Nita Strauss praises “innovation” of modern guitarists: “It’s so cool what this new generation of musicians is doing”
Strauss praises artists such as Yvette Young, Tosin Abasi, and Tim Henson.
Image: Per Ole Hagen / Getty
Nita Strauss has praised the innovative ways in which the next generation of guitarists are using the instrument.
Though Strauss may have shot to fame playing classic rock alongside Alice Cooper, she’s never been one to turn her nose up at experimenting with different genres and artists. She recently completed a touring stint alongside Demi Lovato, and has also celebrated the growing numbers of women in the world of guitar.
In a new interview with Ultimate Guitar on its On The Record podcast, Strauss shares that some of her favourite new artists include Yvette Young, Tosin Abasi, and Tim Henson.
“I think it’s so cool what this new generation of musicians is doing with the instrument, like really taking it to these new heights that I, as a guitar player, could barely even conceive of,” she says.
“A couple years ago at NAMM, Yvette Young and I had a couple signature models come out on the same day and we were at an Ibanez event,” she explains. “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 and then we handed it back like, ‘ew, no!’ The style is so different.”
Strauss joked that the two of them said they wouldn’t know how to play each other’s models due to the vastly different set ups for their musical styles. Despite preferring an axe built for shredding, she did also share that she now finally owns an acoustic guitar – an Ibanez, of course – which she used on tour with Lovato.
Although the acoustic didn’t make its way into Strauss’ new record, The Call Of The Void (arriving 7 July), she’s not writing off using it in her work completely – “I think for me to make an acoustic record I would have to perfect that art a little bit more,” she explained. “We’ll see but you never know.”
Listen to the full episode below: