Vinnie Vincent Blocked ‘Great’ Song Releases Says Carmine Appice
Carmine Appice ruled out any future collaboration with Vinnie Vincent, calling the former Kiss guitarist a person who “creates havoc” and said he prevented the release of “great” music the pair worked on together.
The veteran drummer’s early ‘80s band Carmine and the Rockers included Vincent, just before the guitarist's two-year stint with Kiss began. Appice was lined up to take part in a pair of Vincent shows in February 2019 that were expected to include material from throughout the guitarist’s career, but the concerts were postponed before being canceled altogether. Appice later contradicted Vincent’s claim that the promoter called them off, explaining that it was the guitarist’s decision.
Asked about the chance of another reunion, Appice told Vinyl Writer Music: “Sorry to say, it will never happen. Vinnie is a fantastic talent but not a good person to be in a project with. He creates havoc wherever he goes. ... I have tapes … finished mixes of great songs, but he made sure that I could never release them by hiring an attorney to send me a letter. Meanwhile, he had done nothing but create trouble.”
Addressing the canceled shows, which were to feature bassist Tony Franklin and singer Jim Crean, both of whom were brought in by Appice, he said, “We were going to do one gig with him, myself and Tony Franklin. ... It was a nightmare. The promotor got screwed out of tons of money. So, as far as Vinnie Vincent is concerned, I’d say no.”
Soon after the cancelations were announced, the drummer suggested that Vincent had run out of opportunities to stage a comeback. "Vinnie played with me in a band before he was in Kiss called Carmine and the Rockers, and I know he's a great player and a great writer and a good singer, and he's a good stage performer," Appice said, adding that he became concerned after seeing his former bandmates in a video.
“Vinnie's always been like a showoff kind of guy, and he just stood there. He looked like he was scared to me. I asked him, 'Can you still play? You've been out 30 years.' He goes, 'Yeah. I've been playing in my house. Yeah, of course, I can still play.' I said, 'Okay. I believe you.' But I don't know what happened.”