Nashville Pussy has had some mixed luck when it comes to bassists, replacing chicks on the low end guitar more often - and often times quicker- than the 'Hardest Working band in the World' changes guitar strings.
Enter KatieLynn Campbell. She's got the chops, as is evident on Nashville Pussy's latest release Say Something Nasty. She's got the southern thing going on, having been raised in Kentucky. And yes, just in case you're wondering, she's got the rack to match, and I'm not talking about her touring rig.
She's no stranger to music, either. KatieLynn played alongside Sean Yseult in Fabulous Monsters (you may remember Sean from her little band White Zombie) supplying rhythm guitar as a mistress of the night. And when not carousing the universe as a gin-soaked vampire, KatieLynn contributed to New Orleans based group Hazard County Girls, from which she was snatched to join up with Ruyter and Blaine as Nashville Pussy's third bassist in 2 years.
Dixie Tucker recently interrupted KatieLynn's busy schedule to find out how she's adjusting to a non-stop life on the road, growing up in Kentucky, and why breathing fire is so totally overrated.
Dixie Tucker: How has Nashville Pussy been treating you so far, are you allowed to ride in the band van yet?
KatieLynn: Where do you think they make me ride--a luggage rack on top?! We all get along really great right and have right from the start.
DT: How did you hook up with Ruyter and Blaine to replace Tracy Almazan on such short notice?
KL: My ex-husband Leif [the bass player for New Orleans band Supagroup] and Benji [Supagroup's gtr player] recommended me for the job at a show they were playing in Atlanta. I learned around 14 songs in a week, went to Atlanta to audition, and a week later we were on the road. Wham, bam, get in the van.
DT: You've been playing with Nashville Pussy for almost a year now. Do you feel the curse on NP bass players has finally lifted from the band?
KL: A curse, ohmigod, nobody told me there was a curse on Nashville Pussy's bass players!
DT: Nashville Pussy is notorious for having a busy touring schedule. How has it been spending so much time on the road?
KL: I love it! Lately I've actually been the one bugging Blaine and Ruyter about taking so much time off. I'm always ready to go. Staying in one place too long seems unnatural now.
DT: It seems you can't read any article on the Nashville Pussy live show without some mention of Corey Parks. Do you ever feel pressure to live up to her reputation and how have the fans been adjusting to having you up there?
KL: Hell, half the time I feel pressure NOT to live up to her reputation! HA! HA! It actually hasn't been bad. I'm sure Tracy had it alot harder than me. Sure Corey still gets mentioned in tons of articles about the band, particularly in reference to the live show, but it doesn't phase me. It would be totally lame if I all of a sudden started breathing fire on stage too. I do what I do, she did what she did.
DT: What was the music scene like growing up in Kentucky?
KL: What music scene? I mean there were some good bands, like Blaine's other band Nine Pound Hammer, but on the whole there wasn't alot going on. I went to Cincinnati to see shows and every once in a while we'd get something amazing in Lexington, like The Ramones, but you didn't hold your breath waiting for shows like that. That's one of the reasons I moved away from there as soon as I could
DT: Did you always want to play bass in a rock'n'roll band or did you grow with different professional aspirations?
KL: I was always obsessed with music, but didn't really get the idea that I could be in a band until I went to college. I had a guitar in high school, but didn't really do that much with it. I eventually switched to bass, although I do play guitar with the Famous Monsters. Ever since I started playing though, I wanted to be in a balls out rock band--and now I am.
DT: One of your previous projects was a surf rock band called Famous Monsters with Sean Yseult (White Zombie, Rock City Morgue). What was it like working with Sean in the intergalactic quest of martinis, big rock, and general kicks?
KL: One word--glamorous! We didn't do a whole lot of schlepping around the U.S. It was all private parties, tours of England with cute Swedish boys, and trips to Japan. What more could a monster girl want?
DT: Are you still involved with the Hazard County Girls?
KL: I'm not playing with Hazard County Girls anymore, but one of them lives in my house! I think they're a really fantastic band and it was a hard decision to leave and join Nashville Pussy, but I just couldn't pass it up.
DT: Band-mate Blaine Cartwright said about you, "Katie has really good rhythm and has more of a piece of mind as far as writing songs. The average IQ of the band went up 20-30 points with her." Do you feel that Nashville Pussy's music has changed since you joined the band bringing in a more musical quality instead of all flash?
KL: I think it definitely sounds different live. Everyone has their own way of playing, or if needed, distracting the audience from their playing. The way I play is more on the punk rock side of things--Long live the endless downstroke!
DT: Being on stage with Ruyter has to be intimidating just in the stage show alone, let alone her playing. But after being on the road for awhile, it looks like you are starting to hold your own on stage. In fact, you reportedly made out with an audience member while playing in Toronto. Any plans to continue the trend and what other tricks do you have up your sleeve?
KL: I was never intimidated by Ruyter's performance, but I definitely feel more at home rockin' out onstage now then when I first joined the band. Gee do you think 10 months of endless touring will do that to a girl? As far as that whole making out with a mysterious boy in Toronto story goes--I have no idea how that began. The only boy I make out with in Toronto is my Canadian boyfriend Ian. The rest of the world...now that I cannot tell...
