Tesla

Not Another Hair Band

Very few hard rock bands reached the height of popularity in the 1980s without being the butt of jokes, then and /or now, despite selling millions of records. Some bands were better known for their non-musical shenanigans, despite achieving platinum sales. Some artists embrace their Aquanet past, while other bands disavow it to get back in the spotlight.

At least one band, Tesla, was above the fray, even during the height of their success in the late 1980s. Yeah, they had long hair and blues-based sound, but that’s where the similarity ended. Tesla wasn’t biker metal, dark ‘n’ medieval or sex ‘n’ hairspray. They just played good rock music that attained moments of brilliance, ("Modern Day Cowboy," for example) and earned the respect of critics and the record buying public.

Five working class kids from Sacramento, Tesla got together and played local clubs as City Kidd, playing straightforward, no frills rock at time when most bands trying to make it concentrated on twiddly guitar solos and shrieking vocals. The original line-up has played on all the band’s albums, not an easy feat for any band, much less one that had most of their hits in the halcyon days of Headbangers’ Ball and RIP Magazine. Guitarist Frank Hannon is the band’s main songwriter, and along with Tommy Skeoch, is responsible for some of the most underrated guitar work of the “hair band” era. Jeff Keith’s vocals were reminiscent Steve Tyler with a smokier tinge, and bassist Brian Wheat and drummer Troy Lucchetta provided the backbeat. The band was discovered at a showcase in Hollywood and signed to Geffen Records. The name change to Tesla, initially suggested by a management type, turned out to be a good move. The new moniker, a salute to Nikola Tesla, the Serbian electrical engineer and inventor, was another characteristic that separated the band from the world of Poisons and Ratts.

In 1986, Tesla’s first LP Mechanical Resonance was released and attained almost instant success thanks to the epic "Modern Day Cowboy." Recorded at the famous Bearsville studio in upstate New York, it demonstrated the band’s commercial songwriting ability and their propensity for no holds barred rock. "Modern Day Cowboy" joined the rotation of Headbangers’ Ball, and propelled the band onto opening slots for David Lee Roth, Alice Cooper, Def Leppard and Europe.

Playing against type with The Great Radio Controversy, the band distinguished itself as a breath of fresh air in a world of glamhead metal. The album package, which feaured Nikola Tesla oriented artwork and liner notes, featured "Heavens Trail (No Way Out)" and "Love Song," and went double platinum. Five Man Acoustical Jam followed. This album, the impetus for MTV’s “Unplugged,” is probably Tesla’s most name-checked release. "Signs" is the band’s best-known song, which is ironic because it’s a cover. Five Man Acoustical Jam was recorded as a warm up gig before their tour. Staying true to their beliefs, the band resisted record company attempts to doctor the recording and left it au naturale, miscues and all.

Psychotic Supper, released in 1991 didn’t cause the stir of their two previous albums, but it sure got alot of airplay. "Call it What You Want," "Edison’s Medicine," "Song & Emotion,"(dedicated to Def Leppard’s Steve Clark) are four of the album's hits. Supper is Tesla’s best sounding studio album, probably because it’s free of excessive production and gives the band room to breathe. "Song & Emotion" is a classic example of that genre we like to call Monster Ballads, though not as sappy as the entries by more tarted-up bands of the era.

Even the band’s next album, Bust A Nut, fared respectably despite competing with Pearl Jam and Nirvana. By then, any artist remotely connected with the metal moniker was verboten.

In 1993, a group of high school students in Michigan errected a statue of Nikola Tesla. The ensuing PR for the eccentric scientist was a good thing, even if the group’s name was changed to Tesla initially just because it sounded cool. Skeoch was kicked out of the band in 1995 when his chemical infractions caused trouble. Soon thereafter, the remaining members went their separate ways with Skeoch and Keith eventually pairing up for Bar 7. Hannon worked on solo projects. None of the post-Tesla projects fared well, and the band reformed in their hometown of Sacramento in 2001 for a live concert, later released as Tesla Replugged in 2001. Tesla headlined the “Rock Never Stops” tour in 2002, supported by Vince Neil, Jackyl and Skid Row. To quote the old song from Sesame Street: “one of these things is not like the others, one of these things does not belong.” Tesla’s smart but accessible blue collar rock is certainly more enduring than the fun-but-stuck-in-the-80s-cock-rock of the other bands on the bill.

The band entered the studio with new material in 2003, which later became Into The Now. Released on the infamous Sanctuary Label, the band promoted the album with extensive touring. Taking cues from Aerosmith, Metallica and other bands, the group went through “band therapy” and it seemed to help. However, as of July 2004, Skeoch’s drug problems returned to haunt him and he entered a drug rehabilitation program, and was temporarily replaced on tour by guitarist Scott Johnson.

Into The Now, Tesla’s first studio album since 1994, stays true to the band’s signature sound with a few nods to modern contrivances. The album certainly isn’t anachronistic, though it doesn’t quite fit into any of 2004’s musical niches. The band still sounds great, and Hannon and Skeoch still have their chops intact. The crash and burn of Into The Now catches your attention and keeps you interested. The rattle and churning rhythm of the title track, combined with Keith’s raspy voice, sets off the album nicely. "Look At Me" has the mature lyrics of a man who has come to gripes with life and learned a lot. Into The Now is the kind of CD you can play all the way through without being tempted to hit the skip button, which is a tough thing for even “hip” bands to accomplish nowadays. "What A Shame" and "Heaven Nine Eleven," an epic that evokes feelings of that fateful day, are other standout tracks. The reverb on the latter’s vocals cheapens the sentiment a bit, but that’s nitpicking. Purists are touting Into The Now as an alternative to Velvet Revolver drugs and sex paeans, mach 2004. In other words, it has all the makings of a Vintage Rock classic.

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