, the strange Top 40 success they had, and re-recording their old hits to reclaim their catalog.

Larry Harris was the executive vice president of Casablanca Records – home to Kiss, Donna Summer, Parliament, and the Village People, among others. The record label became a symbol for the extreme excesses of the late 70’s, eventually imploding in a haze of drugs and over-spending. Harris wrote a book documenting the rise and fall of the record company in And Party Every Day: The Inside Story of Casablanca Records. Icon Fetch talks to the author about his humble beginnings, what he thought the first time he saw the band Kiss live, and what led to the end of the good times.

Scot Sax was the leader of the Philadelphia band Wanderlust, who scored a rock radio hit with “I Walked” in 1995, before breaking up two years later. He then formed Bachelor Number One, who had a song on the first American Pie soundtrack. A few years later, in a strange twist of fate, Sax co-wrote the song “Like We Never Loved At All,” a hit for Faith Hill and Tim McGraw, which won a Grammy for Best Country Collaboration with Vocals in 2006. Icon Fetch talks to Sax about his long strange trip, how he handled that initial success, and what it was like opening for the Who.

John Oates is one-half of Hall and Oates, the most successful duo in rock history, scoring six #1 hits and seven platinum albums from the Seventies and Eighties. Although he helped create numerous pop smashes, Oates’ true love is still the rhythm & blues and folk music he grew up on. Which brings us to his brand new solo album, Mississippi Mile, a kind of musical road map of his long career. He gives his take on soul classics like “It’s Alright” from the Impressions and “Send Me Someone to Love” from Percy Mayfield.

More surprising is the inclusion of folk standards like “He Was a Friend of Mine,” showing that Oates’ influences are far and wide. Icon Fetch talks with the resident of Aspen, Colorado about the inspiration behind the new record, the back-to-basics recording process, and his thoughts on that monumental success of the Eighties.