Nashville Pussy Live At Gas Monkey Bar N’Grill!!

I’d never seen NASHVILLE PUSSY before, so I was looking forward to a night of music at Gas Monkey Bar N’Grill where political correctness was not only thrown out the window, but thrown out the saloon door right on its ass. I had listened to some of their music on the Internet and seen a few of their videos, so I had an idea of what to expect, but that never prepares you for a live performance.

This was easily the most eclectic crowd I’d ever seen. There were a couple of Polo shirts in the private party upstairs, but the meat of the crowd downstairs represented everything else. Hippies and bikers, long beards and shaved heads, tattoos and piercings, short skirts and tank tops were prevalent in general admission, while the roped off area housed button-down shirts, little black dresses and plenty of bling sitting right beside the cowboy hats.

The suits in New York who feel they must label every band in a genre have called them Southern Metal, so I took the opportunity to ask a few people about NASHVILLE PUSSY and got much better descriptions: Cowpunk, Sleaze Rock and Psychobilly.I then got back to my seat as the band came onstage to “Ghost Riders In the Sky” and started playing their first song, “Come On Come On.” Blaine Cartwright, the lead singer, has a gravelly voice, but it fit their musical style. The song was straight on rock with great guitar work from Ruyter Suys, lead guitarist and the singer’s wife. She was a cross between Wendy O. Williams and Lita Ford in looks and style and has been named one of the 12 greatest female electric guitarists.

They moved directly into “Rub It To Death,” an apt title considering the lyrics. The full house got pumped up, especially when Bonnie Buitrago, the bassist, wearing a black miniskirt showing thighs that could crack a coconut, displayed her aggressive finger-picking bass style. She really moved and grooved and used the bass as an offensive weapon instead of just laying down a beat. The next song was “I’m So High,” their anthem to rolling smoke. It was another good song and the young lady wearing Daisy Dukes dancing suggestively a few feet in front of me only added to the music.

Blaine finally spoke to the crowd, saying, “Hello Texas,”and launched into “Pillbilly Blues.” Once again, it had outstanding guitar work as Bonnie was all over the stage playing aggressively and Ruyter had a solo that mesmerized us. “Wrong Side of a Gun” was next and featured great drumming from Jeremy Thompson. The band members played off each other really well as they went straight from song to song. “Shoot First and Run Like Hell” featured more great guitar work from Ruyter, who was stealing the show, and a shot of Jack Black by Blaine caused him to yell about the full moon tonight, then launch straight into “Hate and Whiskey.”

Blaine introduced “The South’s Too Fat to Rise Again,” featuring both ladies on guitar and beautiful backup singing. They should sing much more as their voices sounded great and carried well. Before he started “Going Down Swinging,” Blaine said Austin made more noise, which turned out to be a dare. It was a short song, but there was a female face-off on guitar which was a highlight for the crowd.

They played “Everybody’s Fault but Mine,” but that was quickly overshadowed when they started playing a cover of THE MARSHALL TUCKER BAND’S “Can’t You See.” The crowd was digging it and really got interested, and they then segued into “Go To Hell” and finished with that song. He changed the second verse to include lyrics about his wife and two men, which made Ruyter stop her headbanging and smile at the audience like it was a true story. She then jammed like a big dog and was joined again by Bonnie, which was outstanding.

Ruyter played a solo , then Thompson, who looks to be a fraternal twin of the drummer for the KENTUCKY HEADHUNTERS, banged out a drum solo that had every head in the crowd bobbing and weaving. Blaine introduced the band, then Ruyter played a solo on her knees as she had now commandeered the bottle of Jack Black while he popped a beer, poured it into his cowboy hat and drank it down while they started “Good Night For a Heart Attack.”

“Struttin’ Cock” showed the personality of the band as all three guitars sounded great playing off each other. It showed that they are a tight knit group and tour incessantly to get that sound. Ruyter then took the passion to a level I’ve rarely seen in “Go Motherfucker Go” as she shook her moneymakers for the crowd before cutting loose on a solo after hitting her knees again. She was having fun and we were right there with her. “Fried Chicken and Coffee” was their last song and neither the band nor audience wanted it to end. There was another face-off on guitar and a hell of a jam before Ruyter went down on her back on stage, only to be straddled by Bonnie for even more jamming. Their time was up and three of them left the stage while Ruyter stayed on her back until security picked her up while we showed our love for their music.

NASHVILLE PUSSY is a great band with great musicians. They have skills, they have passion and they have energy that bring their concerts to life. They have somewhat of a cult following in clubs and a much bigger audience for their 12 albums in Europe.

Blaine Cartwright is a good songwriter and his unrefined voice fits the songs well. Ruyter Suys, though, is the heart and soul of the band. She has an energy that projects like few others that made the concert pure fun.

LIVE WORDS: DAVID SIMERS

LIVE PHOTOS: GUZPIX