Drummer Carmine Appice Set for Hit Makers Series at Sheen Center with Valerie Smaldone, 6/28

The Sheen Center for Thought & Culture presents legendary rock drummer Carmine Appice in their new music and thought series called Hit Makers: Music Icons in Performance and Conversation with Valerie Smaldone. Best known for his work with Vanilla Fudge, Rod Stewart and Ozzy Osbourne, Appice will dish on his autobiography Stick It!: My Life of Sex, Drums, and Rock 'n' Roll, perform and sign books on Tuesday, June 28 at 7:30pm at The Sheen Center, 18 Bleecker Street.

Hit Makers features media personality and celebrity interviewer Valerie Smaldone with music's biggest stars, who perform and share intimate details on their rise to fame and behind the scenes adventures. Tommy James of Tommy James and The Shondells was featured on May 16.

CARMINE APPICE is one of the most revered and innovative drummers in the history of rock. As drummer for Vanilla Fudge, he set the grooves for the groundbreaking band's 1967 psychedelic debut. Known predominantly for extending the rock arrangements of hit pop songs, most notably "You Keep Me Hangin' On", Vanilla Fudge is cited as a major influence for iconic bands The Nice, Deep Purple, Yes, Styx, and Led Zeppelin. Their debut album, "Vanilla Fudge", still stands today as a Hard Rock classic. Post-Fudge, Appice and bassist/vocalist Tim Bogert formed Cactus (seen as an influence on King's X and Van Halen). Post-Cactus, the rhythm section found Grammy-winning Guitar Hero Jeff Beck to form the first Supergroup: Beck, Bogert & Appice (BBA). One of the premier showmen in rock, Appice became known worldwide for his astonishing live performances, in addition to becoming a highly sought-after session drummer, recording with countless artists throughout his career. In '76, he joined Rod Stewart's band, touring, recording and writing two of Stewart's biggest hits, "Do Ya Think I'm Sexy" and "Young Turks." He left Stewart to record his first solo album, "Rockers", and tour Japan and North America with an allstar band. Following that, he toured with Ozzy Osborne and Ted Nugent; formed King Kobra for two Capitol albums and international touring; played on a Pink Floyd record "Momentary Lapse of Reason"; formed Blue Murder with Whitesnake's John Sykes and The Firm's Tony Franklin; and pounded away soul-style for The Edgar Winter Group. As an educator, Appice was the first to legitimize rock drumming with his landmark book, The Realistic Rock Drum Method, selling over 400,000 copies (now in video format). He was the first rock drummer and rock musician to conduct instructional clinics and symposiums around the world, a tradition he continues to this day. In appreciation for his universal appeal, Los Angeles is one of four cities that have "Carmine Appice Day" and he is forever immortalized in Hollywood's Rock Walk, next to his idols: Gene Krupa and Buddy Rich. Having enjoyed a jaw-dropping rock-and-roll life, Appice now tells his scarcely believable story in Stick It!: My Life of Sex, Drums, and Rock 'n' Roll.

Five-time Billboard Magazine Award winner VALERIE SMALDONE has produced and hosted several nationally syndicated radio programs featuring in-depth interviews with top recording artists such as Paul McCartney, Celine Dion, Rod Stewart, Elton John and Mariah Carey, among others. She is a sought after speaker, emcee, host and voice over artist, in addition to being a producer and media consultant. Having interviewed hundreds of celebrities, performers and entrepreneurs, Valerie is an accomplished interviewer who is always interested in procuring each individual's unique story.

Named after the late Archbishop Fulton J. Sheen, best known for his popular radio and TV ministry in the 1950s and 60s, The Sheen Center for Thought & Culture is a project of the Archdiocese of New York with the mission of showcasing works in the performing and visual arts, lectures and symposia that highlight the true, the good, and the beautiful as they have been expressed throughout the ages. The state-of-the-art complex has a 273-seat proscenium theater equipped with five-camera high-definition livestream capability and a multi-track recording studio with thirty-two onstage inputs; an 80-seat black box theater; four rehearsal studios; and an art gallery. This facility is the newest arts center in Manhattan in 35 years and a great addition to the growing artistic community in the East Village/NoHo.

Tickets to Hit Makers featuring Carmine Appice, and post-show book signing, are $25 and available at www.sheencenter.org or by calling 212-925-2812.