New Nita Strauss Single Features Alice Cooper

Nita Strauss releases new single featuring Alice Cooper

Nita Strauss has released a third single from her forthcoming second solo album and enlisted her boss to sing on it! The song is called ‘Winner Takes All’ and you can check out it out on YouTube or below.

Kane Roberts has been talking to ‘The Shoe’ podcast clearing up some confusion over his role in the last tour and standing in for Nita Strauss. Check it out on YouTube.

Also worth checking out is video of Alice, Ryan, Tommy and Sheryl rehearsing for the recent private acoustic show earlier this month. It’s something you don’t see very often! That’s also on YouTube. The same channel also has a short clip of the Q&A with Alice talking about the Hollywood Vampires, plus clips of Under My Wheels and Eighteen from the show although the sound is poor.

Hollywood Vampires Release Rio Show

he Hollywood Vampires will release their 2015 ‘Rock In Rio’ show on CD, vinyl and blu-ray on June 2nd.

The Hollywood Vampires will release their 2015 ‘Rock In Rio’ show on CD, vinyl and blu-ray on June 2nd. The show, supporting their first album; saw the band play in front of over 100,000 people and includes guest appearances from Lzzy Hale, Andreas Kisser (Sepultura) and Zak Starkey (The Who). You can pre-order via AmazonUK and AmazonUS now. The full track listing is as follows:

1. Raise The Dead
2. My Generation
3. I Got A Line On You
4. Cold Turkey
5. Five To One / Break On Through (To The Other Side)
6. Manic Depression
7. 7 And 7 Is
8. Whole Lotta Love
9. Jeepster
10. I’m A Boy
11. School’s Out
12. Billion Dollar Babies
13. Train Kept A-Rollin’
14. Brown Sugar

Alice has been talking to Ultimate Classic Rock about the forthcoming "Road" album, which features the current band, and also a possible original band album.

"Well, there’s a new album coming out with my touring band right now. I wanted to show off the touring band, so we wrote songs, went in the studio, and I said, “Here’s the deal on this album: No overdubs.” I said, “Everything has to be done in the studio live because the whole idea of this album is showing off how good this band is live.” So when you hear this album, it sounds like a studio album, but it’s actually them playing live in the studio. That album will be coming out, and then, the thing with the original band is when we broke up, we never broke up with any bad blood. We went to high school together, we were on the cross country and track team together, things like that. There was never bad blood between any of us, and we always… I mean, I would ask Dennis [Dunaway], “Dennis, could you come in and play bass on this song?” “Yeah. Could you sing on this song? I’ve got a thing going on with this band that I’m in.” “OK.” So there was never that like, “Oh, I’m never gonna talk to him again,” or “I’m never gonna work with him again.” So we’ve always been writing. “Neal Smith will send me three or four songs and I’ll do some writing lyrics on it and send it back to him, and he has his own band. Dennis is in two or three bands. Mike [Michael Bruce], they’re always working musicians. So when we write 10 or 12 songs, I don’t know exactly what that’s going to be, but I know that those songs exist now. So I’m thinking about in the future, that would be kind of a cool thing."

Tommy Henriksen’s Crossbone Skully has launched a kickstarter campaign for an official comic book, ‘Thing #1’, based on the forthcoming album. There are as usual various levels of support beginning with a simple digital pdf from just $5. You can find all the information here.

Distortions Unlimited, the company that builds many of the props used in the Alice Cooper show, have posted a ‘Behind The Monsters’ video demonstrating some of their creations, including one that has so far not been used on stage. Check it out here. The company also has a couple of old Alice related items for sale online here.

Ryan Roxie is the guest on ‘The Guitar Coach’ podcast which you can watch on YouTube.

Welcome Back Nita

There has been a fair amount of speculation as to who would take the third guitarist spot on the forthcoming Alice Cooper dates, especially after Kane Roberts – who played last years Autumn shows – effectively ruled himself out on facebook. Of course, to anyone who had actually read what was said when Nita Strauss "left" the band last summer it should come as no real surprise that it’s now officially confirmed she will be back with the band from next month after playing one more show with Demi Lovato – the only date Lovato has booked for this year. Alice and Nita posted the following announcements:

"She’s Back! Nita asked for a leave of absence to work with someone else, something I always encourage my band members to do. I like them to challenge themselves and try new things. I’m thankful to my old friend Kane Roberts for stepping up and filling in for her, but she’ll be back with us for the new tour that starts up in late April. It’s going to be great to have her back.” – Alice Cooper

“From the studio to the stage, it’s always an immense honor to make music with Alice Cooper!! I’m very excited to be rejoining the band on the road for the 2023 dates, and so I’ll see you on the road in April. Let the nightmare return!” – Nita Strauss

Alice has also been talking about the forthcoming tour and new album on ‘Nights With Alice Cooper. No details, but he confirms the Castle stage set is gone and that there will be a completely new show next month, and that the next studio album is due to be released this year: “There’s another album coming out that’s really gonna knock you out. Everybody really likes it, the people that have heard it so far. It’s just a rocking rock and roll album.”

