TESLA To Record 'A Couple Of New Songs' In February

In a new interview with Raul Amador of Bass Musician Magazine, TESLA bassist Brian Wheat spoke about the band's plans for the coming months. He said (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "I'll go back at the end of this month and I'll be all refreshed, ready to tackle the second [Las] Vegas residency we're doing. And then we've got a couple more dates up the Oregon coast, and then I think we got one in Georgia, and then we're done till January. Next year TESLA's got… We did these 'Real To Reel' records in 2006, which were cover records that were analog on tape and stuff. So we never put those out on vinyl. So that's coming out next year, on vinyl. It's only on CD and digital. It was never vinyl. And then I think we're gonna go in the studio in February and record a couple of new TESLA songs and maybe a couple covers, and play, I mean, on the TESLA front, that's what we do. I've got no like major record to say, 'Oh, we've got a new album coming out.' No. I mean, we've made so many of them."

Wheat went on to say that today's music climate is "hard" for most groups, "especially for a band like TESLA that's — I don't know what you wanna call us, an '80s band or whatever you wanna call us. Whatever they call us, I don't care, as long as they don't call us bastards," he quipped. "If they call us a hair band or they call us an '80s band. Radio's not that apt to play us anymore, nor play AEROSMITH, nor play DEF LEPPARD or anyone from that time period. They're playing new things like MAMMOTH [WVH], which is great. I love Wolfgang's [Van Halen] stuff. I think he's great. And I get that. So I look, you know, as far as like that creative thing in my younger... It's like working with younger artists trying to help them get to a place where I got to. And that takes care of that. 'Cause I'm always writing songs and producing and mixing and stuff."

TESLA hasn't released a studio album since 2019's "Shock", which was produced and co-written by DEF LEPPARD guitarist Phil Collen.

In August 2022, TESLA released a standalone single, "Time To Rock!" A year earlier, the band issued another new track called "Cold Blue Steel".

Earlier this month, 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 this past May. 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, 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 by Steve Brown, the younger brother of former DOKKEN drummer Mick Brown.

Due to overwhelming demand, TESLA recently added five shows to its residency at House Of Blues at Mandalay Bay Resort And Casino in Las Vegas, Nevada. The new dates will begin on Friday, September 29.

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.