10 Questions with ... Nita Strauss

1) I know you are currently on tour this month, so in what city does this interview find you and what's on the agenda besides this interview for you today?

Hello from somewhere in the air over a very snowy landscape! I got up at 4 am this morning for a flight from LA to Louisville, KY. I played the LA Rams playoff game last night, and now I’m headed back to rejoin the last few shows of my solo tour. Once I land, I’ll have Meet and Greet, and then hopefully a great show! And then some MUCH needed sleep!

2) How old were you when you first picked up the guitar and at what point did you realize that playing music was what you wanted to do for a living?

I started playing guitar at age 13, and I knew pretty much immediately that that’s what I wanted to do with my life. I’ve been obsessed since the very beginning. I didn’t even really think about it being a living, I just knew I didn’t want to do much else.

3) Before we talk about your solo career, I know you have been the touring guitarist for Alice Cooper for years. How did that association come about?

I was introduced to the Cooper camp through one of his former band members, Kip Winger, when they were looking for a guitarist to step in for the Motley Crue “Final Tour”. It’s been almost 8 years now and no end in sight! Best job ever.

4) Now let’s talk about your single “Dead Inside” featuring David Draiman of Disturbed. How did the David Draiman collaboration come about?

During the writing process of the song, my boyfriend and manager Josh was the first one to say, “This feels like a David Draiman song.” We got David the track, and once he had the time to sit and listen to it, the music just started flowing. What he called up and sang us as a rough idea is almost exactly what made it on the final recording. It was very organic, just like you would imagine great songs would come about.

5) Congrats on the success of “Dead Inside” which went to #1 on the Rock charts. I’m told you are the first female artist to Top the Mainstream Rock Airplay charts in over 30 years. How does that feel?

It’s an amazing feeling. There is such a surge of incredible female musicians out there changing the music landscape right now. I feel very privileged to be a part of it.

6) What was the inspiration for this song?

I think David said it best when he was asked the same question, so I’ve included his response here below. “We live in an age of over-stimulation. We’re barraged on a daily basis by sound bites of every kind. Driven into a media driven frenzy, we’ve become hopeless outrage addicts, dead to the true travesties and injustices of the world that are right in front of our eyes.

Nothing shocks us anymore. After all, how can you be shocked, when you can no longer trust?”

7) You also have a new album coming this Spring. What can you tell us about this new upcoming release?

I’m very excited to collaborate with multiple guest vocalists on the new album. I think I was able to grow a lot as an artist and a songwriter between “Controlled Chaos” in 2018, and what I’m putting out this year. And of course, there will be some of the instrumental tracks that people know and expect from me as well!

8) What’s your take on Rock Radio today and do you have any favorite on-air radio moments you can share with us?

I am so enjoying my first real step into rock radio. It’s such a fun, fast paced, high energy atmosphere compared to doing long form interviews like podcasts. One funny moment from this tour- I was on with a station where they were having a heavy snowstorm, and when I heard about the temperature, I joked “ok that’s it- the show is off, I’m not coming”. A few seconds later the show producer said “uhh, we have the owner of (the local venue) on line 2”…

I had to clarify that I would NEVER cancel a show over subzero temps, but I WOULD be complaining about it on the day of the show!

9) I’ve asked this question many times to Rock artists. There’s a definite difference between making a record and going out and playing it live in front of an audience. Many feel that the real work is making the record, and the fun part is playing it live. What’s your take on these processes?

I can definitely see where that statement comes from!! The live part is definitely the most fun for me too. But there’s something very, very rewarding about having an idea, a concept for a song, and hearing it come to life in the studio. While that can be a little grueling, it’s fun in its own way. The inverse is true about touring- while being on stage is a blast, the rest of the time on the road can be very hard.

Pictured Left to Right at an LA Rams home game are Josh Villata, the drummer/manager of Nita Strauss, Sumerian's Mike Jakubow, and Nita Strauss.

10) Finally, I understand you’re also the In-House guitarist for the NFL’s Los Angeles Rams. How did this come about and how much fun is it to rock out at the Ram’s House?

It’s the MOST fun!! I first played for the Rams when they were still at the Coliseum at USC, which is where I saw my first football game ever. I did two games, there, and then when the team moved to SoFi stadium, they made me a permanent part of the entertainment team alongside DJ Mal-Ski and the Mariachi Rams. It’s such an awesome in game experience, and truly an honor to get to give the fans some rock with their football.