FRANK HANNON Says TESLA's 'Lyrics About Heartfelt Emotion' Allowed The Band 'To Stand The Test Of Time'

In a new interview with host David Robinson of the 60MW podcast, TESLA guitarist Frank Hannon spoke about how his band was unfairly categorized as an 1980s "hair metal" band by the music press. He said (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "Well, we had loud guitars. And I think the whole era was lumped in, the whole '80s [era], whether you were hair metal or if you were FLOCK OF SEAGULLS or whatever you were, the '80s decade is just categorized as a glam thing. But the difference, I feel for us and a lot of other great bands, is we were taught and advised to stay true to songwriting. Songwriting is key. And Jeff Keith, our singer, really always was very much a stickler on writing lyrics that weren't cheesy, writing lyrics about heartfelt emotion. And I think that's what allowed us to stand the test of time, really. 'Cause that '80s decade, like you said, was unfair. [Laughs] It was unfair. It was fun, it was a lot of fun, but it was unfair, yeah."

After Robinson noted that some of TESLA's early lyrics became even more meaningful in the decades since they were originally written and recorded, Hannon concurred. "It's true," he said. "And at the time we didn't realize how relevant some of those lyrics are. Like even in 'Modern Day Cowboy', the USA, the USSR with their six guns to their side, and we're still worrying about that stuff today."

Frank added: "That's what we have taken the position of as a band and as artists is writing songs with those positive messages 'cause there's so much negativity in the world already. So TESLA tries to contribute an escape of positive vibes."

Back in November 2023, Frank was asked by My Weekly Mixtape if he and his bandmates received any pressure from their record company, Geffen, in the 1980s to compete with the so-called "hair metal" bands that were popular at the time or if Geffen was "100 percent" in TESLA's corner during that period. Frank responded: "Well, I would say it was both. There was some songs that we had to fight for, but we were always being directed by the people that we worked with to write the best songs we could possibly write and not have any filler material or cheesy garbage material on an album. They always insisted that the entire album be good, not just have one song on it that was good and the rest of it be junk. And when I'm talking about [Q Prime management's] Cliff Burnstein and Peter Mensch and [Geffen A&R executive] Tom Zutaut, they were directing us at the time and they were responsible for RUSH, DEF LEPPARD, METALLICA, AC/DC and DOKKEN, and so they were involved with some really high-caliber kick-ass bands that had integrity. So we were very lucky to be getting advice from them to try to write real songs that were gritty and from the heart and not cheesy. And they put a lot of high expectations on us because we were, again, in the company of bands like METALLICA and RUSH and AC/DC, SCORPIONS, DEF LEPPARD. We weren't trying to compete with the glam bands and the trendy stuff. We were trying to be ourselves. And luckily we weren't having pressure put on us to be glam metal We were having more pressure on us to be ourselves and to write the best songs that we could for ourselves."

In October 2023, Frank weighed in on the never-ending debate about how the rise of grunge in the early 1990s forced most hard rock bands off the radio and MTV, with album and tour sales plummeting. Asked in an interview with Real Music With Gary Stuckey how he and his bandmates were affected by the downfall of the 1980s glam metal scene, Frank said: "Well, the '90s were definitely a harder period for us. But really, it wasn't grunge; it was our own fault. [TESLA's fourth studio album, 1994's] 'Bust A Nut' is a great album, but we were already internally having problems. So the external stuff you're talking about — grunge — it didn't really matter for us and our fans, 'cause we were never really the poster child [for '80s rock] anyway. Even during the glam days, we weren't on the cover of all the magazines as being a glam band. So, when grunge came out, and NIRVANA and PEARL JAM and all the style changed, it didn't matter, because we weren't really affected by those trends anyway."

He added: "So, I don't blame grunge — for us. [For bands that] were really cheesy or whatever, then maybe grunge kind of killed those bands. But for us, it was more our own fault. We were burnt out and partying too much and had problems."

In a 2015 interview with Southeast Of Heaven, TESLA singer Jeff Keith said that he and his bandmates "never really relied on image which is probably why we survived when grunge came along. Our fans knew we didn't rely on image so they had no problem keeping us around," he explained. "A lot of bands who were heavily reliant on image just didn't make it and they were out unless they were so huge. Bands that were at our level that relied more on image than anything just didn't make it. I mean, we had a stylist putting Aqua Net in our hair for our first video but we didn't know what we were doing. [Laughs] We didn't stick with that and we didn't rely on image. We relied on the music and our fans know that."

TESLA will release a new album, "Homage", on July 17, 2026, via Frontiers Music Srl. Marking a full-circle moment in the band's storied career, the LP finds TESLA returning to its roots with a collection of covers honoring some of rock's most timeless hits.

"Homage" arrives more than 20 years after the "Real To Reel" series, a release that helped inspire the creation of a new original TESLA song, "Never Alone".

The selected songs on "Homage" were chosen for a variety of reasons, primarily representing some of the greatest vocalists of all time, including Elvis Presley, Freddie Mercury, Sam Cooke, David Ruffin, Etta James and James Brown. Additional selections reflect songs the band grew up hearing on the radio and on their turntables.

TESLA will hit the road this summer on "The Return Of The Carnival Of Sins" tour with MÖTLEY CRÜE and EXTREME. The trek begins on July 17 in Burgettstown, Pennsylvania, and winds its way through the United States before concluding on September 26 in Ridgefield, Washington.

Last October, TESLA completed a five-song Las Vegas residency at the House Of Blues Las Vegas inside Mandalay Bay Resort And Casino. During this exclusive run of shows, TESLA touched all sides of its unique discography, including the heavier edge of electric songs like "Modern Day Cowboy", "Hang Tough" and "Edison's Medicine", as well as the band's acoustic-driven songs such as "Signs" and "Love Song" (two Top 10 Billboard-charting hits).

TESLA previously held a residency at the House Of Blues in April 2024.TESLA's latest six-song EP, "All About Love", was released in November 2024. The EP included 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 Hannon.

Some fans criticized TESLA for adopting a 1980s-style polished production for its latest album, 2019's "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 was a bonus track on TESLA's live album, "Full Throttle Live!", which arrived in May 2023. The LP included 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.

Press photo credit: Brandon Gullion