WEBVTT 00:00:00.000 --> 00:00:02.379 Hey everybody, this is Frank Hannon from Tesla 00:00:02.379 --> 00:00:05.259 and I'm on my weekly mixtape with my friend Brian 00:00:05.259 --> 00:00:07.400 Colburn. We're going to be talking about all 00:00:07.400 --> 00:00:09.980 kinds of music and different things and stories 00:00:09.980 --> 00:00:13.259 about Tesla. So stay tuned and I hope you enjoy 00:00:13.259 --> 00:00:28.390 the show. Welcome to My Weekly Mixtape, a podcast 00:00:28.390 --> 00:00:31.910 that takes the classic mixtape approach to building 00:00:31.910 --> 00:00:34.609 a modern playlist. I'm your host, Brian Colburn. 00:00:34.829 --> 00:00:37.549 Tonight, I'm excited to welcome to the show the 00:00:37.549 --> 00:00:40.149 guitarist for one of the best hard rock bands 00:00:40.149 --> 00:00:44.090 to come out of the 1980s, one of my favorites, 00:00:44.329 --> 00:00:48.369 Tesla, and I get to welcome Mr. Frank Hannon 00:00:48.369 --> 00:00:50.369 to the show. Frank, thank you so much for joining 00:00:50.369 --> 00:00:53.950 me on My Weekly Mixtape. My Weekly Mixtape. I 00:00:53.950 --> 00:00:57.109 like it, Brian. Thank you for having me. Sounds 00:00:57.109 --> 00:00:58.670 like we're going to have a great conversation 00:00:58.670 --> 00:01:02.649 based on what we're talking about here. Yeah. 00:01:02.710 --> 00:01:05.689 So let's start with the actual name of the show, 00:01:05.750 --> 00:01:08.109 because I always ask my first time guests the 00:01:08.109 --> 00:01:11.370 word mixtape. What does it mean to you? Well, 00:01:11.590 --> 00:01:14.909 it means to me what we used to make back in high 00:01:14.909 --> 00:01:17.689 school when we actually had cassette tapes and 00:01:17.689 --> 00:01:21.269 ghetto blasters. And, you know, we would make. 00:01:21.629 --> 00:01:24.390 a compilation of our favorite tunes, you know. 00:01:24.450 --> 00:01:27.129 And I can tell you, for me, even going back to 00:01:27.129 --> 00:01:31.489 1979, my grandpa bought a ghetto blaster that 00:01:31.489 --> 00:01:34.069 would record directly off the radio. And the 00:01:34.069 --> 00:01:36.569 FM radio was playing such great music at the 00:01:36.569 --> 00:01:41.290 time. And I remember hitting record when Billy 00:01:41.290 --> 00:01:45.189 Squire was singing The Stroke. And then, you 00:01:45.189 --> 00:01:47.590 know, I remember hearing Green Man Alifi by Judas 00:01:47.590 --> 00:01:49.390 Priest on the radio, and I would hit record, 00:01:49.609 --> 00:01:52.969 you know. it was a magical time back then to 00:01:52.969 --> 00:01:55.569 make mixtapes. And so that's kind of what it 00:01:55.569 --> 00:01:58.549 means to me. Well, it's hard for me to believe 00:01:58.549 --> 00:02:02.109 that we're just a few short years away from the 00:02:02.109 --> 00:02:06.409 40th anniversary of Tesla's debut album, Mechanical 00:02:06.409 --> 00:02:10.289 Resonance. What would you say is the secret to 00:02:10.289 --> 00:02:13.409 the longevity to such tunes as Easy Come, Easy 00:02:13.409 --> 00:02:16.789 Go, Coming At Ya Live, and Modern Day Cowboy, 00:02:16.849 --> 00:02:21.460 just for starters? Well, I would say... that 00:02:21.460 --> 00:02:28.180 the secret to the longevity of that may lie in 00:02:28.180 --> 00:02:32.979 the fact that we were a band that had been playing 00:02:32.979 --> 00:02:37.819 the clubs for three or four years solid all the 00:02:37.819 --> 00:02:42.599 time. We worked really hard on those songs, developing 00:02:42.599 --> 00:02:47.719 them. a lot of different experiences with different 00:02:47.719 --> 00:02:50.879 people before we even recorded that first album. 00:02:51.180 --> 00:02:54.340 We were coached by Ronnie Montrose. We worked 00:02:54.340 --> 00:02:56.620 with Dwayne Hitchings, who was a songwriter. 00:02:56.919 --> 00:02:59.939 Max Norman came to one of our rehearsals and 00:02:59.939 --> 00:03:03.219 scolded us. We were getting coached and beat 00:03:03.219 --> 00:03:06.300 up by a lot of big name producers at the time, 00:03:06.379 --> 00:03:10.219 working on those songs in the clubs and playing 00:03:10.219 --> 00:03:13.740 them live. And when we went into the studio to 00:03:13.740 --> 00:03:17.860 record Mechanical Resonance, we played live in 00:03:17.860 --> 00:03:20.379 the studio. That was one of the things that Steve 00:03:20.379 --> 00:03:23.479 Thompson and Michael Barbiero and Tom Zutaut 00:03:23.479 --> 00:03:26.879 and Cliff Bernstein, the people that were working 00:03:26.879 --> 00:03:28.919 for our management and our production at that 00:03:28.919 --> 00:03:33.560 time, who took us under their wings, they insisted 00:03:33.560 --> 00:03:36.879 that we captured the band live and what they 00:03:36.879 --> 00:03:40.840 had witnessed us playing in the clubs. So I would 00:03:40.840 --> 00:03:44.139 say that the magic of that first Mechanical Resonance 00:03:44.139 --> 00:03:47.500 album and the longevity is a combination of it 00:03:47.500 --> 00:03:51.840 being live in the studio and songs that had been 00:03:51.840 --> 00:03:55.500 played live in the concert setting for a couple 00:03:55.500 --> 00:03:58.939 of years developing. Now, the band's cover of 00:03:58.939 --> 00:04:02.259 Ph .D.'s Little Susies on the Up charted higher 00:04:02.259 --> 00:04:04.479 than the original. And I'm going to be perfectly 00:04:04.479 --> 00:04:07.740 honest that I have shocked people when I told 00:04:07.740 --> 00:04:11.370 them. That little Susie is actually a cover song 00:04:11.370 --> 00:04:15.150 because I think it was the fifth video to air 00:04:15.150 --> 00:04:18.149 on MTV. So to me, there's some historical significance 00:04:18.149 --> 00:04:21.990 to it. But Tesla's version became so synonymous 00:04:21.990 --> 00:04:24.670 with the song. People forget that the original 00:04:24.670 --> 00:04:28.810 existed. I would love to hear how a cover of 00:04:28.810 --> 00:04:31.889 a new wave song came to fruition in the first 00:04:31.889 --> 00:04:35.209 place. Isn't that such a weird thing? That song. 00:04:36.029 --> 00:04:39.709 And it's such a great song, honestly, the way 00:04:39.709 --> 00:04:43.250 it's written and arranged. And for us, playing 00:04:43.250 --> 00:04:46.490 the acoustic guitar on it really was the key 00:04:46.490 --> 00:04:51.649 to making it sound like us. And again, I had 00:04:51.649 --> 00:04:53.889 just mentioned to you that we played the clubs 00:04:53.889 --> 00:04:56.949 for years and we were being coached by people. 00:04:58.360 --> 00:05:02.079 We were being coached by Ronnie Montrose, who 00:05:02.079 --> 00:05:06.040 was interested in being a producer at that time. 00:05:06.319 --> 00:05:07.959 Now, you got to remember, this is in the early 00:05:07.959 --> 00:05:12.259 80s, and the term producer, the producer was 00:05:12.259 --> 00:05:17.480 like a big deal on albums of that era. Mutt Lang 00:05:17.480 --> 00:05:23.120 was producing Def Leppard and Pyromania and ACDC, 00:05:23.220 --> 00:05:27.040 and Bruce Fairbairn was producing Bryan Adams. 00:05:27.759 --> 00:05:30.220 Max Zorman had just produced the Ozzy albums. 