Ruyters Suys’ scene is “In Lust We Trust”. The Nashville Pussy guitarist follows the band’s motto on and off the stage, playing “dirty rock n roll” in the genre of “sleaze rock”. Suys’ future always seemed to be in music. Her parents were instrumental to this and Suys “pretty much sucked everything that they did”, with no need to rebel. She explains: “They were a real musical family. My mom had a drumkit set up in the living room which she played and my dad played guitar and we had a crazy hippie house where there was a constant flow of musicians and artists in our house. And I remember this jazz guitarist who was famous in Canada playing my ukulele when I was five and he was showing me how Jimi Hendrix played Mary Had A Little Lamb. This is the kind of shit that I grew up with. I had a whole bunch of crazy musicians in and out of that house that would play piano and just turn me on a different things constantly. I had an extensive vinyl collection. I was listening to Frank Zappa when I was like I was six. My first concert was David Bowie when I was eight. I lucked out in that apartment. My dad played guitar and so I basically learned his entire repertoire by the time I was nine. And then got into Zeppelin and heavier stuff. Then Jimi Hendrix and all the guitar greats and then I started rebelling and started listening to Metallica and Iron Maiden and all that shit, but then mom started singing along and that isn’t fun anymore.”
Suys continues: “My dad and my aunt used to sing Everly Brothers and stuff from the late 50s and 60s and it was just like a duo, and my dad always played guitar and he played a lot of Beatles, Bob Dylan, Simon and Garfunkel and stuff like that. And he had a bunch of originals too. [pullquote]The best thing is that my dad is still setting goals for me, it’s incredible. He’s 70 and I’m jealous of his job. We have to fly to Australia, he gets to walk three blocks.” [/pullquote]It’s actually funny because he’s just now, at the tender age of 70, he’s got himself a gig where he plays three blocks away from the house every Saturday, he plays at a Weed Dispensary, and he gets paid in marijuana. He’s got the best job in the world; he’s got more weed than he knows how to smoke. I’m extremely jealous him – we have to go around the world to make money, then exchange it illegally. The best thing is and my dad is still setting goals for me, it’s incredible. He’s 70 and I’m jealous of his job. We have to fly to Australia, he gets to walk three blocks.”
Forming the band, in 1996 with her husband, guitarist Blaine Cartwright, Suys has been instrumental with Nashville Pussy’s success. The band has released six albums, toured extensively and has been nominated for a Grammy. The beginning was easy – even though Cartwright was pushed in to it by Cartwright. Suys explains: “Through the first three years we were married, we were dedicated to his other band, Nine Pound Hammer and I had huge support for the band and instantly thought they should be opening up for Motorhead. They were so good. So we got a van and that was probably a bigger investment than getting married at the time; taking out a loan for a vehicle. I was like ‘Oh shit for real now, we signed a real document, marriage is nothing’.” Suys laughs and continues: “We got a van, and Nine Pound Hammer went on tour; we booked an entire North American tour for them and I stayed at home in Nashville and he went on the road and I was fine with that. It ended up being the last tour they did. The van broke down a whole bunch of times, and by the end of it they were all at each other’s throats and everybody flew home. I think the van had broken down in Yuma Arizona and Blaine was stuck with it and we were seriously considering driving it over the Mexican border and lighting it on fire. But what do I do now. [pullquote]It was really quick. In the wake of Nine Pound Hammer, Nashville Pussy was born.”[/pullquote]And he came home and within about a month we had started Nashville Pussy. He had met our first bass player on the road and he had a old drummer from Nine Pound Hammer – he still wanted to play with Blaine So that was our very first drummer, Adam, he plays in a band called The Hookers now. So Blaine had a month off and we’d already been jamming in the kitchen and we’d already written a few songs that weren’t appropriate for Nine Pound Hammer and so it was just natural and we were a band really fast. And we were on the road within like 4 or 5 months. It was really quick. In the wake of Nine Pound Hammer, Nashville Pussy was born.”
