High Bias stagestruck

NASHVILLE PUSSY/NEBULA/HALFWAY TO GONE
@Emo's, Austin, TX
June 29, 2002
Just in case you haven't deduced it from its name, Nashville Pussy ain't about subtlety. Case in point: the latest leg of the Atlanta quartet's never-ending road trip (question: when do these road dawgs find time to make records?) has been dubbed the "Keep On Fuckin'" tour. Needless to say, there were no sensitive, unplugged moments at Emo's on this Saturday night, just an hour and a quarter's worth of sleazy, Kentucky-fried fuck rock. The Pussy hit the stage with "Say Something Nasty," the title track of its latest slab of blood 'n' guts, which pretty much set the tone for its performance. Guitarist Ruyter Suys was down to her bra by the third song, but she put the simple-but-effective riffs and hellfire solos she ripped out of her Gibson SG so much in the crowd's faces that no one had a chance to ogle her ample bosom. Bassist KatieLynn Campbell may not be the visual focal point her 6-foot-plus, silicone-enhanced firebreathing predecessor Corey Parks was, but she's a better musician and she's just as enthusiastic about her groove-riding role in the band. Singer/guitarist Blaine Cartwright scowled, screeched and strangled his ES-335, leaving the audience unsure of his motives and the air filled with profanity. Drummer Jeremy Thompson kept both the beat and out of the way. The group showed no mercy, slamming out a healthy chunk of both the new record ("You Give Drugs a Bad Name," "The Bitch Just Kicked Me Out," "Gonna Hitchhike Down to Cincinnati and Kick the Shit Out of Your Drunk Daddy") and its previous platter High As Hell ("Struttin' Cock," "Shoot First and Run Like Hell," "Go To Hell"), plus choice cuts from its debut album and an AC/DC cover. The band had the audience boiling with sexual frustration and repressed violence near the end of the show; the nine-pound-hammering trio of "Keep on Fuckin'," "Fried Chicken and Coffee" and, of course, "Go Motherfucker Go" broke the storm without anyone getting hurt, despite the mind-boggling sight of Cartwright doing a buck-and-wing. Nashville Pussy came, saw and rocked, exclamation point. There was no encore; there was no need.

Nebula did its damnedest to match the Pussy's live intensity with a fine set of its own. Celebrating the release of Dos EPs, a collection of its out-of-print early music, the L.A. trio dug deep into its back catalog of psychedelicized power trio rock, treating the audience to golden oldies like "Down the Highway" and "Fly On," as well as more recent cuts like "Do It Now" and the brand-new, boogie-fueled "Rocket." Guitarist Eddie Glass kept his fingers flying, proving that the guitar hero isn't dead; that the energy never flagged, even during his spaciest solo flights, is testament to the spirit of the band. New Jersey's Halfway to Gone opened the show with a short set of its Southern rock/punk hybrids. "Holiday in Altamont" and "Already Gone" left scorch marks on the stage; even if the trio hasn't the tunesmithery of the headliners, it's still a fine example of contemporary rock & roll noise. All in all, an awesome show, which left ears ringing happily. Michael Toland

Copyright © 2002 High Bias