00:05:30.600 --> 00:05:35.060 So Ronnie Montrose wanted to be a producer. And 00:05:35.060 --> 00:05:37.860 you also got to remember that cover tunes at 00:05:37.860 --> 00:05:40.819 that time, if you could find an obscure cover 00:05:40.819 --> 00:05:44.160 and it became a hit, then that would be a hit 00:05:44.160 --> 00:05:47.500 for a band. Like when Van Halen covered You Really 00:05:47.500 --> 00:05:52.660 Got Me, right? Or when Quiet Riot covered Come 00:05:52.660 --> 00:05:58.360 On, Feel the Noise. Ronnie Montrose wanted to 00:05:58.360 --> 00:06:04.259 find a cover tune for us. And he brought Little 00:06:04.259 --> 00:06:09.180 Suzy of all songs in the world. Now, you got 00:06:09.180 --> 00:06:11.100 to remember, we were a cover band at that time 00:06:11.100 --> 00:06:13.540 as well. We were playing Top 40 in the clubs 00:06:13.540 --> 00:06:19.360 and we were covering Scorpions and ACDC. But 00:06:19.360 --> 00:06:23.560 the logic behind Little Suzy was that it was 00:06:23.560 --> 00:06:26.800 not a rock song. It was something completely 00:06:26.800 --> 00:06:29.540 different, but it was still a great song with 00:06:29.540 --> 00:06:31.939 a great message about a young gal trying to make 00:06:31.939 --> 00:06:37.839 it. And so Ronnie Montrose knew of the song and 00:06:37.839 --> 00:06:42.040 he suggested it to us and basically told us that 00:06:42.040 --> 00:06:44.139 if we did a good version of it, that it would 00:06:44.139 --> 00:06:49.300 be a hit. And he was right. And she's still paying 00:06:49.300 --> 00:06:54.959 our bills today. Well, in between Mechanical 00:06:54.959 --> 00:06:58.519 Resonance and 1989's The Great Radio Controversy, 00:06:58.519 --> 00:07:01.860 the quote unquote hair metal moment was well 00:07:01.860 --> 00:07:05.339 underway and labels were rushing out to find 00:07:05.339 --> 00:07:08.800 as many MTV ready bands as they could, while 00:07:08.800 --> 00:07:11.959 also working very hard to try to get other artists. 00:07:12.759 --> 00:07:15.100 to conform their sound to what was currently 00:07:15.100 --> 00:07:18.680 charting left and right on the charts. Yet when 00:07:18.680 --> 00:07:20.939 I listen to songs like Heaven's Trail, No Way 00:07:20.939 --> 00:07:24.120 Out, and Hang Tough, I hear a band that's 100 00:07:24.120 --> 00:07:27.660 % confident in the musical statement that they're 00:07:27.660 --> 00:07:31.180 making. And I always have wondered, did you have 00:07:31.180 --> 00:07:35.800 to fight for the songs that Tesla wanted to record 00:07:35.800 --> 00:07:39.639 and release? Or was Geffen 100 % in your corner 00:07:39.639 --> 00:07:44.269 during that period in time? Well, I would say 00:07:44.269 --> 00:07:48.009 it was both. OK, there was some songs that we 00:07:48.009 --> 00:07:53.709 had to fight for, but we were always being directed 00:07:53.709 --> 00:07:58.470 by the people that we worked with. to write the 00:07:58.470 --> 00:08:01.189 best songs we could possibly write and not have 00:08:01.189 --> 00:08:04.569 any filler material or cheesy garbage material 00:08:04.569 --> 00:08:07.790 on an album. They always insisted that the entire 00:08:07.790 --> 00:08:10.949 album be good, not just have one song on it that 00:08:10.949 --> 00:08:13.870 was good and the rest of it be junk. And when 00:08:13.870 --> 00:08:17.430 I'm talking about Cliff Bernstein and Peter Minch 00:08:17.430 --> 00:08:20.050 and Tom Zutaut, they were directing us at the 00:08:20.050 --> 00:08:25.009 time and they were responsible for Rush, Def 00:08:25.009 --> 00:08:32.259 Leppard. Metallica, ACDC, and Dokken. They were 00:08:32.259 --> 00:08:36.220 involved with some really high caliber kick -ass 00:08:36.220 --> 00:08:41.460 bands that had integrity. We were very lucky 00:08:41.460 --> 00:08:46.059 to be getting advice from them to try to write 00:08:46.059 --> 00:08:50.179 real songs that were gritty and from the heart 00:08:50.179 --> 00:08:54.610 and not cheesy. And they put a lot of high expectations 00:08:54.610 --> 00:08:59.269 on us because we were, again, in the company 00:08:59.269 --> 00:09:04.649 of bands like Metallica and Rush and ACDC, Scorpions, 00:09:04.809 --> 00:09:08.129 Def Leppard. That was the goal of being, you 00:09:08.129 --> 00:09:11.269 know, we weren't trying to compete with the glam 00:09:11.269 --> 00:09:15.169 bands and the trendy stuff. We were trying to 00:09:15.169 --> 00:09:19.110 be ourselves. And luckily, we weren't having 00:09:19.110 --> 00:09:24.580 pressure put on us to. be glam metal. We were 00:09:24.580 --> 00:09:28.179 having more pressure on us to be ourselves and 00:09:28.179 --> 00:09:30.799 to write the best songs that we could for ourselves. 00:09:31.620 --> 00:09:34.799 Well, speaking of best songs, one of my favorite 00:09:34.799 --> 00:09:38.299 things ever to play on acoustic guitar, it's 00:09:38.299 --> 00:09:41.919 actually the song that I play on a guitar when 00:09:41.919 --> 00:09:44.659 I want to make sure it's a guitar I want to purchase. 00:09:45.450 --> 00:09:48.450 is the beautiful finger -picking at the beginning 00:09:48.450 --> 00:09:51.929 to the band's smash hit love song. And I've always 00:09:51.929 --> 00:09:56.690 wondered why that gorgeous opening was never 00:09:56.690 --> 00:10:00.149 included on the radio edit that aired on MTV, 00:10:00.289 --> 00:10:03.090 because to me, that's part of the complete song. 00:10:03.409 --> 00:10:07.200 And at that moment in time... bands were stretching 00:10:07.200 --> 00:10:09.720 ballads well past the five minute mark because 00:10:09.720 --> 00:10:12.399 you had Bon Jovi's I'll Be There For You and 00:10:12.399 --> 00:10:15.379 Guns N' Roses Patience. So it always made me 00:10:15.379 --> 00:10:17.820 wonder why that signature part of the song never 00:10:17.820 --> 00:10:20.779 made the radio cut. Well, first of all, I want 00:10:20.779 --> 00:10:23.779 to say thank you, Brian, for the kudos and the 00:10:23.779 --> 00:10:27.419 compliment on that little thing there. And as 00:10:27.419 --> 00:10:31.779 far as why it wasn't included on the MTV version 00:10:31.779 --> 00:10:36.830 or whatever, I don't really know. We had a hard 00:10:36.830 --> 00:10:40.049 time even getting airplay as it was because we 00:10:40.049 --> 00:10:43.509 weren't a band like Bon Jovi that was that famous 00:10:43.509 --> 00:10:47.289 at that time. And maybe they didn't want video 00:10:47.289 --> 00:10:50.129 of just me playing the guitar by myself. I don't 00:10:50.129 --> 00:10:54.509 know. But it is on our Times Making Changes video. 00:10:54.850 --> 00:10:57.409 There's a version of me playing it live before 00:10:57.409 --> 00:11:00.710 Love Song with a beautiful sunrise coming up. 00:11:02.049 --> 00:11:04.980 There's a lot of... questions that we had on 00:11:04.980 --> 00:11:07.740 why this didn't happen and why that didn't happen. 