The Year of Concerts (#4): Nita Strauss
Alice Cooper's guitarist kicks ass on her solo tour
I have to admit, I don’t really know a lot about Nita Strauss. I’ve heard about her for years, but never really paid attention until I saw her with Alice Cooper in April. From that show, I learned what a phenomenal guitarist she is and how she commands the stage.
I also know she’s a versatile guitarist. The 36-year-old has been Alice’s touring guitarist since 2014, playing his classics brilliantly. She left Alice briefly in 2022 to tour with pop star Demi Lovato. She released a blistering solo album, 2018’s instrumental “Controlled Chaos.” She recorded a song with Disturb’s David Draiman and has another solo album on the way, “The Call of the Void.” That’s a wide range.
So, I knew Nita could rock and was a hell of a guitarist.
I didn’t know what to expect from her solo live show. She didn’t disappoint.
Coming out with the instrumental “Summer Storm” from her upcoming” album – also the name of the tour – she effortlessly played through the song, taking command of the stage and showing off her hard rock prowess. While she may have been playing for only a couple hundred people, she acted like it was to an arena of thousands.
The first half of the show was all instrumentals, which kept the show tight. Her set was only an hour total, but she played more songs than I first realized because of how efficient the instrumentals were.
For the second half of the show, Nita introduced Kasey Karlsen, a TikTok star recruited for this tour on vocals. This is when I realized I did not know just how heavy Nita’s music can get – well at least some of the songs on her upcoming album with guest vocalists.
Karlsen worked the stage like a pro and certainly didn’t act like it was her first tour ever. Her voice seamlessly moved from aggressive screams to melodic choruses – like on new song “The Wolf You Feed.” While it’s not really my style of music, I could appreciate Karlsen’s talent mixed with Nita’s exceptional guitar playing.
It wasn’t just Karlsen, either. Nita put together a strong touring band consisting of Josh Villalta on drums, Johnny Young on rhythm guitar, Christopher Dean on bass and Katt Scarlett on keyboards.
But I readily admit I like the more hard rock genre than HEAVY heavy metal, so I appreciated songs like “Victorious” (featuring Dorothy on the new album) and “Through the Noise” (featuring Lzzy Hale on the new album).
The concert showcased Nita’s talent and put a spotlight on her versatility. She’s one of the best technical guitarists I’ve seen – man or woman. I think she can play with any artist and own the material – but I respect that she’s exploring musically and experimenting with different vocalists for her solo career. And I respect that she can go from playing to thousands with Alice or Demi, to playing to a few hundred in a small brewery and show appreciation. That she came out and took pictures and signed autographs after the show spoke volumes to me about who she is as a person. She smiled at each fan and happily interacted with each. That’s rare these days.
When Alice retires, I can see Nita’s solo career exploding, since she will have time to properly nurture it. If the Summer Storm tour is any indication, she is building a solid foundation to expand on.
1. Summer Storm
2. Our Most Desperate Hour
3. Mariana Trench
4. Alegria
5. Lion Among Wolves
6. The Quest
7. Pandemonium
8. The Wolf You Feed
9. The Golden Trail
10. Through the Noise
11. Victorious
12. Dead Inside
13. Cowboys from Hell