The Hollywood Vampires have released a new video for “You Can’t Put Your Arms Around A Memory” from the ‘Rise’ album in advance of their European tour. You can check it out here or below.

Dennis Dunaway was on ‘The City’s Backyard’ podcast last week promoting the show at Westport Library on March 10th. You can catch up on it here.

Neal Smith was on TalkShopLive last week launching and playing songs from his new album ‘Killsmith Goes West’ and you can watch the whole 80 minute show and purchase copies now here.

New Show Added and RIP Jack Curtis

Alice Cooper and Rob Zombie have added an additional date to the ‘Freaks On Parade’ co-headline tour in September. They play the Azura Amphitheater in Bonner Springs, KS on September 15th. Pre-sale tickets go on sale on Wednesday using the code FREAKS23 while the general sale begins on Friday.

Last week saw the sad news that the legendary Jack Curtis passed away on Wednesday at the age of 88. Curtis was the man who "discovered" the Spiders – who became Alice Cooper – booking them for regular shows at his VIP Club in Phoenix and helping them record their first record. But beyond that Jack was a hugely influential figure in the Phoenix music scene for decades. Dennis Dunaway posted the following tribute:

"Jack Curtis was like Arizona’s Dick Clark. His clubs allowed no drinking and he hired good local bands and paid them fairly, you might even say generously. On occasion, he brought in national and even international acts.
There was a main [VIP Club] stage at one end of the rectangular room. And at the other end of the room was our stage, The Spider Sanctum (named by Jack). The concept was non-stop entertainment. When band’s like The Byrds would finish their set, the Spiders would start playing and the crowd would simply turn around.
Jack’s wholesome personality made him a prime target for our shenanigans. We could make him blush, and we could make him want to strangle us. But we knew he wouldn’t fire us because the VIP Lounge had a 900 capacity but we were packing in 1,000 to 1,100 kids each night.
The Spiders rehearsed at the VIP and Jack was usually doing paperwork. One day, as he was leaving, we knew it was his birthday, so we all followed him out to his car so we could see the look on his face when he discovered we had filled his car with balloons. He was in such a hurry to get to a dinner engagement that we only had time to remove enough balloons for him to fit into the driver’s seat. He drove off that way.
He was fun to tease but, like all Phoenix musicians, we respected him.
He once said, I don’t know what it is, but whatever it is, you guys have it. That meant a great deal to us."

Neal Smith To Release New Album

Neal Smith is releasing a new Killsmith album next month called “Killsmith Goes West”. The album will include 10 new songs and Neal will be launching the album via a live appearance on TalkShop.live on March 2nd at 7PM ET (Midnight UK Time). You can pre-order signed copies of the CD now via Talkshop.live.

In addition to Blue Coupe’s show at the Westport library on March 10th Dennis Dunaway will be returning there on April 2nd for a book signing featuring the famed ‘Snakes Museum of Rare Alice Cooper Artifacts’ and a screening of ‘Live From The Astroturf’. You can get all the details here.

There’s another new book on Alice Cooper coming out on March 28th. This one is Sickthing Chris Sutton’s sequel to his “Alice Cooper in the 1970s” and is called “Alice Cooper in the 1980s.” As the title suggests, this book will concentrate on Alice’s career between ‘Flush The Fashion’ in 1980 and the mega-hit album ‘Trash’ in 1989, a period often given little if any space in other AC books. Chris has interviewed many of the key players from the period including Mike Pinera, Jan Uvena, John Nitzinger, Graham Shaw, Ken Mary, Kip Winger, Kane Roberts, John McCurry and Al Pitrelli so there promises to be lots of new stories to enjoy. You can pre-order the book now via AmazonUK and AmazonUS

Alice Adds Mount Pleasant

Alice Cooper has added a show at the start of the ‘Too Close For Comfort’ tour. He’ll be at the Souring Eagle Casino & Resort in Mount Pleasant, MI on April 28th and pre-sale tickets go on sale tomorrow via AC.com with general public on-sale on Saturday.

