NITA STRAUSS Says 'Controlled Chaos' Is 'The Album I've Always Wanted To Make'

Andy Hall of the Iowa radio station Lazer 103.3 recently conducted an interview with ALICE COOPER guitarist Nita Strauss about her debut solo album, "Controlled Chaos". You can listen to the entire chat via the SoundCloud widget below. A few excerpts follow (transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET).

On whether releasing "Controlled Chaos" is a "dream come true" for her:

Nita: "It really is. This is the album I've always wanted to make and to put it out there and show the world is a dream come true."

On Steve Vai praising her guitar playing after performing with her at his "The Big Mama Jama Jam-A-Thon" in October:

Nita: "Playing with Steve for such a great cause, raising money for Extraordinary Families, and playing a song from the album that inspired me to start playing guitar with the person that inspired me to play guitar is something I'll never forget. It was funny for me to get to watch it back. It was one of those things that when you're there in the moment, you don't fully appreciate it. Getting to watch it back was cool."

On preparing for her solo tour with limited time:

Nita: "Limited time is right. I wish I could explain to you how we've been rushing around like crazy. We've been so busy, but you do everything that you can. We're definitely going to rely very heavily on our experience and of course, our muscle memory to do the first week of shows. It will be great."

On how she managed to write "Controlled Chaos" in between touring with Alice Cooper:

Nita: "I started putting the ideas down probably at the end of 2017. For a few months there, I was probably grabbing time like you said, on the back of the tour bus, in the hotel room, wherever I could set up my work station and work for an hour, that's what I would do. When Alice took the summer off to go on tour with his band HOLLYWOOD VAMPIRES, that's when I took the bulk of recording and of course recorded drums and keys."

On the lessons she's learned from Alice Cooper:

Nita: "I would say the biggest lesson that I took away from Alice is really something that was ingrained in me since I was a kid, but really driven home with Alice, is to be appreciative of everything you have. Of course, we all appreciate the opportunities we have in life and the people that helped us get there, but Alice takes it to a whole new level of how appreciative he is of his fans and how he makes time for everybody. Getting to see someone do it on the level he does, being Alice Cooper for 50 years now, is inspiring to all of us to get to play in a band with him."

On whether she likes to plan her recorded output or do it instinctively:

Nita: "No, it's very spontaneous. It's a very spontaneous process. Now that I look back on it, I would probably plan the direction of everything a little bit more because this time, I was like, 'Today, I'm going to write a song that sounds like this or the next day I'm going to write a song that sounds like something else.' Maybe the next time around I will kind of plan it out, map it out beforehand and make it more cohesive."

On whether she envisions continuing to perform instrumental music as a solo artist:

Nita: "I can say pretty confidently that I don't have much intention of singing myself. I still want people to enjoy the records, so I don't think I will be singing. [Laughs]"

"Controlled Chaos" was released November 16 via Sumerian Records.

Photo credit: Larry Dimarzio