Tag: Tesla
2 The South Texas Rock Fest is Heating Up!
JETBOY, and ROCKARMA are the lastest acts confirmed for the South Texas Rock Fest, which runs from July 11th – 13th at the Javelina Harley Davidson Festival Grounds in Boerne, TX. They will join Britny Fox, Hellstar and Snakeskin Prison on the second stage.
The running order for the Main Stage is as follows:
Friday, July 11
QUEENSRYCHE – 10:00 PM
DOKKEN – 8:30 PM
SKID ROW – 7:00 PM
BULLET BOYS – 5:30 PM
PRETTY BOY FLOYD – 4:30 PM
HOUSE OF LORDS – 3:15 PM
AXE – 2:15
Saturday, July 12
TESLA – 10:00 PM
Y&T – 8:30 PM
STEPHEN PEARCY OF RATT – 7:00 PM
UFO – 5:30 PM
FASTER PUSSYCAT – 4:15 PM
L.A. GUNS – 3:10 PM
BANG TANGO – 2:05 PM
ZERO HOUR – 1:00 PM
MAD MARGRITT – 11:55 AM
Sunday, July 13
JACKYL – 8:30 PM
FIREHOUSE – 7:00 PM
HELIX – 5:30 PM
THE GODZ – 4:00 PM
OZZ KNOZZ – 2:30 PM
JOKESTER – 1:15 PM
5 Tesla – Bust A Nut (Release Year – 1994)
In 1994, hard rock was on life support. Unless a band was wearing flannel and sung about how much their life sucked, chances are they didn’t get any airplay.
During this time, Tesla managed to sneak out one of their better releases. Sadly, Bust A Nut fell under the radar for many rock fans.
Bust A Nut, is one of Tesla’s heavier records, but their are plenty of tunes on this disc that are very much in the style that Tesla fans have grown accustomed to.
The first three songs on Bust a Nut have the heaviest guitar riffs, I have ever heard Frank Hannon and Tommy Skeoch record, but Jeff Keith’s raspy voice has a way of keeping Tesla’s music from venturing too far into the metal realm.
Bust a Nut has several hits that Tesla often performs live including Try So Hard, Shine Away, and the excellent Mama’s Fool.
There are some other excellent heavy cuts including Action Talks, Cry and Earth Mover. This album also features the Tesla live staple, A Lot To Lose.
If the album has any faults, it would be the Joe South cover song, Games People Play, which doesn’t really fit the mood of the album, in my opinion. The song is good, but it seems out of place.
Out of the entire Tesla discography, only Mechanical Resonance gets more airplay from me. Bust a Nut is a killer heavy record that should be in the collection of every hard rock fan. You can find copies of this record, for next to nothing at Amazon.com.
Rating:
Out of 10
Track Listing:
1. The Gate/ Invited
2. Solution
3. Shine Away
4. Try So Hard
5. She Want She Want
6. Need Your Lovin’
7. Action Talks
8. Mama’s Fool
9. Cry
10. Earth Mover
11. A Lot To Lose
12. Rubberband
13. A Wonderful World
14. Games People Play
Tesla is:
Vocals – Jeff Keith
Guitars – Frank Hannon
Guitars – Tommy Skeoch
Bass – Brian Wheat
Drums – Troy Luccketta
4 Helstar and Snake Skin Prison Join South Texas Rock Fest
South Texas Rock Fest – HELSTAR, SNAKE SKIN PRISON Confirmed For New Second Stage
HELSTAR and SNAKE SKIN PRISON are the lastest acts confirmed for the South Texas Rock Fest, which runs from July 11th – 13th at the Javelina Harley Davidson Festival Grounds in Boerne, TX. Both acts are confirmed for the new Second Stage.
Organizers comment: “Due to the overwhelming response on the South Texas Rock Fest, we have decided to bring in a second stage and give all indie and up and coming bands the opportunity to play!”
The running order for the Main Stage is as follows:
Friday, July 11
QUEENSRYCHE – 10:00 PM
DOKKEN – 8:30 PM
SKID ROW – 7:00 PM
BULLET BOYS – 5:30 PM
PRETTY BOY FLOYD – 4:30 PM
HOUSE OF LORDS – 3:15 PM
AXE – 2:15
Saturday, July 12
TESLA – 10:00 PM
Y&T – 8:30 PM
STEPHEN PEARCY OF RATT – 7:00 PM
UFO – 5:30 PM
FASTER PUSSY CAT – 4:15 PM
LA GUNS – 3:10 PM
BANG TANGO – 2:05 PM
ZERO HOUR – 1:00 PM
MAD MARGRITT – 11:55 AM
Sunday, July 13
JACKYL – 8:30 PM
FIREHOUSE – 7:00 PM
HELIX – 5:30 PM
THE GODZ – 4:00 PM
OZZ KNOZZ – 2:30 PM
JOKESTER – 1:15 PM
For more info click here.