00:11:07.820 --> 00:11:10.480 And I don't have the answer to that. But the 00:11:10.480 --> 00:11:14.100 fact that a guy like yourself just told me how 00:11:14.100 --> 00:11:17.360 much it means to you, then you know what? That's 00:11:17.360 --> 00:11:20.259 rewarding enough for me, man. Thank you so much. 00:11:20.419 --> 00:11:22.960 And it touches a lot of people and we play it 00:11:22.960 --> 00:11:26.600 in every show. And it's the most simplest but 00:11:26.600 --> 00:11:29.730 heartfelt little piece of music that. I've personally 00:11:29.730 --> 00:11:33.009 written and I'm very grateful that I was allowed 00:11:33.009 --> 00:11:35.129 to put it on the album, to be honest, because 00:11:35.129 --> 00:11:38.669 I recorded it at home and I sent the tape to 00:11:38.669 --> 00:11:41.370 New York and Michael Barbiero, bless his heart, 00:11:41.429 --> 00:11:44.029 he told me he would put it on the song for me. 00:11:44.110 --> 00:11:47.529 And so it was it was a gift from that angle that 00:11:47.529 --> 00:11:50.409 it even made it on the album. Wow, that's amazing. 00:11:50.789 --> 00:11:54.470 I actually had no idea about that. We were talking 00:11:54.470 --> 00:11:57.389 about Little Susie, right? That we were. Well. 00:11:57.820 --> 00:12:00.639 There's an acoustic piece that I did at the beginning 00:12:00.639 --> 00:12:03.700 of that that I'm even more proud of than the 00:12:03.700 --> 00:12:05.600 love song thing. And it's not even part of the 00:12:05.600 --> 00:12:08.799 original Little Suzy. That little piece of acoustic 00:12:08.799 --> 00:12:12.259 finger picking is something that I really am 00:12:12.259 --> 00:12:15.460 proud of musically. It's on our first album. 00:12:15.500 --> 00:12:18.679 It's an acoustic solo that I did that wasn't 00:12:18.679 --> 00:12:21.100 it got included on the song Little Suzy, but 00:12:21.100 --> 00:12:24.179 it's not a cover. That's my piece of music that. 00:12:24.830 --> 00:12:29.250 is actually harder to play than Love Song. Well, 00:12:29.350 --> 00:12:31.950 as someone who can play the opening to Love Song, 00:12:32.070 --> 00:12:34.669 but can't play that acoustic opening to Little 00:12:34.669 --> 00:12:38.070 Susie, I'm going to say you are 100 % accurate 00:12:38.070 --> 00:12:40.730 with that. Yeah, that little acoustic thing, 00:12:40.830 --> 00:12:44.009 it's called dad -gad tuning, D -A -D -G -A -D. 00:12:44.470 --> 00:12:48.250 And man, I really struggled hard to get that 00:12:48.250 --> 00:12:51.529 little thing. And I recorded it in my bathroom 00:12:51.529 --> 00:12:55.669 at home. And again, I sent the tape. to New York 00:12:55.669 --> 00:12:58.169 after the record was done and Michael Barbiero, 00:12:58.490 --> 00:13:01.809 the engineer, took the tape and snuck it in and 00:13:01.809 --> 00:13:05.129 slid it in onto the song. So that acoustic thing 00:13:05.129 --> 00:13:08.730 on Little Susie and the acoustic thing on Love 00:13:08.730 --> 00:13:12.409 Song were both little pieces of music that I 00:13:12.409 --> 00:13:16.110 wrote that were added into the music. Wow. Yeah. 00:13:16.690 --> 00:13:21.379 That blows my mind right there. Yeah. Well, I've 00:13:21.379 --> 00:13:24.200 always felt that the band's album, Five Man Acoustical 00:13:24.200 --> 00:13:28.240 Jam, was part of the musical lightning rod that 00:13:28.240 --> 00:13:32.779 led MTV to really dig their heels into the unplugged 00:13:32.779 --> 00:13:36.559 movement as we move throughout the 90s. And from 00:13:36.559 --> 00:13:40.200 what I've read over the years, the band was at 00:13:40.200 --> 00:13:43.519 one point reluctant around the thought of playing 00:13:43.519 --> 00:13:46.440 an entire acoustic set. So I would love to know. 00:13:46.840 --> 00:13:49.600 how this classic live acoustic album came to 00:13:49.600 --> 00:13:53.139 be and what the band thinks of it now in retrospect. 00:13:54.080 --> 00:13:57.559 Well, I would say that we weren't, it wasn't 00:13:57.559 --> 00:14:02.139 that we were reluctant to play acoustic because 00:14:02.139 --> 00:14:05.679 me personally, I was always the guy in the band 00:14:05.679 --> 00:14:09.899 playing acoustic. Right. And what we would do 00:14:09.899 --> 00:14:14.019 is we would go to radio stations during the day, 00:14:14.019 --> 00:14:18.009 like usually during a lunch hour. or do an interview 00:14:18.009 --> 00:14:20.789 or whatever. And we would bring acoustic guitars 00:14:20.789 --> 00:14:23.309 and we would talk on the air and we would play 00:14:23.309 --> 00:14:27.029 acoustic guitars and sing a couple songs. So 00:14:27.029 --> 00:14:31.149 we were always doing acoustic stuff like that. 00:14:31.429 --> 00:14:37.110 But I think what happened was that we were invited 00:14:37.110 --> 00:14:41.870 to perform at an awards ceremony in San Francisco 00:14:41.870 --> 00:14:46.220 Bay Area called the Bay Area Music Awards. And 00:14:46.220 --> 00:14:48.879 all of our electric equipment was in a truck 00:14:48.879 --> 00:14:50.840 on the East Coast. And we were only home for 00:14:50.840 --> 00:14:55.139 a few days. And so the only way we could perform 00:14:55.139 --> 00:14:58.980 at this Bay Area music thing was acoustically. 00:14:59.700 --> 00:15:02.179 And we didn't want to miss out on that opportunity. 00:15:02.259 --> 00:15:06.220 So we did it. We played one song or something 00:15:06.220 --> 00:15:08.960 and the crowd went nuts. It was like, wow, OK, 00:15:09.059 --> 00:15:11.279 this is something different. And the promoter 00:15:11.279 --> 00:15:14.590 of that show invited us to play at a club. and 00:15:14.590 --> 00:15:17.350 do a whole entire show, not only just one show, 00:15:17.429 --> 00:15:20.210 but two shows in one night at Slim's in San Francisco. 00:15:20.769 --> 00:15:22.889 And then that's when we started getting reluctant. 00:15:22.970 --> 00:15:24.370 We're like, wait a minute, that's going to be 00:15:24.370 --> 00:15:25.809 boring. I don't know. We don't know if we want 00:15:25.809 --> 00:15:29.250 to do a whole entire two shows of acoustic. And 00:15:29.250 --> 00:15:31.350 our manager, Peter Minch, said, well, maybe you 00:15:31.350 --> 00:15:33.070 guys just can't do it. You're not good enough. 00:15:33.250 --> 00:15:38.570 And so that was the challenge. And we said, OK, 00:15:38.730 --> 00:15:41.990 we'll show you. So we went to we rehearsed for 00:15:41.990 --> 00:15:45.769 three days and. changed our songs around a little 00:15:45.769 --> 00:15:48.330 bit to fit an acoustic vibe you like you know 00:15:48.330 --> 00:15:51.990 the the modern day cowboy now the campfire version 00:15:51.990 --> 00:15:56.049 of it exactly yeah coming at you live ended up 00:15:56.049 --> 00:15:59.309 being the grateful dead trucking version of it 00:15:59.309 --> 00:16:02.149 you know so we changed our songs to be a little 00:16:02.149 --> 00:16:05.870 bit more campfire friendly and we played the 00:16:05.870 --> 00:16:08.350 shows and they sold out and people loved it so 00:16:08.350 --> 00:16:11.049 fast forward a couple months that we were on 00:16:11.049 --> 00:16:14.820 the road with motley crew and we had a couple 00:16:14.820 --> 00:16:17.600 days off where we were bored, and we went ahead 00:16:17.600 --> 00:16:20.100 and booked a couple shows, and Philadelphia turned 00:16:20.100 --> 00:16:22.580 out to be one of them, and we recorded it, thank 00:16:22.580 --> 00:16:26.559 God, and then we mixed