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TESLA |
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By Andy Laudano |
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For Tesla, it’s always been about what’s most important - the music. Even though they got started in the mid to late 80’s (when some bands worried more about their hair and makeup than making a great record), Tesla was more of a throwback to the bluesy, hard rock bands of the late 70’s and early 80’s. “We started off as teenagers covering songs from our favorite bands,” guitarist Frank Hannon recalls. “We were learning AC/DC, Aerosmith, Zeppelin, UFO and Scorpions songs in our garage and played them at parties. As we got older, we wanted to play bars and clubs.” “We had a band called Earthshaker, playing Y&T covers but, in the early 80’s, things started getting more “poppy.” We changed our name to City Kidd and began playing more pop kinda music, but we really didn’t like it that much. “We realized we needed to start writing our own songs. We’d written “Modern Day Cowboy,” “Cummin’ Atcha Live” and stuff like that, when Ronnie Montrose discovered us playing in a club. He helped us with a demo and brought us the song “Little Suzi.” We opened for Montrose and Y&T and started getting recognition as a young band that really kicked ass.” Shortly after changing their name to Tesla, the band released their first album, Mechanical Resonance. The album was a huge hit, and Tesla was soon opening for David Lee Roth, Alice Cooper and then Def Leppard on the Hysteria tour. “That was amazing,” Hannon notes. “That was the first “in-the-round” tour we’d ever seen. Def Leppard was so good to us. They treated us like best friends. They bought us guitars as presents. They gave us the entire stage to work with and didn’t try to hold us back at all. They treated us great and that stuck with us, cuz we try to treat our opening bands great.” Tesla’s sophomore effort, The Great Radio Controversy was another fantastic album, followed by the amazing Five Man Acousical Jam. “We received “The Bammy” - a Bay Area Music Award, but all our equipment was loaded up on the truck,” Hannon reveals. “We brought acoustic guitars to the awards show, everybody liked it, so our manager challenged us to play a small gig like that. We tried it, and it went off really well. A few months later we were on the road with Mötley Crüe, and we were going to radio stations with our acoustic guitars. We played “Signs” at this Boston radio station. They recorded it and continued playing it after we left town, because they got numerous requests for it. At the same time we’d booked a few more club shows. We decided to record one because they were so different. We never planned on releasing it but, when “Signs” became such a big hit in Boston, we had to.” With the release of their third album, Psychotic Supper, Tesla was now a headliner. But shortly after their fourth, Bust A Nut, the band took a six-year hiatus, as guitarist Tommy Skeoch struggled with substance abuse. “We all struggled really hard through the break up,” Hannon relates. “I had a job trimming trees and raking leaves. We all went broke and lost marriages and homes. We never realized what a good thing we had, so now we cherish more than ever what we’ve got with our music and the gift of being able to do what we do.” Tesla returned stronger than ever, with the brilliant Into the Now album. “We didn’t want to make a “slouch” record,” Hannon explains. “It took us two years to write, record and produce it ourselves. Just like the title, the goal was to take our music Into the Now and keep it current.” After parting ways with Skeoch, Tesla found their new guitarist, Dave Rude on MySpace. “I immediately knew he was the guy,” Hannon states. “I’d already played with about 20 other guitar players, so I knew exactly what I was looking for. It’s really a gift having him in the band right now but it didn’t come easy. We went through years of trying to rescue Tommy.” A fun covers album, Real to Reel, came out next. “We always wanted to do a covers album but then everybody started putting them out before us, so we decided to put a twist on it,” Hannon notes. “We did it all analog on a reel-to-reel tape machine, which is why it’s called Real to Reel.” Much like Into the Now, Tesla’s latest masterpiece, Forever More sounds fresh and contemporary, without sacrificing any of the heavy guitars, catchy melodies and optimistic message the band is known for. Response has been overwhelmingly positive. In a move that would be suicide for most other bands, Tesla is playing a substantial amount of the new album on their current tour. “Over half our live set is Forever More music,” Hannon reveals. “The people are so happy to hear us do the new songs. I look out into the crowd, and they’re singing along to every word. After the shows, they come up to us and thank us for playing the new stuff. It’s been a trip.” Future plans include touring throughout the year and eventually recording a live album from this tour. For the latest news, check out the band’s website and fan club, Tesla Troops, at www.teslatheband.com. |
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