Anika Zappe and Karen Exley are the kind of super-cool, tattooed rock chicks that you want to be your best friends the moment that you meet them. They’re sweet yet tough, and they’ll drink so much that they pass out in your car while you’re driving them back to their hotel. At least that was my experience. Swiping their name from the purple muscle machine that dropped bassist Exley off at elementary school every day, the Denver trio Hemi Cuda has been throwing down kick-ass punk rock since 1997. On stage Exley and guitarist/vocalist Zappe may look like hookers from outer space (their male drummer Devon Rogers, does not) and Zappe says, “We take a lot of shit because we dress up.” However, this isn’t a band that’s merely getting gigs because of their over-the-top image; these gals really know how to play. Hot and heavy guitars coupled with lilting harmonies, and a sexually charged sense of humor characterizes their aggressive style. It’s been three long years since the release of Classics For Lovers a nd the band is prepared to put out a new album next year, but right now they are excited about their new 7 inch on Germany’s Thunderbaby Records. “It’s cool; it’s pressed on creamy white vinyl,” she says of Thick ‘n Tasty, which is a song about giving blowjobs, “And they’re a great all-girl label.”