it. And the magic of that 00:16:26.559 --> 00:16:29.519 album to me is the audience. When we were mixing 00:16:29.519 --> 00:16:32.080 that album, I was in the studio in the control 00:16:32.080 --> 00:16:35.279 room, and I told the engineer to make sure and 00:16:35.279 --> 00:16:38.700 push the faders up. and turn up the audience 00:16:38.700 --> 00:16:41.480 sound really loud because I want the people to 00:16:41.480 --> 00:16:45.220 hear and feel the audience of the room. To me, 00:16:45.240 --> 00:16:47.879 the audience plays a critical role in any live 00:16:47.879 --> 00:16:50.779 performance. And if you listen to Five Man Acoustic 00:16:50.779 --> 00:16:54.759 Jam, the audience is really audible. I always 00:16:54.759 --> 00:16:58.059 loved the origins of the Five Man Acoustical 00:16:58.059 --> 00:17:02.710 Jam. album name as a nod to the five -man electrical 00:17:02.710 --> 00:17:06.309 band the original writers of the song signs and 00:17:06.309 --> 00:17:09.970 obviously the song went on to become a massive 00:17:09.970 --> 00:17:12.769 hit did you guys have any idea when you played 00:17:12.769 --> 00:17:16.109 that show that night where signs was just gonna 00:17:16.109 --> 00:17:20.069 blow up like that we really didn't have an idea 00:17:20.069 --> 00:17:22.769 that it would blow up but we did know that we 00:17:22.769 --> 00:17:28.109 loved the song and Signs is an example of when 00:17:28.109 --> 00:17:33.690 a lead vocalist feels the lyrics of a song and 00:17:33.690 --> 00:17:36.809 they deliver it. Jeff Keith, our singer, loved 00:17:36.809 --> 00:17:40.190 the lyrics of that song. We would just goof around 00:17:40.190 --> 00:17:44.349 on it and play it at radio stations. We were 00:17:44.349 --> 00:17:46.690 goofing around at a radio station in Boston. 00:17:47.690 --> 00:17:51.730 We played Signs and goofing around. They recorded 00:17:51.730 --> 00:17:56.000 it from that particular recording. their telephone 00:17:56.000 --> 00:17:58.339 started ringing. People were calling them and 00:17:58.339 --> 00:18:01.740 saying, hey, we want to hear that song Signs 00:18:01.740 --> 00:18:05.819 again. And so we did get a notion that people 00:18:05.819 --> 00:18:08.259 loved the song and they could feel that Jeff, 00:18:08.480 --> 00:18:12.759 our singer, was delivering it. And so that's 00:18:12.759 --> 00:18:15.460 when we decided that, well, heck, let's release 00:18:15.460 --> 00:18:17.660 it from that Philadelphia show and then the rest 00:18:17.660 --> 00:18:20.759 is history. Well, I have one last question about 00:18:20.759 --> 00:18:23.690 Five Man. Because this is a part that on the 00:18:23.690 --> 00:18:26.869 VHS tape that I owned growing up, five -man video 00:18:26.869 --> 00:18:30.410 band. During Love Song, which we spoke about 00:18:30.410 --> 00:18:32.390 earlier, you guys play the first half of the 00:18:32.390 --> 00:18:36.569 song acoustic. And then you stand up, smack your 00:18:36.569 --> 00:18:39.250 mic stand over, and start shredding on electric 00:18:39.250 --> 00:18:42.549 guitar. Seeing that moment for the first time 00:18:42.549 --> 00:18:47.069 on VHS and hearing it on the album blew my mind 00:18:47.069 --> 00:18:50.930 as a 13 -year -old. I'd love to know what the 00:18:50.930 --> 00:18:53.849 mindset was for the band to take that moment 00:18:53.849 --> 00:18:58.230 in time to plug in and kind of break the acoustic 00:18:58.230 --> 00:19:01.089 ceiling, if you will, for that part of the song. 00:19:01.849 --> 00:19:05.089 Well, I appreciate you saying that. That was 00:19:05.089 --> 00:19:08.410 just one of those kind of fluke moments where 00:19:08.410 --> 00:19:12.490 it was the end of the show, the very end, and 00:19:12.490 --> 00:19:16.769 the guys in the band were telling me that they 00:19:16.769 --> 00:19:20.640 really missed my solo of the electric guitar 00:19:20.640 --> 00:19:24.460 solo that i play in love song the actual solo 00:19:24.460 --> 00:19:27.640 itself is pretty melodic and a big epic kind 00:19:27.640 --> 00:19:31.740 of thing and love song does that on its own even 00:19:31.740 --> 00:19:34.480 the studio version starts off mellow and ends 00:19:34.480 --> 00:19:39.180 with a big crescendo yes so i just randomly did 00:19:39.180 --> 00:19:41.759 it when we were doing those shows uh when we 00:19:41.759 --> 00:19:44.160 were practicing i just randomly picked up the 00:19:44.160 --> 00:19:46.200 electric guitar kind of out of frustration of 00:19:46.200 --> 00:19:48.869 sitting down all night and just it was an accident 00:19:48.869 --> 00:19:51.410 and i did it and the guys were going yes do that 00:19:51.410 --> 00:19:53.490 frankie do that they you know they were giving 00:19:53.490 --> 00:19:56.710 me a lot of support you know brian and tommy 00:19:56.710 --> 00:19:59.309 and jeff and troy those guys you know i was the 00:19:59.309 --> 00:20:02.750 youngest guy in the band at the time and they 00:20:02.750 --> 00:20:05.710 were always really supportive of me as being 00:20:05.710 --> 00:20:08.210 the young guitar player guy and whenever i would 00:20:08.210 --> 00:20:10.430 come up with a crazy idea or something they would 00:20:10.430 --> 00:20:13.549 give me the thumbs up and It was just one of 00:20:13.549 --> 00:20:17.109 those flukes that I did on accident and it worked 00:20:17.109 --> 00:20:20.230 in the show. That it certainly did. Moving along 00:20:20.230 --> 00:20:22.940 the timeline here. There's a meme that's circulating 00:20:22.940 --> 00:20:25.380 about seven cassette tapes that were originally 00:20:25.380 --> 00:20:29.160 released in 1991 and all were within 44 days 00:20:29.160 --> 00:20:31.880 of each other. And those cassettes were Metallica's 00:20:31.880 --> 00:20:35.259 Black Album, Pearl Jam's 10, Guns N' Roses' Use 00:20:35.259 --> 00:20:38.099 Your Illusion 1 and 2, Red Hot Chili Peppers' 00:20:38.220 --> 00:20:41.380 Blood Sugar Sex Magic, and Soundgarden's Bad 00:20:41.380 --> 00:20:44.579 Motor Finger. But fun fact... Right dead smack 00:20:44.579 --> 00:20:47.839 in the middle of all those releases came Tesla's 00:20:47.839 --> 00:20:51.619 incredible Psychotic Supper, which the lead single 00:20:51.619 --> 00:20:55.119 Edison's Medicine is probably my favorite Tesla 00:20:55.119 --> 00:20:58.420 track of all time. Given the change in the music 00:20:58.420 --> 00:21:02.119 climate of 1991 and the massive success of Five 00:21:02.119 --> 00:21:05.160 Man, did you guys feel that the stakes were even 00:21:05.160 --> 00:21:08.400 higher for Psychotic Supper? Well, you know, 00:21:08.420 --> 00:21:12.599 Psychotic Supper is an album for Tesla. that 00:21:12.599 --> 00:21:16.599 we were very strong willed at that point wanted 00:21:16.599 --> 00:21:19.980 to do whatever the hell we wanted to do and we 00:21:19.980 --> 00:21:23.799 weren't really taking that advice anymore that 00:21:23.799 --> 00:21:26.140 we used to take like i told you we were always 00:21:26.140 --> 00:21:28.839 being instructed and coached by people and at 00:21:28.839 --> 00:21:31.200 that point we were like giving the middle finger 00:21:31.200 --> 00:21:34.160 