NASHVILLE PUSSY
Atlanta-based sleaze rockers Nashville Pussy are led by the husband-and-wife duo of singer/guitarist Blaine Cartwright and guitarist Ruyter Suys; also featuring bassist Corey Parks (the sister of NBA star Cherokee Parks) and drummer Jeremy Thompson, the group (named in reference to a line from Ted Nugent's Double Live Gonzo! LP) debuted in 1998 with the album Let Them Eat Pussy, originally issued on Amphetamine Reptile. An underground favorite, the record was reissued on major label Mercury later that same year, and the song "Fried Chicken and Coffee" was nominated for a Grammy for Best Heavy Metal Performance. Parks left the group in early 2000 and was replaced by Tracy Almazan for High as Hell, which followed in the middle of the year. The album came out on TVT and helped maintain their cult following, but further progress was blocked by a lack of label support. A successful tour and several soundtrack and compilation appearances kept Nashville Pussy busy in the interim before they moved to Artemis for 2002's Say Something Nasty. The live DVD Keep on F*ckin' in Paris! appeared in 2003. The band returned two years later with the Get Some! LP, which marked the debut of bassist Karen Cuda. It was followed in 2009 by From Hell to Texas.
VOIVOD
Voivod (singer Denis "Snake" Belanger, guitarist Denis "Piggy" d'Amour, drummer Michel "Away" Langevin, and bassist Jean-Yves "Blacky" Theriault) was one of the first thrash bands out of Canada to gain popularity outside of their home country. From their beginning in the early '80s, their main goal was to be different from anyone else, and thus they incorporated odd musical tempos and futuristic story lines into their songs, often dealing with technology taking over the world. Voivod opened the way for other Canadian thrash bands and for metal bands with their unique styles of performing and writing.
