Photos: CACTUS Releases Video for "300 Pounds of Joy" From TEMPLE OF BLUES II

Carmine Appice and Cactus have released a new video for the track '300 Pounds of Joy,' taken from the new Cactus album 'Temple Of Blues II,' out now on Cleopatra Records. The track and video feature the talents of Ty Tabor and Artie Dillon, alongside Carmine Appice.

Temple Of Blues II is available on CD/vinyl at cleorecs.com and digitally at orcd.co/cactus_templeofbluesii.

Carmine Appice shared his thoughts on the Howlin' Wolf song and video '300 Pounds Of Joy' — 'This song is so cool, Great Howlin' Wolf song with the killer drum groove. I copied the groove and the video is awesome with a great ROCKY kind of story!'

'This time, I wanted to make a real blues album for Temple of Blues 2. Temple of Blues 1 was made up entirely of Cactus songs. I've always loved the Howlin' Wolf album, which also gave Cactus our biggest song, 'Evil.''

Now the Temple opens again, this time for an all-star aggregation that recalls Ted Nugent, Billy Sheehan, Bumblefoot, Dee Snider and Pat Travers from volume one, alongside an all-new wave of heavy hitters including Steve Morse (Deep Purple), Tracii Guns (L.A. Guns), Joe Lynn Turner (Rainbow, Deep Purple), Rudy Sarzo (Ozzy Osbourne, Quiet Riot), Alex Skolnick (Testament), and a whole lot more.

The original Cactus grew out of Appice's past experiences with Vanilla Fudge and Beck Bogart and Appice, debuting in 1970 with a self-titled album and an immediate impact on the live circuit. Temple Of Blues II takes us back to their birth. That summer, Cactus were among the main attractions at the Isle of Wight Festival in England, and the new album's 'Purple Haze' reunites them with both another of that bill's audience favorites, Melanie, and its overall headliner, Jimi Hendrix.

Elsewhere on this sequel, Pat Travers returns for 'Moanin' At Midnight,' Joe Lynn Turner joins Morse, Carmine's Guitar Zeus bandmate Tony Franklin and Derek Sherinian (Dream Theater) for 'Bad Stuff,' Dee Snider (Twisted Sister) and Tracii Guns (L.A. Guns) lead the way for 'The Little Red Rooster,' and Ted Nugent and Bob Daisley (Rainbow) join forces for 'Spoonful.'

Every track expands the blues rock vision of volume one. Carmine Appice anchors the proceedings on drums, driving every track.

Tracklist

1. Back Door Man Pt. 1 & 2 feat. Eric Gales & Billy Sheehan

2. 300 Pounds Of Joy feat. Ty Tabor

3. Moanin' At Midnight feat. Pat Travers

4. Down In The Bottom feat. Dug Pinnick

5. Token Chokin' feat. Bumblefoot

6. Bad Stuff feat. Steve Morse, Joe Lynn Turner, Derek Sherinian & Tony Franklin

7. Tail Dragger feat. Rudy Sarzo & Alex Skolnick

8. The Little Red Rooster feat. Dee Snider, Tracii Guns, Jimmy Haslip

9. Purple Haze feat. Melanie

10. Spoonful feat. Ted Nugent & Bob Daisley

11. Feel So Good feat. Billy Sheehan & Britt Lightning (Bonus Track, CD Only)

About Cactus

The current line-up of Cactus came together in 2021. Lead vocalist Jim Stapley comes from England and had worked with ex-Faces/Who drummer Kenny Jones in the Jones Gang and Humble Pie. 'Nearly five decades after I formed this band, the time had come to re-invent Cactus once again,' says Appice, who also still drums for Vanilla Fudge, The Appice Brothers Drum Wars, and a hybrid tribute to former band leader, Rod Stewart. Adds Appice: 'The music remains the same and Cactus is still a 'hot and sweaty' band. The level, quality and consistence of the band's musicianship is as strong as ever.'

Cactus has had a long and turbulent history. Formed in 1970 from the ashes of Vanilla Fudge by Carmine Appice and Tim Bogert, the initial line up also featured McCarty (from Mitch Ryder and The Buddy Miles Express) and Amboy Dukes vocalist Rusty Day. While Cactus saw success from the start and soon built a loyal fan base, by early 1973 the band had collapsed mainly due to lack of real support from its label and the fact that Jeff Beck was now Ready to Play with Carmine and Tim in BBA.

The band reformed in 2006, three decades after the tragic death of Rusty Day, with Randy Pratt on harp (who also appears on this album) and Jimmy Kunes on vocals. When the late Tim Bogert was forced into retirement due to complications after a serious motorcycle accident, Pete Bremy joined on bass before Caputo replaced him in 2020.