to everybody and i think i think it really comes 00:21:34.160 --> 00:21:37.000 across on the album you can really hear the angst 00:21:37.000 --> 00:21:40.079 and the edginess of it we put a lot of pressure 00:21:40.079 --> 00:21:44.019 on ourselves to try to capture the band live 00:21:44.019 --> 00:21:48.259 on that particular album. It's really raw. And 00:21:48.259 --> 00:21:51.519 we recorded it in Manhattan, right in the city 00:21:51.519 --> 00:21:53.839 at the power station, right in the center of 00:21:53.839 --> 00:21:56.500 Manhattan. We were there for three months and 00:21:56.500 --> 00:21:59.859 just going crazy. And that's why the title of 00:21:59.859 --> 00:22:02.740 it, Psychotic Supper, is definitely appropriate 00:22:02.740 --> 00:22:08.589 for it. Tesla didn't really. have a problem with 00:22:08.589 --> 00:22:11.690 the changes and the grunge and the trends that 00:22:11.690 --> 00:22:15.490 came and went through music most of our own problems 00:22:15.490 --> 00:22:19.329 were self -inflicted within internally as far 00:22:19.329 --> 00:22:23.150 as you know drinking and using drugs and not 00:22:23.150 --> 00:22:26.410 ever taking a break you know we didn't ever take 00:22:26.410 --> 00:22:28.450 a break from the time we released mechanical 00:22:28.450 --> 00:22:30.890 resonance until we did the psychotic separate 00:22:30.890 --> 00:22:33.690 tour headlining all the way until we did last 00:22:33.690 --> 00:22:37.190 action hero and then We really got burnt out. 00:22:37.410 --> 00:22:40.609 And, you know, we had a really great run. But 00:22:40.609 --> 00:22:44.690 we near the end of it, we started really like 00:22:44.690 --> 00:22:47.730 every band. I don't care if it's Led Zeppelin 00:22:47.730 --> 00:22:50.809 or Van Halen. The first 10 years, the ending 00:22:50.809 --> 00:22:53.170 part of that first 10 years when you're really 00:22:53.170 --> 00:22:55.710 getting high all the time on drugs and alcohol 00:22:55.710 --> 00:22:59.509 and egos are out of control. You know, we kind 00:22:59.509 --> 00:23:03.049 of self imploded at the end of that headlining 00:23:03.049 --> 00:23:05.630 tour. But it was that I'm not going to blame 00:23:05.630 --> 00:23:07.650 grunge or any of that. You know, I mean, yeah, 00:23:07.650 --> 00:23:11.210 grunge probably killed a lot of glam metal lipstick 00:23:11.210 --> 00:23:14.450 wearing bands, but we didn't have that problem. 00:23:15.130 --> 00:23:18.069 It was mostly our own problems. But, you know, 00:23:18.069 --> 00:23:20.250 all those bands you just mentioned, Guns N' Roses, 00:23:20.289 --> 00:23:23.150 Soundgarden, we love all those bands, have mad 00:23:23.150 --> 00:23:25.849 respect for all of them. And by the time you 00:23:25.849 --> 00:23:28.430 got to 1994, like you were talking about, the 00:23:28.430 --> 00:23:31.170 band was in this burnout. When you listen back 00:23:31.170 --> 00:23:34.490 to Bust a Nut, to me. That's still a classic 00:23:34.490 --> 00:23:36.329 Tesla album. Cause I think about, they had the 00:23:36.329 --> 00:23:38.369 radio hits mama's fool and need your loving, 00:23:38.390 --> 00:23:41.509 but there was songs like the gate invited and 00:23:41.509 --> 00:23:44.950 solution that to me were, is some of the best 00:23:44.950 --> 00:23:47.849 stuff Tesla's ever done. Did you guys really 00:23:47.849 --> 00:23:49.869 feel at that point? Like there was some writing 00:23:49.869 --> 00:23:51.990 on the wall or something. Cause it was shortly 00:23:51.990 --> 00:23:54.170 after that album that the band decided to take 00:23:54.170 --> 00:23:58.029 a break. Yeah. Yeah. That album was at the end 00:23:58.029 --> 00:24:00.940 of our first chapter. And like I said, we had 00:24:00.940 --> 00:24:02.839 reached a point at that point with substance 00:24:02.839 --> 00:24:07.539 abuse and egos and problems that weren't there 00:24:07.539 --> 00:24:11.960 for the first half of that 10 years that manifested 00:24:11.960 --> 00:24:14.759 themselves. Again, I agree with you. It's a great 00:24:14.759 --> 00:24:17.440 album, Shine Away, Solution. I mean, we worked 00:24:17.440 --> 00:24:20.420 really hard on that album. And Terry Thomas, 00:24:20.839 --> 00:24:23.819 the producer, was a fantastic engineer, killer 00:24:23.819 --> 00:24:27.200 producer, learned a lot from him. You know, he 00:24:27.200 --> 00:24:30.619 salvaged it as much as he could. He also went 00:24:30.619 --> 00:24:33.299 on to produce our later albums like Forevermore. 00:24:33.859 --> 00:24:36.700 And, you know, we love Terry Thomas, great producer. 00:24:36.779 --> 00:24:38.819 He produced Bad Company and some other bands. 00:24:39.420 --> 00:24:42.640 But we had gone through a period at that point 00:24:42.640 --> 00:24:45.559 by then at the end of that first chapter. And, 00:24:45.579 --> 00:24:48.319 you know, like I said, Soundgarden, Led Zeppelin, 00:24:48.539 --> 00:24:51.819 Van Halen with David Lee Roth. Every great band 00:24:51.819 --> 00:24:54.859 goes through their heyday of about the first 00:24:54.859 --> 00:24:58.559 10 years. And then they self -destruct and then 00:24:58.559 --> 00:25:01.339 they get back together and try to resurrect it 00:25:01.339 --> 00:25:03.339 again, which is what we've done. We're looking 00:25:03.339 --> 00:25:06.799 at 40 years now, you know, and we've made a lot 00:25:06.799 --> 00:25:09.200 of albums after that chapter two and chapter 00:25:09.200 --> 00:25:13.259 three of Tesla. You know, we did Into the Now. 00:25:13.400 --> 00:25:17.319 We've done Simplicity, Real to Real, Forevermore, 00:25:17.599 --> 00:25:21.160 you know, Time to Rock, Shock. We've done a lot 00:25:21.160 --> 00:25:24.259 of recordings and stuff in the chapters following. 00:25:25.000 --> 00:25:28.079 But Bustin' Out was the end of chapter one, and 00:25:28.079 --> 00:25:31.240 it was a difficult time for us because of our 00:25:31.240 --> 00:25:34.029 own internal problems that we were having. Well, 00:25:34.049 --> 00:25:36.309 I want to talk about chapter two now, because 00:25:36.309 --> 00:25:39.450 after that 10 year break, the aughts brought 00:25:39.450 --> 00:25:42.210 two incredible albums that you just mentioned 00:25:42.210 --> 00:25:45.210 in what you were talking about. 