1 New Tesla DVD – Comin’ Atcha Live! 2008
“COMIN’ ATCHA LIVE! 2008″, The long Anticipated Live Concert DVD Filmed Live in Minnesota This Year. This DVD is the first Live concert DVD released by Tesla since the 5 Man Acoustic Jam, and will feature many bonus features including an exlusive look at the bands gear and behind the scenes live on the road.
SCHEDULED TO BE RELEASED IN JUNE, THE DVD WILL BE AVAILABLE IN ALL
RETAIL STORES.
0 Dokken returns to Rocklahoma
DOKKEN are confirmed to perform at Rocklahoma 2008 which is taking place July 10th – 13th in Pryor, Oklahoma – they will perform on the 10th.
Rocklahoma’s lineup on the Main Stage is now as follows:
Thursday, July 10th: (Pre Party for those who have bought three day tickets) BRET MICHAELS, SEBASTIAN BACH, DOKKEN, L.A. GUNS featuring Tracii Guns, ENUFF Z’ NUFF, VAIN, HOUSE OF LORDS and JET BOY.
Friday, July 11th: TRIUMPH, EXTREME, LITA FORD, NIGHT RANGER, LIVING COLOUR, KINGDOM COME, ARMORED SAINT, XYZ.
Saturday, July 12th: CINDERELLA, WARRANT, KIX, LYNCH MOB, TRIXTER, BLACK N BLUE, TORA TORA, EVERY MOTHER’S NIGHTMARE, PRETTY BOY FLOYD
Sunday, July 13tth: TESLA, BEAUTIFUL CREATURES, ZEBRA, AXE and three more acts tba.
Two side stages adjacent to the main stage feature over twenty-eight regional artists on each stage.
The Retrospect Records stage includes the following bands: JESTER, SIDEKIXX, PAIR-A-DICE, FRONT RUNNER, TOMMY HAD A VISION, VALOR, GYPSY BLUE, WHITEFOXX, BLUE TIGER, WILD AUGUST, MESSANG, PAUL SHORTINO, MARIAH, WARRYOR, BAD CANDY, LORRAINE, NASTY NASTY, REAL STEEL, CUTTLASS, VYPER, MASS, BAD CANDY, ONEY, STRIKEFORCE, HERAZZ, RECKLESS, HEARTLESS, RON KEEL, WARRYOR and ALIBI.
On the Tri-Label Group stage has: ASPHALT VALENTINE, AZRAEL’S BANE, BONESHAKER, COCKPIT, DANGEROUS INC., DEATHRIDERS (NEIL TURBIN), DIRTY PENNY, DRIVE A, EXIT 27, GODS OF KANSAS, GYPSY PISTOLEROS, KARNEVIL (DARIO LORINA), KRUCIBLE (featuring Lance King), LIPSTICK MAGAZINE, MINDFLOW, ODIN, ORDER OF NINE, POWND, SACRED DAWN, SEX DPT., SHADOWSIDE, SWEET F.A., THE JAKALS, TEXAS HIPPIE COALITION, WARMACHINE.
Courtesy of Bravewords.com
1 VH1 Classic Presents AFTERMATH!
VH1 Classic Presents: AFTERMATH: The Station Fire Five Years Later’
One-Hour Special Premieres Easter Sunday, March 23 10:00 p.m.*
On VH1 Classic and VH1
VH1 Classic and VH1 premiere “VH1 Classic Presents: AFTERMATH: The Station Fire Five Years Later,” a one-hour special that will incorporate concert highlights from the Phoenix Rising! Musicians United to Benefit the Victims of the Station Nightclub Fire, which took place on February 25 in Providence, Rhode Island, and interviews from the music fans who survived the horrific fire five years ago.
Premiering Sunday March 23 at 10:00 p.m., “VH1 Classic Presents: AFTERMATH: The Station Fire Five Years Later,” interweaves performances from the benefit concert hosted by Dee Snider with on-camera stories from the survivors of the fire, who share their first-hand experiences of what happened that night five years ago. Brett Michaels opens the documentary, taking the audience back to the site of the fire that now stands as a memorial.
The concert features Twisted Sister (Dee Snider, Jay Jay French, Eddie “Fingers” Ojeda, Mark “The Animal” Mendoza, A.J. Pero) and Tesla (Jeff Keith, Brian Wheat, Frank Hannon, Dave Rude and concert co-organizer Troy Luccketta), Aaron Lewis from Staind, Winger, and Eric Martin from Mr. Big. In addition, country music lends a hand to rock and roll with sets from John Rich (Big & Rich) and Friends, featuring Gretchen Wilson and Dierks Bentley.
Ultimately, “VH1 Classic Presents: AFTERMATH: The Station Fire Five Years Later,” is a continuation of the effort to raise awareness about the plight of the Station fire survivors. These music fans now bear traumatic mental and physical scars from the events of that night. 100 lives were lost in the fire, 200 others seriously injured. 65 children lost one or both parents and five years later, only 15 survivors qualify for Social Security benefits, insurance policies are depleted and many are still unable to meet their basic monthly needs such as heat, electricity and rent. Many survivors are unable to work due to their injuries, which include missing limbs, blindness, and severe lung damage from smoke inhalation. Their medical bills are continuous and astronomical due to these badly burned victims requiring care for the rest of their lives.
