Preview
NASHVILLE PUSSY
Saturday, November 15
Night Gallery Cabaret
It’s been three long years since Nashville Pussy bid a bittersweet adieu to bass-playing Valkyrie Cory Parks, a blow that stunned fans of the dynamic blonde bombshell duo of Parks and guitarist Ruyter Suys (pronounced Rider Sighs). But, soon enough, Famous Monster’s Tracy Almazan filled Parks’s statuesque shoes, snatching up that trailer-trash torch and brandishing it high.
High As Hell was the name of their stunning release that year, followed in 2002 by the characteristically irreverent Say Something Nasty. Pushing the limits of audio-engineering and local obscenity laws, Nashville Pussy has cut a locust-like swath across North America as their relentless touring machine devours all in its path. Conquering Japan, western Europe, and Australia with relish, these champions of psychobilly ranch raunch still show no signs of slowing down. What’s next? As long as it involves hard liquor and good times, Nashville Pussy is on the bill.
"Anybody who wants to know where we’re at these days should check our website. It’s really good," says the husky-voiced Suys, founding member of the notorious Georgia-based quartet. She’s not kidding – www.nashvillepussy.com is definitely one of the best-designed and maintained band sites out there. They even sell Nashville Pussy belt buckles (Stampede, here I come).
"We’re touring constantly. It’s a lot of work, but we’re having absolutely fabulous experiences at the same time. I guess that’s why we haven’t put out a new album. If somebody said to me, ‘Do you want to sit here and write another album, or do you want to go to Greece for the first time,’ you know what my answer would be? I would have gone to Australia just to play for one person! I get a little bit of energy from every person in the audience. I never get sick of the songs we play. We didn’t even practice for our last gig! Being onstage with all of that sound coming out from behind you is the most glorious, loudest thing on earth. That’s why we’ll drive across the country to play a show."
Balling that genuine love into one mighty fist, Nashville Pussy has shoved their no-holds-barred girls and guitars routine into just about every venue you can imagine without catering their over-the-top boobs-and-boogie stage act to suit anyone but themselves. As Suys explains, they just do what they do, and anyone who doesn’t like it can get the fuck out of Dodge.
"We’ve encountered Puritan attitudes in the past, but it hasn’t stopped us from being ourselves. I don’t understand what people see in that Top 40 stuff, anyways. I never will. I could never guess what song is going to be the next big hit. Hearing that crap just makes me want to rock harder. Classic rock, AC/DC, Lynryd Skynyrd – that’s where the power and passion is. Maybe what’s happening in Sweden and France right now will happen in North America one day – a real rock and roll renaissance."
This four-man reformation team wouldn’t be complete without the presence of Suys’ Kentucky-born husband, singer-guitarist Blaine Cartwright, formerly of 9 Pound Hammer. Rounded out by the indomitable Texan Jeremy "Remo" Thompson on drums and the feisty Katie Lynn Campbell, a.k.a. Vampire Girl,on bass, Nashville Pussy is proudly touted as being "100% Yankee Free," except for Suys, who originally hails from what she vaguely refers to as Southern Canada. Steeling herself for the band’s upcoming visit to Canada, Suys has dutifully dedicated herself to educating the rest of Nashville Pussy about the subtleties of life in the Great White North.
"I’m mentally preparing myself for the cold and the snow. We’re in California right now, and it’s been incredibly hot, even at night when we go out to perform in the clubs. And it’s going to be quite a culture shock for us as well. We’ve really just started to watch hockey in Atlanta. It’s a strange thing. I’ve been trying to get people into it. Being Canadian, the ice is already in my blood, you know. But down there it’s like, Ice? We put that in our mint juleps."
CELEB TOP FIVE
Top Five tattoos Rutyer Suys has seen at Nashville Pussy concerts:
1. The good old American flag
2. Ex-girlfriend’s names
3. The classic bad panther
4. Betty Page
5. Her own autograph – permanently inked in just after signing |
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