2004 is into 00:25:45.210 --> 00:25:48.069 the now, which features amazing tracks like what 00:25:48.069 --> 00:25:51.549 a shame, mighty mouse and the title track. And 00:25:51.549 --> 00:25:55.089 then 2008 is forever more featuring. I want to 00:25:55.089 --> 00:25:58.109 live the first time and the title track. Both 00:25:58.109 --> 00:26:00.390 of these albums show to me a perfect balance 00:26:00.390 --> 00:26:04.180 of a band that. knows how to balance the sounds 00:26:04.180 --> 00:26:06.920 that people know and want to hear from tesla 00:26:06.920 --> 00:26:10.859 but also push new grounds musically and it was 00:26:10.859 --> 00:26:13.839 also between these two albums where tommy skio 00:26:13.839 --> 00:26:16.700 was replaced by dave rude in the band can you 00:26:16.700 --> 00:26:19.799 talk about what the aughts were in terms of a 00:26:19.799 --> 00:26:22.480 musical transition and what dave brought and 00:26:22.480 --> 00:26:26.619 continues to bring to tesla currently yeah sure 00:26:26.619 --> 00:26:30.099 you know let me see so yeah you mentioned into 00:26:30.099 --> 00:26:33.500 the now uh that's when we got back together and 00:26:33.500 --> 00:26:37.740 we had gone through a period of time like four 00:26:37.740 --> 00:26:42.180 or five years of very difficult low period of 00:26:42.180 --> 00:26:46.140 time for all of us individually i had a band 00:26:46.140 --> 00:26:48.339 called moondog maine that i worked really hard 00:26:48.339 --> 00:26:51.500 on that didn't get very far and the same with 00:26:51.789 --> 00:26:55.789 Jeff and Tommy and Brian had Soul Motor and Tommy 00:26:55.789 --> 00:26:58.950 and Jeff had Sofa King or whatever. And it was 00:26:58.950 --> 00:27:01.829 a low point because everyone, our fans wanted 00:27:01.829 --> 00:27:03.750 Tesla. They didn't want any of that other stuff. 00:27:03.990 --> 00:27:07.069 They wanted to hear Tesla back together. So we 00:27:07.069 --> 00:27:10.230 got back together and we sold out a show immediately 00:27:10.230 --> 00:27:15.329 on Halloween night. And it was amazing. And then 00:27:15.329 --> 00:27:17.230 we went on tour and we did the Rock Never Stops 00:27:17.230 --> 00:27:22.769 tour in 2000, 2001. the fans were just really 00:27:22.769 --> 00:27:25.609 supportive of us being back together so we put 00:27:25.609 --> 00:27:29.150 together the album into the now which the title 00:27:29.150 --> 00:27:31.509 itself is talking about us coming into the new 00:27:31.509 --> 00:27:35.849 millennia after you know 2000 y2k pass and now 00:27:35.849 --> 00:27:39.529 here we are again it was like a rebirth you know 00:27:39.529 --> 00:27:43.049 what i mean but it's a roller coaster ride man 00:27:43.049 --> 00:27:46.250 i tell you man when you've got personal problems 00:27:46.250 --> 00:27:49.950 and personalities and bad blood and history and 00:27:49.950 --> 00:27:53.630 the different ego trips and problems that sometimes 00:27:53.630 --> 00:27:57.329 will still exist, you know, and Grace Lick said 00:27:57.329 --> 00:27:59.809 it perfectly. When rock and roll is great, it's 00:27:59.809 --> 00:28:01.930 the best. It's the greatest thing. And when it's 00:28:01.930 --> 00:28:04.390 not, when it's hard, it's the worst. It's the 00:28:04.390 --> 00:28:07.650 hardest. It's a freaking roller coaster. I always 00:28:07.650 --> 00:28:11.150 equate it to being a surfer, man, and you catch 00:28:11.150 --> 00:28:13.309 a wave and you ride it in and then you got to 00:28:13.309 --> 00:28:16.190 swim back out and catch another wave, you know, 00:28:16.210 --> 00:28:21.500 getting back to those waves of hard times during 00:28:21.500 --> 00:28:25.559 that period uh i searched and searched and searched 00:28:25.559 --> 00:28:27.619 for a guitar player that had the personality 00:28:27.619 --> 00:28:30.920 that we needed that was solid and dependable 00:28:30.920 --> 00:28:34.799 and into the band for the band as a team you 00:28:34.799 --> 00:28:40.819 know and i found dave rude on myspace and went 00:28:40.819 --> 00:28:43.119 and jammed with them and the chemistry was great 00:28:43.119 --> 00:28:45.740 and i had already jammed with about 10 other 00:28:45.740 --> 00:28:48.680 players and they were great players but it just 00:28:48.680 --> 00:28:50.900 the chemistry wasn't right with the right hand 00:28:50.900 --> 00:28:52.640 when you're a guitar player you got to have the 00:28:52.640 --> 00:28:55.839 right hand synchronized and rhythm the body clock 00:28:55.839 --> 00:28:59.480 and dave fit perfectly with that and brought 00:28:59.480 --> 00:29:02.039 a great new energy to the band and he's been 00:29:02.039 --> 00:29:05.640 with us now for what 18 years or something it's 00:29:05.640 --> 00:29:08.519 it's been great and uh we've kept this thing 00:29:08.519 --> 00:29:11.359 going kept it alive and created some new music 00:29:11.359 --> 00:29:15.900 and uh been riding those waves man And now we're 00:29:15.900 --> 00:29:18.559 looking at 40 years of this. We're going to be 00:29:18.559 --> 00:29:21.359 in Las Vegas doing residencies again. We got 00:29:21.359 --> 00:29:25.140 invited back to perform five nights in one venue, 00:29:25.240 --> 00:29:29.500 which is a feat. We've done tours with Def Leppard, 00:29:29.579 --> 00:29:32.480 with Styx, with Joan Jett, with REO Speedwagon. 00:29:32.480 --> 00:29:36.359 We just did a show with them last month. So we're 00:29:36.359 --> 00:29:39.519 firing on all cylinders. And it's survival, man. 00:29:39.579 --> 00:29:41.819 You got to swim back out and catch another wave. 00:29:41.980 --> 00:29:45.119 That's just how I look at it. There's a lot of 00:29:45.119 --> 00:29:47.440 swimming involved, man. You know, when you're 00:29:47.440 --> 00:29:49.720 a surfer, you're not riding waves. You got to 00:29:49.720 --> 00:29:51.799 fucking work and swim and you got to go out there 00:29:51.799 --> 00:29:54.119 and find the right wave to jump on. And that's 00:29:54.119 --> 00:29:56.259 kind of how it is with music. When you're in 00:29:56.259 --> 00:29:59.339 a band, you ride a wave and then you get back 00:29:59.339 --> 00:30:01.380 on the beach and you write some more songs and 00:30:01.380 --> 00:30:03.680 you swim and you work hard and make another album. 00:30:03.740 --> 00:30:06.180 Then you go back out there and ride that wave 00:30:06.180 --> 00:30:09.259 again. Every year, it's a new wave. Well, I want 00:30:09.259 --> 00:30:12.079 to talk about the wave from 2007 because I am 00:30:12.079 --> 00:30:15.640 a sucker for cover songs and the band's reel 00:30:15.640 --> 00:30:18.740 to reels volume one and two are some of my favorite 00:30:18.740 --> 00:30:23.480 cover albums ever. And I want to focus on one 00:30:23.480 --> 00:30:26.900 song because when I was a kid, my parents fooled 00:30:26.900 --> 00:30:30.480 me and they got me to listen to music by explaining 00:30:30.480 --> 00:30:33.180 to me that if they put a record on, they were 00:30:33.180 --> 00:30:36.740 going to show me a guitar that would talk to 00:30:36.740 --> 00:30:40.079 me. And my parents put on Frampton Comes Alive 00:30:40.079 --> 00:30:43.839 and introduced me to Do You Feel Like We Do? 00:30:44.059 --> 00:30:48.680 Your version on that album is literally equal 00:30:48.680 --> 00:30:52.319 in power to me. And I would love to know from 00:30:52.319 --> 00:30:56.039 one guitarist to another. How do you put your 00:30:56.039 --> 00:30:59.039 stamp on a legendary solo, talk box and all, 00:30:59.180 --> 00:31:01.940 and approach the balance between paying homage 00:31:01.940 --> 00:31:05.180 to a song that you love and putting your personal 00:31:05.180 --> 00:31:06.920 stamp on it? Because you guys knocked it out 00:31:06.920 --> 00:31:09.900 of the park. Well, gosh, thanks, man. I appreciate 00:31:09.900 --> 00:31:13.519 it. And that's a song that, yeah, you don't want 00:31:13.519 --> 00:31:19.240 to screw it up. You know? Yeah. You hear a lot 00:31:19.240 --> 00:31:21.619 of covers and you hear a lot of people do things 00:31:21.619 --> 00:31:23.880 and sometimes they'll butcher a song and change 00:31:23.880 --> 00:31:27.940 it to try to be clever and make it their own 00:31:27.940 --> 00:31:30.400 and they'll train wreck it. We didn't want to 00:31:30.400 --> 00:31:33.839 do that. We wanted to keep it true to what Peter 00:31:33.839 --> 00:31:36.160 Frampton did and so we tried to keep it true 00:31:36.160 --> 00:31:39.720 to that. But it's ingrained. That song is ingrained. 