This years ‘Coopstock’ festival has also been announced. The fundraiser will take place on April 2nd at the Las Sendas Golf Club in Mesa., AZ and will feature Chuck Garric, Tommy Thayer (Kiss), Robin Zander (Cheap Trick), and Ed Roland (Collective Soul) amongst others. Tickets went on sale today.

Ryan Roxie Interviews and Blue Coupe play Westport

Guitar World has a new interview with Ryan Roxie talking about working with Alice and the gear he uses. He’s also been talking to Rockpages.gr in advance of his solo show in Athens on February 18th.

Blue Coupe featuring Dennis Dunaway, Joe Bouchard and Al Bouchard will play a special fundraiser at Westport, CT library on March 10th as part of ‘VersoFest 2023’ with guests Tish and Snooky. Tickets are available now.

Freaks On Parade US Tour Announced

Freaks On Parade US Tour Announced

Alice Cooper and Rob Zombie head out on the road together again on the ‘Freaks On Parade’ starting August 24th in Dallas. Support comes from Ministry and Filter. Pre-sale tickets and VIP Packages will be available from tomorrow at 12pm local time with code ‘FREAKS23’. General tickets go on sale Friday, February 3rd at 10am local time. The dates so far are as follows:

August 24th – Dallas, TX – Dos Equis Pavilion
August 26th – Tampa, FL – MIDFLORIDA Credit Union Amphitheatre
August 27th – West Palm Beach, FL – iTHINK Financial Amphitheatre
August 29th – Raleigh, NC – Coastal Credit Union Music Park At Walnut Creek
August 30th – Virginia Beach, VA – Veterans United Home Loans Amphitheater at Virginia Beach
September 1st – Tinley Park, IL – Hollywood Casino Amphitheatre
September 2nd – Des Moines, IA – Wells Fargo Arena
September 5th – Clarkston, MI – Pine Knob Music Theatre​
September 6th – Toronto, ON – Budweiser Stage
September 8th – Scranton, PA – The Pavilion at Montage Mountain
September 9th – Wantagh, NY – Northwell Health at Jones Beach Theater
September 10th – Hartford, CT – Xfinity Theatre
September 12th – Nashville, TN – Bridgestone Arena
September 16th – Englewood, CO – Fiddler’s Green Amphitheatre
September 19th – Ridgefield, WA – RV Inn Style Resorts Amphitheater
September 20th – Auburn, WA – White River Amphitheatre
September 22nd – Concord, CA – Concord Pavilion
September 23rd – Anaheim, CA – Honda Center
September 24th – Phoenix, AZ – Talking Stick Resort Amphitheatre

New Shows Added

Alice Cooper has announced three additional shows to the ‘Too Close For Comfort’ Tour. Tickets go on sale tomorrow using the usual password of ‘SICKTHINGS’. The new dates are:

April 30th – Hershey Theatre, Hershey, PA
May 5th – Mystic Lake Casino Hotel, Prior Lake, MN
May 7th – Tyson Events Centre, Sioux City, IA

Alice for Power Of Love Benefit

Alice Cooper, Sammy Hagar and Kevin Cronin are among the stars to take part in the 26th annual "Power Of Love" gala in Vegas

Alice Cooper, Sammy Hagar and Kevin Cronin are among the stars to take part in the 26th annual "Power Of Love" gala on February 18th at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas, NV. The event raises money for the Cleveland Lou Ruvo Center for Brain Health.

Ryan Roxie will be appearing at the Birmingham Guitar Show at Cranmore Park, Birmingham (UK) on Saturday February 25th. In addition to this he will be doing a short private acoustic show at a ‘top secret location’ but this is already sold out. You can apply to be put on a ‘waiting list’ in case in case any additional tickets become available. Details here.

Nita Strauss has posted a new video recap about her recent Meniscus repair surgery and her recovery which you can see here.

Music Box in Cleveland, OH are to host a free "Alice Cooper @75′ book event on March 9th to mark the launch of the "Alice Cooper @75" book by Gary Graff. The event will feature author Graff along with legendary concert promoter Jules Belkin, WMMS FM 100.7 program director John Gorman and Alice Cooper superfan Bill Peters. Entry is free but you need to book a table in advance here.