Contacts: Michelle Clark/VH1-NY Maura Wozniak/VH1-NY 212-846-5576 212-846-7325
The Station Family Fund was founded by five survivors of the February 17, 2003 fire to provide financial support for medical treatment, rehabilitation and household expenses for survivors and their families and is understandably in continual need of financial replenishment.
All of the proceeds from the concert ticket sales, charity auctions and direct donations to the fund go direct to the Station Family Fund, a non-profit 501 (C) (3) charitable organization. To donate to the Station Family Fund and to find out more about their work, please visit: www.stationfamilyfund.org.
Launched in May 2000, VH1 Classic is a 24-hour network that present videos, concerts and music specials all day long, featuring the best of rock, soul and pop artists from the 60’s, 70’s, 80’s and the early 90’s including The Beatles, The Stones, Tina Turner, Led Zeppelin, Marvin Gaye, The Who, Stevie Wonder, The Police and many more. Learn more at www.vh1classic.com.
VH1 connects viewers to the music, artists and pop culture that matter to them most with TV series, specials, live events, exclusive online content and public affairs initiatives. VH1 is available in 90 million households in the U.S. VH1 also has an array of digital channels and services including VH1Classic, VH1 Soul, VH1 Mobile, VH1Games and extensive broadband video on VH1.com. Connect with VH1 at VH1.com.
*All times ET/PT
Website: http://www.vh1.com/
Website: http://www.vh1classic.com/
Website: http://www.stationfamilyfund.org/
6 Cinder Road and Tesla – Cincinnati, Ohio Concert Review
Tesla and Cinder Road returned to Cincinnati, Ohio’s Bogarts on Sunday Night.
Cinder Road took the stage shortly after 8 P.M. and put on one great high energy set. The first Cinder Road tune I’m So Sorry(in the video below) was complete
Guitarmageddon! This was a hell of a tune to open the show with, and got the crowd completely pumped up. The band did several of their songs off of their
album Superhuman, as well as a blistering good cover of Billy Idol’s Rebel Yell and Queen’s We Will Rock You. This is the first time I have ever seen Cinder Road live, and I was pretty impressed with their performance.
Tesla took the stage at roughly 9:15 P.M. The sold out
crowd swelled to a point where everyone was shoulder to shoulder. Tesla blazed through Cummin’ Atcha Live, and the crowd was completely fired up. This set the mood for the whole rest of the show. Jeff Keith has been sick for a few weeks now (including tonight), but you would have never known it from the sound of his voice. The band performed several cuts off all of their albums with Mechanical Resonance, and the Real to Reel albums, probably having the most tunes in their set. The band also introduced a brand new, and very cool song, Private Ledbetter (in the video below).
All night long the band was on fire. Frank Hannon and Dave Rude were trading off lead guitar licks and never sounded better. Troy Luccketta and Brian Wheat were excellent and still prove to be one of the better rhythm sections in rock today.
Once again, Tesla has never disappointed me with their live performance. They were great Sunday night! The new song has me excited about the new album they are working on. I am glad to see my favorite band still able to sell out shows in 2008. I can’t wait for Tesla to play live in Cincinnati again. I may have to get my next fix at Rocklahoma 2008!
Cummin’ Atcha Live
Hang Tough
Private Ledbetter (BRAND NEW SONG!!!)
18 My Take on Rocklahoma 2008!
Is Rocklahoma 2008 a big music nostalgia fest? Absolutely! Would I want to attend? Yes, without question.
Many of the bands in this 4 day music extravaganza haven’t released any new tunes in years. Would I still want to see them perform? No question about it.
Here is the Thursday Lineup:
LA Guns featuring Tracii Guns
Enuff Z’Nuff
Vain
House of Lords
Jet Boy
Bret Michaels (headliner)
Enuff Z’Nuff
Vain
House of Lords
Jet Boy
Bret Michaels (headliner)
Looking at the list of acts above, this lineup may not excite a lot of people, but I would still like to see it. I love Tracii Guns, but I make no bones about it, that I prefer the Phil Lewis version of this band. I wouldn’t go out of my way to see their set.
Chip Z’Nuff mentioned in the Rocklahoma that a new Enuff Z’nuff album is on the way with Jake E. Lee on guitar. I am not sure if Jake E. Lee will be with them at Rocklahoma, but if so, this is a show not to be missed.
I haven’t ever seen Vain live, but I have heard a lot of good things about them. I would be happy to check them out.
House of Lords is still putting out new music, and has a new CD that will hit stores in a couple of weeks. Their last album, World Upside Down was quite good. James Christian is a very good singer, and the band features the talent of axe slinger Jimi Bell. Count me in!
I had the pleasure of seeing Jetboy live in Columbus (See this article for the concert review with videos). The band was excellent alive. I wouldn’t miss this their set for anything.