00:31:39.920 --> 00:31:42.960 I've been listening to that live album, Frampton 00:31:42.960 --> 00:31:45.119 Comes Alive, in my headphones since I was 10 00:31:45.119 --> 00:31:47.799 years old when it came out. And I probably heard 00:31:47.799 --> 00:31:51.559 it 7000 times in my ears, you know, so it's kind 00:31:51.559 --> 00:31:55.119 of in my blood. You know, some music, it's weird 00:31:55.119 --> 00:31:57.140 with music. There's some songs where I can pick 00:31:57.140 --> 00:31:59.059 up a guitar and just start playing it. And I've 00:31:59.059 --> 00:32:01.059 never played it before, but I just can I can 00:32:01.059 --> 00:32:03.339 play it just because I've heard it so much. It 00:32:03.339 --> 00:32:06.740 becomes second nature. You know, it becomes part 00:32:06.740 --> 00:32:11.400 of your DNA. And, you know, Aerosmith and Frampton 00:32:11.400 --> 00:32:14.119 and artists like that are definitely part of 00:32:14.119 --> 00:32:17.859 our DNA. And that's why we did S .O .S. Too Bad 00:32:17.859 --> 00:32:20.859 on our new live album, because that's part of 00:32:20.859 --> 00:32:23.819 our DNA. You know, J .K., our singer, Steven 00:32:23.819 --> 00:32:26.960 Tyler is definitely part of his DNA influence, 00:32:27.220 --> 00:32:31.559 you know. So that's where that comes from. And 00:32:31.559 --> 00:32:33.480 speaking of real to real, I want to announce 00:32:33.480 --> 00:32:36.680 that we're remastering it for vinyl and it's 00:32:36.680 --> 00:32:39.200 going to be coming out on Record Store Day next 00:32:39.200 --> 00:32:42.089 year. We just finished the artwork for it. And 00:32:42.089 --> 00:32:44.490 it's going to be really great. Remastered on 00:32:44.490 --> 00:32:48.150 vinyl. Oh, I can't wait. So there you have it. 00:32:48.250 --> 00:32:50.670 News announcement for you. Well, I appreciate 00:32:50.670 --> 00:32:53.430 you using my weekly mixtape to announce it. All 00:32:53.430 --> 00:32:56.680 right. Now with eight studio albums, two cover 00:32:56.680 --> 00:32:59.200 song albums, and multiple live releases, the 00:32:59.200 --> 00:33:01.940 band has quite a massive song list to pull from. 00:33:02.180 --> 00:33:05.299 How do you guys decide what songs make your live 00:33:05.299 --> 00:33:07.259 sets? Because at this stage of your career, I'm 00:33:07.259 --> 00:33:09.359 certain the crowd is divided between the folks 00:33:09.359 --> 00:33:12.119 that want nothing but the hits and the folks 00:33:12.119 --> 00:33:14.700 that want to hear deeper cuts and some jams like 00:33:14.700 --> 00:33:17.759 the tracks that you guys included on Full Throttle 00:33:17.759 --> 00:33:20.380 Live. Because to me, Full Throttle Live feels 00:33:20.380 --> 00:33:23.900 like the cornucopia of Tesla Deep Cuts. Well, 00:33:23.920 --> 00:33:26.220 thanks. Yeah, we did that on purpose. We decided 00:33:26.220 --> 00:33:29.700 for Full Throttle Live to keep it with the deeper 00:33:29.700 --> 00:33:32.579 tracks and the heavier side of things, like miles 00:33:32.579 --> 00:33:36.559 away and lazy days, crazy nights and stuff like 00:33:36.559 --> 00:33:38.960 that. You know, the deeper cuts. Well, we did 00:33:38.960 --> 00:33:41.480 that on purpose for Full Throttle Live. So, you 00:33:41.480 --> 00:33:44.000 know, one of the great things about these residencies 00:33:44.000 --> 00:33:48.779 is it forces us to. change our set every night 00:33:48.779 --> 00:33:51.180 a little bit i mean we obviously play the hits 00:33:51.180 --> 00:33:55.039 that sports fans want to hear but the true right 00:33:55.039 --> 00:33:57.279 diehard fans want to hear different ones and 00:33:57.279 --> 00:33:59.519 the ones that come to every show we wanted to 00:33:59.519 --> 00:34:02.500 change it up for them so we practice during the 00:34:02.500 --> 00:34:06.799 day and we listen to jk his voice you know and 00:34:06.799 --> 00:34:10.099 determine what he can honestly sing and what 00:34:10.099 --> 00:34:12.739 maybe we shouldn't try to make him sing you know 00:34:12.739 --> 00:34:16.780 that's going to ruin his voice and i'll experiment 00:34:16.780 --> 00:34:19.320 with trying the songs maybe in a better key for 00:34:19.320 --> 00:34:22.800 him you know it's things like that and make the 00:34:22.800 --> 00:34:25.159 song sound better and if the song sounds great 00:34:25.159 --> 00:34:27.300 at soundcheck then we'll put it in the set that 00:34:27.300 --> 00:34:32.119 night and you know we have a list of a songs 00:34:32.119 --> 00:34:35.780 b songs and deep c songs that are deeper cuts 00:34:35.780 --> 00:34:41.019 and you know like if we're doing 18 songs we 00:34:41.019 --> 00:34:43.840 want to do 12 of them that are the hits that 00:34:43.840 --> 00:34:46.360 we have to do like what you give love song modern 00:34:46.360 --> 00:34:49.340 -day cowboy signs and then we've got three or 00:34:49.340 --> 00:34:52.260 four songs that we rotate like stir it up or 00:34:52.260 --> 00:34:56.380 song and emotion or The way it is or whatever 00:34:56.380 --> 00:34:59.960 songs that we rotate and change the set different 00:34:59.960 --> 00:35:03.280 each night So that's how we do it and it all 00:35:03.280 --> 00:35:08.059 depends on what he can say well since 2021, the 00:35:08.059 --> 00:35:11.400 band has released two new studio singles, 2021's 00:35:11.400 --> 00:35:14.599 Cold Blue Steel, which is a nod to Southern rock 00:35:14.599 --> 00:35:18.380 legends Lynyrd Skynyrd, as well as 2022's Time 00:35:18.380 --> 00:35:22.159 to Rock. Are the days of Tesla's studio albums 00:35:22.159 --> 00:35:24.699 done, or are these two songs maybe teasers to 00:35:24.699 --> 00:35:28.139 a new full length? Well, we might put these all 00:35:28.139 --> 00:35:31.300 together on a compilation thing, you know, but 00:35:31.300 --> 00:35:34.260 I don't really know the answer. I don't really 00:35:34.260 --> 00:35:38.780 have a crystal ball. other than things have changed 00:35:38.780 --> 00:35:43.159 completely. We're a lot older now and the media, 00:35:43.300 --> 00:35:45.480 the way people consume music, the way people 00:35:45.480 --> 00:35:49.420 listen to music is different. So we don't want 00:35:49.420 --> 00:35:53.639 to lock ourselves away up for a year and try 00:35:53.639 --> 00:35:58.199 to fabricate 12 songs and hopefully somebody 00:35:58.199 --> 00:36:00.559 will like one or two of them. It's like it's 00:36:00.559 --> 00:36:04.119 a waste of time now to do that for us at our 00:36:04.119 --> 00:36:08.159 stage in our life. We would rather create one 00:36:08.159 --> 00:36:10.400 or two new things that we're feeling really strong 00:36:10.400 --> 00:36:13.320 about and put them out now while they're feeling 00:36:13.320 --> 00:36:16.980 good. Instead of like doing it the old fashioned 00:36:16.980 --> 00:36:20.159 way where we would spend a year trying to write 00:36:20.159 --> 00:36:23.940 a full length album and it's not the same anymore. 