Rock outlaws back on the road with Rev. Horton Heat

For nearly two decades, metallic Southern groove rockers Nashville Pussy have created a sexually charged soundtrack for late-night parties, backwoods races and whisky-guzzling debauchery while charming legions with a kick-butt live show that showcases flashy guitarist Ruyter Suys and her frontman/husband Blaine Cartwright.

Backed by drummer Jeremy Thompson and bassist Bonnie Buitrago, whose mass of tight dark curls provides a visual ying to Suys’ busty blonde yang, Nashville Pussy proudly plays up its rednecks-on-speed persona in the very best way.

On 2014’s “Up the Dosage,” the songs got slightly more serious. The band took five years between studio releases, during which Cartwright wrote a gospel album.

“Right after (2009’s) ‘From Hell to Texas,’ I got bored with writing Nashville Pussy songs. I wanted to make sure ‘Up the Dosage’ was top-notch material,” he says, calling from Florida. “I’m ready to jump into the next (record). I’ve been pretty inspired by the way we’re sounding.”

Last here headlining Chop Shop in August, the group returns Thursday as opening act for friends the Reverend Horton Heat and Heat’s special guest, local country-western madman Unknown Hinson at the Neighborhood Theatre.

The opening slot means it’s offstage by 10 p.m., which – in theory – should allow Cartwright plenty of time to write that next record.

“I’ve got my guitar with me that I write on. I have a lot of time to kill, but we usually have a nice dressing room and booze. I sit around and drink more than I should. Horton Heat’s playing and I can’t hear anything (backstage), but I’ll get in the groove when we have three or four weeks off,” he says.

The band’s association with Heat goes back years, as did its relationship with Motorhead, with whom both bands toured.

“We do well on our own, but Horton Heat and Nashville Pussy together is like the most successful thing either us or them do,” he says.

Cartwright is still reeling from the loss of Motorhead’s Lemmy Kilmister, who died abruptly of cancer in December.

“Lemmy was a really good friend. I haven’t really come to terms with that yet. Bowie, I basically I listened to a bunch of Bowie. I’m not ready to sit around and listen to Motorhead,” he says. “Someone asked what kind of tribute we can do. I just don’t like being reminded of my friend dying.

“We probably played 100 shows with Motorhead and during the day I’d go shoot the s**t with Lemmy. He and I are both the kind of people if we weren’t rock ’n’ roll addicts we’d be teachers. We’d talk about history and old rock ’n’ roll.”

Like Kilmister, Cartwright is known for making one style of music, but there’s more to it if you look beneath the heavy licks and humor.

“I think once you get known as that kind of band, unless you do an about-face, that’s still pretty much it. I keep stuff funny if I can, even if I do have some heavy stuff on the record,” says Cartwright who ventures into social commentary with tongue planted in cheek.

“Anyone can bum you out, but only a few people can make you laugh. I’m a smart ass. I had to figure out one way to make money to prove my parents wrong. I’ll be 52 in a couple weeks and I’m still determined to prove my parents wrong.”

This story was originally published January 20, 2016 at 6:08 PM with the headline "Rock outlaws back on the road with Rev. Horton Heat."