Tracii Guns mentioned in the Rocklahoma press conference that he hated opening for these guys, as they used to blow him off the stage. Jetboy was originally signed to MCA, and as with most acts on that label, never got the proper support they deserved. They are going to open up a lot of eyes at Rocklahoma.
Bret Michaels mentioned at the press conference that this will be a big show with pyro etc when he closes out on Thursday night. It sounds as if he wants to make this every bit of fun as a Poison show. He also mentioned that a special area will be set up where you can meet him in person, get an autograph, and a picture, and talk music with him. With Rock of Love being the #1 show on cable televison, there will be a lot of people waiting in line to meet Bret, without question. I don’t know much of his solo music, so I can’t say if his solo set is something I would want to check out. I will likely check out his solo disc that is supposed to hit in June.
Strangely enough, most of the bands on the Friday schedule, I have not seen live. For them to all be on the same bill together is quite cool. I wouldn’t want to miss one band on the Friday night line up.
Friday:
XYZ
Armored Saint
Kingdom Come
Night Ranger
TBA
Triumph
Extreme
XYZ
Armored Saint
Kingdom Come
Night Ranger
TBA
Triumph
Extreme
XYZ was quite similar to Dokken. Terry Ilous said that this will be the first time the band has played together is several years. It should be an interesting set, and it will good to hear some of their tunes again.
Armored Saint is easily the heaviest band on the main stage for the entire 4 day event, and is a no miss act, in my opinion. Their CD, Symbol of Salvation, is still one of my favorites.
Kingdom Come always took a lot of crap for being a Led Zeppelin clone when they first came out. Nonetheless I like their first two CD’s, but I haven’t cared for their more recent material. I am not sure what the lineup will be for this show. I am guessing it will be Lenny Wolf and a bunch of hired hands. I will have to see what I can find out on this one. I have low expectations for this part of the show.
There are plenty of Night Ranger songs that I have enjoyed over the years. They put out a new CD in 2007, which I still haven’t checked out yet. Jack Blades, Brad Gillis and Kelly Keagy are a very talented group. I wouldn’t dare miss this set.
Triumph and Extreme are co-headlining Friday night. This is one of the few appearances that Triumph is making
in 2008. Rik Emmett always puts on a good show. I wouldn’t miss this for anything.
Extreme is back together again with Gary Cherone, Nuno Bettencourt, and Pat Badger. They are working on new
material for a 2008 release. I would be happy to see Nuno play live, in any capacity. I am glad to see him return to the band that made him famous.
There is also one band that has not been announced for Friday. I am not sure who this will be, but the lineup is already a solid one.
The Saturday Lineup has a lot of question marks for me, but could turn out to be a solid day of rock.
Saturday:
Pretty Boy Floyd
Every Mothers Nightmare
Tora Tora
Black N Blue
Trixter
Kix
Warrant featuring Jani Lane
Cinderella
Pretty Boy Floyd
Every Mothers Nightmare
Tora Tora
Black N Blue
Trixter
Kix
Warrant featuring Jani Lane
Cinderella
My understanding is that Pretty Boy Floyd has completely reunited. This isn’t the watered down version of the band that Steve Summers has been on the road with. If so, then this would be kind of cool to see.
Every Mother’s Nightmare is a complete wild card. The singer, Rick Ruhl, and drummer Jim Phipps are the only remaining members. I like their bluesy Memphis rock, and would like to check them out.
Tora Tora on the other hand is a complete band reunion. I love their two CD’s Surprise Attack, and Wild America.
I have seen them live but it has easily been 18 years ago. They were great then, so I would imagine a solid show by this group. Hopefully their unreleased CD will see the light of day after this.
I never had the opportunity to see Black N’ Blue live, but I have all of their CD’s and would certainly want to check them out. Jamie St. James was pretty good on the last Warrant CD. I don’t know what the lineup will be for this show, but I doubt that Tommy Thayer will be part of it. Gene Simmons owns him now.
I have to admit that I have never been a Trixter fan. I always looked at this band as the New Kids on the Block
with guitars. I thought their music was a little thin back in the day, and seeing them live won’t change my opinion.
I have always liked Kix, and I have seen them live a few times. I have also seen Steve Whiteman’s other band,
Funny Money (which sounds exactly like Kix). It would be cool to hear some Kix tunes live again.
I saw Jani Lane solo in 2007, and he sounded great. I am happy that Warrant is back together again in a full reunion. I have seen them live a few times, and they always put on a good show.
Cinderella is also a band that has always put on an excellent show, each and every time I have seen them. Tom Keifer’s voice is the only thing that is a question mark about this show. The band has been off for a couple of years so I am hopeful that Tom’s voice is back to full strength.
The Sunday lineup is interesting, especially with two times slots still opened. One of these slots is heavily rumored to be Motley Crue. I am not sure of the other one, but wouldn’t be shocked to see Danger Danger get the other slot.
Sunday:
Axe
Beautiful Creatures
Zebra
Lynch Mob
TBA
Tesla
TBA
Axe
Beautiful Creatures
Zebra
Lynch Mob
TBA
Tesla
TBA
I doubt a lot of people are going to know Axe. I know the band, but I wouldn’t go out of my to see them play live. I like their tune Rock and Roll Party In the Streets, but that is about it.
