The Hussy
Madison, Wisconsin’s own The Hussy returns with a world premiere listen to their new 7″ from Big Neck bringing their latest ringers with “I See Just Fine”, “Erase/Her” & “Better Stuff”. With Bobby Hussy & Heather Hussy reigning as a duo for nearly a decade now with five albums, 10 singles, a bunch of tapes, a 10″ & upwards of 500 plus shows; their new 7″ is the first to feature The Hussy as a trio with the addition of Tyler Fassnacht rounding out their sound. But this is just the beginning of an eventful 2017 as the band have announced an upcoming live LP & DVD available later this year from Shed House Records & ultimately a brand new studio recorded full-length is also in the works. The influential artists continue to keep the garage torch blazing to keep the Midwest underground inspired & forever thriving.
Get to know The Hussy as you’ve never heard them before as an official, bonafide trio as they present the premiere of a single that pertains to subjects of sight & vision. “I See Just Fine” is Heather, Bobby & Tyler telling off the optometrist as the group stands by their own unique senses & sets of unrelenting ambitions. This new song from the group also serves as the perfect introduction for newcomers to The Hussy house party fan club that forever celebrates the limitless thrills & possibilities. “I See Just Fine” also serves as a reminder for longtime/lifetime fans of the band to really stop & take a moment of pause to realize just how many other groups from coast to coast, north to south & worldwide have taken their cues of erratic & inspired rock & roll from The Hussy’s prolific output from the past decade. The humble Madison band has arguably influenced the Bay Area, Memphis, Los Angeles, NYC, Richmond (VA), Chicago, Philly, Jersey & so many other sectors & scenes than we really have time to mention. Do the homework for yourselves, revisit the back catalogs & make sure the volume is cranked to the fullest decibel wattage allowed.
The following world debut of The Hussy’s “Erase/Her” summons the spirit of the late Jay Reatard & rumbles with a ferocious majesty to rival the entire GONER roster. Heather, Bobby & Tyler turn over the tables with a whole lotta infectious attitudes & energy that is the epitome & embodiment of everything that anybody wants to hear at a live show. “Erase/Her” is also a prime example of how The Hussy manages to negotiate & reconcile the points between harmonic dissonance and orchestrating pure pop perfection with a sound that won’t be put it in it’s place by anyone, anywhere or at anytime. Everything from the rhythm, crunchy chords & vocals collect in a perfect vortex that spins about in a sweet & serpentine spiral of unrelenting, uncompromising & unapologetic sound.
“Better Stuff” highlights Heather Hussy applying the song-writing & rocking focuses on listening to & seeking out better bands, sounds, styles & full on newness in all forms. Complete with an spoken expletive introduction, Heather leads our Hussy heroes through an ultra-economy of a song that is so radical & condensed for the world’s enjoyment that they don’t even bother to let the song run past the minute & a half mark (let alone one minute and 20 seconds for that matter). “Seems like I can’t get enough, hearing all that better stuff,” Heather sings in spirited shouts that is the sound of contemporary era rock guardians saluting the new freshman pop classes that continue to rise from the underground. The Hussy remind us all once again why they are some of the best in the rowdy rock & roll business where they prove to us why we have loved them for the beginning as they forever shine light on the future, past & present of everything we should be paying attention to & more.
Bobby & Heather Hussy were ever so kind to talk to us about all the new singles, releases, focuses & more in the following interview:
Tell us about all the new happenings with The Hussy right now.
Bobby: Got some cool shows booked in Chicago and Madison right now, maybe something rad in Milwaukee in Summer. We’re gonna be recording another LP sometime soon. Mostly focusing on playing shows and trying to write a solid album. Heather and I have both been pretty active in our other bands Proud Parents and Fire Heads. We’ve both spent some time in the last two years touring with those groups.
How has the addition of Tyler impacted the overall sound & vision?
Bobby: Heather and I both play with Tyler in other bands so it just seemed natural when we were talking about filling out the sound with an expanded lineup for the “Galore” release show. We played a show after that as a duo and it just didn’t feel that full or have the same effect as some of the instrumentation on “Galore”. So we asked Tyler to join us for what we thought was a one-off trio show. It stuck and Heather and I have been really happy with the addition.
Describe the self-betterment & desires that informed “Better Stuff”.
Heather: “Better Stuff” is kind of a mish-mash of things I was thinking at the time. The better stuff I’m referring to is discovering new music, whether it’s by new bands/artists, or older music. Just pretty much music that is new and inspiring to me. I just can’t get enough of it. Also, just wondering what I’m going to be or do in the future…. I’m getting old.
What sorts of sights & perceptions impacted “I See Just Fine”?
Heather: I was actually trying to write decent lyrics for once with “I See Just Fine”. Like what it would be like to see through a really crazy kaleidoscope.
Other items & artists of inspiration that you have discovered lately?
Heather: Lately I’ve gotten way into Pet Sounds, and just really digging all the layers of instrumentation. It’s a brilliant record. I have also been re listening to now defunct Memphis band the Barbaras a lot. Newest and best band Sex Scenes from Milwaukee has been blowing my mind too.
Bobby: The newer albums I’ve been digging lately have been by Sneaks, Marika Hackman, Bonny Doon and Damaged Bug. Madison has been full of really cool bands lately that have been inspiring me a lot: Dumb Vision, The Smells, Proud Parents, Wood Chickens, No Hoax, Dos Males, Solid Freex, Tippy, The Minotaurs, Miyha, Once A Month, etc… Pretty cool shit happening in our town right now! As for older stuff, I’ve been digging on a lot of cool stuff from the past like the Soft Boys, Bevis Frond and Television Personalities.
Spring & summer plans?
Heather: Planning on writing some songs this summer. Taking it easy and hanging with friends.
Bobby: Pretty much what Heather said!
Prayers & meditations & hopes for our worlds?
Heather: I hope our government can get its shit together and stop putting profit over people.
Bobby: Please see “Give Peace A Chance” by John Lennon.
Parting insights & wisdom?
Heather: Parting wisdom maybe would be to be kind and please rewind.
Bobby: If it feels good do it. If it feels bad screw it.
