In a new interview with Ralph Rasmussen of Radio Bypass, TESLA bassist Brian Wheat spoke about the possibility of him and his bandmates releasing a full-length album as a follow-up to 2019’s “Shock”. He said (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): “I don’t think so. And the reason I say ‘no’ is it takes so much time. And TESLA works a certain way. TESLA works by us all being in the room together. We’re scattered all over the world, for one. We do 60 to 75 shows a year. There’s that. We’ve been doing it for 40 years. There’s that. It’s hard to find the time to get together and say, ‘Okay, we need to dedicate…’ Like ‘Shock’, the last record we did, that took a year of our lives. We were doing it on the road. And we also had Phil Collen [of DEF LEPPARD] kind of spearheading it and keeping it organized. We have a hard time keeping organized within ourselves, because it’s a different thing. So, I don’t wanna spend a year of TESLA‘s life with a band that’s on their 40th year when TESLA could be out playing to people.”
Wheat went on to say that there is a practical reason TESLA‘s touring days may be numbered.
“When Jeff [Keith, TESLA singer] can’t sing to the level he does now, there won’t be TESLA,” Brian explained. “I’m not up for getting an Arnel [Pineda-style soundalike] character or you know somebody else to sing with TESLA. Jeff‘s voice is TESLA. I’m not diminishing Frank [Hannon, TESLA guitarist], I’m not diminishing myself or former TESLA drummer] Troy [Luccketta] or [former TESLA guitarist] Tommy [Skeoch] or [TESLA guitarist] Dave [Rude], but that voice is the sound of TESLA, even though some people might disagree.
“I mean, listen, [TESLA] could have another bass player tomorrow,” Wheat added. “It wouldn’t fucking matter. You can’t have another singer — not that singer. Not at that point — not 40 years down the line, you don’t bring in somebody else because [Jeff] can’t sing. I think when he can’t sing anymore, we owe it to ourselves and to the fans to call it a day. And then at that point, you can go into the studio, if you wanna make a record, like THE BEATLES did, where you can do things and still make a record that sounds great.
“We pride ourselves in TESLA being able to play very well live,” Brian said. “When people [tell us], ‘You guys sound better than your records,’ we wear like a proud badge. If we can’t do that, there’s no point in doing it. So, that’s part of the reason why TESLA won’t make a brand new record. We’re older, people have families, there’s lots of things. And we made — what? — 14 albums? And so with that you’ll see maybe two or three singles a year. And we can do that. That’s doable for us. Me and Jeff were just together last week — he was here in Florida and we were working on a couple of things that are gonna be for the next TESLA project to come out. And I don’t wanna talk about it ’cause I don’t wanna give it away. So I’m not gonna say what it is or whatever. But there’s some more new TESLA stuff coming out this year. Plus TESLA tour dates. So TESLA is still doing everything TESLA‘s always done, just not making a whole brand new record.”
When Rasmussen noted that 2026 will mark the 40th anniversary of TESLA‘s debut album, “Mechanical Resonance”, and that it would be “cool” for the band to commemorate the occasion in some way, Wheat concurred. “Yes, there’s talk of a 40th-anniversary tour of that album, and I can’t really say what that is, but it would be a big tour that we’d be a part of,” he said. “Just think there’s some other bands that have 40th anniversaries of their big, huge records same time. So there’s talk maybe of something like that with a particular band, both celebrating a 40-year anniversary together. And there’s a few bands. But we’re just talking a little bit about it. That’s all. These things on paper always look good, and then when you try to put all the moving parts together, nine out of ten times they fall through. So, will we do something special on the 40th anniversary of ‘Mechanical Resonance’? Yes. Don’t know what, but there will be something. To do another album, full-length album? Again, it’s 2025, you’re asking me to spend all 2026 making a record. And the other thing is, the band can’t afford to be off the road for a year. I know people think, ‘Oh, you’re in a rock band. You sold millions of records. You must be filthy rich.’ Not the case. TESLA earns their living by going out and playing.”
Earlier this month, TESLA released the official music video for the electric version of “All About Love”, the title track of the band’s latest six-song EP, “All About Love”.
Released last November, “All About Love” includes four versions of “All About Love” (acoustic, electric, hybrid, live); a live version of “Walk Away”, a concert favorite from “Reel To Real, Vol. 1”; and another new song, “From The Heart”, an instrumental track by guitarist Frank Hannon.
Some fans criticized TESLA for adopting a 1980s-style polished production for “Shock”. The follow-up to June 2014’s “Simplicity” was helmed by DEF LEPPARD guitarist Phil Collen, whose own group is no stranger to slicked-up, glossy-sounding recordings.
In September 2023, TESLA released the official music video for its cover of AEROSMITH‘s “S.O.S. (Too Bad)”. The song is a bonus track on TESLA‘s live album, “Full Throttle Live!”, which arrived in May 2023. The LP includes the band’s “Time To Rock!” single, plus other songs, all recorded in August 2022 at Full Throttle Saloon in Sturgis, South Dakota.
In September 2021, original TESLA drummer Troy Luccketta announced that he would “take a little time from the road” to spend with family and friends. He has since been replaced at TESLA‘s gigs and in the recording studio by Steve Brown, the younger brother of former DOKKEN drummer Mick Brown.
TESLA‘s debut album, 1986’s “Mechanical Resonance”, went platinum on the strength of the hits “Modern Day Cowboy” and “Little Suzi”. The 1989 follow-up album, “The Great Radio Controversy”, produced five hits, including “Heaven’s Trail (No Way Out)” and “Love Song”, which hit the pop Top Ten.
Source: blabbermouth.net