Beautiful Creatures have released a couple of CD’s in this decade which is more than a lot of the bands in this music festival can say. Seeing them on the roster has me getting out my CD’s by them again. I would certainly want to check them out.
Zebra is a darkhorse in this lineup. I haven’t seen them live, but I am quite familiar with their music. This could be a good show.
Lynch Mob now features Oni Logan on vocals, Marco Mendoza on bass, Tommy Aldridge on drums, and of course George Lynch on guitar. I saw half of this band perform with Whitesnake, and would love to see this lineup in action. Tommy Aldridge is an animal on the drums, and George Lynch needs no introductions. I am interested in hearing his new Scorpion Tales album, but this is a Scorpions cover album. This is quite odd, considering that he hasn’t ever been in the band.
Tesla is the must see band on the Sunday bill. I have seen Tesla twice in the last year, and they were excellent both times. They will easily be the best band on the Sunday lineup (amongst those that have been announced so far.)
The side stages at Rocklahoma has a bunch of darkhorses, and bands that may surprise you.
The lineups look like this:
The Retrospect Records stage includes the following bands: Jester, Sidekixx, air-A-Dice, Front Runner, Tommy Had a Vision, Valor, Gypsy Blue, Whitefoxx, Blue Tiger, Wild August, Messang, Paul Shortino, Mariah, Warryor, Bad Candy,
Lorraine, Nasty Nasty, Real Steel, Cuttlass, Vyper, Mass, Bad Candy, Oney, Strikeforce, Herazz, Reckless, Heartless, Ron Keel, Warryor and Alibi.
I am not familar with most of the bands on the Retrospect stage, aside from: Mariah, Mass, Paul Shortino, Ron Keel, Nasty Nasty and Strikeforce. I would certainly like to
check out some of these acts, although none of these were bands were ever considered A-Listers.
The other stage has Texas Hippie Coalition, Karnevil featuring Dario Lorina, Dirty Penny, Crooked X, Gypsy Pistoleros, Sweet FA, Banshee, Gods of Kansas, Lipstick Magazine, Pownd, Shadowside, Mindflow, Warmachine, Asphalt Valentine, and Krucible featuring Lance King.
The interesting thing about Stage 3 is most of these are all up and coming bands.18 year old Dario Lorina is an amazing guitar player. Look him up on you tube and watch this kid play. He is very good. Karnevil is his new band. I don’t know much about them, but with Lorina on the six string, they will be interesting.
Dirty Penny is one of the better new glam bands out there. They aren’t very original, but their new CD is pretty good.
The Gypsy Pistoleros close out Friday Night on stage three, and they are the must see band in Rocklahoma. The Flamenco twist on their upbeat glam tunes is certainly one that I would like to see.
Sweet FA is the late 80’s/early 90’s hard rock band that reunited in 2007. Their new CD, The Lost Tapes is quite good. I have seen this band live, and I know they are pretty good.
Banshee is another must see band on stage three. They are one of the heavier acts on this stage. If you haven’t heard any of their music, I recommend checking them out. They will surprise you for sure.
Gods of Kansas is a newer band that is starting to make some waves. They are currently playing a bunch of live shows all over the U.S.
Pownd is a newer heavy metal band that is located 2.5 hours down the road from me in Richmond, Kentucky.
Their newest CD is highly rated across the web. I will be reviewing this one soon.
Shadowside and Asphalt Valentine are two of Chavis Records newer bands. Shadowside has one cd out, and one
on the way. Asphalt Valentine is a hard rocking band from Atlanta, GA. Their debut will be released within
the next couple of months. (I will also be checking them out locally in two weeks).
I don’t know the other acts on this stage (Crooked X, Lipstick Magazine, Mindflow, Warmachine, and Krucible) but I will be exploring these bands in the months to come.
As a whole….Rocklahoma offers plenty of Nostalgia, but also a slew of NEW bands trying to make it in the music world. The addition of two more stages in 2008 greatly improves this event over the 2007 show.
I can only hope that I will be able to make the trek there for this show. I can’t imagine missing this event!
33 Tommy Skeoch Takes a Dig at Tesla
An exclusive track recorded by ex-TESLA guitarist Tommy Skeoch can be downloaded at this location.During his appearance on the February 16 edition of “The Classic Metal Show”, which was hosted by Skeoch and some of his friends, Tommy pulled out a guitar and performed “I Left The Circus” live in studio. The song, which discusses Skeoch‘s departure from TESLA in a satirical, whimsical manner, seemed to have a bit more bite to it as Skeoch performed it live.“The Classic Metal Show” can be heard every Saturday from 9:00 p.m. to 3:00 a.m. at www.theclassicmetalshow.com.
Tommy Skeoch recently released his first-ever solo record, entitled “Freak Bucket”. The track listing for the effort is as follows:
01. Liar
02. My Life
03. I Know You Know
04. I Trip
05. Empathy
06. Down
07. Hole in My Soul
08. Way Out
09. Garden
10. Living For Today
11. Free At Last
12. Swear to God
13. Take it Easy
14. Freak Bucket
Check out audio samples at www.myspace.com/tommyskeoch.
