For 15 years, Nashville Pussy has been delivering their punk infused southern hard rock to audiences all over the world. They were recently back home in Atlanta for the First Annual Winter Hoedown before heading to Europe for a lengthy headlining tour. I had blast sitting backstage with husband and wife team Blaine Cartwright and Ruyter Suys as we talked about touring in Europe vs. America, just what kind of music it is that they play and learning how to do drugs with Motorhead. This was quite an experience for me but I had a blast nonetheless and I hope you all enjoy this great interview with the mighty Nashville Pussy!
In all honesty, I just got turned onto Nashville Pussy after hearing the latest album “From Hell To Texas.” This is a fucking amazing album and I can’t stop listening to it. Do you find yourselves getting a lot of new fans with each new release?
Ruyter: That’s fucking awesome man.
Blaine: From Hell To Texas? Oh man, that’s awesome. A lot of people tell us that after hearing that one for the first time they went back and bought all our early shit which is great. Some folks think we’re a new band and then go, “Shit, they’ve been out for 15 years!” [laughs]
Ruyter: It’s funny. We get all these people on Facebook telling us that we rock but we’re like, “Why don’t you actually come out to a show then? [laughs]
Blaine: Yeah, they say, “I hope you play in [insert town here]?” and we’ll say, “We were just there!” [laughs]
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How would you describe Nashville Pussy’s music to someone that has never heard you before?
Blaine: It’s a little punk based but it’s kind of hard rock. Basically we always say it’s like Motorhead fucking AC/DC while Lynyrd Skynyrd watches. [laughs]
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That’s pretty close to what I describe you guys as. I usually say it’s like a drunken orgy between the Drive By Truckers and AC/DC.
Ruyter: Fuck the Drive-By Truckers [laughs]. They know I say that. We go way back with them. I’ve been hating them for a long time [laughs].
Blaine: They played at our bass players wedding in 1997. That’s how far we go back.
Ruyter: They used to open up for us in Athens back in the day. They’re just a little too artistic for us. Just a little too artsy and we’re definitely not like that [laughs]. We’re like dirty, sweaty backseat of the car fucking. [laughs]
Blaine: We’re less artsy and more fartsy.
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With five albums under your belts, which one would you say was the best representation of what Nashville Pussy is all about as a band?
Blaine: We really like the 3rd one “Say Something Nasty.” I think the vocals on some of the songs are better on the last one but there is something about the 3rd one. We just went in and did it ourselves in Kentucky. We were between labels and we just basically did something that we liked. There’s no interference. There’s no anything.
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Tonight is the first annual Winter Hoedown and I have to say that you guys are doing an awesome job keeping the ticket prices really low!
Blaine: Yeah, we’re keeping them pretty cheap. Tonight’s show is only 12 bucks so that’s not so bad.
Ruyter: The Arson Anthem show here last night was 20 bucks. Arson Anthem and Warbeast!
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Oh man, those guys are like fucking Slayer right?
Ruyter: No. They’re not like Slayer at all. They’re more like Rigor Mortis plus Manowar. [laughs]. They were really good but their guitar player looked like fucking Fabio with his shirt tucked in and all. He had this really awkward hair and did lots of metal poses. He’s really good but just hard to look at. Total 80’s thrash metal. I thought they were great! [laughs]
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So that show was 20 bucks a pop last night? Wow.
Blaine: They gotta pay for Phil Anselmo’s tour bus somehow.
Ruyter: Yeah, they gotta pay for Phil Anselmo’s guitar lessons! [laughs] If I had known the money was going towards Phil’s guitar lessons I would’ve paid to get in last night!
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You guys are about to embark on a huge European tour. I’ve always been intrigued with how southern bands like you guys and Drive By Truckers go over in Europe.
Ruyter: That latest thing I’ve heard say about us is that we’re too American for America. I like that. It’s like how the blues used to be. There’s Swedish bands out there trying to sound American and they’re pulling it off better than most American bands. They just get it over there.
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I talked to a guy from a European band and he said he believes that he believes that American shows aren’t as attended as shows in Europe because the audiences here are a bit spoiled with the vast number of bands we have to see here.
Ruyter: I think they’re spoiled but I also think they get the shaft because ticket prices are so expensive here. In some countries the government assists culture so most of the clubs are clean and really nice. Not all of them but a lot of them. They’re not supported by people who pay ticket prices so it’s like they value culture more. The shows are always well promoted and they take care of the bands.
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It seems to be a big trend these days for bands to charge high prices for their fans to have the chance to meet them after a show or before a show. What is your opinion on this?
Ruyter: I always charge my audience to meet me. I won’t talk to you unless you’ve got a shot of whiskey in your hand or one better be coming [laughs].
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Don’t you think it’s ridiculous to charge fans upwards to $1,000.00 to meet a band?
