Mom-to-Be Nita Strauss Picks Guitarist Anna Cara for Alice Cooper: Why it Matters
Pregnant guitarist Nita Strauss, a mainstay of Alice Cooper’s touring band for the last 12 years, picked British guitarist Anna Cara to take over her shredding duties for the macabre shock-rock band while she’s on maternity leave this summer.
It goes without saying that Anna Cara can slay with her black Ibanez.
But commenters on social media are still asking questions like, ‘why not Sophie Lloyd?’ Or ‘What about Britt Lightning of Vixen? He should consider her!’
Namedropping these two pro guitarists is well-intentioned. These ladies shred and would absolutely kill an Alice Cooper set. But choosing 22-year-old Anna was the best decision for so many reasons.
Talent and beauty aside, Anna Cara loves AC’s classics. Videos of her playing ‘Poison’ are widely circulating, as are videos of her playing covers by artists like Journey and Iron Maiden. She’s precise and focused, coming at the fretboard with total determination.
Strauss’ choice is also symbolic, and not just because of Cooper’s history of jamming with emerging blonde talent (ahem, Orianthi!).
As a young and virtually unheard-of guitarist, Cara is the kind of player who just needs a little push to make her mark on the world. In a super-competitive industry, thousands of guitarists are competing for the best spots. Making money in music is hard enough already in the streaming era. So to elevate a young woman to this stature is karmically the right thing to do.
Also, don’t worry if you’re a diehard Strauss fan. She’ll be back in the future (though it may be longer than expected once she realizes how hard it is to balance music and motherhood). For now, we’re rooting for this new Gen Z sensation as she takes the stage this spring and summer.