Skeoch‘s band lineup includes:
Tommy Skeoch – Vocals/Guitar
Ratchet Haze – Bass/Vocals
Denis Bostok – Drums
Edgy Prance – Guitar
10 Tesla – Mechanical Resonance (Release Year – 1986)
One of my favorite CD’s of all time is Tesla’s Mechanical Resonance. I remember the fateful day I picked the cassette (Remember those?) of Mechanical Resonance up, the day this was released. I got it from the now defunct Record and Tape Outlet (RTO) store. Once listen later, I was calling all of my friends, telling them that they needed to pick this one up pronto.
This disc was released when the whole glam metal scene was about to peak. Tesla often gets lumped together with many of the other bands in the hair metal era. I don’t think Geffen Records knew what to do with Tesla at the time, and were wrongly catagorized as a hair metal band.
Tesla was a never a band about hair spray, and glam clothes and makeup. They were,
and still are about great hard rock music. Mechanical Resonance is the band’s first offering into the rock world, and it is a damn good one. Twenty two years later and Mechanical Resonance always finds itself at the top of my play list.
Going over the track list, I can’t find one song, that I do not enjoy. Jeff Keith’s vocals always put a smile on my face. Frank Hannon and Tommy Skeoch are easily one of the best guitar tandems to come out of the 1980’s.
I have been fortunate enough to see this band perform these songs live several times, and I haven’t ever been disappointed. Mechanical Resonance is simply an incredible piece of rock, that no fan should be without.
Rating:
Out of 10
Track Listing:
1. Ez Come Ez Go
2. Comin’ Atcha Live
3. Gettin’ Better
4. 2 Late 4 Love
5. Rock Me To The Top
6. We’re No Good Together
7. Modern Day Cowboy
8. Changes
9. Little Suzi
10. Love Me
11. Cover Queen
12. Before My Eyes
Tesla is:
Jeff Keith – Vocals
Frank Hannon – Guitars
Troy Lucketta – Drums
Tommy Skeoch – Guitars
Brian Wheat – Bass
2 Tesla, Twisted Sister to Perform at Annual Charity Show
Tom Scholz (Boston), Aaron Lewis (Staind), Tesla, Twisted Sister, Stryper, Dee Snider and others, along with host are scheduled to perform Monday, February 25th at Dunkin Donut Center in Providence, Rhode Island at the Fifth Anniversary Relief Fund Charity Concert.
The charity event marks the fifth anniversary of the Station Nightclub tragedy in Rhode Island, the fourth largest nightclub fire in US history. 100 lives were lost, 200 others were seriously injured and 65 children lost one or both parents. Five years later, funds available for the survivors are woefully inadequate. Only 15 survivors of the fire qualified for Social Security benefits, and many are still unable to meet their monthly needs.
The Station Family Fund, founded by survivors, family members and community members affected by the fire and the Wake Up To Love Foundation founded by Tesla drummer Troy Luccketta are event organizers. While $100,000 was raised in 2005 from a benefit concert featuring Tesla, Shinedown, Pat Travers and Carmine Appice, those funds are in desperate need of replenishing.
All proceeds from ticket sales and charity auctions benefit the Station Family Fund, a non-profit 501 (c)(3) charitable organization founded by survivors of the Station Nightclub fire. The Station Family Fund is committed to providing survivor relief, including costs of ongoing treatment and rehabilitation.
Additional artists scheduled to perform on February 25th include Carmine Appice’s Slam, Eric Martin, Gary Hoey, Chicago drummer Danny Seraphine. Other artists will be announced over the next few weeks.
Organizers would like to acknowledge the incredible generosity of the Dunkin’ Donuts Center http://www.dunkindonutscenter.com who has graciously donated the venue free of charge for the charity event as well as East Coast Lighting, WHJY and the many acts who are donating their time in putting together this event.
Tickets go on sale Friday, January 4th at Ticketmaster.com. Prices range from $41 to $61.
For further information on the Station Family Fund and their work, please visit: www.stationfamilyfund.org.
For further information on Troy Luccketta’s Wake Up To Love Foundation, please visit: www.wakeuptolove.com.
4 Best Concerts of 2007
I have seen quite a few live shows in 2007. The following are my favorites from 2007.
5. Vains of Jenna, RATT, Poison
VOJ put on a good show, RATT was a little disappointing, and Poison was the best I have ever seen them live. This show was well worth the money.
4. Jani Lane
I wasn’t sure to expect when I saw Jani Lane’s solo band perform last summer. Jani’s voice was in top form, and he sounded great. The star of the show in this concert was 17 year old wunderkind, Dario Lorina. This young guitarist is going to be a force to be reckoned with before long.
