Nashville Pussy Raunch And Roll On New CD

Atlanta, Georgia’s Nashville Pussy was dubbed by a U.S. magazine as “one of the hardest working bands in show business”. If you have ever seen them in concert, it would be hard to deny this label. They bring their unique mix of whiskey, Southern metal, raunch and roll to the stage unlike any other band around. Their studio albums have become instant classics, but their live show truly elevates them to another level.

The band was formed back in 1997 by vocalist/guitarist Blaine Cartwright. His wife Ruyter Suys has been by his side along the entire journey playing a blistering lead guitar. The two were joined by drummer Jeremy Thompson. The bass duties in the band have been somewhat of a revolving door having four different female bassists along their 15 year journey. Their current bassist, Karen Cuda, has been with the band 2005’s Get Some! album.



The band is releasing a deluxe version of their 2009 classic From Hell to Texas on March 27 via Steamhammer/SPV. The deluxe version features a remixed and upgraded version of the 2009 album in an unexplained new sequence. For those not familiar with the original release, it contains such staple songs as “Drunk Driving Man”, “Ain’t Your Business” and “I’m So High”. That was the last studio album to date from the band.

The deluxe version contains a second disc entitled Live and Loud in Europe. The disc contains sixteen tracks that are compiled from various shows on their 2011 European tour. The songs span their career from their 1998 debut album up through their 2009 release. The live disc really brings across the power and energy behind this band’s live show. It may be a bit raw at times and not perfect, but isn’t that what true rock and roll is about? It’s not supposed to be clean and sterile and sanitized for your protection.

The better tracks on the live disc seem to come from the show in Prague, Czech Republic. There are blistering versions of “From Hell to Texas” and “Hate and Whiskey” present from that show. Those aren’t the only highlights though. Other standout tracks include a smoking hot version of “Snake Eyes” and the crowd favorite “Go Motherfucker Go”. There’s nothing quite like a raunchy rock and roll song with a great sing-along chorus to get a little audience participation.

Now, I know that a lot of live albums are composed of songs from various shows, but it usually flows together from beginning to end making it almost impossible to tell. There are times on the album where it doesn’t flow as smoothly as others. That’s about the only fault that I have when listening to the album. I’m not sure if this is from the mixing or what, then again maybe the band intended it to be that way to give it even more of a raw edge. The omission of their 1999 Grammy nominated song “Fried Chicken and Coffee” was also a bit of a letdown for me.

The album does a great job of capturing the vibe of a live Nashville Pussy show. You can just sense the sweat dripping from lead guitarist Ruyter as she cranks out her solo; a solo that a lot of men in the business wish they could deliver in the way that she does. Blaine’s vocals do get a bit strained at times and almost sound borderline painful in his delivery, but the man’s a rock and roll trooper and keeps marching on.

The band was formed because they were tired of watching people in rock bands on stage just going through the motions, with more style over substance. As with many great and iconic bands before them, the band came together to play the type of music that they always wanted to hear. It’s raunchy, it’s dirty, it’s sexy and it’s pure, unadulterated rock and roll. They have maintained their authenticity over their fifteen year career and haven’t compromised who they are or what they believe in.
You may not ever hear any of their songs performed on American Idol, but something tells me that they really could care less.

VK Lynne Serves Up a Shot

Do you ever watch American Idol? If so, you may have heard Simon mention a performer having the "it" factor. It's like a quality that's hard to exactly define, but you know it when you see or hear an artist perform. The first time I heard that distinct voice of V.K. Lynne, I could tell that she was different. I can tell you that she has that "it" factor and she is a young star that is about to burst loose on this dismal music scene that we are being subjected to right now.

Her newest CD is entitled "Whiskey Or Water" and one listen will set your senses on fire. This is her third Cd and she approached it much differently than the first two. "The new Cd is different in many ways. First of all, it was different in process. I went to Denmark to work with an amazing producer, James Thomas(Cher/Beth Hart), who really had a handle on what I was trying to say lyrically. We set out to make the best record we could; style, expectations and convention be damned! It's different writing-wise in that this record has an arc. Each songs details chronologically a different piece of the story of what I've been through and learned over the last two years. I think it's different in sound in that it's much more blues and rock than my previous work; which is where I've wanted to be all along and which is absolutely fitting considering the lyrical content," said Lynne.

VK has a very unique voice. The first thing that I thought of was the innocence of Jewel's voice with the harder edge of Melissa Etheridge mixed in. Her CD is somewhat of a photo album with each song being a snapshot that captures an aspect of her life over the last few years. VK toughest struggles has been with anorexia and drinking. "The song 'Whiskey or Water' was written around probably the lowest point of my life. I was struggling with anorexia and self-destructing. I was drinking too much, working too much, making bad choices, hanging out with negative people, not sleeping or eating enough and was pretty much miserable. I sat on my couch and cried for three days and at the end of it, I'd written 'Whiskey or Water'. It's probably the most important thing I have learned and I'm still not quite there, that everything has it's place and time and that moderating those things is what life is about. Too much of one thing means not enough of another. Some people and things are water; you can have unlimited amounts and you only benefit. Others are whiskey, one shot and you're probably good for the night and anymore and you may get sick," responded Lynne.

"Whiskey or Water", the title track to her new CD is a very powerful and emotional song. This song is a prime example of the power of her voice and how she makes the listener feel the impact of what she is singing. "Mess Like You" is another favorite of mine. It is a completely different song in context and style. This song is very fun and shows a sexier side to Lynne. "Salvation In The Skies" is actually a Christmas themed song but probably could be played year round and enjoyed just as much. I think this song is the best example of how pure her voice truly is.

I had to ask for the story behind another favorite track of mine "Dust Between the Dirt." Lynne told me, "I actually wrote this song a long time ago, it was essentially for my foster brother whose parents died when he was young. There was alot of hypocrisy from the local church surrounding the death of his father and it struck me that people may seem to be "good" from the outside, but they can be just as "bad", or worse,on the inside as the people they are condemning."

I really enjoyed this CD and I continue to listen to key tracks on it. Lynne mixes up rock and blues and ties all her songs together with religious undertones that are subtle sometimes but make a great point. You can learn more about her at her official website, www.vklynne.com or her MySpace page, www.myspace.com/vklynne or on Facebook. Jump on the bandwagon now before it fills up and you can say that you were here for the ride from the start!