Hurricane Nita Lands in Tampa

The weather this winter in Tampa, Florida has been a bit chilly with not a lot of rain, but the area was destroyed by a Hurricane on Wednesday night. No properties were damaged, but you might want to check the roof of the legendary Brass Mug as Nita Strauss affectionately known as Hurricane Nita, brought her amazing guitar virtuoso abilities to the club.

Along with Like Machines from Atlanta and two local bands in Kamenar and Level The Planet, Wednesday night at the “Mug” was a display of musical talent of various levels and considerable possibilities.

First up was a trio of young men that I have been following for a few years now in Kamenar who consist of twins Sean (lead vocals and guitar) and John Kamenar (drums) and bassist Owen Popper. Popper reminds me looks-wise of a bit of Alex Lifeson from Rush.

Formed by the two brothers in 2015, Kamenar always brings it from a live show capacity and has a big following of fans. They have made their mark locally by opening up for Alice Cooper and Brett Michaels to name a few and have won various battle of the bands in the Tampa/St. Pete area.

They played a 5-song set that included “Never Enough Time” and “Crazy Life” and they also killed a cover of Chevelle’s “Hunter Eats Hunter.” The Kamenar brothers show that their chops are rooted in their respect for bands like Aerosmith but can also play more modern rock tracks that can be associated with bands like Tool etc.

Their energy is infectious, and they get the crowd into the show and play much bigger than a trio of teenagers and I can only see a bigger and bright future for them on the horizon.

Next up was a local band I’ve never seen before in Level The Planet fronted by another high-energy performer in Sheenah Singh. Singh showed off her vocal abilities and other assets during memorable tracks in “She Wants Revenge” and a song everyone in the crowd can relate to in “Lets Light The World On Fire.” She also sang a song in Spanish to her mom which was very cool and unexpected and threw out roses and rose petals during their set which the men and women in the crowd enjoyed and took home with them. Guitarist Evol Adam showed off his guitar-playing ingenuity by performing with a two-string guitar that he put together with parts from Home Depot. Once again, something I’ve never witnessed before.

Another trio was up next as Like Machines from Atlanta hit the stage in support of their SuperVillian release. I’ll get right to the jist, this band should be on the festival circuit right now as their sound is huge for a trio and can blow a lot of bands off the stage. Guitarist and vocalist Andrew Evans lead the way with screaming guitar licks and a vocal sound all his own. Never have a I heard a singer sound like him but some influences I caught were Bon Scott, Bobby “Blitz” Ellsworth from Overkill, Chris Robertson from Black Stone Cherry with a bit of Paul Baloff from Exodus mixed in. What a combination and what a voice.

The three-piece band brought a barrage of sounds coming at you and filled the venue. Were they using tracks to help them out? Yes, but there are a lot of bands doing it these days. Bassist Tanner Hendon was all over the stage and brought non-stop energy which the crowd sucked up like bottles of Tito’s. Like Machines could play anywhere and they should be. From a rock club to a rave, these guys have something for everyone and mesmerizes you and gets your ass moving. Highlights of their set were “Come and Get It” “Kaiser,” “The Maker” and the finale in “Destitute.”

Not many bands make me leave the venue to check out their music online but Like Machines did. I’m definitely keeping an eye out for when they play here again locally or at a fest.

After a quick stage change over, it was finally time for Nita Strauss to take over the Brass Mug on her Winter Wasteland Tour and take over she did. Nita and her band opened by flying on the stage with the theme from the Power Rangers. The audio and visual assault continued with “Mariana Trench” “Algeria” and “Lion Among Wolves” with all three of them coming off her previous full-length release in Controlled Chaos.

The beginning of her set was jaw-dropping and unexpected as I had only seen her playing with Alice Cooper. The ferocity of her playing was titanic with her slinging her custom Ibanez around her shoulders all over the stage. Asked earlier why she plays Ibanez guitars; her answer was simple and to the point “All my heroes play them.” She also likes them because they are light not like a Gibson which she equated to an old Model T Ford.

Another question that was asked was when she started playing and she answered with 13 years old and that she was inspired by watching Steve Vai in the movie “Crossroads” with Ralph Macchio. Nita also got the meet and greet crowd laughing when she stated she would play with anyone as long as it wasn’t the KKK. Nita also talked about playing with the Iron Maidens and with many other musicians including Jermaine Jackson in Africa, etc.

It was a non-stop shred fest as Nita continued with “Summer Storm” and then brought Like Machines vocalist Andrew Evans to sing the Alice Cooper classic in “Feed My Frankenstein” which brought the crowd to a frenzy.

After “The Quest,“ drummer Josh Villalta played with a variety of classic metal songs including “Walk” from Pantera, “Blackened” from Metallica, and “Holy Wars” from Megadeth.

Nita came back on the stage and introduced her friend for many years keyboardist Katt Scarlett.

Nita also talked a bit about not having concerts for the last couple of years and how of course the show must go on which led into the band “The Show Must Go On” by Queen. It was moving and gave me chills just listening to it as it’s one of the greatest Queen songs ever written and it was performed masterfully.

With a new album on the way, Nita took advantage of playing live once again and cranked out the first single from it in “Dead Again.” This is the song that has David Draiman of Disturbed plays with her. She mentioned earlier that she has wanted to collaborate with him for years along with the other vocalists on the new album. When asked who they were Nita replied that you’ll have to wait until the album comes out.

To close out the night, Nita shredded once again with “Our Desperate Hour” and thanked everyone for coming out.

If you love amazing musicianship, mind-blowing guitar playing, and an audio and visual assault, go see Nita Strauss, especially in a club setting near you on her Winter Wasteland tour. You will walk away saying “I’ll be back” and shaking your head asking yourself “Did I just get hit by a Hurricane?”

For show dates near you

https://www.nitastrauss.com/pages/tour

Setlist

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