3. Frank Hannon and Winger
Frank Hannon opened up for Winger with his solo band back in February. I gained a whole lot of new respect for Frank on this day. His set consisted primarily of Tesla tunes, and a few songs off of his solo CD. It was an amazing set, and quite frankly (no pun intended), him and his band, blew Winger off the stage. Winger was pretty good too, but Frank Hannon in my eyes stole the show on this night.
2. Black Stone Cherry and Jackyl
Black Stone Cherry has been one of my favorite bands for a while now, and getting to see them for free is always a bonus. With Jackyl being on the same bill, this became a must attend event. The boys from BSC delivered the goods, but their performance was surpassed by Jackyl.
I have seen Jackyl several times, but I have never seen the band put on a show like this. Jesse James Dupree was in rare form, as it was his birthday, and the whole band was killer on this night.
1. Megadeth and Heaven and Hell
I have seen Megadeth several times over the years, but this was my first experience seeing Black Sabbath live in any incarnation. Dave Mustaine and company were great, but simply got blown off the stage by Black Sabbath. Ronnie James Dio proved once again why he is one of the best singers in Metal today. A fantastic show that I would pay to see again!
2008 is already proving to have a very busy concert schedule.
The following acts are heading my way, and this is only through March.
Z02 and L.A. Guns (Phil Lewis Version)
Endeverafter
Van Halen
Cinder Road with Tesla
Jackyl
It is going to be another great year of rock in 2008!
7 Tesla 2008 Tour Dates
Hard rock veterans Tesla return to the road in February for another round of dates supporting their most recent album, June’s “Real to Reel.”
The group, which revealed in September it would be returning to the studio to put together a new album for 2008, will kick things off Feb. 1 in Seattle, with 20 cities on the itinerary. All dates for the tour, which runs to a close in early March, are shown below.
The band is coming off something of a resurgent year, having completed its first world tour in 16 years this fall with dates in Australia, Japan and Europe. The band also toured extensively in the US this summer, when fans attending the band’s shows were given an early opportunity to purchase the second volume of “Real to Reel,” which was initially only available in single-CD format.
The two volumes of “Real to Reel” discs feature covers of “songs that inspired us back in the day when we first heard them in the ’70s,” singer Jeff Keith said in a press release. “We originally had a large list of songs in mind for the record, and we had a lot of fun picking out the ones that ultimately made it onto the album. Making music is all about feeding off of your inspirations and putting your own touches to it. We feel we’ve accomplished this to the highest extent.”
Artists given the cover treatment on Tesla’s new album include The Beatles, Eric Clapton, Led Zeppelin, The Rolling Stones and others.
The album is Tesla’s first since once again parting ways with original member Tommy Skeotch, who was replaced last year on tour and in the studio with guitarist Dave Rude.
Last month, the band released the iTunes-exclusive “A Peace of Time,” a seven-song digital EP that includes covers of songs by Bread, The Climax Blues Band and Ten Years After, as well as the band’s version of the traditional holiday classic “Silent Night.”
February 2008
Date Venue City State/Province Country
Fri 2/1/2008 Showbox Seattle WA US
Sat 2/2/2008 Roseland Theater Portland OR US
Tue 2/5/2008 The Big Easy Spokane WA US
Wed 2/6/2008 The Big Easy Boise ID US
Fri 2/8/2008 Fillmore San Francisco CA US
Sat 2/9/2008 Grand Sierra Theatre Reno NV US
Sun 2/10/2008 Redding Convention Center Redding CA US
Wed 2/13/2008 Ogden Theatre Denver CO US
Thu 2/14/2008 Uptown Theatre Kansas City MO US
Sat 2/16/2008 Pop’s Nightclub Sauget IL US
Sun 2/17/2008 Cotillion Ballroom Wichita KS US
Tue 2/19/2008 Cain’s Ballroom Tulsa OK US
Wed 2/20/2008 Val Air Ballroom West Des Moines IA US
Fri 2/22/2008 Myth North Saint Paul MN US
Sun 2/24/2008 Club Infinity Williamsville NY US
Mon 2/25/2008 Dunkin’ Donuts Center Providence RI US
Wed 2/27/2008 The Palace Theater Greensburg PA US
Thu 2/28/2008 Lifestyle Communities Pavilion Columbus OH US
March 2008
Date Venue City State/Province Country
Sat 3/1/2008 Piere’s Fort Wayne IN US
Sun 3/2/2008 Bogart’s Cincinnati OH US
Here is a live video taken from a show in September. Enjoy!
1 New Tesla Tunes and U.S. Tour Dates!
Veteran California rockers TESLA have scheduled the following 2008 dates:
Feb. 01 – Seattle, WA – Showbox
Feb. 02 – Portland, OR – Roseland
Feb. 05 – Spokane, WA – The Big Easy
Feb. 06 – Boise, ID – The Big Easy
Feb. 08 – San Francisco, CA – Fillmore
Feb. 09 – Reno, NV – Grand Sierra Theatre
Feb. 10 – Redding, CA – Redding Convention Center
Feb. 13 – Denver, CO – Ogden Theatre
Feb. 14 – Kansas City, MO – Uptown Theatre
Feb. 16 – Sauget, IL – Pop’s
Feb. 17 – Wichita, KS – Cotillion Ballroom
Feb. 19 – Tulsa, OK – Cain’s Ballroom
Feb. 20 – West Des Moines, IA – Val Air Ballroom
TESLA has just released a new seven-track iTunes digital-download exclusive EP called “A Peace of Time”. According to the group, the EP is a “seven-song taste of music that was recorded live in the studio and features recordings of TESLA’s own songs in a different fashion as well as a few covers that we love. Set to be released for the holiday season, there is a recording of the Christmas classic ‘Silent Night’ and alternate recordings of TESLA classics.”