Ruyter: Actually, what it comes down to is that some fans are fucking annoying [laughs]. I swear man, sometimes it’s like not only do I want my 10 minutes back but I’m giving you a bill so I understand it [laughs]. I wish I could charge people [laughs]. Our fan base are fucking really cool people usually with a good sense of humor who just want to rock out.
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Nashville Pussy’s music, to me, is the perfect balance of heavy metal and rootsy southern rock.
Ruyter: It’s me and him [Blaine]. He’s the punk rock guy and I’m the fucking metal head and together we moved to the south and this is where it all came together.
Blaine: In Europe we’re more accepted by every crowd. In American we’ve had a hard time crossing over to the metal crowd.
Ruyter: We don’t really have a niche ya know? We got nominated for the metal performance for a Grammy because they didn’t have a rock category that year. I mean, I guess we’re a fucking rock band but if you listen to stuff live it’s punk as shit I don’t even know what the hell we are.
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Is there a side you feel more accepted by?
Blaine: I’m more comfortable on the rock n’ roll side. I guess we’re about as metal as AC/DC is. AC/DC’s not metal either but metal heads love AC/DC. We’re hoping to be like that. Like Motorhead.
Ruyter: Everything I play is blues based. Motorhead’s way more metal than we are and they say they’re a rock n’ roll band [laughs].
Blaine: Yeah, Motorhead’s about as metal as I go.
Ruyter: You listen to Judas Priest all day long [laughs]. Judas Priest? Yeah, I guess they’re considered metal too. Them and Sabbath. It sounds like rock n’ roll to me. Dark, gloomy blues licks with a wah wah pedal.
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That’s what I love about Nashville Pussy. It’s just all of my favorite shit in one band.
Ruyter: That’s awesome! I like that description [laughs].
Blaine: Thank you. That’s really good. We should use that [laughs].
Ruyter: IT’S ALL YOUR FAVORITE SHIT IN ONE BAND! [laughs].
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Put that on a t-shirt!
Ruyter: Hell yeah [laughs].
Blaine: I gotta go move the van. Y’all keep on talking.
(Blaine leaves to go move their van after being asked to do so by a club employee)
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I’ve always associated Nashville Pussy with Motorhead since I see your names together a good bit. How did that kinship start?
Ruyter: I can’t remember exactly how we first got on playing with Motorhead but as soon as we started playing with them it was instant. We just got along. We had the same priorities of rocking out as hard as we can then partying your fucking ass off and not letting one intrude upon the other. It’s kind of vital. You can have a really crazy drug habit if you fucking balance it properly [laughs]. If there’s anything we learned from those guys, we learned how to drink more and how to take care of that drinking habit better. I swear, it’s like our IQ’s went up when we went out with those guys because they’re so fucking sharp.
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They’re totally functional alcoholics and users.
Ruyter: [laughs] Fuck yeah. I learned how to drink and do drugs from those guys [laughs]. I’d never done speed before but you learn in a hurry [laughs]. You learn to ask what that white powder is too [laughs]. You can get into all sorts of trouble.
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Ruyter, do you find it hard at times being a woman in a male testosterone dominated world of hard rock?
Ruyter: Oh it’s rough as hell my man. There’s nothing worse than being the only woman in a room full of guys who wanna kiss your ass [laughs]. Are you kidding me? My life is fucking great. I’d be jealous of me if I wasn’t me [laughs]. I’ve been playing guitar since I was 8 so I can hold my own.
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Did you take lessons or were you self taught?
Ruyter: I took lessons from this crazy hippie for a while but mostly I just played by myself in my bedroom like every other teenage guitar geek. I just tried to be the loudest person in the house until my mom would tell me to shut up because dinner was ready [laughs]. I inherited my father’s piece of shit amplifier which was like at least four feet high. It got loud as hell and sounded like crap. I just played it all the time and he’s still got it. I played the fuck out of that thing.
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What does 2011 have in store for Nashville Pussy and your fans?
Ruyter: We’re about to head to Europe. We’re doing seven countries and this will be our first time in Poland which is really cool. We’re doing Slovania and Croatia which we haven’t done in a while. Then all the fun countries like Holland, Spain, France and Germany. Then I think we’re supposed to go to Brazil and then some European festivals this summer. I don’t know if we’re going to get back on in the states. That’s the only thing that’s questionable right now but we’re supposed to record an album. All of us have side projects so we have plenty of shit to fill up our time.
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What is your side project?
Ruyter: Well, it’s not officially announced yet but I’m playing in a band called Dick Delicious and the Tasty Testicles here in Atlanta. They just asked me to join and we just recorded an album. I guess this is kind of the unofficial announcement [laughs].
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Thanks so much for doing this Ruyter. It’s been a pleasure.
Ruyter: Thank you man and we’ll see ya out there in a few!
The Brainfart & Ruyter Suys of Nashville Pussy
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