00:36:24.099 --> 00:36:26.099 And things change. That's just the way it is. 00:36:26.199 --> 00:36:28.659 And we're happy with the way we're doing things 00:36:28.659 --> 00:36:32.599 now. Will we ever, never make a full length album 00:36:32.599 --> 00:36:35.159 and do it the old fashioned way? I can't tell 00:36:35.159 --> 00:36:38.239 you. All I can tell you is that right now we're 00:36:38.239 --> 00:36:42.199 really happy creating a song and putting it out 00:36:42.199 --> 00:36:45.619 in the moment. And we've got a new song in the 00:36:45.619 --> 00:36:47.579 pipeline that we're planning on recording in 00:36:47.579 --> 00:36:50.780 February. It's going to be another love song. 00:36:50.940 --> 00:36:54.079 It's called All About Love. We've got a couple 00:36:54.079 --> 00:36:56.099 more ideas for a couple more different covers 00:36:56.099 --> 00:36:58.969 we're going to do. I've got a new solo album 00:36:58.969 --> 00:37:01.849 I've been working on. You know, Brian's got projects. 00:37:01.969 --> 00:37:03.829 Dave Rude's going to come out with a project 00:37:03.829 --> 00:37:07.230 he's been chipping away at for a year. So, you 00:37:07.230 --> 00:37:11.710 know, we're living more in the moment now than 00:37:11.710 --> 00:37:15.889 we ever have before, because thanks to the cell 00:37:15.889 --> 00:37:21.050 phone and the way social media is today, it's 00:37:21.050 --> 00:37:24.030 all in the moment. Everything is fresh and in 00:37:24.030 --> 00:37:26.929 the moment. I can record a thing right now and 00:37:26.929 --> 00:37:29.329 post it and it'd be out there right now. Whereas 00:37:29.329 --> 00:37:31.769 in the old days, we would have to keep our fingers 00:37:31.769 --> 00:37:34.949 crossed and hope that MTV might play it if MTV 00:37:34.949 --> 00:37:37.769 was still around or if a radio station maybe 00:37:37.769 --> 00:37:40.409 might play it. Nowadays, we don't have to freaking 00:37:40.409 --> 00:37:42.969 worry about that. We can just record what we 00:37:42.969 --> 00:37:44.710 want and put it out and people are going to hear 00:37:44.710 --> 00:37:47.949 it right away. And we like that. Singles or albums, 00:37:48.030 --> 00:37:50.570 as long as there's a steady stream of Tesla music 00:37:50.570 --> 00:37:52.590 still coming the fans way, I think we're all 00:37:52.590 --> 00:37:55.050 going to be happy. Yeah, yeah. We don't want 00:37:55.050 --> 00:37:56.949 to make people wait and we don't want to wait 00:37:56.949 --> 00:38:00.510 and slave to the grind for a year trying to create. 00:38:00.550 --> 00:38:03.070 Because then you're in a mindset of fabricating 00:38:03.070 --> 00:38:05.710 something that maybe is not going to be as good 00:38:05.710 --> 00:38:08.730 as if you just focus on one or two things in 00:38:08.730 --> 00:38:11.230 the moment and put them out when they're feeling 00:38:11.230 --> 00:38:15.570 fresh. It's a lot more fun. Well, if you had 00:38:15.570 --> 00:38:19.550 to sum up Tesla's musical legacy in three songs. 00:38:20.230 --> 00:38:22.809 What three songs would you choose and why? And 00:38:22.809 --> 00:38:25.409 I don't mean your favorites. I mean, songs that 00:38:25.409 --> 00:38:28.110 you feel like if you had to tell someone this 00:38:28.110 --> 00:38:32.070 is the story of Tesla in three songs, which three 00:38:32.070 --> 00:38:35.769 songs would they be? Well, I would stay away 00:38:35.769 --> 00:38:37.889 from the covers, even though we do covers really 00:38:37.889 --> 00:38:41.889 well. I would stick to modern day cowboy because 00:38:41.889 --> 00:38:45.250 to me, that song is timeless with the lyrics. 00:38:45.920 --> 00:38:49.300 and the guitar riffs are a great example of us 00:38:49.300 --> 00:38:51.559 being a team and collaborating and putting together 00:38:51.559 --> 00:38:54.260 guitar parts that were very innovative at the 00:38:54.260 --> 00:38:58.159 time and the lyrics jk's singing about the usa 00:38:58.159 --> 00:39:02.320 and the ussr and it's still relevant today so 00:39:02.320 --> 00:39:05.380 modern day cowboy being our first single to me 00:39:05.380 --> 00:39:09.400 definitely i'm very proud of that song and then 00:39:09.400 --> 00:39:14.750 i would say love song because it's Another example 00:39:14.750 --> 00:39:18.150 of a song that we fought for that has the acoustic 00:39:18.150 --> 00:39:22.349 intro and has the musical arrangement of something 00:39:22.349 --> 00:39:25.010 that's very different. And then I would say probably 00:39:25.010 --> 00:39:29.949 What You Give. Lyrically, it's one of JK's best 00:39:29.949 --> 00:39:32.849 moments. And those would be my three original 00:39:32.849 --> 00:39:36.789 songs for Tesla. Well, Frank, this has been an 00:39:36.789 --> 00:39:39.170 absolute pleasure speaking with you tonight. 00:39:39.250 --> 00:39:41.510 Thank you so much for joining me on my weekly 00:39:41.510 --> 00:39:44.869 mixtape. My weekly mixtape. I love it, Brian. 00:39:45.050 --> 00:39:47.389 Thank you for having me. And I hope I didn't 00:39:47.389 --> 00:39:51.369 bore y 'all with too much weird stuff. I would 00:39:51.369 --> 00:39:54.130 say quite the opposite, man. Again, man, we're 00:39:54.130 --> 00:39:57.489 riding that wave, swimming and swimming and surviving. 00:39:57.889 --> 00:40:00.650 Well, thank you very much for doing that because 00:40:00.650 --> 00:40:04.769 we here appreciate the music so, so much. Thanks, 00:40:04.869 --> 00:40:06.590 man. And I want to tell everybody that's how 00:40:06.590 --> 00:40:10.269 life is, man. You can survive the storms. It's 00:40:10.269 --> 00:40:14.150 a crazy world. Just try to, you know, find some 00:40:14.150 --> 00:40:16.670 inner peace and just don't get too caught up 00:40:16.670 --> 00:40:19.190 in the craziness and just keep on swimming, keeping 00:40:19.190 --> 00:40:22.309 your head above the water and hang tough out 00:40:22.309 --> 00:40:24.780 there. And remember, mixtapers, you can head 00:40:24.780 --> 00:40:28.320 to the episode page at myweeklymixtape .com and 00:40:28.320 --> 00:40:31.179 hear a playlist of all the songs we've discussed 00:40:31.179 --> 00:40:34.019 in tonight's discussion. You can also head to 00:40:34.019 --> 00:40:36.840 myweeklymixtape .com to hear the full catalog 00:40:36.840 --> 00:40:40.079 of my weekly mixtape episodes. And if you like 00:40:40.079 --> 00:40:41.980 what you're hearing on the show, you can help 00:40:41.980 --> 00:40:44.300 me out by either telling a friend. leaving the 00:40:44.300 --> 00:40:46.360 show a five -star review wherever you're tuning 00:40:46.360 --> 00:40:49.760 in, or by becoming a Patreon mixtape or at patreon 00:40:49.760 --> 00:40:53.900 .com forward slash myweeklymixtape. That's all 00:40:53.900 --> 00:40:55.659 for this week. Thanks again for listening, and 00:40:55.659 --> 00:40:57.639 until next time, enjoy the tunes.