{"id":5276,"date":"2011-02-11T07:00:25","date_gmt":"2011-02-11T11:00:25","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/southeastofheaven.com\/?p=5276"},"modified":"2011-03-28T20:20:16","modified_gmt":"2011-03-29T00:20:16","slug":"blowin-wind-with-nashville-pussy","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.southeastofheaven.com\/?p=5276","title":{"rendered":"Blowin’ Wind With Nashville Pussy"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"\"<\/a>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!<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n

In all honesty, I just got turned onto Nashville Pussy after hearing the latest album \u201cFrom Hell To Texas.\u201d This is a fucking amazing album and I can\u2019t stop listening to it. Do you find yourselves getting a lot of new fans with each new release?<\/strong><\/p>\n

Ruyter<\/strong>: That\u2019s fucking awesome man.<\/p>\n

Blaine<\/strong>: From Hell To Texas? Oh man, that\u2019s 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\u2019re a new band and then go, \u201cShit, they\u2019ve been out for 15 years!\u201d [laughs]<\/p>\n

Ruyter<\/strong>: It\u2019s funny. We get all these people on Facebook telling us that we rock but we\u2019re like, \u201cWhy don\u2019t you actually come out to a show then? [laughs]<\/p>\n

Blaine<\/strong>: Yeah, they say, \u201cI hope you play in [insert town here]?\u201d and we\u2019ll say, \u201cWe were just there!\u201d [laughs]<\/p>\n

*******************************************<\/p>\n

How would you describe Nashville Pussy’s music to someone that has never heard you before?<\/strong><\/p>\n

Blaine<\/strong>: It\u2019s a little punk based but it\u2019s kind of hard rock. Basically we always say it\u2019s like Motorhead fucking AC\/DC while Lynyrd Skynyrd watches. [laughs]<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

*******************************************<\/p>\n

That\u2019s pretty close to what I describe you guys as. I usually say it\u2019s like a drunken orgy between the Drive By Truckers and AC\/DC.<\/strong><\/p>\n

Ruyter<\/strong>: Fuck the Drive-By Truckers [laughs]. They know I say that. We go way back with them. I\u2019ve been hating them for a long time [laughs].<\/p>\n

Blaine<\/strong>: They played at our bass players wedding in 1997. That\u2019s how far we go back.<\/p>\n

Ruyter<\/strong>: They used to open up for us in Athens back in the day. They\u2019re just a little too artistic for us. Just a little too artsy and we\u2019re definitely not like that [laughs]. We\u2019re like dirty, sweaty backseat of the car fucking. [laughs]<\/p>\n

Blaine<\/strong>: We\u2019re less artsy and more fartsy.<\/p>\n

*******************************************<\/p>\n

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?<\/strong><\/p>\n

Blaine<\/strong>: We really like the 3rd one \u201cSay Something Nasty.\u201d 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\u2019s no interference. There\u2019s no anything.<\/p>\n

*******************************************<\/p>\n

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!<\/strong><\/p>\n

Blaine<\/strong>: Yeah, we\u2019re keeping them pretty cheap. Tonight\u2019s show is only 12 bucks so that\u2019s not so bad.<\/p>\n

Ruyter<\/strong>: The Arson Anthem show here last night was 20 bucks. Arson Anthem and Warbeast!<\/p>\n

*******************************************<\/p>\n

Oh man, those guys are like fucking Slayer right?<\/strong><\/p>\n

Ruyter<\/strong>: No. They\u2019re not like Slayer at all. They\u2019re 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\u2019s really good but just hard to look at. Total 80\u2019s thrash metal. I thought they were great! [laughs]<\/p>\n

*******************************************<\/p>\n

So that show was 20 bucks a pop last night? Wow.<\/strong><\/p>\n

Blaine<\/strong>: They gotta pay for Phil Anselmo\u2019s tour bus somehow.<\/p>\n

Ruyter<\/strong>: Yeah, they gotta pay for Phil Anselmo\u2019s guitar lessons! [laughs] If I had known the money was going towards Phil\u2019s guitar lessons I would\u2019ve paid to get in last night!<\/p>\n

*******************************************<\/p>\n

You guys are about to embark on a huge European tour. I\u2019ve always been intrigued with how southern bands like you guys and Drive By Truckers go over in Europe.<\/strong><\/p>\n

Ruyter<\/strong>: That latest thing I\u2019ve heard say about us is that we\u2019re too American for America. I like that. It\u2019s like how the blues used to be. There\u2019s Swedish bands out there trying to sound American and they\u2019re pulling it off better than most American bands. They just get it over there.<\/p>\n

*******************************************<\/p>\n

I talked to a guy from a European band and he said he believes that he believes that American shows aren\u2019t 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.<\/strong><\/p>\n

Ruyter<\/strong>: I think they\u2019re 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\u2019re not supported by people who pay ticket prices so it\u2019s like they value culture more. The shows are always well promoted and they take care of the bands.<\/p>\n

*******************************************<\/p>\n

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?<\/strong><\/p>\n

Ruyter<\/strong>: I always charge my audience to meet me. I won\u2019t talk to you unless you\u2019ve got a shot of whiskey in your hand or one better be coming [laughs].<\/p>\n

*******************************************<\/p>\n

Don\u2019t you think it\u2019s ridiculous to charge fans upwards to $1,000.00 to meet a band?<\/strong><\/p>\n

Ruyter<\/strong>: Actually, what it comes down to is that some fans are fucking annoying [laughs]. I swear man, sometimes it\u2019s like not only do I want my 10 minutes back but I\u2019m 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.<\/p>\n

