NITA STRAUSS To WOLFGANG VAN HALEN: 'I Was Always In Awe Of Your Dad's Complete And Utter Joy In His Guitar Playing'

On February 28, Nita Strauss and Wolfgang Van Halen, who are currently on tour together with their respective bands, sat down for an interview with Steve Black of Detroit's WRIF radio station. Asked by Black to say a few words about Wolfgang's father, legendary VAN HALEN guitarist Eddie Van Halen, Nita told the former VAN HALEN bassist and current MAMMOTH WVH frontman directly: "I was at your last VAN HALEN show [in October 2015]. I was up on the lawn at the last show at the Hollywood Bowl. And, yes, we've shared tour managers, we've shared a lot of crew over the years, and just as a fan, I was always in awe of your dad's complete and utter joy in his guitar playing and always wanted to emulate that myself."

When Eddie died in October 2020 at the age of 65, Nita took to her social media to write: "The word 'innovator' gets thrown around a lot in this industry. In my humble opinion, there is no one it applies to more than the great Eddie Van Halen.

"Thank you for being THE innovator, the ultimate pioneer of these six strings and blazing a trail for so many of us to attempt to follow," she added. "Forever an inspiration. RIP".

Back in January 2020, just nine months before Eddie's death, Nita was asked by "The Blairing Out With Eric Blair Show" if she had ever met the iconic VAN HALEN guitarist. She responded at the time: "I haven't met him in person, no. I did have the opportunity to try out a product of his before it came to market though, and one of the coolest things was that the company that produced it said that he had specifically — I don't know how true this is; maybe they were just being nice to me — but they did say that he had specifically said, 'Give it to Nita,' because he liked what I did. So if that's even remotely true, it's a huge honor."

Strauss is currently on the second leg of a national North American tour with MAMMOTH WVH, supporting her most recent solo album, "The Call Of The Void", out now via Sumerian Records.

The Los Angeles-born guitarist has become a force to be reckoned with, dazzling over a million audience members per year around the world. Fans may recognize Nita as the touring guitarist for rock legend Alice Cooper and superstar Demi Lovato, the official guitarist of the Los Angeles Rams, as well as her successful career as a solo artist. She has played multiple sports events, including NASCAR races and WWE pay-per-views, most notably her critically acclaimed performance at "WrestleMania 34" in 2018.

"The Call Of The Void" debuted as the No. 1 Top New Artist album on the Billboard chart, No. 1 on the iTunes Rock chart, and No. 4 on the overall iTunes chart, behind only Taylor Swift.

With the album's first single, "Dead Inside" featuring David Draiman of DISTURBED, Nita became the first female solo artist to have a No. 1 single at rock radio in 32 years. The album also features guest appearances from Alice Cooper, Lzzy Hale, Alissa White-Gluz, Dorothy, Chris Motionless and guitar legend Marty Friedman.

Nita released 2018's "Controlled Chaos" to mass acclaim from fans and media alike, with Metal Injection calling it "a great debut that — as its creator intended — leaves no doubt", and Guitar World stating "'Controlled Chaos' is a panoramic view of Nita Strauss's many strengths".

In March 2023, it was announced that Nita would return to Alice's band for his 2023 tour and beyond.

Nita spent eight years playing with Alice before joining Demi Lovato's band in the summer of 2022,

Strauss played her first full live show with Demi in August 2022 at the Grandstand at the Illinois State Fair in Springfield, Illinois.

Nita made her live debut with Demi in July 2022 with a performance of "Substance" on ABC's Emmy Award-winning late-night show "Jimmy Kimmel Live!".

Strauss had been playing with Cooper since 2014 when she replaced Australian musician and former Michael Jackson player Orianthi. She joined Alice in time for a mammoth MÖTLEY CRÜE tour. She was recommended to Cooper by the legendary rocker's former bass player and WINGER frontman Kip Winger.