Tesla

If there's one band that never phones it in, it's Tesla.  Every time I listen to one of their CDs I'm always amazed at how powerful the music is.

From Jeff Keith's vocals to the dual guitar onslaught that has become the band's signature, there's no denying that these guys know what they're doing.

Eddie Trunk has said on many occasions that Tesla is a band that got unfairly lumped in with the glam rock movement of the mid-late 1980s, and I couldn't agree more.  These guys just show up in jeans and t-shirts and rock your balls off.  And their music reflects that.  It's got more in common with late 70's hard rock acts than their contemporaries.

Tesla is also one of a handful of performers that produced acoustic sets that didn't make me ask "why did you do that?".  I think the no-nonsense approach they took to their music allowed it to translate well acoustically.  I can't say the same for a host of other acoustic sets I've heard (I'm looking at you, Eric Clapton).

Tesla is a band that would have been just as at home in the 1970s as they were in the 1980s.  Maybe even more at home.  That they didn't manage to escape the backlash of everything 80s is beyond me.

If you want to get a feel for the kind of guys Tesla are, all you have to do is catch an episode of That Metal Show where any of the guys appear.  My favorites are when Frank Hannon is on as the musical performer.  He makes no secret of his respect for the other guests on the show.  And he can play guitar like no other.

I just ordered a couple of Tesla CDs from Amazon, as I have to confess I haven't been doing a good job of keeping up with their releases in the past 7-8 years, so I've got a little catching up to do.  I also plan to check out the members other musical projects where I can.

I had the most awesome pleasure of catching them live in 2002, when Tommy was back in the band.  They are, without a doubt, one of the best concerts I've ever seen.  It's no lie when people say that seeing them live is like listening to their CDs. They put on a flawless performance.

There really aren't that many bands that are on the same level as Tesla when it comes to making kick-ass Rock & Roll with that kind of precision and intensity.  There are others (Y&T comes to mind), but the list is very short.  So, it should come as no surprise that when I really feel like rocking out, I can turn to Tesla and never be disappointed.

It would genuinely be awesome to one day see them inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame.  It might never happen, because the Hall is a complete farce, but, as far as I'm concerned, they're on the same level as Led Zeppelin, Rush and Black Sabbath, in terms of sheer intensity in their songwriting and performance.