*******************************************<\/p>\n

Nashville Pussy\u2019s music, to me, is the perfect balance of heavy metal and rootsy southern rock.<\/strong><\/p>\n

Ruyter<\/strong>: It\u2019s me and him [Blaine]. He\u2019s the punk rock guy and I\u2019m the fucking metal head and together we moved to the south and this is where it all came together.<\/p>\n

Blaine<\/strong>: In Europe we\u2019re more accepted by every crowd. In American we\u2019ve had a hard time crossing over to the metal crowd.<\/p>\n

Ruyter<\/strong>: We don\u2019t really have a niche ya know? We got nominated for the metal performance for a Grammy because they didn\u2019t have a rock category that year. I mean, I guess we\u2019re a fucking rock band but if you listen to stuff live it\u2019s punk as shit I don\u2019t even know what the hell we are.<\/p>\n

*******************************************<\/p>\n

Is there a side you feel more accepted by?<\/strong><\/p>\n

Blaine<\/strong>: I\u2019m more comfortable on the rock n\u2019 roll side. I guess we\u2019re about as metal as AC\/DC is. AC\/DC\u2019s not metal either but metal heads love AC\/DC. We\u2019re hoping to be like that. Like Motorhead.<\/p>\n

Ruyter<\/strong>: Everything I play is blues based. Motorhead\u2019s way more metal than we are and they say they\u2019re a rock n\u2019 roll band [laughs].<\/p>\n

Blaine<\/strong>: Yeah, Motorhead\u2019s about as metal as I go.<\/p>\n

Ruyter<\/strong>: You listen to Judas Priest all day long [laughs]. Judas Priest? Yeah, I guess they\u2019re considered metal too. Them and Sabbath. It sounds like rock n\u2019 roll to me. Dark, gloomy blues licks with a wah wah pedal.<\/p>\n

*******************************************<\/p>\n

That\u2019s what I love about Nashville Pussy. It\u2019s just all of my favorite shit in one band.<\/strong><\/p>\n

Ruyter<\/strong>: That\u2019s awesome! I like that description [laughs].<\/p>\n

Blaine<\/strong>: Thank you. That\u2019s really good. We should use that [laughs].<\/p>\n

Ruyter<\/strong>: IT\u2019S ALL YOUR FAVORITE SHIT IN ONE BAND! [laughs].<\/p>\n

*******************************************<\/p>\n

Put that on a t-shirt!<\/strong><\/p>\n

Ruyter<\/strong>: Hell yeah [laughs].<\/p>\n

Blaine<\/strong>: I gotta go move the van. Y\u2019all keep on talking.<\/p>\n

(Blaine leaves to go move their van after being asked to do so by a club employee)<\/em><\/p>\n

*******************************************<\/p>\n

I\u2019ve always associated Nashville Pussy with Motorhead since I see your names together a good bit. How did that kinship start?<\/strong><\/p>\n

Ruyter<\/strong>: I can\u2019t 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\u2019s kind of vital. You can have a really crazy drug habit if you fucking balance it properly [laughs]. If there\u2019s 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\u2019s like our IQ\u2019s went up when we went out with those guys because they\u2019re so fucking sharp.<\/p>\n

*******************************************<\/p>\n

They\u2019re totally functional alcoholics and users.<\/strong><\/p>\n

Ruyter<\/strong>: [laughs] Fuck yeah. I learned how to drink and do drugs from those guys [laughs]. I\u2019d 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.<\/p>\n

*******************************************<\/p>\n

Ruyter, do you find it hard at times being a woman in a male testosterone dominated world of hard rock?<\/strong><\/p>\n

Ruyter<\/strong>: Oh it\u2019s rough as hell my man. There\u2019s 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\u2019d be jealous of me if I wasn\u2019t me [laughs]. I\u2019ve been playing guitar since I was 8 so I can hold my own.<\/p>\n

*******************************************<\/p>\n

Did you take lessons or were you self taught?<\/strong><\/p>\n

Ruyter<\/strong>: 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\u2019s 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\u2019s still got it. I played the fuck out of that thing.<\/p>\n

*******************************************<\/p>\n

What does 2011 have in store for Nashville Pussy and your fans?<\/strong><\/p>\n

Ruyter<\/strong>: We\u2019re about to head to Europe. We\u2019re doing seven countries and this will be our first time in Poland which is really cool. We\u2019re doing Slovania and Croatia which we haven\u2019t done in a while. Then all the fun countries like Holland, Spain, France and Germany. Then I think we\u2019re supposed to go to Brazil and then some European festivals this summer. I don\u2019t know if we\u2019re going to get back on in the states. That\u2019s the only thing that\u2019s questionable right now but we\u2019re supposed to record an album. All of us have side projects so we have plenty of shit to fill up our time.<\/p>\n

*******************************************<\/p>\n

What is your side project?<\/strong><\/p>\n

Ruyter<\/strong>: Well, it\u2019s not officially announced yet but I\u2019m 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].<\/p>\n

*******************************************<\/p>\n

Thanks so much for doing this Ruyter. It\u2019s been a pleasure.<\/strong><\/p>\n

Ruyter<\/strong>: Thank you man and we\u2019ll see ya out there in a few!<\/p>\n

The Brainfart & Ruyter Suys of Nashville Pussy<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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 […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":14,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[194],"tags":[557],"class_list":["post-5276","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-interviews","tag-nashville-pussy"],"aioseo_notices":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.southeastofheaven.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5276","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.southeastofheaven.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.southeastofheaven.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.southeastofheaven.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/14"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.southeastofheaven.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=5276"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.southeastofheaven.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5276\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.southeastofheaven.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=5276"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.southeastofheaven.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=5276"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.southeastofheaven.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=5276"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}