“A Peace of Time” track listing:
01. I Love You (CLIMAX BLUES BAND)
02. Everything I Own (BREAD)
03. Signs (FIVE MAN ELECTRICAL BAND)
04. The Way It Is
05. What You Give
06. I’d Love To Change The World (TEN YEARS AFTER)
07. Silent Night (acoustic solo)
6 Video – Tesla – Comin’ At You Live
11 Tesla – Real to Reel (Release Year – 2007)
I don’t know if the simultaneous release of Tesla’s Real to Reel and Poison’d was intentional or a coincedence. What I do know is, Real to Reel kicks the crap out of Poison’d in just about every way. Due to better marketing, I am sure Poison’d will out sell this disc, and it is a shame, because Real to Reel is far superior.
With Real to Reel you get 13 songs, and 60 minutes of new cover tunes. (With the Bonus disc, an additional 27 minutes) I have listened to this disc a few times now, and I can tell that Tesla put their heart into this disc. I thought at one point in time that Jorn’s Unlocking the Past was the best cover disc I have ever heard. Tesla has some how managed to surpass that one.
Real to Reel is the hard rock cover disc, that other bands will be trying to surpass for
years to come.
Guitar rock fans that listen to this CD will be calling their friends and telling them about this one! Frank Hannon is the MAN! His playing combined with Tesla’s new guitarist Dave Rude is amazing. Jeff Keith’s voice sounds so good, it is crazy!
Thank You
Rock Bottom
I won’t give you a song by song breakdown, because plain and simple, all of the songs kick ass. I can’t wait to catch Tesla live, so I can get Reel 2.
You can hear more tracks at Tesla Real to Reel.com. Don’t hesitate to pick this one up! It is worth owning!
Rating: 
Out of 10
Track Listing:
1. Space Truckin’ (Deep Purple)
2. Walk Away (James Gang)
3. Hand Me Down World (The Guess Who)
4. Bad Reputation (Thin Lizzy)
5. Thank You (Led Zeppelin)
6. I’ve Got A Feeling (Beatles)
7. Day Of the Eagle (Robin Trower)
8. Ball Of Confusion (The Temptations)
9. Rock Bottom (UFO)
10. Stealin’ (Uriah Heep)
11. Bell Bottom Blues (Derek and the Dominos)
12. Honky Tonk Women (Rolling Stones)
13. Dear Mr. Fantasy (Traffic)
Best Buy Bonus Disc
- War Pigs (Black Sabbath) from Real to Reel, Reel 2
- Shine Away (Unplugged, from the upcoming 20th Anniversary Box Set)
- Modern Day Cowboy (Unplugged, from the upcoming 20th Anniversary Box Set)
- Paradise (Unplugged, From the upcoming 20th Anniversary Box Set)
2 Frank Hannon – Guitarz From Marz (Release Year -2005)
Guitarz from Marz is the 2005 independent release by Tesla Lead Guitarist, Frank Hannon. This is a disc for Hard Rock Guitar lovers everywhere. I picked this disc up at the Winger / Frank Hannon show the other night after hearing Frank perform 3 songs off of this disc live, Chain Reaction, Eye of the Mind, and Electric Warriors. All three songs are damn good, but this isn’t all that is on Guitarz from Marz. Some of my other favorites are RE-Evolution, Stop The War, the Hendrix flavored Angel, and the Stevie Ray Vaughn like Touch of Magic.
Frank Hannon handles the lead vocals and the lead guitar on this disc. He is not as good of a vocalist as he is a guitar player, but he does do an admirable job. I have heard many vocalists far worse than him. The music is so good on Guitarz from Marz, that most hard rock fans are going to love this. This disc is a must own for all Hard Rock , Instrumental Guitar and Tesla fans. Don’t let this disc pass you by.
The only place I am aware that you get this disc is from Frank Hannon.com You can also hear the track Electric Warrior, at Frank’s Myspace page. I have included some videos for Guitarz from Marz below. Check it out!
Guitarz from Marz
Re-Evolution
Eye of the Mind
Electric Warriors
Chain Reaction
Angel
Touch of Magic
Rating:
Out of 10
Track Listing:
- Diamondz in the Sky
- RE-Evolution
- Guitarz from Marz
- Chain Reaction
- Stop the War
- Angel
- Eye of the Mind
- Touch of Magic
- De’ la Luna Acoustica
- Electric Warriors
- Funk It Up!
- Mobias Flip
- Hyperspace
