Former TESLA Guitarist TOMMY SKEOCH Quits RESIST & BITE, Joins BAD MARRIAGE

Former TESLA guitarist Tommy Skeoch has quit RESIST & BITE, the band hew launched more than three years ago. Joining him in the group were ex-LYNCH MOB lead vocalist Nathan Utz, guitarist Steve Stokes, drummer David Parks and bassist Brian Powell. Parks was later replaced by Michael Foreman (PANDORA'S BOX).

On Sunday (July 2),Skeoch took to his Facebook page to write: "Hey everyone, Fudgers & Fludgettes, I will no longer b playing in RESIST&BITE, those shows in California [in late June] were my last with them.

"I wanna thank everyone for the love and support I have received throughout…

"Check out my band BAD MARRIAGE I'm rocking in now. We're on the road now & can't wait to rock ur town.

"Looking forward to a musical journey with these cats.

"Tanks

"Da tominator".

This past March, RESIST & BITE independently released a new single, "Baptized By Fire". It marked the band's first new release in 18 months.

In September 2021, RESIST & BITE released its self-titled debut album via Lor Live Records. The LP was recorded over a 21-day period at Sound Stage Studios in Nashville, Tennessee with producer and engineer Michael Rosen and was mastered by Anthony Focx.

Last month, BAD MARRIAGE released a five-song EP, "Artificial Mind". The EP was produced by TESLA bassist Brian Wheat and features TESLA singer Jeff Keith on three songs. It was engineered and recorded by Wheat at J Street Studios in Sacramento, California and was mastered by Mike Fitz.

BAD MARRIAGE previously released two full-length albums, "Bad Marriage" and "Bad Marriage 2".

Skeoch left TESLA in 2006 and went on to receive treatment for substance-abuse issues. He has since been replaced by Dave Rude. Asked in an interview with SiriusXM's "Trunk Nation With Eddie Trunk" if he exited the group of his own accord or if he was asked to leave, Tommy said: "I was fired. I was getting fucked up and I was definitely in the wrong about a lot of stuff, and they put up with it for a long time. But at the same time, none of us were angels, and we put up with a lot of stuff from the other guys for a long time too, and they're still there. So I felt like a little scapegoated by the thing. And the other thing is they didn't want people — I guess for the benefit of my family, so it wouldn't look bad — they said, 'Tommy's just gonna spend time [with his family].' That's why nobody knows, and that's why you're asking this question. Everyone's confused on even what happened. Basically, I was fired. I was getting fucked up, and I kept fucking up, and I kept telling 'em I wouldn't, and I just couldn't stop."

Skeoch added that he accepts responsibility for the circumstances that led to his departure from TESLA. "I do, of course," he said. "But I also believe we put up with a lot of shit for a long time from almost every other guy in the band, and they're still there. So I don't know what's up with that; that's a little weird to me."

In September 2021, TESLA guitarist Frank Hannon was asked by Detroit's WRIF radio station if the band will ever work with Skeoch again. Hannon said: "When we were kids, Tommy Skeoch and myself, I was 16 and he was about 19 or 20. I used to really look up to him — I was a huge fan of his style, and still am, a great fan of his guitar playing. We were like best buds. And then we would collaborate and write songs like 'Modern Day Cowboy' or any of those TESLA songs, we'd write 'em together. But as time went on, man, the egos and the problems — myself included — throughout the years, the competition, it really drove a wedge between us. And the drugs and alcohol just really destroyed our relationship, I've just gotta be honest. We weren't supposed to talk about this stuff, but now I figure it's been long enough.

"I don't see that TESLA will ever go back, because we love Dave Rude, and Dave has really been a great addition to the band. And it would be disrespectful to him to go backwards to a toxic thing, a relationship that really got very toxic.

"Unfortunately, I don't think that TESLA will work with Tommy again — ever," Frank reiterated. "But I will say that myself, personally, I have always loved Tommy and I just wish him the best. I'm so glad that he's still alive... As a musician, I have nothing but love and respect for the guy. But I don't think TESLA will ever work with him again. But I do wish him the best."

In a 2011 interview with Noisecreep, Keith stated about Skeoch: "Look, everyone in TESLA has been through their own substance-abuse issues. But Tommy got in too deep again. So the band told him that the only way we would be able to make this work is if he was clean and sober. I felt like we couldn't ask him to do that if we weren't going to commit to it too. So I was the first one to say that I wouldn't drink, or do anything else, on the tour. The next thing you know, the other guys did the same thing. Troy [Luccketta, drums] has been clean and sober for over 20 years, so it wasn't even an issue for him... Tommy couldn't stay off the stuff he was doing. It broke my heart to see it, but we knew we had to replace him."

Image credit: Hadesmetal