NASHVILLE PUSSY + Bionic @ Café Campus

By Dallas Richter - Dont Mess With Dallas - 10/05/2005

Opening for Nashville Pussy was supposed to be some band called Whitey Houston (don’t let that wit escape you), but something happened where these dudes from Edmonton couldn’t make it to Montreal. The Whitey CD is actually pretty good. Anyhoo, so local rockers Bionic opened up instead. Now, I’ve never heard much of Bionic, but I’ve been told a lot of stuff, so there was a lot of hype to live up. Fortunately, they lived up to it. Frontman Johnson Cummins, writer of the sans doubt best weekly Mirror column, managed to bring it hard, heavy and loud, filling the room with bobbing heads.

I got my first taste of Nashville -- amongst other sorts -- Pussy in CEGEP. I found the High As Hell CD when my neighbour moved out and said “we left some shit behind, feel free to take it”. I guess it was some kind of going-away gift -- there was a case of 12, a pack of smokes and a Nashville Pussy CD.

When they took the stage at Café Campus, I saw the biggest congregation of sweaty redneck-types since my short visit to Alabama this summer. There was an undeniable party vibe in the air. I wanted to be a part of the party, so I spent the money I saved for a taxi home on beer and kept $2.50 for the last metro. Nashville Pussy brought the noise and had the crowd buzzing. One of the coolest things about Nashville Pussy is that you picture these two ugly, fat hillbillies scoring with hot chicks, including the other two band members, who themselves are sexy stripper-type girls. There is hope in that message somehow. The music was gritty, gyrating, and wooooah-fueled (the newest trend-word for coke that I just invented). Singer Blaine Cartwright, who sounds like asbestos, chain-smoke and a hangover, provided an atmosphere that allowed us to just hang out and not have to look cool, which I hadn’t felt in the last twenty shows I went to.

They played what I think are their best older songs and lots from the new album. They even played a Turbonegro cover. Guitarist Ruyter Suys made out with some hot girl in the audience and while it is a stupid male fantasy, it felt acceptable to enjoy it then and there. The show was fuckin’ great. It made me wanna scream “hell yeah!” all night.

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