Los Angeles-born guitar hero and musical force of nature Nita Strauss is featured in a brand new interview with Ultimate Guitar's Justin Beckner on the first-ever episode of their "On the Record" podcast. CHeck it out below.
UG: Who are some of the artists that inspire you now? And are they the same artists that inspired you when you were starting out?
Nita: "I think that my original heroes, you know, the Steve Vai's, the Satriani's, the Jennifer Batten's, Marty Friedman's will continue to inspire me always because they never stop innovating. You know, if you listen to what Steve Vai is doing now, if you listen to what Marty Friedman is doing now, it's (still) the cutting edge of guitar. So how cool that it was the cutting-edge of guitar the year I was born, and these guys are still at the forefront of innovating now. I love listening to the newer artists. I love listening to Polyphia and Yvette Young, my Ibanez signature sister. I think it's so cool what this generation of musicians is doing with the instrument. They're taking it to these new heights that I, as a guitar player, could barely even conceive of.
A couple of years ago at NAMM, Yvette Young and I had signature models come out on the same day and we were at an Ibanez event at NAMM and I said, 'Hey, can I play your guitar?' And she's like, 'Yeah, only if I can play your guitar.' So we traded guitars and we noodled around on each other's guitar for a second and then we handed it back. We're like, Oh, no. It's just that our styles are so different, and the setup is so different. She was like, 'I wouldn't even know how to play your guitar.' And I was like, 'I wouldn't even know how to play your guitar.' And I think that was a really telling moment of just like how much innovation is happening with this instrument. You'd think Nita and Yvette, both Ibanez girls, must be pretty similar, like literally couldn't be more different musicians, and I just think it's so cool. It's such a cool time to be a guitar player right now."
Nita recently announced her brand new album The Call Of The The Void, out July 7 via Sumerian Records. Pre-order it here.
She has shared the video for the latest single "Victorious", featuring vocalist Dorothy.
"'Victorious' is the anthem I always wanted, a song about inspiring change, marching forward relentlessly, being willing to save yourself instead of waiting for someone to do it for you, and never backing down from a fight," Strauss shares. "Dorothy was the perfect powerhouse voice and personality to stand and deliver, and knock this one out of the park."
Dorothy shares Strauss' enthusiasm for the track, stating, "I'm honoured to be a part of 'Victorious' with my friend Nita Strauss. She is the embodiment of a bold, beautiful, strong woman. The song and video scream #GIRLPOWER and we know you'll love it!"
The video features two killer cameos. 13-year-old rising guitar star Charlotte Milstein plays the role of a young Nita, while U.S. Olympian, former WBO and IBF champion Mikalea Mayer, a childhood friend of Strauss and former bandmate, also appears. Learn more about their relationship here!
Tracklisting:
"Summer Storm"
"The Wolf You Feed" (feat. Alissa White-Gluz)
"Digital Bullets" (feat. Chris Motionless)
"Through The Noise" (feat. Lzzy Hale)
"Consume The Fire"
"Dead Inside" (feat. David Draiman)
"Victorious" (feat. Dorothy)
"Scorched"
"Momentum"
"The Golden Trail" (feat. Anders Fridén)
"Winner Takes All" (feat. Alice Cooper)
"Monster" (feat. Lilith Czar)
"Kintsugi"
"Surfacing" (feat. Marty Friedman)
"Summer Storm":
"The Wolf You Feed" (feat. Alissa White-Gluz):
"Dead Inside" (feat. David Draiman):
"The Golden Trail" (feat. Anders Fridén):
"Winner Takes All" (feat. Alice Cooper):
Strauss recently announced dates for her North American summer tour with support from Lions At The Gate. The Summer Storm tour will kick off on June 13 in Nashville, and is scheduled to wrap up on July 14 in New Orleans. Singer Kasey Karlsen will join her for the upcoming tour.
Tickets and VIP options for all shows at nitastraussvip.com.
Dates:
June
13 - Nashville, TN - Exit/ In
14 - Atlanta, GA - The Loft
15 - Greensboro, NC - The Hangar 1819
17 - New York, NY - The Meadows
18 - Toronto, ON - Horseshoe Tavern
19 - Mechanicsburg, PA - Lovedrafts
21 - Harrison, OH - The Blue Note
22 - Flint, MI - The Machine Shop
23 - Angola, IN - The Eclectic Room
24 - Bloomington, IL - The Castle Theatre
25 - Madison, WI - The Majestic Theatre
26 - Omaha, NE - The Waiting Room
28 - Denver, CO - The Bluebird Theater
29 - Salt Lake City, UT - Urban Lounge
30 - Boise, ID - Neurolux
July
1 - Portland, OR - Hawthorne Theatre
2 - Vancouver, BC - The Rickshaw Theatre
3 - Seattle, WA - El Corazon
5 - Sacramento, CA - Goldfield Trading Post
6 - Los Angeles, CA - Whisky A Go Go
8 - Las Vegas, NV - The Space
9 - Phoenix, AZ - Crescent Ballroom
11 - San Antonio, TX - The Rock Box
12 - Dallas, TX - Trees
13 - Houston, TX - Scout Bar
14 - New Orleans, LA - The Parish at House of Blues