Both Suys and Cartwright have more musical side projects – together and with others. Their energy is astounding. Suys state: “We have a lot of little outlets for our weird shit… Blaine has Nine Pound Hammer, they just played last weekend in Atlanta and you know he also has Kentucky Bridge Burners. And we had a little southern side project called Buzzard for a while, and I play in a metal band called Dick Delicious and the Tasty Testicles.” Though on the matter of touring with the later, Suys exclaims: “Oh hell no I don’t think Dick Delicious is even allowed out of their parole area. I’m he only one who’s allowed international travel.”
Suys’ energy, even during this interview, is remarkable and contagious – and she takes it all on the road. Suys loves touring. She states: “Oh hell yeah. Touring is what gives me life. I don’t know what I’d do without it. Other than this I would be hang gliding into forest fires to rescue endangered species or something like that. I mean how do I get that same high.” Playing live, if one has witnessed her, Suys melts into the guitar onstage, mesmerising her audience. She states that she too, is mesmerised. She states: “If you’ve ever watched a video of yourself having sex, when you see yourself … when I see myself on stage I’m almost shy, I’m almost embarrassed. I’m like ‘Holy shit, is that what I do?’. It’s just so in the moment, you don’t care what you look like, you’re so in to what you’re doing and you just disappear and just become part of the moment.”
Suys is excited about coming back to Australia. It’s “been too long” but states: “but we’re coming back faster every time.” As for the Cherry Rock Festival, Suys excitedly states: “Oh my god, that’s going to be great. We’ve only ever partied at Cherry – on the inside – so it’s going to be great to finally be playing in the lane. It has always been our after party now we’re playing Cherry Rock it’ll be our party and after party.”
Catch Suys and Nashville Pussy on their upcoming tour and keep that bourbon flowing, “Fuck yeah man, turn us on to whatever good Aussie bourbon they’ve got over there. Otherwise I’ll have Jack.”
https://youtu.be/jghye0Wu0f0
More about Nashville Pussy tour:
Atlanta Georgia Southern Rock n’ Roll legends NASHVILLE PUSSY are set to blaze a trail through Australia and New Zealand in May 2017. Defying any genre, Nashville Pussy are a cowpunk, southern HARD rock and psychobilly monster smeared with whisky soaked sleaze.
Although a fiercely independent underground band, they’ve earned industry acclaim and their incendiary high-octane live shows have formed a fanatical worldwide fanbase.
Much of the band’s lyrical themes mostly revolve around sex, drugs, drinking, fighting, and rock ‘n’ roll. Initially called Hell’s Half-Acre, the band’s name comes from Ted Nugent’s introduction to “Wang Dang Sweet Poontang” on the Double Live Gonzo album.
Get ready to grab your own piece of Nashville Pussy, ‘cause they’re gonna up the dosage.
Young Henry’s, Nightmare Music & Pushworth Group Presents…
NASHVILLE PUSSY AUSTRALIAN TOUR 2017
Tickets on-sale now!
Thursday 4th May 2017
Whammy Bar, Auckland NZ
Tix: http://bit.ly/2kmcHqd
Friday 5th May 2017
Valhalla Tavern, Wellington NZ
Tix: http://bit.ly/2km6xXr
Saturday 6th May 2017
Negative Waves Festival
Barwon Club, Geelong VIC
with BRANT BJORK, The Peep Tempel, Batpiss, Zeahorse & more
Tix: https://www.oztix.com.au/
Tuesday 9th May 2017
BRANT BJORK & NASHVILLE PUSSY
The Gov, Adelaide SA
Tix: http://thegov.oztix.com.au/?eventId=70590
Wednesday 10th May 2017
Northcote Social Club, Melbourne VIC
Tix: http://northcotesocialclub.com
Friday 12th May 2017
Bald Faced Stag, Sydney NSW
Tix: .
Saturday 13th May 2017
Crow Bar, Brisbane QLD
Tix: https://crowbar.oztix.com.au/?
