TESLA To Release 'Homage' Covers Album  Showcasing JEFF KEITH Singing 'Soul And R&B Songs'

California hard rock veterans TESLA will release a new album called "Homage" later this year via Frontiers Music Srl. A new TESLA song, "Never Alone", will also be made available.

The news of TESLA's upcoming LP was revealed by the band's guitarist Frank Hannon in an interview with the Appetite For Distortion podcast. He said (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "We've got a new album called 'Homage' that's coming out that showcases TESLA's lead singer, Jeff Keith, his singing of some soul and R&B songs. And there's a new TESLA song that's gonna come out. It's called 'Never Alone'."

Hannon also talked about TESLA's upcoming shows with MÖTLEY CRÜE as part of this summer's "The Return Of Carnival Of Sins" tour. Additional support will come from EXTREME. He said: "[MÖTLEY CRÜE's] 'Dr. Feelgood' tour was one of the tours that TESLA did for months. We opened for them all across Canada in their heyday. So it's gonna be a great reunion. I had heard through the background that [MÖTLEY CRÜE bassist] Nikki Sixx had chose us for this tour coming up. So thank you, Nikki. Really appreciate that. And to be sandwiched in between EXTREME and MÖTLEY CRÜE, TESLA's the middle band, we're really working on our show right now, preparing for that. It starts July, all the way through September this year. And, gosh, [EXTREME guitarist] Nuno Bettencourt, [MÖTLEY CRÜE guitarist] John 5, and little old me is gonna be in the middle there [laughs] trying to keep up. But TESLA is really on a good roll right now. We just did some shows with Bret Michaels in Florida. And we've been working really hard."

He continued: "And, again, we've got a lot of history with those guys [in MÖTLEY CRÜE]. Vince Neil [MÖTLEY CRÜE singer], we've done shows with him as a solo artist. Tommy Lee [MÖTLEY CRÜE drummer] — we used to go jam out at the nightclubs when we were on tour with them on the 'Dr. Feelgood' tour. We would go out after the show and go find a bar and go take over the stage and sit in with local cover bands. And we'd play LED ZEPPELIN and stuff like that, 'Rock And Roll'. So those guys have always been really cool to us. And I'm really glad that we were picked for the tour. I don't know if it's true or not, but I was told Nikki Sixx picked us, and so I'm really excited and honored that he would do that. And three killer bands, man — EXTREME, TESLA and MÖTLEY CRÜE. Yeah, it's gonna be awesome."

Asked for his opinion on John 5 as the replacement for original MÖTLEY CRÜE guitarist Mick Mars, Frank said: "Well, I love Mick Mars, man. He's a great songwriter, great player, great riff master. When we were out with them on the 'Dr. Feelgood' tour, Mick was always very cool to me and would take me to guitar shops during the day on a day off. Like let's say we had a day off in Indianapolis or something, and I would run into Mick in the lobby and he would have a limo that would take him to a guitar store and we'd go shopping. And Mick bought me a fuzz box, a Maestro, a big Maestro fuzz box as a gift, and I still have it. It's in my shelf over there. And so Mick is great, man. But it's a tough grind out on the road. And I know there was some health stuff. John 5 is the perfect guy. I couldn't think of anybody else that could step into that position, both visually and talent-wise and technical ability. I mean, John 5 is one of the greatest. So, I support all of 'em. I'm happy for everybody. Anybody that can continue doing what we're doing, whether it's a band or an artist, I give mad props to, man, because it's a tough grind being on the road and being in a rock and roll band."

During a November 2025 appearance on SiriusXM's "Trunk Nation With Eddie Trunk", Hannon confirmed that he and his TESLA bandmates were slowly working on a new covers project. Regarding their inspiration for making a covers album, Hannon told host Eddie Trunk: "Well, you were talking about [TESLA frontman] Jeff Keith being a singer who can still sing compared to a lot of our other comrades from our era. And so we're doing a collection of songs that showcase Jeff Keith's singing ability. And it's coming out really great, man. Some really obscure classic songs that you would not expect to hear from TESLA. And it's centered around his ability to sing and his soulfulness in his voice. [TESLA bassist] Brian Wheat has been working really hard at producing it. These guys were just in the studio for a week. I did some recording in [Las] Vegas in my hotel room with Jeff, and we're working on it. It's a work in progress."

Hannon went on to say that the upcoming covers project will include TESLA's version of SUPERTRAMP's "Give a Little Bit", which he and his bandmates have been performing live at some of their recent concerts. "That's one of the new ones we're doing," he said. "And we're doing another version of [CLIMAX BLUES BAND's] 'I Love You', which got millions of views on TESLA's Spotify, I think, or YouTube or something. So that's almost like one of our own hits, is the song 'I Love You'. But there's some really obscure tracks on this new batch of recordings — songs by THE TEMPTATIONS… Jeff picked most of 'em. And Brian, like I said, Brian's been spearheading this project."

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 courtesy of O'Donnell Media Group