March 2022

When I heard that Nita Strauss was com- ing to playThe Brass Mug in Tampa, Flor- ida, I blocked off my calendar and knew I had to go have my face melted in person. Nita Strauss has been known for playing guitar in the “The Iron Maidens”, “Femme Fatale” and a few other bands. However, most notably she has been playing gui- tar for Alice Cooper since 2014 and has even made appearances on WWE pay per views. She is also the official guitarist for the NFL football team, Los Angeles Rams. To say this rock goddess has done a lot, in the past 10 years, is an understatement. Now let me paint a picture for you of the night. The Brass Mug is one of Tampa’s legendarymetal venues.The venue itself is quite small with official capacity of about 700, with that grungy, metal feel that you would expect. So, to have someone at the level of Nita Strauss play this venue, was freakin awesome to say the least and was an amazing time to photograph and ex- perience. I got to the venue just in time to catch the direct support band play, Like Machines. I was blown away at the huge sound that this trio brought to the stage. The bass and drums could only be described as thunderous, while the guitar and vocals were in your face and sounded phenom- enal. These guys definitely have a unique sound, almost like Blackstone Cher- ry with a slight mix of Velvet Revolver. Definitely check these guys out because I guarantee that you won’t be disappointed and if you’re anything like me, new music is always an awesome thing. Now when it came time for Nita Strauss and her band to take the stage, the ven- ue was starting to really become packed, especially for a Wednesday night. Tampa loves it’s live music and you could defi- nitely tell by the energy that was filling the room. When Nita and her band took the stage, everyone went absolutely cra- zy. Nita played quite a few of her hits off of her album, “Controlled Chaos”, and even opened the set with a metal ver- sion of the Power Rangers theme song. She also played her newest single, “Dead Inside”. Her entire set was filled with un- matched energy as she and her band were head-banging and rocking out full force, the whole time. I don’t want to spoil the show for those who haven’t seen it yet but if you’ve nev- er seen Nita Strauss live, you are miss- ing out on one of the most amazing dis- plays of metal guitar playing that you will ever see. I would recommend bringing a bucket and mop because your face will be melted, probably by the second song. I will leave a link to purchase tickets for the remaining dates of her Winter Wasteland Tour as well as links to check out all of her social media accounts. View some more photos here on the site! Nita Strauss Review Photos and review by Jake Coughlin 16